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So, Happy 2009!

And thanks to the hardy souls who braved the usual media panic about the New Year's Eve snowstorm to come out to The Carleton to help us ring in the new year with David Myles & The Expenses. It would be an understatement to say the evening was fabulous. We lived up to our own billing as the best New Year's celebration in the city and look waaaaaaay forward to doing it again. Thanks also to our killler staff for the excellent service and above-and-beyond decorating duties - the place looked like a million bucks!

We look forward to what 2009 has in store for us and we are committed to bringing you more of what you want in the coming year. Thank you for the support you've shown us so far, we won't let you down...

So, make sure you come in often during the winter months and, for those of you who've been collecting Carleton Cash, now's the time to redeem our gifts to you. See you soon!

Alright, you've got Christmas - and all that entails - over with; now it's time to concentrate on letting off some steam and having a good time, on... New Year's Eve! Yeah, that's right, do something nice for yourself for a change, kick up your heels. There's been enough bad news over the course of the last few months. Why not, for one night, just let loose?

Why not, indeed. And we at The Carleton having been working hard to provide exactly that opportunity for you and yours. The 1st annual New Year's Eve bash at our place will definitely be one to remember. Our chef has created a brilliant 4 course meal. We've tossed in some lovely wines and will have a decent champagne for you at midnight. We've engaged the services of David Myles and his excellent band for your entertainment as well. It's going to be a great night.

Tickets are $150 (including taxes) and that's an excellent deal for what we're offering on the night. You can reserve your spot by calling The Carleton at 902-422-6335 with your credit card handy. The dress is "creative formal" and that means exactly what it sounds like. Have fun dressing up. We rarely feel like adults but we're going to give it the old college try!

If you've already made dinner arrangements, there are a limited number of "show only" tickets available for $50. That'll also get you your glass of champagne at the appointed hour. We hope to see your sunny face there...

That season being the "holiday" one. But, if I've got to own up to the fact that we've been open going on seven months, I can at least say The Carleton is proving to be a great place to organize whatever festive ideas you and your company - or family - might have to celebrate.

It's still not too late to book something with us for large groups, and our private dining room is perfect for groups of up to 24. The place is turning out to be remarkably cosy and it's not that we didn't think it would be, it's just nice to know we were right!

We've got great entertainment coming up too: Duane Andrews is playing December 7th and he'll be joined by Dwayne Cote, one of the best fiddlers you'll ever see, Julie Doiron (Polaris Prize finalist in 2007 and Juno Award winner) will be on-stage December 14th and 15th, Dr. Draw on Dec. 16th and 17th (check this guy out, he's pretty much sold out his Toronto show at the Danforth Music Hall on December 18th and, believe me, the tickets there are a lot more than $20) and Dave Gunning will be doing a show on December 21st.

So, I'm usually a bit of a humbug at this time of year but I'm feeling OK about it right now. And I'll feel even better if I see some more smiling faces around before New Year!

Even with the extra couple of weeks of Daylight Savings, I'm finding myself having trouble adjusting to the early darkness. I think it's 10 PM when it's only 6. It's disconcerting. And I'm also having trouble getting used to the idea that our patio is no longer there. I used to think of that thing as a nice, sturdy ship and now it's gone. So it looks like I'm talking about changes here and I am...

The Carleton is moving into the winter months and we're positive we're going to be the cosiest bar on the street. Think all warm, toasty and glowing - that's what we'll be going for - as we shudder in anticipation of the sure-to-come snow.

We've got great entertainment in store for you and we've also just revamped our "anytime" menu so you can have yummy stuff to eat at pretty much any hour of the day. If you haven't been in recently, drop by for a drink after work or come in for lunch some time soon. There's lots to be said for making us your "local."

We're also working on a great customer appreciation promotion for the winter months. Stay tuned to this space for details!

Thanks for checking out our site!

I live for the summer, always have, but I've never had one blow by as fast as this year's has. I suppose it has something to do with the fact I just opened a bar/restaurant and haven't had a moment to enjoy what sun we have had but jeez... Anyway, I'm looking forward to everything the beautiful (usually) Nova Scotian fall will bring.We've got a full slate of live performances coming up, so I encourage you to check out the Music tab on this site to find out what's on the horizon. I also encourage you to go to the News tab and sign up for our mailing list. We've been having a few growing pains associated with this feature on the site but I think we have them worked out now. The newsletter will give you heads up - ahead of the general public - about shows that are confirmed, etc.AND, this excites me, we're launching our Carleton Sunday Brunch on September 7th. I fondly remember going to the Penguin Cafe on Elgin Street in Ottawa when I lived there during the original punk rock days. They had a great brunch accompanied by the soothing sounds of a string quartet. I always told myself that if I ever owned a joint, I'd attempt to do the same thing. To that end, we'll be offering our own string section - The Halifax String Quartet (OK, it's actually starting out as a trio) - for your listening pleasure. I can't wait.The menu will have a nice selection of breakfasty stuff and we'll have a killer Caesar menu too, along with Mimosa and hey, what the hell, Martinis...Come on out and get civilized with us! 

