Christmas Gift Guides 2016: Music Lovers

We get to experience a lot of great Atlantic Canadian music here at The East. Whether we’re reviewing new albums or attending fantastic live events, we’re pretty emersed in what Atlantic Canada has to offer. Making this list was pretty tough because we’d love to include everyone we encounter. Here are just a FEW of the options for music related gifts but if you’d like to discover even more ideas browse through some of our reviews and find just the right artist for the music junkies in your life.

East Coast Music Awards

Every year the ECMA team puts on an amazing music filled week celebrating Atlantic Canadian entertainment. This year the event is being held in #SaintAwesome, better known as Saint John, New Brunswick. Tickets have recently gone on sale and what’s a better gift than a spot at Atlantic Canada’s biggest kitchen party!

(Courtesy of East Coast Music Association)

The Neptune Theatre

The Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia is a staple of Atlantic Canadian Theatre. For years they have been putting on beautiful productions that have wowed audiences. Although it’s mid-season there are still plenty of shows to choose from when buying tickets. You’ll find something for everyone in their line up and it covers all age groups.

Ten Strings and A Goat Skin

Prince Edward Island band, Ten Strings and a Goat Skin has been collecting awards and recognition for the past year. They were recently named Critic’s Choice by Penguin Eggs magazine and we couldn’t agree more. Their beautiful and sometimes haunting sound will fit perfectly into any music lover’s collection and their 2016 album Auprès du Poêle is an instant classic.

City Natives

With their October album, Nomadic, City Natives has continued to provide quality East Coast music to their fan base. Their sound is not one typically associated with the traditional East Coast music scene but in recent years they’ve worked to raise the bar for Hip Hop/Rap music in the region. We’re watching to see what comes next for the award-winning group and continue to expect even more growth for them in the years to come.

Symphony Nova Scotia

We can’t write a gift guide for music lovers without including at least one classical music example on the list. Symphony Nova Scotia has been operating in many different forms since 1897 and the quality of their productions has garnered huge success with critics and audience over the years. They have worked to make classical music more accessible to their audiences by incorporating popular music into their programs.

Fortunate Ones:

You’ll fall in love with Fortunate Ones and their gorgeous pop-folk sound. The duo from Newfoundland has becoming known for their amazing harmonies and has been gracing the short lists for many Canadian music awards including the 2016 East Coast Music Awards, the Juno Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, and Music NL awards. They’ve even released a Christmas EP this year which will make a perfect stocking stuffer for music lovers.

We’d be lying if we told this is even close to an accurate display of what musical talents lie in Atlantic Canada. If we wrote a real gift guide for music lovers it would include 50-100 different artists, albums and venues. Please take some time to browse through our selection music reviews to help you get an even better idea of what’s happening with Atlantic Canadian music.

Come back tomorrow when we embrace our childish side and look at some gift for the younger folks in your life.