Live Blogging Olympic Music : Mother Mother, Elliott BROOD & GOLD!!!

Gold!!! Alexandre Bilodeau got the first gold medal in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in Men's moguls! 7.3 million people watched Bilodeau's winning run and approximately a third of the Canadian population watched the run at least in part. Wow. That's a good trivia fact to remember kids. February 14 --Valentine's Day -- first Canadian gold medal on Canadian soil ever.

I found out about this great piece of news through the mesh fences of LiveCity Yaletown, the venue which Vancouver's own Mother Mother was to be playing at 8:00. The lineup around the site exploded with cheering and spontaneous singing of O Canada and the excitement was contagious. A man walked through the streets with a full-sized Canadian flag perched on his back, flapping in the wind. What a sight; the uncharacteristic exuberance and patriotism I'll never forget.

 

Mother Mother was introduced to the stage by one of the Olympic emcees. Although generally cheesy, this one seemed to know and be quite enamoured by MM, declaring that the reason why the band sells out venues nationwide with lineups winding around street corners is because "they're fricking AWESOME!" It was a highlight for sure and got many yelps and cheers from the crowd.

And awesome, they were. Every time I see Mother Mother live, I'm reminded why they were the recipients of the 2009 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award for Best Live Act. The inventive, unpredictable chord progressions and harmonies explode in real life, and the confidence and style which the band execute their hits bring me back time after time. Lead guitarist and singer Ryan Guldemond stirred the crowd into an insane frenzy with wiry solos and his characteristic falsetto. Jasmin Parkin got some unintentional solos in the first part of the show due to some poor sound mixing; Molly was inaudible for a good bit and the typical three-part harmonies weren't restored until about 4-5 songs in. But there's no use dwelling on a short part of what was otherwise a killer set. The crowd was jumping and flinging about in no time, and of course a couple of crowd surfers graced us with their presence as well.

Seeing as it was Valentine's Day, the choice of "Arms Tonite" for the opening track of the set was very suitable. Mother Mother then blitzed through, hit after hit, their two albums Touch Up and O My Heart. Overheard in the crowd: "if they don't play 'Hayloft' I'm going to cry." Well, there was no need to fret, as MM saved the best for last and had the whole crowd go bananas with their latest single.

Much like the set by fellow Vancouverites Hey Ocean!, Mother Mother's set was sprinkled with new songs. Two, "Simply Simple" and "Eureka," were played previously in their live shows. Another new song, which started as a normal love ballad, got MM'ed rather quickly and turned into a rock out dance-fest a verse in. Can't wait for the new album, whenever that's slated to be out.

Toronto's Elliott BROOD played in LiveCity Downtown shortly after at 9:30; this LiveCity had a fraction of the capacity compared to LiveCity Yaletown. This resulted in two separate lineups- one to get into the plaza, and another hour long line within the plaza to get into the venue where the BROOD boys were playing. Lame, I know. Most of the set was spent outside watching the boys on a large screen, hearing the enthusiastic crowd banging their wooden spoons and cookie sheets to hits such as "The Valley Town" and "Write It All Down For You" from EB's latest Mountain Meadows. Not to be outdone, the 20-30ish people watching the screen outside, as well as some in the lineup, danced, jigged, and swung about to the music filtering out from the venue and the large TV outside, yours truly included. And boy, was it good dancing music. My legs were jelly by the end of the night.

For the very last song of their set, Elliott BROOD dedicated "Miss You Now" to their good friend Dan Mangan of Vancouver, saying  that they hope to see him soon. Dan, of course, returned the love via Twitter. By last half of the song, the lineup had disappeared, and I was able to run in quickly and snap the photo you see above of the dancing, enthusiastic, noisy crowd.

What a night; running from the show of the winner of Best Live Act to one of the finalists. Maybe next time I'll catch EB in real life real life, as opposed to on a screen, separated by glass and a lineup.

Dan Mangan on the CBC Radio 3 Sessions

Amanda Putz's intro reads in full:

"I wonder how many music journalists this year have succumbed to drawing the obvious parallel between Dan Mangan's latest album title and his own personality? So let me be the 150th. Dan Mangan is definitely a nice, nice, very nice guy, though his music is anything but. Don't think beige when you think of the bearded bard that one Halifax newspaper called "a dream boat".

You won't catch me arguing against that claim, but even with my eyes closed, Dan Mangan's songs transcend mere descriptions of folk pop. He's a literate and literary writer. Obviously it starts with a nod to Kurt Vonnegut with his album title Nice, Nice, Very Nice, but it continues into every phrase he's penned himself. Here is Dan Mangan with his formidable quartet of Laura Smith, Erin Aurich, and Michael Owen-Liston."

Mangan himself posted a tracklist and a list of players on his blog. Along with Erin Aurich and Michael Owen-Liston, Laura Smith plays on it. You can check out Laura's solo stuff at myspace.com/laurasmithmusic. The podcast includes:

Road Regrets
The Indie Queens Are Waiting
Sold
You Silly Git
Tina’s Glorious Comeback
Robots

Download the M4A the MP3 the OGG or Press Play


For a full list of the Radio 3 sessions to date see: nxew.ca/sessions.html

New Video: Dan Mangan - Robots

Dan Mangan has just finished kicking but on tour across the country and is now headed for an international tour that will take him to Dubai and through the UK and Europe. If you're in any of these places or are planning to be see the tour dates below the video. A few nice things said about Dan while he was crossing the country:

“Stealing his title from a poem in the classic Kurt Vonnegut novel Cat’s Cradle, Dan Mangan has crafted a near-perfect indie rock album. Simple yet varied, each of these 12 songs could easily stand alone as a sparkling single. If you think that I’m overenthusiastic about this album, try listening to the chorus of “Robots” without singing along: “Robots need love too!” Go on, I dare you! See Magazine

“Mangan has a sharp, observational eye and if he chose to, could probably deliver it with just as sharp a tongue but there’s no mistaking the genuine affection for the characters that inhabit his songs, rich with both humour and sadness. It’s the same sort of gift that John K Samson possesses and while Mangan prefers a more rootsy vehicle for his tunes, Weakerthans comparisons are not out of line and should be taken as compliments. It was obvious that Mangan has already built himself a sizable fanbase, but there was also a sense that this show was catching him on the cusp of bigger things – at least if Very Nice gets the attention it deserves.” Chromewaves

"...Knocks you flat on your ass... Mangan's career is clearly on the rise. Hop on board and enjoy the ride." - Exclaim!

