Here it is: a 2nd wave of artists set to take part in our 12th annual festival, coming up May 30th – June 2nd. Amidst a history of left-field sounds and an ever-encroaching sphere of influence, this year marks one of our most bombastic, worldwide line-ups to date. Recent additions include NYC’s piano-bending mystic Kelly Moran, junked trance duo 75 Dollar Bill, brutal UK rainbow rockers Guttersnipe, Toronto’s rising club punks Just John x Dom Dias, Finnish-born Glaswegian dreamweaver Cucina Povera, veteran minimalist composer Mary Jane Leach and SO! MUCH! MORE!

Check out these artists and more on our festival page. Full passes to the weekend’s festivities are on sale via our Big Cartel. Catch an Early Bird price before midnite Tue March 12th. Passes guarantee you access to the entire festival; nothing overlaps, no industry trash. Join us this spring at the edges of everything!

OBEY Convention’s voracious vision of sonic exploration means that it’s continually delving deeper, in search of new pathways through the musical underground. This year marks a noteworthy expansion with a brand-new composer-in-residence program. After considering a batch of curious and diverse applicants from across North America, we’re delighted to announce that free-jazz trumpeter and improv innovator Nicole Rampersaud has accepted the inaugural role. In the days leading up to the festival, Nicole will be collaborating with a select crew of local musicians to realize her vision. Rehearsals for the project will take place with the generous support of The Khyber Centre For The Arts. A public performance of Nicole’s composition will be included in our Keynote Concert on Thursday, May 30th, in Paul O’Regan Hall at Halifax Central Library. The event marks the kick off to our 12th annual festival and is free and open to the public.

OBEY CONVENTION AGM
Monday March 11, 6pm
Halifax Central Library, Room 301

We’re getting ready to host our annual general meeting and we’d love to see you there. The AGM is a great way to get involved and/or get a peek into what’s going on with our organization. This year, we’re looking for three new board members to join our team. If you’re interested, there’s more information on how to apply and what the position entails after the jump!

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We’re SO excited to announce the first few artists set to perform at our 12th annual festival of free ideas in music and sound. Our dates this year are May 30th – June 2nd. So far we’ve got: Philly’s post-bounce clubshaker DJ Haram, PAN’s contrarian collagist Eartheater, the hypnotic aquatics of French-Japanese artist Tomoko Sauvage, Australia’s broken glass maverick Justice Yeldham, Algonquin synth-pop sensualist Mich Cota, bitchpunk sound theorist Debby Friday, The Brodie West Quintet‘s bent, multidimensional, jazz, and Toronto beat chemist Korea Town Acid. A limited number of generously priced Early Bird passes are on sale now until March 5th when we’ll unveil another batch of confirmed performers. Passholders are guaranteed access to the entire festival. Nothing overlaps so audience are able to enjoy the entire weekend. Check out artist details here and scoop up a pass here. Join us this spring at the edges of everything!

Our fourth and final show of the off-season is a pure, deep winter celebration. At a time of year when the body needs collective release and community love, we’re psyched to announce worldbuilding DJ / producer / organizer Ciel for her first-ever appearance in Halifax. A triple threat with a taste for the strange and dreamy, we’re psyched to light the dancefloor with this major Canadian selector. Full details on the events page as always!

Our third show, and first of the new year, is a true blessing. We’ll be hosting legendary free jazz vet Joe McPhee. He’ll be with us for two days, for an artist talk and a solo performance. It’s hard to put into words how important Joe’s work has been to so many people throughout his five decade career. Full insight and details on our events page.

Really psyched to announce that our second show of the season features NYC’s industrial noise heavy Dreamcrusher aka multidisciplinary artist Luwayne Glass. Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Glass is known for their unique compositional voice and kinetic live performances. Joining them at the Bus Stop Theatre will be local punk thrashers Grief and the elusive electro scrambler Junk Entity. Preceding the show, we’ll be hosting ‘Live In Conversation with Dreamcrusher’ moderated by local artist Francesca Ekwuyasi. Full details on our events page!

Our annual four-day festival returns May 30th – June 2nd for a 12th instalment of forward-thinking music on the fringes. Presenting contemporary ideas in music and sound in beautiful K’jipuktuk | Halifax, Nova Scotia, OBEY programs with intention, integrity and consideration.

This year, we’ve got a general Call For Submissions and a special Composer-in-Residence program. The deadline for both applications is December 14th, 2018 at midnite AST. Full program details in the links provided. Bring on the flood of new energies!

Our 12th annual festival is coming up May 30 – June 2, 2019. We’re looking for people to help us build and shape our programme. Do you have an ear for new music? Do you like what OBEY has done so far? Do you have suggestions of how we might improve our programming? We’d love to hear from you!

For many years, we’ve been mindful of bringing people together in ways that challenge the music industry standards in Nova Scotia. While considering and supporting the local and regional communities that surround our organization, we’ve also purposefully encouraged them to explore new corners and accept new ideas. This is a vital tension that keeps OBEY thriving.

This year, we’re inviting YOU to take part in our programming process. Details on process and application guidelines after the jump!

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Announcing the first show of a new season! In mid-October, we’re hosting Irish organ conjurer Áine O’Dwyer. Visiting us all the way from London, her time here is sure to unearth some heavy vibrations. O’Dwyer will be performing an activation of Fort Massey’s historic pipe organ as well as an artist talk entitled Sound Walks From Medjugorje,  showcasing her recent research into the famed apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Herzegovina. More details can be found on our events page.