As the holiday haze wears away, I dove back into my 2019 archive to have a look back over the past 12 months. It’s great data to have, to be able to see where the lulls in the year exist; and while it felt quite busy, there were certainly moments where I didn’t shoot much for a month or so, ending my year at the end of November with my White Whale, City and Colour. I’ve been in the room as a spectator for some of Dallas’ early visits to Halifax, but the last couple of times he rolled through I didn’t have an opportunity to photograph him. Being able to shoot him in the Scotiabank Centre with a ton of light was a blast.

Little did I know that when I shot The Sorority back in March, it would be one of the band’s last shows in the city. The hip-hop collective blew me away when they played the Marquee during the 2019 iteration of the Halifax Pop Explosion, and as members started to leave, and the remaining members (Haviah Mighty, Lex Leosis and Keysha Freshh) were all working on solo projects, the writing was on the wall as the year wore on. While she may not have blown up on the same scale as Lizzo, Haviah Mighty dominated the Canadian music scene with her album 13th Floor, which led her to the Polaris Prize win. Haviah made her way back to the city as part of the Halifax Pop Explosion’s big show at the Scotiabank Centre with Mother Mother and Arkells. If you get the chance to catch her perform, run, don’t walk.

It doesn’t shock me that both Matt Mays and Adam Baldwin made this group of shots, as it’s always a fun time when they’re performing in town. 2019 was also a year that I fell completely in love with the Hypochondriacs, who are always a high energy experience when they hit the stage. I also got a healthy dose of nostalgia in 2019, being able to shoot acts such as Foreigner, The Tea Party and Corey Hart!

The year had far more hits than it did musical misses, and Halifax Jazz Festival, Hopscotch, and Halifax Pop Explosion all knocked their lineups out of the park. I’m looking forward to a jam-packed 2020, so stick around and see what we have cooking in the new year. Enjoy a few of my favourite shots from 2019.