"From his unusual and razor-sharp phrasing to the sage poetry in his everyday-life observations, he's in the ranks of geniuses such as Greg Brown, Nick Drake or Badly Drawn Boy." - The Province

"He's an observer in the sense you'd want to join him on a patio for a drink just to see the city through his eyes for an afternoon. Until then, Nice, Nice, Very Nice effectively lets you pretend for just over 40 mesmerizing minutes." – Chartattack

“Truly, Mangan's baladeering, his excellent construct, his permeating, poetically-phrased observations would be fantastic as is, but the fact that Mangan can insert his personality into the music makes it all the more appealing. There is grandeur to this music, effortless grandeur, and, what's more, it's as fun as it is challenging and interesting.” - Hour/Xpress

“ He caters skilfully both to the concrete and the abstract, concisely conveying his meanings by first painting a striking image of his surroundings, then following it by presenting an emotional or social situation. Material like his sophomore release, Nice, Nice, Very Nice, doesn't surface too often.” 30 Music

"It's hard to believe that this new collection of stellar songs won't help him leave each tour stop with countless new fans in his corner." – Herohill

“The obvious thing to say here is something along the lines of "Robots be damned, you're going to love Dan Mangan by the end of Nice, Nice, Very Nice." I can't think of any better way to close out this review, however, so just do yourself a favour and get this album, because it's so phenomenal that it's impossible to resist.” iheartmusic

"With some of his strongest work to date and an already large fan-base, Nice, Nice, Very Nice could very well be the album that solidifies Mangan as the standout artist he is." –Discorder

"Ultimately, it's that ability to write lyrics that beg for some consideration of their meanings" - Vue Weekly

"If you like The Weakerthans or early Hawskley Workman, you'll love this record. It's all well crafted singer-songwriter stuff with impressive range." –Metro

"Listeners wouldn't expect the cheeky content to sail through waves of dynamic choral balladeering and colourful instrumentation, but Mangan doesn't only pull it off, he makes it soar." – SoundProof Magazine

I couldn't agree more - with all of it. Here's the video - directed by Mike Lewis and, if you don't already have it Grab an MP3 of Robots - Or even a copy of the video.

Dan Mangan - Robots



Tour Dates:

05 Nov 2009 –Dubai @ Dubai Sound City
09 Nov 2009 – London @ Puregroove
10 Nov 2009 – Brighton @ Sanctuary Cafe
11 Nov 2009 – London/ Brixton @ The Windmill
12 Nov 2009 – London @ The Slaughtered Lamb
13 Nov 2009 – Bristol @ The Lansdown
14 Nov 2009 – Edinburgh @ The Bowery
15 Nov 2009 – Glasgow @ Brel
18 Nov 2009 – London @ The Lexington
19 Nov 2009 – London @ @ Monkey Chews
20 Nov 2009 – Paris @ Time Festival
21 Nov 2009 – Paris @ Time Festival
23 Nov 2009 – Paris @ Cafe Satellite
25 Nov 2009 – Hamburg @ Hasenscgaukel
26 Nov 2009 – Copenhagen @ Klub Geyser
27 Nov 2009 – Stuttgart @ Cafe Galao
28 Nov 2009 – Offenbach @ Hafen 2
30 Nov 2009 – Reutlingen @ Better2Gether
01 Dec 2009 – Hannover @ Cafe Glocksee
03 Dec 2009 – Feldkirch @ Graf Hugo
04 Dec 2009 – Leipzig @ Paris Syndrom
05 Dec 2009 – Unna @ Spatz & Wal
06 Dec 2009 – Eindhoven @ Effenaar
07 Dec 2009 – Gent @ Video
08 Dec 2009 – Melkweg @ Amsterdam
09 Dec 2009 – Ultrecht @ Tivoli De Helling
10 Dec 2009 – Den Haag @ Paard van Troje

Dan Mangan on Arts Funding

Dan Mangan is laid up in a Charlottetown hotel room with the Flu (yes, it may be that flu). But while he rests he's been doing some thinking about arts funding apparently. He has posted a lengthy piece on his blog about it. I've reposted it in it's entirity below (hope Dan doesn't mind) but you really should follow his blog at DanMangan.com.

p.s. now that the BC government has officially chosen athletics over arts and culture, BC artists are welcome to come to Ontario. We may not be perfect but our Premiere is still on the right side of this one.

---

Most of us would agree that art and culture are important to our identity and way of life in Canada. While we have a long history of “punching above our weight” on the world stage, producing a long list of highly successful artists in numerous disciplines, the reality for most in the arts community is not so glamorous. Many artists barely live above the poverty line. While they live materially sparse lives, their quality of life is enriched through giving back to their communities, teaching others, developing new skills and helping to shape the thought and identity of our country.

When someone makes the choice to pursue a career in the arts, it is often done with the knowledge that the odds of prosperity and financial security are stacked against them. While this type of informed decision may be used by some to justify cutting public funding to arts programs, the reality is that the work of people who are dedicated to the artistic heritage of our country benefits everybody both culturally and financially. Here’s how:

My own experience on the matter is in the music realm, so that’s where I’ll start. Musicians are always the last to get paid. The money that artistic performances generate goes right back into the community. Managers, labels, agents, technicians, printers, promoters, manufacturers and everyone directly involved in the music industry get paid first. Millions more are employed by the arts in almost every sector of the economy. Concert halls, festivals, distribution houses, museums, theaters, pubs, coffee shops and every other type of venue for the arts employ people. When artists travel the country, often by car, they are generating revenue and income everywhere they travel, including the small towns that make up the rural backbones of our economy. It is a pretty safe bet that on any given night, there are dozens of bands spending the night in hotels in small regional hubs such as Thunder Bay, Golden, Brandon or Lethbridge. Even if the locals never go to a show, their economies see the benefit of touring bands. The livelihoods of gas station attendants, hotel employees, bartenders, waiters, mechanics and Value Village employees across this country are directly linked to the health of Canada’s creative economy.
According to the government’s own studies, every dollar spent on arts funding brings back more than a dollar in tax revenue. Investing in arts infrastructure is like investing in forestry - if we put public money in to it, it will stimulate industry and business growth in both pubic and private sectors - which will employ people and bring tax dollars back in to the system. Forestry investment creates jobs in tree-rich areas, arts investment creates jobs in arts communities.

Unfortunately, I think arts funding is sometimes sold to us as artistic welfare for a small group of self-important elitists - whereas I believe it is a deep foundational affirmation that our society believes that creative thinking is important. Would we rather our kids to watch television all weekend than to take music lessons? Acting classes? Pottery? Dancing? Are we more interested in reality television than we are in reality? Heaven forbid we should raise individuals that add to and affect the world around them, rather than simply be affected by it.

As I mentioned before, Canada has always punched above its weight in terms of the entertainment industry. The amount of worldwide superstars we’ve created (Bryan Adams, Celine Deon, Shania Twain, Nelly Furtado, Jim Carey, Mike Myers), not to mention critically acclaimed artisans that this country has spawned (Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, David Cronenberg, Margaret Atwood, Douglas Coupland) is simply astounding considering Canada’s population size. This is not a coincidence. It is because we have traditionally fostered a society that promotes from within, that gives young minds the fuel, confidence and integrity to investigate whatever creative paths they seek to wander. The other thing to take in to account is that all of these people bring the world’s attention back to Canada. It’s like cultural advertising, influencing tourism and investment our way, pulling in international dollars.

It’s hard to look long term or big picture with any issue, but Canadian heritage and culture are so dear to me and most people I know. Mr. Dressup, Anne Of Green Gables, The Logdriver’s Waltz (any National Film Board cartoon, for that matter), Kids In The Hall, CBC 1/2/3, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Stompin Tom Connors, Farley Mowat, Leonard Cohen, Michael Ondaatje, W.O. Mitchell, Atwood, Coupland - all of these entities and more have shaped us to be a small country with big ideas, internationally respected for our diplomacy, our humour, our art, our resources and our way of life. I would feel so ashamed to lose that heritage of respect.

Sincerely,
Dan Mangan

Dan Mangan May have Swine Flu

Via Twitter Dan Mangan is self-quarintined in a Charlottetown hotel with swine flu symptoms. Hope you feel better soon Dan and that you're wrong about what it is.



For more info on H1N1 and what you can do about it see - http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/index-eng.php.

