Maxwell's Plum - Nearing English Perfection.

On my first trip to the Maritimes, Laura and I made our way down from Moncton, NB to Halifax, NS. This trip was exciting for me as I had heard of the urban culture in the port city of Halifax, NS but had yet to experience it. 

As we tediously made our way through the city and down to the harbor we passed by Maxwell's Plum. It had been our aim to find a cute pub to eat at and as we passed it I knew it was where I wanted to go. Laura wanted to see what else we could find, but I didn't. From the name to the location to the blue and red exterior the two seconds I had to identify it were enough to tell me I had to go.

I'm currently having a love affair with red meat. This is pretty new - five months new. Every time I go out to eat I just have to get a burger. It's has to have cheddar and bacon, everything else is icing on the cake. So I'm looking at Maxwell's menu and I the burger platter is listed and just 9.99. Sweet. I'm getting that. I order my beer and delicious burger and we had a nice conversation in a wonderful pub environment.

Then my burger came. Please identify that there are two burgers on that plate. Two half pound beef patties with bacon, cheddar, tomato, lettuce, onions . . . not to mention that pile of fries. I rechecked the menu - no I hadn't missed it; there wasn't even a description for the platter. I was immediately filled with fear. I tried to convince myself two thirds of the way through the first one that I wasn't getting full. I only made it through half of the second one but dang were they good. Laura was also pleased with her strips of chicken and she's not so easily pleased. 

Beyond our service - which was a little lacking, though I wouldn't assume it to consistently lacking - Maxwell's Plum was an amazing experience. It should also be noted that they have something called a brewtender which brings you eighty oz of beer on tap to your table. That's just a win right there. And if you buy the brand of the day you can get it for 20 bucks. I wouldn't, however, recommend buying it by the bottle. It's over-priced. So if you're in downtown Halifax and happen to be on Sackville St., walk into Maxwell's Plum and have a beer. I guarantee you'll enjoy it. 

Sufjan - say it right or I'll pinch you.

The time has come. 

Sufjan Stevens has been effectively changing my life for two years now and I need to find a way to articulate why and how.

The thing that captivates me most about his music is its spiritual nature. I don't speak directly to the lyrics. Though one has to wonder about his religious background as he references the Holy Spirit, the divinity, Bible Studies and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. On his album Seven Swans he has songs dedicated to such biblical narratives as Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and the Transfiguration. 

Beyond this lyrical basis, Sufjan carries an innovative use of instrumentation that, considering the time frame, parallels the innovation of J.S. Bach. If you don't know anything about this Bach-ian innovation let me just say that his blending of international styles to create something that appealed to the Western world as a whole was completely unexpected and beyond what anybody had ever done. In the same way, Sufjan Stevens uses the nature of certain instruments sounds to attain a sound that captures the essence of his musical message. He employs everything from horns to banjos to strings. In his commissioned album the BQE (named after the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) he employs a full orchestra. The know-how required to write for such an ensemble is impressive and strengthens my appreciation of the complexity of the rest of his work.  


I've done some research in an attempt to discover whether Sufjan is a Christ follower or just intensely spiritually and biblically aware. I've come up dry. There is nothing I've found in print to convince me that Sufjan has a working relationship with Christ; yet I stand changed because of his music. 


I took a music fast for two weeks last fall and the broke that fast with Seven Swans. The aim of the fast was to reclaim the affect of music on my soul. At that point I knew nothing could fill my soul like that album. It claimed me then and continues to today.