Blackout Podcast

Born in Ukraine, Margarita Fainshtein earned a BFA from the University of Haifa, Israel and MFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Exhibitions include: Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago; Chicago Art Department, Chicago; Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax; The Artist House, Jerusalem (forthcoming), The ArtCake Gallery, New York, USA (forthcoming), Katzman Art Projects, Halifax; and venues in North America and Europe.

Fainshtein’s work can be found in the permanent collections of Acadia University, Canada; Art Bank Nova Scotia, Canada; Art Institute of Chicago, USA.

Fainshtein’s work reflects the complexity of multi-cultural citizenship and immigrant status as it intersects with personal, political, and cultural relations. What relation do political movements have with individual histories? Is there a global citizen? She is Nova Scotian; however, she has other cultural identities which intersect and define who she is.

Fainshtein lives and works in Halifax, NS.

More of her work @margaritafainshtein

At fifteen, her first song emerged from an English class assignment, built on three chords and sung with friends. That simple moment with a guitar quietly began a path she could never leave. Born in Santiago, Chile, she was raised among films, music, and poetry, where art persistently called to her. Through mentors and fellow artists, she found stages, collaborators, and the understanding that art was a way to inhabit the world.

By nineteen, she began recording and performing with bands. She rebuilt her project, co-founded the independent label Caída Libre, and adopted the name Mueres en el Mar, embracing a sound that merges technology and nature, emotion and instinct. Inspired by artists like Björk and Aurora, she chose to create freely, allowing contradiction, tenderness, rage, and silence to coexist.

Under that name, she released the EP La timidez de los eucaliptus and the album Ikigai (2023), supported by Chile’s Ministry of Culture. She performed at major festivals and earned national recognition. After a period in Toronto, she is now based in Nova Scotia, rebuilding her project, writing in English, and performing with renewed clarity. Alongside her own work, she studies and supports other artists through creative management. Her story continues to unfold.

More @maca.mnm

@wearemueres

@sellocaidalibre

Dana Elborno is a Palestinian-Canadian social advocate based in Halifax. She is diving into her long-awaited art career. Dana holds a Child and Youth degree with a minor in Psychology from MSVU and currently works as a mental health and youth worker.

Dana started her activist career in 2021 and has continued to showcase her advocacy on social media, rallies, events, and fundraisers. She has been inspired by art in every aspect of her life such as her love for fashion, drawing, and poetry. Dana has always had big dreams and is planning to show more of who she is—unapologetically—in 2026.

Art has always been embedded in her spirit, especially as she comes from a lineage and family of Palestinians who create. She believes that to be Palestinian, is to be art in itself. Her heritage is rich with artistic traditions that have surrounded her since birth, from Palestinian poetry and traditional hand embroidery, to music, cultural dances, paintings, and all things beautiful. Art is who she is, because she is Palestinian and to exist is to resist the occupation.

@danaelborno

What started as a simple side hustle for a single mom in Halifax has exploded into a thriving business crafting stunning charcuterie boards and tables for weddings, corporate events, and more.

In this inspiring and down-to-earth conversation, Amanda shares her incredible journey: from buying her first house and needing flexible work, to landing a 250-person corporate gala and fitting four commercial fridges in her kitchen. She opens up about the realities of balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood, the viral power of a genius business name, and how social media helped build a supportive local food community.

Get the inside scoop on her creative process, the math behind a 32-foot charcuterie table, and the heartwarming moment her young daughter started passing out business cards for "Stella's Charcuterie." Amanda also gets real about the less-glamorous parts of the job (spreadsheets!) and reveals the profound influence of a father who taught her to "just make it happen."

Tune in for a story of passion, perseverance, and pretty plates that proves you can build something amazing right from your own kitchen.

Amanda Martin is the heart behind Sweet Cheesus Charcuterie, creating stunning charcuterie boards that turn any occasion into something special. With a love for fresh, local ingredients and beautiful presentation, Amanda brings people together through food.

When she’s not designing boards, Amanda enjoys spending time with her daughter, who inspires her creativity and passion for making every gathering unforgettable.

Find out more @sweet_cheesus_charcuterie

@israeliekanem

Sherry Anne Crowe is a model, actor, and inspirational speaker in her 50s who believes that life is not about fading quietly with age, but about evolving boldly. Through her creative work and growing social media presence, she challenges outdated narratives around ageing, confidence, and visibility, empowering women to take up space on purpose and define success on their own terms.

Rooted in lived experience, Sherry Anne’s journey reflects a powerful transformation through periods of reinvention. She chose to explore new possibilities, embrace the courage to try something unfamiliar, and learn to truly love herself along the way. She speaks openly about resilience, inner trust, and the bravery involved in honouring yourself through seasons of change, while encouraging women to love the skin they’re in, honour their bodies at any size, and build confidence from the inside out. Her message resonates with women of all ages.