Podcast: Dan Mangan on Canada Live

Photo By Rob Marjury

This week's CBC Radio 2 Canada Live Podcast features XM Verge artist of the year Dan Mangan in a concert recorded at the Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island - Vancouver. You can fine more from Dan at DanManganMusic.com and you can find a whole lot more concerts you can stream (almost 900 of them) at CBC Radio 2's Concerts on Demand.

Download It or Press Play.

At the Phog Lounge in October

The Phog Lounge posted their schedule for October today - even though October has already started I'll still give you the rest of it. If you're not in or near Windsor, Ontario you may still want to know about this stuff because the Phog streams some of their shows live on their ustream Channel.

So Coming Up at the Phog in October:

6 - Doug Hoyer (Edmonton) w/ Michael Rault (Edmonton) & Octoberman (Toronto)
8 - We Were Lovers (Saskatoon) & The Balconies (Ottawa)
9 - Dan Mangan (Vancouver) w/ Field Assembly & Will Currie & The Country French (Toronto)
10 - Corbin Murdoch (Vancouver) w/ Sarah MacDougall (Vancouver)
12 - Open Mic Surgery with Tara Watts
13 - Said The Whale (Vancouver) w/ Hannah Georgas (Vancouver)
15 - Baird Brothers (Toronto) w/ Construction and Destruction (Halifax)
17 - Elephant Stone (Montreal) w/ The Magic Hall of Mirrors
18 - Rodney Decroo (Vancouver) w/ Dave Lang (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) & Dave Newberry (Vancouver)
19 - Open Mic Surgery with Tara Watts
20 - Raw Shock Monthly Film Festival
21 - The Matavaras (Halifax)
23 - Fjord Rowboat (Toronto) w/ The Diableros (Toronto)
24 - Library Voices (Regina) w/ TBA
25 - SAC Songwriters Group
26 - Open Mic Surgery with Tara Watts
27 - Rah Rah (Regina) w/ The Wheat Pool (Edmonton) & TBA
29 - The Last Trio
30 - The DoneFors (Toronto) w/ Pat Robitaille
31 - Halloween with Lonesome Lefty & The Cryin' Shames

Coming Up on Canada Live

Every weeknight CBC Radio 2 brings you live music from all over Canada. A friend at Radio 2 is good enough to pass the schedule on to me so that I can pass it on to you. Coming up this week - starting tonight (Monday, Oct. 5)

---

Monday, October 5, 2009
concert 1: RootStock - Part 2
recorded at the Jackson-Triggs Estate Amphitheatre in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario
RootStock took place at the Jackson-Triggs Estate Amphitheatre in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, and shone the spotlight on five of Canada's top singer/songwriters. The show features Tom Cochrane, Steven Page, Jim Cuddy, Kathleen Edwards and John Mann from Spirit Of The West, in an intimate, informal outdoor setting. All five talk about their influences, and how certain genres and themes became part of their music. As well, they share stories about how they met and influenced each other. The onstage banter is hilarious and, of course, there's great music performed by all. The second set of the Rootstock concert is deeper, more introspective and more emotional than the funnier, more rollicking first set.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
concert 1 : Diouf
recorded at the Lion d'Or [lee-OHN DORE] in Montreal
The "Quebegalese" music of the Diouf [DJOOF] brothers, as part of CBC's Mundo Montreal series. Karim [ka-REEM] Diouf and El Hadji [el ha-DJEE] Diouf came to Quebec from Senegal about a dozen years ago. Talented percussionists who also sing in Wolof and French, they first made their mark playing with Les Colocs [lay ko-LUCK]. They then went on to collaborate on numerous artistic projects, exploring diverse musical genres. Wherever they play, the Diouf brothers wow audiences with their compelling energy. Since 2005, the two brothers have traveled the world with Cirque du Soleil's show Delirium. For this concert, the Dioufs have invited special guest Monica Freire [fre-REE] for an evening filled to the brim with new sounds and textures.
concert 2: Lester Quitzau
recorded at the Engineered Air Theatre in Calgary
Best known as one-third of the Juno-award winning trio Tri-Continental (with Madagascar Slim and Bill Bourne), this longtime Alberta guitarist and songwriter now makes his home on the idyllic gulf islands on Canada's west coast. Lester Quitzau's [QUIT-saw] new songs are infused with the almost supernatural calm he finds tending his garden and gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. He played this set on the final night of the 2009 Alberta Music Series at the Engineered Air Theatre in Calgary this past March, just before the release of his newest album, The Same Light.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
concert 1: Dan Mangan
recorded at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver
Dan Mangan [MANG-gan] stands tall on the stage. He's not afraid to tell things straight up, the way they really are. That's what gives his song their emotional punch. Weave those emotional colours into skillful musical arrangements and you've got something you can't ignore. Acoustic pop? Folk? Yes, all those things. Dan and his talented band shared their music with an audience at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver.
Concert 2: Meredith Jordan
recorded on the Sunlit Stage No. 1 at the 2009 Regina Folk Festival
Meredith Jordan grew up in Saskatchewan, but she's now emerging onto Canada's national stage. While it would be easy to attach the ubiquitous 'singer-songwriter' label to her, Meredith's music is a unique blend of both folk and jazz elements. That's partly because she studied jazz at Toronto's Humber College, one of Canada's finest jazz institutes. Since graduating she's remained in Toronto. Despite her youth, Meredith takes inspiration from all sorts of performers. Growing up she was surrounded by the sounds of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. And her music has been described as "a cheeky Rickie Lee Jones meets Adele". Whatever she writes, her quirky personality and unique voice shine through.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
concert 1: Elvis Costello
recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto
Elvis Costello [cost-ELL-oh] is a musical chameleon; he is known as a punk rocker, a balladeer, a classical composer and now a country singer. Elvis' latest album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane was recorded in Nashville. The recordings went well and Elvis decided to bring that Nashville band on the road. Elvis' fans understand his desire to shift and change. In fact they expect it. This was evident as the sold out Massey Hall audience was on its feet for this entire show.

Friday, October 9, 2009
concert 1: Papa Mambo
recorded at the Winnipeg Art Gallery
It's salsa night with Papa Mambo! Percussionist and guitarist Rodrigo Munoz [rod-REE-go MOON-yohz] started up the band 20 years ago and Winnipeg hasn't been the same since. Get set for hot percussion, ripping brass and some scintillating vocals from Amber Epp and Hyalmar Gonzales [heeAL-mar gun-ZAHL-ess]. You'll definitely want to pull out your slick dance moves for this concert from the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Jazz Under the Rooftop series.
concert 2: Carlos del Junco
recorded as part of the Atlantic Jazz Festival in Halifax
Carlos del Junco [CAR-lohss dell HUN-ko] is a Canadian harmonica virtuoso, one of a handful of players around the globe who can get the sounds he does out of his tiny, deceptively simple instrument. Like so many "harp" players, Carlos' music is rooted in the blues - but in the spirit of a truly global appreciation, he takes his genre to an entirely new dimension. Recorded at the mainstage tent of the Atlantic Jazz Festival on July 15th.

Canada Live podcast, released on Fridays
Friday, October 2, 2009, on the Canada Live podcast
concert 1: Dan Mangan
recorded at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver
Dan Mangan [MANG-gan] stands tall on the stage. He's not afraid to tell things straight up, the way they really are. That's what gives his song their emotional punch. Weave those emotional colours into skillful musical arrangements and you've got something you can't ignore. Acoustic pop? Folk? Yes, all those things. Dan and his talented band shared their music with an audience at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver.

