Image Cred: Benjamin Allain — https://www.facebook.com/benjaminallainart

I moved to Ontario in August- this is my first time away from the the east coast for fifteen years. I miss my friends. I miss my friends’ bands. I miss playing in bands. I miss Sackville. I miss Halifax. I miss St John’s. I miss the incestuous east coast scene. I came back for the holidays. Here is what my first week sounded like:

My first day back on the East Coast, I arrive in Halifax. I eat at Ace Burger. I go to Menz and Mollyz to hear Surveillance, Bad Vibrations, and a rare offering from Bloodhouse. I drink. I mosh. Every band is amazing. The bass player in Bloodhouse breaks a string but keeps playing and pushing his back into the crowd. I see friends I haven’t seen in months, but it doesn’t feel that long. Or maybe it feels longer. I stay up until 5am drinking Kahlua in a dirty North End apartment; the next day I go to the new library. It’s all too amazing for me to handle.

When Sunday rolls around I remember that my friends in Halifax have real jobs so I decide to go to Sackville, where nobody works and the drinks are cheap. I get a ride with Mike Trask and Ben Allain. The Cobequid pass is clear. We pay our four dollars and keep driving. I arrive in Sackville for the first time in four months.

The legendary Al Tuck is playing at Thunder and Lightning. It seems like everybody I love is here. Al plays a set for twenty-five people and drinks some whiskey. People filter out as he takes a break. He plays another quiet and intimate set to those who remain. We finish a bottle of Bushmills. I stumble through the streets of Sackville and eventually fall asleep.

On Monday morning I get a coffee and take apart an amp with Jon Mckiel. I hang out with his kids. I hang out at the radio station. I embarrass myself on air with Scott Brown. I get a tattoo. I record a demo for a new band called Partner. I get nostalgic. I feel like I’m at home and three days disappear into a blur of normal Sackville activities.

I have to leave Sackville. I am sad. I am exhausted. I will return soon. I drive to Halifax. I go to Gus’s. I see a new band called Vulva Culture. I eat Jessy’s Pizza. I go to bed.

I fly to St John’s. Hey Rosetta! is playing a big show but I go to the deck instead. I see my friends. I hear MAANS. Micah Brown is the most entertaining person to watch on stage. I fall asleep in my parent’s attic. I am at home.