Known for her authenticity and grounded presence, Sherry Anne uses storytelling, creativity, and honest conversation to encourage others to move with intention, live unapologetically, and show up fully as they are. Whether in front of the camera, on stage, or behind a microphone, she embodies what it means to age on your own terms without shrinking, apologising, or asking for permission.

@sherryannecrowe

Job Brumaire is a creator and entrepreneur born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He is driven by a deep passion for expression through both music and craftsmanship.

His journey in music began behind a drum kit in church, evolving into a heartfelt way to connect with people and channel positive energy. Beyond the stage, Job is the owner and operator of Jules & Jax Contracting Services, a dedicated drywall business he built with a focus on reliability and quality.

For Job, both his music and his work are rooted in the same core values: consistency, passion, and doing things right. He is committed to continuous growth and strives to leave every person and project better than he found them. Above all, he credits his greatest success and unwavering support to his family, who fuel his drive and keep him moving forward with strength and purpose.

Check him out @stixxjobie25

Luke French is a rapper and songwriter out of Westville, Nova Scotia

Now residing in Halifax. Influenced by both new and old-school artists like Griselda, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, French began his career in 2020 after releasing his mixtape “1624”, which earned praise from Griselda producer Camoflauge Monk for his production work. Luke's most recent project with fellow collaborators C-Stone Léon and GhostBoyRJ is titled “Tokyo Sayonara” and is currently out on all platforms.

French gained some momentum within Halifax after shows at local venues, and the release of his solo project “Forever Hold Your Piece”, a more introspective project fully produced by Virginia's own Sypooda. With funky vibes like “Acrylic Green” and gritty underground sounds like “Raw talk”, Forever Hold Your Piece” was nominated for Nova Scotia Music Week's 2025 Hip-Hop Album of the Year.

Luke's catalogue has something for every fan of Hip-Hop, especially when collaborating with other artists from the Director Collective like Emerson Corleone, Suplo, and C-Stone Léon.

Director just released a Christmas-inspired mixtape titled “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” available on all platforms.

Check him out @iamlukefrench

Natalie Chiasson is a journalist and visual artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She moved to the East Coast from western Canada in 2019, and has established strong roots here in Mi’kma’ki.

She is passionate about storytelling through writing, photography, videography, and illustration, and strives to document stories that amplify underrepresented voices that bring attention to environmental, cultural, and social issues that help people better understand the world around them.

Find out more @nataliechiassonmedia

What happens when you don’t choose music, but music chooses you? In this electrifying episode, the magnetic Nigerian artist Oluzy traces his journey from freestyling on street benches in Lagos to sharing stages with Afrobeats giants like Ruger and Joeboy in Canada.

Oluzy pulls back the curtain on his unique creative process, revealing how a chance airport encounter inspired his viral hit “Bamidele Logba Logba” and why he believes the universe, not him, curates the loyal team that surrounds him. He gets real about the pressure to constantly outdo himself, the hustle mentality forged in a Lagos neighbourhood where “nobody did a nine-to-five,” and why he sees his upcoming project as a genre-defying “movement” never before heard in Afrobeats.

Oluzy is a Halifax-based afrobeat artist blending Nigerian roots with global vibes. Producing hits like 'Love Me' & 'Bamidele Logba Logba', he's breaking bounds with infectious rhythms

Check him out @oluzy_

Blackout Podcast Episode 349: Double A - DJ / Founder, Modus Music Group

Double A first made his mark as a pioneering drum and bass DJ in Montreal’s underground scene in the early 1990s. Over the next decade, he toured extensively across North America and around the globe—from Cape Town to Tokyo, Los Angeles to Toronto. Alongside longtime DJ partner Twist, he co-founded Dune and Nude Recordings, two influential Montreal-based labels that helped shape the city's electronic music landscape.

With a string of releases and remixes to his name, Double A shifted gears in the early 2000s, stepping away from drum and bass to embrace open-format DJing. On Canada’s East Coast, he became known for producing some of the region’s longest-running monthly events, earning a reputation for his genre-spanning sets and dynamic crowd connection.

After several years in the U.S., Double A is now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he continues to push musical boundaries with his digital sets while also staying rooted in his love of vinyl. He’s deep into collecting 45s and runs his own 7" imprint, Mountain 45s. His productions have landed on respected labels like Private Stock Records, Heat Rock, Fridays Funky 45s, and Eastside Edits.

Known for his eclectic and high-energy sets, Double A seamlessly blends genres whether playing digitally or all-vinyl. He’s not chasing rare collectibles or trying to impress crate-diggers—just delivering pure dance floor fire. All fun. All the time.

Check him out @modusmusicgroup