Guest Post: Adventures in my own Hometown: A Perspective on the Western Canadian Music Awards.

The following was submitted by Western Canadian Music Award volunteer and attendee Donna Lowe who isn't sure if she'll have more than the one to contribute and so isn't signing up yet.

---

The 2009 version of the Western Canadian Music Awards happened recently in Brandon, MB. That's where I've lived for the last 20-odd years, so I was kind of excited at the prospect of an event like this happening in my adopted hometown. Great music all weekend long in multiple venues, musicians and industry people hobnobbing and offering insights about the workings of the music business? It seemed like a dream come true for this Canadian indie music fan. I felt I would be among my tribe, and I eagerly signed up to be a volunteer at the event. I wanted even a small jolt of the energy that would be in the air at an event like this, because these kind of things didn't happen everyday in the "rural metropolis" of Brandon, MB, better known for hockey games and horse shows.

And that's where my story begins: the collision of worlds that occurs when a music industry conference descends on a little city in the middle of the Canadian prairies. I was there, it was odd sometimes, and I want to tell you about it.

Part One: volunteer shifts

I was scheduled to work at the Registration Desk for the conference, which suited me fine. I thought I might get to at least see some of the musicians and industry people who were coming for the weekend, and at best maybe make some well-chosen witty banter with them while checking their names off a list and handing them a schwag bag. There were some heavy hitters in the industry coming, judging from the list I had scoped out online: the bookers for England's Glastonbury Festival and the SXSW music conference in Austin, TX, as well as stellar Canadian indie musicians like Dan Mangan, Volcanoless in Canada , Odario Williams and Library Voices . I was excited to have a potential brush with what passes for celebrity in the Canadian indie music scene, so I eagerly donned my volunteer T-shirt and lanyard and headed off for my shift, assuming that my Registration Desk partner would be equally as enthusiastic as I about our choice placement.

Once directed to the long tables in the hotel lobby that were serving as the so-called Registration Desk, I was introduced to my companion for the next four hours: Franz, a tall lean middle-aged man with a pronounced Austrian accent: Arnold Schwarzenegger if he were, say, a gymnast. He did not look familiar to me. Interesting, I thought. Brandon is a small city, relatively-speaking, and the music community in town is even smaller. Since I've lived here for awhile and been involved in the music scene a certain amount during that time, I had naively assumed that I would at least recognize anyone who might volunteer for a music-related event. That this man was a complete stranger to me came as a surprise, and it introduced me to what I later realized is a common phenomenon in my adopted city: volunteerism for its own sake. A noble idea, definitely, and the conference and festival could probably not have occurred without people who follow this practice, but for a music-obsessed artsy type like myself, the concept of people volunteering just because they "like to volunteer," without strong interest in (or, even, more than passing regard for) the events they are assisting, was, and still is, quite foreign to me. Behold, for example, my "getting-acquainted" small talk with Volunteer Partner Franz:

Me: "So, were you working here yesterday?"

(Today was Saturday, the conference having begun on Friday)

Franz: "Yes."

And nothing more. Great, I thought. It's gonna be a long four hours, if mono-syllables are all I can expect. Hoping for the best, though, I made another attempt.

Me: "Did you check out any of the music last night?"

I myself was still on a cloud from the previous night's music, which for me had kicked off with a great bluegrass/trad set by the Winnipeg four-piece all-female outfit Oh My Darling , followed by the neo-cabaret torch songs of BC's Adaline , and a roof-raising solo set by the stellar Vancouver songwriter Dan Mangan that had ended with everyone singing along to his ultra-hooky Robots, led by Mangan from the podium of a pub table-top. Sets by The Wheat Pool and Winnipeg's Quinzy had finished up my evening, and the fact that I had had the option to see that much music in one night in Brandon had pretty much left me reeling. I was anxious to share my excitement with someone, and I had assumed Franz, as my fellow volunteer, would be a likely cohort. Not quite so.

Franz (in response to my question): "No, I have lots of other better things to do."

That shut me up for a few moments while I tried to process what I had just heard. Better things to do...? This idea was a mystery to me. Who was this Franz guy, anyway? I decided to try another tactic.

Me: "So do you do a lot of volunteering?"
Franz: "Oh yes, at all kinds of things."

He then proceeded to recite a lengthy list of sports-related events, to show the diversity of his volunteer experience.

"Except curling," he made sure to add at the end. "I don't like the curling so much."

Brandon is a huge curling town, so this confession, I'll admit, came as somewhat of a surprise given Franz's apparent proclivities. I had, though, discovered a little more about the character and interests of my compadre. Somehow his lack of enthusiasm about the musical proceedings of the weekend was beginning to make more sense to me, but the fact that he had volunteered anyway was still intriguing. I decided to see if I could determine more information through observation than I had through interrogation. And by the end of our four hours together I had come to some conclusions, after watching Franz engage in the following behaviours repeatedly:

a) overhearing and commenting on conversations that took place between musicians and/or industry people - post-registration, but still within our earshot.

A certain amount of this was inevitable; since we were stationed at the registrants' first point of contact with each other and with "networking" always a goal at these kinds of events, conversations were bound to be struck, but my tactic was to appear occupied with paper-shuffling at these points, so as to at least not appear to be eavesdropping. Although it was fascinating to hear talk of gigs, collaborations, agents and recording plans, I had nothing to contribute to these conversations, so I opted to appear invisible. Discretion did not appear to be the better part of Franz's valour, however. He would "participate" in any conversation, regardless of its content, usually with some tidbit about events taking place in the other rooms of the sprawling Keystone Centre complex in which we sat (some kind of horse-related activity, apparently, and a boxing competition), the weather, or some information about Brandon in general. Based on my initial semi-conversation with him, it was surprising to hear Franz being so chatty, but I realized he was determined to interact with these strangers and to tell them things about his city. Invariably, though, his unsolicited interjections were met with polite confusion, and the initial conversation would begin again in earnest once the original parties had moved a few steps away from the table. At this point, Franz would mutter under his breath something like "they think they're so much better than us. They don't realize we are just as good as they are."

I did not know how to respond to this. I was not getting this impression from the conference registrants - everyone had been unfailingly pleasant and grateful to us, it had seemed to me - and Franz's negative reaction surprised me. It did, however, give me an insight into his reasons for volunteering: he was there to promote BRANDON, and was going to use every opportunity to do so, non sequiters be damned. Such civic pride was admirable, but the juxtaposition of that passion with Franz's bitterness at a less-than-enthusiastic response was unsettling, and his reaction probably didn't help to advance his agenda. "Timing is everything" would have been my advice, had it been called for. I was also disappointed to hear him brand the recipients of his pro-Brandon assaults as arrogant when they did not immediately share his enthusiasm. As much as Franz did, I wanted Brandon to appear the gracious host of this event, but I also wanted the music types to come off well, too. I just hoped we could all get along, at least until my shift was over.

Franz's other favourite pastime:

b) blatant flirtation with any middle-aged woman who was part of the conference.