OK, maybe you haven't gotten the memo yet; maybe you're living under a rock? The fact of the matter is, the live performance stuff at The Carleton in Halifax (where you probably live) is, without doubt, an experience that rivals one in any other city on the planet. There, I've said it...

As a Canadian - and, even worse, an ATLANTIC Canadian - there is a tendancy to underplay (or downright apologize for) our talented performers. No point arguing, I know this to be true. We had ANOTHER brilliant show tonight. LENNIE GALLANT absolutely kicked ass. I've known Lennie for as long as I've been on the East Coast (16 years in case anyone is counting) and I don't think I've ever seen a better Lennie show than last night's.

Anyway, if you've managed to cadge tickets for tomorrow night's (August 19th) show, cool. Good for you. If you screwed up - and didn't get a ticket for either tonight's or tomorrow's show - you're in luck (even if you don't actually deserve it). We've decided to add a third show on Wednesday, August 20th. That's like, duh, really, really soon. We don't have physical tickets printed (see my bitch about people buying advance tickets) but you can reserve them by calling The Carleton at 902-422-6335. Be prepared to leave a credit card number.

I don't care how many times you might have seen Lennie, this is "special" and I stand by that. Be there or be so square as to make  your Physics/Math teacher wonder how you ever got through High School. Seriously...

We've got some information to add for this week's show - Steven Bowers (Wednesday, August 13th). Steven has added special guests The Stanfield's to the bill. I haven't seen them yet but am told by those I trust that they're kick-ass. I should also point out that the $20 admission also includes a copy of Steven's soon-to-be-released "Homing" album. I've got it and you're going to want it too! Good deal all around...

We're working on a bunch of stuff for the fall (hard to believe that summer's already damn near toast), so keep checking this site for updates please. That "bunch of stuff" refers to some menu refinements - a late night menu, some less substantial stuff on the dinner menu for those who are just looking for snacks after work, a Sunday Brunch - as well as great music bookings.

We're starting to feel pretty good about things actually...

Plaskett, Barber, Poltz and then Gordie Sampson - clearly a line-up of talent not seen at any new venue I can readily call to mind!

Gordie wound up doing three nights at our place (originally slated to do two, we had to add a third show and could easily have done a full week) and we were full every night. Gordie, backed by Jamie Robinson, performed three distinctly different shows and - drenched in sweat - left everyone screaming for more.

In case you're just checking in on this page - and I hope you do that regularly - I've just confirmed a special surprise show for next Thursday night (July 31st)Mac : Bill Plaskett, with friends Claudine Langille and Ronnie MacEachern. This is kinda a last-minute thing but rare circumstances were in play and I thought short notice was no excuse not to do it. Tell your friends, pass it on... Bill has already played our stage once - with his son Joel - and is a great player in his own right. Special talents, special night...

 It's always a sad day when one has to wave good-bye to visiting friends, even worse when that friend is Steve Poltz! Steve blew a lot of minds with his tour-de-force three night run at The Carleton and I am happy to say that not one curmudgeon took me up on my "Poltz Show Money-Back Guarantee."

If you didn't catch any of the shows, you blew it big-time. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about. If you were there on the Wednesday night, you'd have caught Joel Plaskett's three song mini-set at Steve's insistence - Steve is a big Joel fan and couldn't resist asking him to play "Light of the Moon" for him. Needless to say, it brought down the house.

We wish Steve well and look forward to having him back as soon as he can make it.

And with that, we welcome the return of good weather and get ourselves ready for our next extraordinary show, Gordie Sampson, coming quickly up this Monday (July 21st) and Tuesday (July 22nd). There are still a few tickets left, but not for long!

Hard to believe but our little three show run for Steve Poltz is coming to an end. His last performance is tonight - Wednesday, July 9th - and, if the first two were any indication, this one should be sensational. Last night's show was over three hours long, spread over two rollicking sets. It was also completely different than the previous night's show.

Basically, the guy's a genius and you'd be crazy not to see it. There are still tickets available for tonight - $20 + taxes and they're available at the club. Ryan Cook will be doing a short opening set too...