The Halifax Pop Explosion
For the past 15 years, the latest musical talent from across North America (and often the world) has met up at one encompassing event: the Halifax Pop Explosion. Although the name and structure of the event has evolved over the years, it has always been held the second week after Canadian Thanksgiving and its basic principle can be summed up in its official mandate, which states the mission “To present the best new music festival in Canada. The Halifax Pop Explosion provides cutting edge new music programming aimed to attract music fans, not just locally, but from across Eastern and Central Canada and New England. By doing so, the festival will continue to attract fans and industry delegates from around the world” (1).
The fesitval serves as a Who's Who of the best up-and-coming music acts, from a wide variety of genres. For instance, this year's event boasted such acts as Tegan and Sara (known for indie rock/pop), United Steelworkers of Montreal (alt-country/bluegrass), Melissa McClelland (pop/blues), Husband and Knife (folk/acoustic), and The Moist Towelettes (electronic pop)-who besides having one of the most interesting band titles ever are actually a group from Tokyo, Japan. These are just a few examples of the artists that participated, as the entire festival had a roster of over 100 performers, drawing in an estimated audience of over 12,000 people.
In recent years, the Halifax Pop Explosion has also been a venue for music fans to learn more about the music business itself and how it is integrated into various aspects of culture. Workshops and conferences allow anyone interested in music to explore the creation, production, and management of music. Industry execs from across the world gather here to scope out possible new talent and exhibit those that may not be as well known as they should be.
Overall, the Halifax Pop Explosion is one of the most important events in Canadian music. The festival continues to be a special event where undiscovered talent, professional musicians, industry execs, and music fans can come together and enjoy the unifying experience of hearing great music.
Sources used:
1) "About Us." The Halifax Pop Explosion. Aug. 2007. 7 Nov. 2007
2) "Halifax Pop Explosion Logo." The Halifax Pop Explosion. Aug. 2007. 8 Nov. 2007