This may also have been an example of his "advance Brandon" agenda, but it seemed more likely that it was merely the way to best advance the cause of Franz. He showed no hesitation in this regard: complimenting, gratuitously touching, and encouraging any woman he found attractive to leave her card, CD, or anything else at the table with us. I sat uncomfortably beside and tried to appear unconcerned and uninvolved. Apparently interaction with "the ladies" was another of Franz's reasons for volunteering. He appeared to be especially enamoured of a petite Latina vocalist from Vancouver, and Loreena McKennitt , who was appearing as the closing keynote speaker at the conference. I was unclear whether Franz's interest was piqued by Ms. McKennit's undoubtedly striking appearance, or if he was just piggy-backing on the excitement of the transportation crew members (also, incidently, comprised largely of middle-aged men), who, after having deposited Loreena at conference headquarters, scurried around in an autograph-seeking frenzy. Never an autograph hound myself, I watched these proceedings with bemusement. Did these mostly overweight, farmer-hat-wearing beer-drinkers actually listen to Loreena McKennit's Celtic/Eastern-inspired musical odysseys? Or were they using any passing familiarity with their wives' CD collections as an aid to gaining face-time with a woman they would never otherwise have had the cojones to approach? Was this excitement based at all on Ms. McKennit's admitted talent as a musician, or was it merely because of her billing as the VIP? This view was a cynical one, I knew, but the sudden interest by Franz and his cohorts in someone musical - where there had been none before - struck me as nothing more than celebrity worship, and it was not really my style.

At any rate, I thought, I had discovered a few reasons for Franz's presence at this event, and had perhaps discovered some of the community-minded and personal impulses that prompted the average Brandonite to volunteer for something like this. It had been a revelation, but now I was ready to be among the people I thought would truly share my reasons for being involved: the audiences for the nightly musical showcases. My volunteer shift over, I said goodbye to Franz (who gave me a surprisingly friendly punch on the arm - I guess we had become pals at some point that afternoon) and hurried to change and meet friends for supper before we headed out for a second night of music.

Part Two: Music Showcases

My companions for the weekend's musical adventures were three friends I had met through CBC Radio 3's online community. Much more than the radio stereotype of DJs playing tunes with completely impassive listeners, CBC Radio 3 and its unique brand of social networking actually made it possible to befriend people through a blog and Facebook page. Mackenzie and Pat had made the trip to Brandon from Winnipeg to share the weekend's festivities with locals Cody and myself, and we'd already enjoyed one night of Radio 3-flavoured banter and inside jokes, cued to a great soundtrack. Tonight looked like it was shaping up to be just as good.

The music we'd wanted to hear the previous evening had mostly taken place at a couple of pubs in downtown Brandon. Clancy's and the Double Decker were also, as luck would have it, my local "watering holes" of choice, so it had felt pretty normal for me to hang out at either place the previous evening - just with more music and more people than usual. Tonight, however, the four of us were venturing into foreign territory for all of us, regardless of our home addresses. To hear the music we wanted to hear on the second evening of the WCMAs, we'd have to enter into the foreign and disparate worlds of The Roadhouse and The City Centre. Here's how it went:

a) The Roadhouse

The CanadInn hotel chain came to Brandon a few years ago, attaching its 10-story, 3.5-star hotel to the previously existing Keystone Centre convention complex, and along with the deal came a bar called the Roadhouse. I'd say it was new, but the building that housed it was actually an adapted cattle barn left over from the Centre's most recent renovations - proving its name somewhat apt, I suppose. If you knew of its origins, the Roadhouse had kind of a leftover cattle barn feel to it, too, although "Western in style and theme" was how the official marketing jargon put it. Aged wooden panelling lined all the walls of the large open room, corral poles surrounded the seating areas, and the tiny door and hallway leading into the place made those entering feel as if they were being herded through a cattle chute. And at approximately 9:50 pm on Saturday evening, Pat, McKenzie, Cody and I stood in that cattle chute, heading into the barn to witness the fantastic world-fusion spectacle of Vancouver's Delhi 2 Dublin and Regina's chamber-rock collective Library Voices.

In front of us, a couple of the Roadhouse's more typical clientele were about to walk through the metal detectors and past the bouncer who waited on its other side. They were girls in their early-to-mid 20s, with the artificially-straightened hair, skimpy tops and huge handbags that define their tribe. Contrary to what one might expect from the above description, the Roadhouse catered to the young and semi-fabulous in Brandon, and, if you were the type that cared about those things, this bar was the place to go if you wanted to "be seen."

Our friends appeared to be regulars. When they approached the bouncer, they both pulled out business-card-sized pieces of paper that (I discerned by discretely peeking over a shoulder) were stamped with the CanadInn logo. It was apparent that the cards normally possessed some kind of cover-charge-erasing mojo, because when both girls waved them in the face of the bouncer, they were slightly shocked to be held back from instant access. The following conversation ensued:

Bouncer: "Those don't work tonight."

Girls (slightly inebriated): "Why the hell not? Brad gave them to us yesterday and said they were good any weekend."

Bouncer: "Well, Brad's an idiot."

(Girls giggle and pretend to be slightly shocked at this candid admission)

Bouncer: "No, OK, I'm kidding. Brad's a nice guy. But there's these awards or some shit going on this weekend. You gotta pay cover tonight: 10 bucks and then you get, like, a wristband and you can go anywhere else in town."

Well, that was incorrect, for starters. 20 bucks got you a wristband, and a $10 cover charge was payable at any of the individual showcase venues over the weekend, but points to our bouncer friend for at least trying to explain the system. Not that it mattered to these girls, anyway.

Girls: "Oh, well we just want to stay here."

Hardly surprising. Once inside, we four indie-music geeks found ourselves in a crowd of girls identical to these two, accompanied by their male counterparts and served by equally identical blonde and buxom bartenders. I had never seen so much of the same hairstyle and halter top, complemented by the masculine uniform of intentionally-tousled hair and Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt. Thankfully for us some other decidedly non-trendy musicians and industry types showed up - and the music was great - but the sense of two worlds colliding persisted. Used as I was to seeing a band's audience comprised of skinny hipsters clad in obscure-logo-ed T-shirts and Converse Hi-Tops (just as much a uniform as the other clothes I was seeing, I'll admit), heads bobbing as they stood intently stage-side and sang along to all the songs, it was a bit jarring to see this crowd's non-response to the music. Right in front of the stage, during the band's set, gratuitous displays of affection between generically beautiful people repeatedly progressed to histrionics and slapping, followed by a flurries of texting - sometimes during the course of one song, to which all parties seemed virtually oblivious. Once in awhile someone (usually a guy whose appearance I would - completely subjectively - describe as "Prairie frat-boy") would lift a shot of Jager or glass of rye and Coke in the general direction of the stage and let out an impressively loud "WOOOOOO! FUCK YA!!" but otherwise the music appeared to be a backdrop to the drama of these peoples' lives.

I felt like I was observing a foreign culture, in its natural habitat. These people were obviously comfortable in this place, and behaved the way they always behaved here, regardless of what else was happening in the periphery of their vision. Conversely, I was comfortable with the music and with the people who were there for the express purpose of listening to it, yet I was the one who felt out of place. I suspected I wasn't alone. Was it because we were in the minority? The Roadhouse was a big place, and it was hard to outnumber the regular clientele, even though the entertainment was provided and dictated by the music types. Perhaps a smaller venue would be a more natural place to interact with the locals. Onward to the City Centre.

b) The City Centre

This bar was about the polar opposite of the Roadhouse, in both demeanour and personnel. My friend Pat, upon hearing a description of the place, visualized it as "Brandon's version of the Albert," and if you live in Winnipeg you know what that means. Located on the northern edge of downtown Brandon, one block from the railroad tracks, the City Centre was tacked onto the side of a 'rent-by-the-month' hotel, and the low ceilings and worn-out carpet of the hotel's tiny lobby made you think twice about even entering the building, despite the desperate enticement of a flickering sign outside that promised you would "MEET YOUR NEW FRIENCS HERE."

My three old friends and I passed the hotel's front desk, behind which a dour-looking woman sat encased in some kind of protective cage, and entered through a door-less portal into the world of the City Centre. We found ourselves in a dim narrow room with a bar along one wall and a small stage at the back. There were a few shabbily-upholstered booths along the edges of the room, and some mismatched chairs and tables scattered around its centre. The usual beer-themed fluorescent lights hung on the walls, some only half-lit. A pool table with ripped green felt and only four striped balls sat forlornly in one corner.

Saskatoon's Volcanoless in Canada was ripping it up onstage. It was VERY LOUD. The four of us were automatically drawn towards the music, assuming to take our regular places as close to the band as we could manage, but after a few steps I had to concede defeat and back away if I hoped to retain any of my hearing. Making a mental note once again to invest in earplugs, I took a seat in a sonically-manageable end of the bar and proceeded to people-watch.

Between my chair and the stage an assortment of presumably aurally-protected conference-types and musicians appreciated the music and shouted the language of schmooze into each others' ears. Directly in front of me a middle-aged man sat alone at a table, drinkless and staring expressionlessly at the wall perpendicular to the band. Along one side, a couple of women sat in a booth also staring at nothing, but with drinks in hand. They all looked like they were silently waiting out this disturbance in their regular atmosphere, and hoping they could soon get back to their normal weekend. On the other side of the room, a few sullen regulars sat at the bar, also not appearing to enjoy themselves.

One character, however, was enjoying himself enough for the entire room. A mid-60ish, skinny, bespectacled man clad in shorts and a blue T-shirt with the slogan "Your Boyfriend Thinks I'm Hot" was dancing up a storm beside the bar. He wasn't really dancing to the music, but he was definitely affected by it. Arms flailing, legs kicking, he was unstoppable. Everyone close by was largely oblivious to these antics, even when our hero was moved to climb up onto the bar itself to continue his routine. When I saw the bartender calmly move some empties out of Dancing Man's way, I realized that this bar-top act was probably a relatively common occurrence, and not prompted by Volcanoless in Canada's high-energy punk-folk madness, as I had hoped. Oh well, he was responding to the music, anyway, and in actually a more direct way than had a lot of people at the Roadhouse.So, I mused as I sat and observed, here was a different kind of reaction to live music than we had encountered on our first stop of the night. These people were also experiencing a disruption of their regular Saturday evening's entertainment, but they appeared to have put their own personal parties on hold until the interlopers had vacated their space. Dancing Man aside, they mostly just sat back biding their time, acquiescent to these strangers, and expectant that this would all be over soon. They weren't necessarily in favour of the music (again, Dancing Man aside, they were pretty much ignoring it) but they were tolerant, and they weren't getting in the way of the people who did like it.

I didn't want to pass judgment on either response. From an artist perspective a bar full of drunk partiers might be more fun to play for than a bunch of people who just sat and (maybe) listened - it was not for me to say. What I was interested in was the idea of community, and how that concept wasn't rooted necessarily in geography, but in common interests. Here we all were, jammed together in the community of Brandon, Manitoba for the weekend, but in some ways we couldn't have been farther apart, even when we were shoulder-to-shoulder. Our groups bumped up against each other literally and metaphorically - the indie musicians, the beautiful bar crowd, the regular folks who volunteered and then just wanted to go out for beers afterward, the CBC 3 fans who met over the internet - but, when it came down to it, we didn't really interact that much. At best we just became aware of our various strangenesses, observed them for awhile, and then continued on, hopefully more aware than before. The fact that I had been able conduct a little social experiment like this in my own city was enlightening to me, however, and was making me realize that something called "community" can be an incredibly complex organism.

So thank-you, Western Canadian Music Awards. Not only did you fill my city with great music for two nights, you immersed me in parts of it I only previously only pretended to know. You still might not see me at the Roadhouse or the City Centre on a Saturday night, or volunteering at some non-curling event with Franz, but at least now I know what that might be like. And so would you, if by chance you rolled into town some weekend to Meet Your New Friends Here.

Will Currie and the Country French Touring in October (with Dan Mangan)

I've already posted Dan Mangan's Tour Dates with and without Will Currie and the Country French but I had to give Will and Co. their own post. It's a band I've been following (starting with the site publicbroadcasting.ca) for about three years now - back when they were a band I stumbled across on Myspace with a few songs up. I have heard their sound compared to Ben Folds and Elton John and have had a producer tell me that Will reminded him (in talent, knowledge and intensity if not style) of the Arcade Fire's Win Butler.

So, paired with XM Verge Artist of the Year Dan Mangan you can't go wrong. Here is the Facebook Event Page for the Will Currie and the Country French Dates.

Will Currie and the Country French - Surprising Me (MP3)


Dan Mangan - Robots (MP3)


Dates are as follows: (check back as these will be updated)

October 9th - Windsor ON, Phog Lounge w/ Dan Mangan
www.thephogblog.blogspot.com/

October 10th - Sarnia ON, Paddy Flaherty's w/ Dan Mangan
sarnia.paddyflahertys.com/

October 13th - Montreal QC, L'Escogriffe w/ Dan Mangan
www.indiemontreal.ca/shows.html

October 14th - Ottawa ON, Algonquin College w/ Dan Mangan (open to public)
www.algonquinsa.com/DefaultSite/events/index_e.aspx?ArticleID=1426

October 15th - Peterborough ON, Montreal House w/ Dan Mangan
www.myspace.com/themoho1

October 16th - Toronto ON, Rivoli w/ Dan Mangan
www.rivoli.ca/showlistings.htm

October 17th - Wakefield QC, Blacksheep Inn w/ Dan Mangan
www.theblacksheepinn.com/

October 21st - Charlottetown PEI, The Wave @ UPEI w/ Dan Mangan
www.myspace.com/thewaveupei

October 22nd - Halifax NS, T Room at Dalhousie w/ Dan Mangan
www.dsu.ca/campuslife/troom/t-room

October 23rd - Halifax NS, HALIFAX POP EXPLOSION at The Paragon Theatre w/ Divorcees, Lake of Stew, and Slow Down, Molasses.
halifaxpopexplosion.com/schedule.html

October 24th - Fredericton NB, The Capital w/ Dan Mangan
www.thecapitalcomplex.com/

October 28th - Winnipeg MB, Lo Pub w/ Dan Mangan
www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=f991529c2aa23b7e3754787cb1e554d6&gid=7889118885

October 29th - Saskatoon SK, Amigo's w/ Dan Mangan
www.myspace.com/amigossaskatoon

October 30st - Edmonton AB, Haven Social Club w/ Dan Mangan
www.thehavensocialclub.com/

November 3rd - Victoria BC, Logan's Pub
www.loganspub.com/

November 4th - Vancouver BC, The Media Club w/ The Foreign Resort, The Luna Riot, and Black Night Crash.
www.themediaclub.ca/shows/wednesday-november-4

November 5th - Lethbridge AB, The Slice w/Matt Epp.
www.theslice.ca/

November 6th - Calgary AB, The Palomino
www.thepalomino.ca/

Live Video: Dan Mangan and Hey Ocean! cover Wintersleep at WCMAs

Via @danmanganmusic: XM Verge Artist of the Year Dan Mangan and the band that had the integrity to say 'no' to Gene Simmons Hey Ocean! cover Halifax favorites Wintersleep at the Western Canadian Music Awards.



You can catch Dan Mangan on Tour at:

Oct 1. Vancouver, BC | Hudsons Bay | Olympic Apparel event 12pm-6pm w/ Cowboy Junkies & Sam Roberts Band (we're on 3:30pm) | FREE
Oct 2. Port Moody, BC | Port Moody Festival Of The Arts | Inlet Theatre
Oct 3. Kelowna, BC | Habitat
Oct 4. Canmore, AB | Communitea Cafe
Oct 5. Calgary, AB | The Marquee Room w/ Deon Blyan & Brock Geiger
Oct 9. Windsor, ON | Phog Lounge w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 10. Sarnia, ON | Paddy Flaherty's w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 13. Montreal, QC | L'escogriffe w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 14. Ottawa, ON | Algonquin College w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 15. Peterborough, ON | Montreal House w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 16. Toronto, ON | In-store performance at Criminal Records | 6PM
Oct 16. Toronto, ON | The Rivoli w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 17. Wakefield, QC | The Black Sheep Inn w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 21. Charlottetown, PEI | UPEI w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 22. Halifax, NS | Dalhousie - T Room
Oct 23. Halifax, NS | Halifax Pop Explosion | Company House
Oct 24. Fredericton, NB | The Capital w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 28. Winnipeg, MB | In-store performance at Into The Music | 5PM
Oct 28. Winnipeg, MB | The Lo Pub w/ Will Currie & The Country French & Katie Murphy
Oct 29. Saskatoon, SK | Amigo's w/ Will Currie & The Country French & Kirby Criddle
Oct 30. Edmonton, AB | The Haven Social Club w/ Will Currie & The Country French & manraygun

Rifflandia starts tomorrow

Rifflandia starts up tonight and I gotta be honest, I’m pretty stoked. The hard part is deciding what to go to once I get over to the Island city. There’s a plethora of good choices right off the bat but I’ve been trying to catch Final Fantasy for years now and I can’t pass up this chance. Seeing as it was just Polaris time right now, it goes without saying that it should be mentioned that Owen Pallett was the first recipient of the award. What Owen does in Final Fantasy is just amazing and I can’t wait for the live experience. He’s playing at the Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora Avenue) at 9:30pm. Thus, this show is my anchor of the night, so whatever I go to has to fit around that. Lucky for me, the line-up at the Alix Goolden Hall seems like it’s gonna add up to a great night all in one place. Before Final Fantasy is Vancouverite, Christopher Smith who is new to me but sounds like he’ll be good. Then we've got a Polaris longlister, Timber Timbre. These guys are going to be an excellent lead up to Final Fantasy.

If Final Fantasy wasn’t playing, it would have been a toss up between the Market Square or Element. Element has a real powerhouse of Vancouver line-up starting with the Analog Bell Service leading into Dan Mangan and ending with Said the Whale. But, the Market square has some great acts to get you dancing. Things start of with Creature to get the crowd moving and dancing, then into Rubik, a Finnish indie/pop band who'll be playing with Vancouver's Language-Arts this Monday at the Biltmore Cabaret. Afterwards are a couple of great local bands, the Raccoons to keep that crowd dancing and Bucan Bucan who are new to me but describe themselves as "your average, run-of-the-mill, 14 piece gypsy marching band." Finally comes the Old Prince himself, Shad, who really is someone you shouldn't miss and then DJ Champion & His G-Strings to squeeze that extra drop of seat out of everyone on that dance floor. I’m sure between Creature, Champion and everyone inbetween, the Market Square is going to be jumping and if you go, you're gonna get caught up in a dance party. I'm hoping to run over to see what I can catch after Final Fantasy.

Festivals are always hard because with so many people you want to see, you inevitably leave people out so if I could be in more places at once, I'd also definitely check out other great acts like Basia Bulat, Hannah Georgas and Fake Shark! Real Zombie! You really can’t go wrong tomorrow night so just get out there and have fun, the guys at Rifflandia have set up a festival that really shouldn’t be missed.

I hope you can make it!
- AlexOfAnders

Dan Mangan & Alexisonfire Take Home Verge Awards

Just a day after Fucked Up! Took home the Polaris Music Prize and the $20,000 cash award that goes with it, Dan Mangan and Alexisonfire have each taken $25,000 on the XM Verge Music Awards. Mangan took home Artist of the Year and Alexisonfire won album of the year for Old Crows/Young Cardinals.

The finalists for the XM Verge Awards were selected by a vote from the public and the winners chosen by the Verge Jury. The other candidates for Artist of the Year were Asexisonfire, Amos the Transparent, Joel Plaskett and Said the Whale. For album of the year the runners up were the Arkells - Jackson Square, Joel Plaskett - Three, Metric - Fantasies and Mother Mother - O My Heart.

Performances at the award show included last year's winners the Weakerthans (best artist) and Hey Rosetta! (best album) as well as Metric.

Dan Mangan told Chartattack that:

"...he would use the money to buy a tour van and pay off some debts.

"I just didn't really see [winning] as an option," Mangan said. "I just kind of thought it was a nice nod and it was just great to be included in the list at the very most. So I'm completely honoured and flattered and it's a very exciting day."

The Indie Queens Are Waiting - Dan Mangan

The 2009 Verge Music Awards

The Verge Music Awards were held Tuesday, Sept. 22 at The Mod Club in Toronto.

The Finalists:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire

Amos the Transparent

Dan Mangan

Joel Plaskett

Said The Whale

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Arkells - Jackson Square

Joel Plaskett - Three

Metric - Fantasies

Mother Mother - O My Heart

The Winners:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Dan Mangan

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Photo credits:

Dan Mangan - Cody Lobreau

From the 2009 WCMAs...nice job!

Alexisonfire - designermagazine.org

"Robots" gets some love from Dan Mangan

Vancouver-based Dan Mangan recruited a host of friends yesterday (including CBC Radio 3 host Tariq Hussain, members of Said The Whale, Brasstronaut and the Zolas and local radio host Tamara Stanners) as actors for the upcoming video to his summer hit "Robots," available off both his Roboteering EP and his latest LP Nice, Nice, Very Nice. The song was stuck in numerous heads over the past couple of months, and the video looks to be every bit as memorable.

He also recruited his brother to take snapshots of the shoot, which took place in a back alley in East Vancouver. The video looks like it will be very colourful and incredibly fun despite being filmed on a dreary and rainy Sunday in Vancouver. Click here for the entire photo set on Flickr.

A few snapshots:

XM Verge Finalists Announced

Chances are you've gotten a few announcements from various bands urging you to vote in the XM Verge awards for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. The voting is now over and the finalists have been announced. On September 22, the 2nd annual Verge Music Awards will be announced and the winner in each category will receive 25 thousand dollars.

The finalists are
Artist of the Year:

Alexisonfire

Amos The Transparent

Dan Mangan

Joel Plasket

Said The Whale

Album of the Year

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Old Cardinals

Arkells - Jackson Square

Joel Plasket - Three

Metric - Fantasies

Mother Mother - O My Heart

For more info check out thevergeonline.com/vma.

Toronto: Free Dan Mangan Instore Oct. 16

If you're in Toronto and have been waiting to scoop up the new Dan Mangan CD Nice, Nice, Very Nice (which last I heard was still #1 on the Canadian campus charts) - you can buy it from the man himself on October 16, at Criminal Records, 493 Queen St West in Toronto. The show starts at 5 pm and if you need a reminder or two between now and then hit the Facebook Event Page.

The Indie Queens Are Waiting

Dan Mangan on music, VFMF, upcoming tours and of course, his latest album

After the dust settled from the Vancouver Folk Music Festival I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dan Mangan to talk about the fest, his new album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and many other things. Speaking of his new album, it's already available for sale off Dan's site, Zunior, iTunes and your local record shop. Some of the dates we talk about might be a little old as the interview took place around the last week of July. Enjoy!

So, you had fun at the Folk Fest?
I had infinite amounts of fun at the Folk Fest. I mean, it was like one of the more magical weekends of my life.
So, are there any memorable stories you can tell us from the folk fest this weekend?
Well, it was great. I mean, I got to meet Joel Plaskett. I've never met him before. He was kind of hanging out at the after party. It was just generally, a really great weekend of meeting and re-meeting different people from other bands. Having the opportunity to play with Great Lake Swimmers and stuff was pretty cool. Basia Bulat, Shari Ulrich, Steven Page, just a whole bunch of people that normally, I don't get a chance to play with. That was pretty special. The main band show was kind of rad for me cause I felt the band was really tight and I felt like the harmonies were probably [better], like we've been working a lot on the harmonies and they were really starting to come together. It feels good when the band's really in sync, when you can kind of tell that the people listening are into it, you know, and they're hearing what you're doing and they're engaging. That's a really special kind of thing to be witnessing.
Yeah, it was a really great show with a full band. I didn't get to catch the entire thing because I had an interview appointment with Basia. But, I got to catch you on the main stage too for a bit afterwards.
Oh right, for that little tweener thing?
Yeah, Yeah.
That was fun, yeah, that was pretty cool. I mean talking about memories, I wasn't expecting that, that kind of came last minute. They were like “Do you want to do this?” I'm like, “Yeah, of course I do,” and I don't know if you stuck around to the very end but I got to go up for the finale after Mavis Staples sang, I guess Shari Ulrich wanted to do Hallelujah but you know, Leonard Cohen put the kibosh on Hallelujah. He kind of said he didn't want people to sing it anymore so Shari figured she'd do it one last time or something. So it was myself and Matt Anderson and a bunch of other guys and Shari and we all went up and did Hallelujah after Mavis Staples as a finale for the festival. And then the full staff of the folk fest came out and introduced themselves and it was kind of a big celebration of the end of the weekend. Everyone did I Shall Be Released, so that was pretty cool, to end the night. Then they had those Chinese lanterns walking through the crowd and the lanterns are just so cool. It was a really beautiful, awesome night, not a cloud in the sky and twenty - twenty five thousand people there and, you know, we're up there singing I Shall Be Released. It was pretty memorable, I don't think I'll forget much of that weekend very soon.
Yeah, well, it was definitely a great weekend.
You know, I think there's a real sea change in the new artist director and I just think there's a lot of life in the festival right now and hopefully that carries on. I think that there were a couple of years where it just wasn't quite as magical as it once was and now its back.
Yeah, it kind of seemed like they could use a little bit of fresh blood and fresh thinking in there and I think it really panned out for them.
I think the best thing they could have done was booking the Weakerthans and Iron & Wine, you know? It's getting that new indie stuff in there. Because the world music is really important and it's important to have that as part of the festival but I think having Iron & Wine, Weakerthans and some of those other more indie bands brings the younger crowd who then get into the world music because they're there and they're like wow, this is amazing. So its kind of important to, you know, cross-pollinate the different genres.
Yeah, well, that's what I found as well. The big things I was there for were the Weakerthans, Great Lake Swimmers, Rock Plaza Central, you were there, Basia was there, those bands but then because I was there I end up seeing a bunch of different stuff that I just don't get exposed to it normally
And it's pretty amazing stuff too. I mean, I've never seen Arrested Development before but I was at one of their side workshops and it was amazing! They were so good, and they're doing spoken word poetry to like bongo beats and it was just like, some of the stuff they're doing is so intense, you know? And you really felt it and really felt what they were doing.
Nice, I think I heard that one going on but I was at something else.
There was this one woman who was doing a poem and she had her kid like in her arms, you know, she's like holding her little baby and she's doing this poetry about her baby and stuff. It was really cute.
I was surprised, there were a lot of kids and children there.
It's a real family event.
Yeah, yeah, I remember they were getting a lot of complaints about the beer garden because people thought it'd take away from the family aspect.
Yeah, but I remember it being fine.
It didn't seem like a problem at all.
I think the type of people that are going to pay $150 dollars to go to a folk festival are a pretty self policing crowd, you know? I don't think that introducing beer into the mix is really going to bring out a bunch of hooligans. It's a pretty respectful kind of crowd.
Yeah, it doesn't really seem like it has that type of people there. I also heard that your album sold really well in the merch tent.
I found out yesterday that I was one of the top five selling artists of the folk festival, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, you definitely gained a lot of new fans by the sounds of it.
I think so, yeah, there was a really good response on twitter and MySpace and Facebook and all that kind of stuff. It was [like], I got a lot of emails in the next days, I think my MySpace plays jumped through the roof or something on Monday morning. It was really cool to kind of see that. Hopefully I got to play to a bunch of people who had never heard of me before. Its kind of opening the door to new relationships and stuff like that, it's cool.
It was interesting when you were on the main stage and you were trying to get everyone to sing to robots. Me and a friend of mine, we jumped in right away and so afterwards this older couple came by and asked her “Oh, who is that on stage?” and she gave them like a whole little spiel.
Awesome, yeah, that's all I needed to do is like transplant like, every ten people in there put one person who was going to get in there right away and encourage everyone else to
“You should totally just go buy his album, maybe three copies, give them to your friends.”
That's awesome, do the whole sales pitch. Power in numbers right?
Yeah, but it was nice to hear, you've got your new album coming out on the... first of August?
The eleventh of August, yeah, it's been kind of 4 years in the making. I recorded my last album in the summer of 2005. So, it was a long time ago, and then I released it kind of, you know, released it off stage in October of 2005. And then in June of 2007 we released it properly to retail and stuff like that. So, that record, as far as the music industry is concerned its two years old but as far as I'm concerned it's four years old. So I'm really excited about getting this new one out, I think the material is just way stronger and I think that I've grown a lot as a person and as a performer and as a writer and [I'm] hoping that people enjoy the new record. It was made with a guy name Johnny Critchley in Toronto, a really excellent guy. He used to be in a band called 13 Engines back in the 90s. He's also a songwriter so he was really able to kind of approach these songs from a songwriter perspective. All kinds of great people, Mark Berube, Justin Rutledge, Veda Hille, Mark Sasso from Elliot Brood, the guys from Said the Whale, Hannah Georgas, you know, there's a lot of different friends and other musicians that we were able to pull in for the thing. Shaun Brodie who also plays trumpet for the Hidden Cameras, really interesting. There's probably like 20 - 22 players on the records.
Wow, that's a lot of a-
There's a lot of collaboration, yeah. It was good though.
Draw on the strength of your friends to make the album even stronger.
Yeah, well, you know, continually I bring people in and they give these incredible performances and it's a very humble thing to do to invite your friends in, who you think are more talented than you are and you bring them in and then they give these incredible performances. You're kind of like “Oh, okay, well, that takes the weight of my shoulders,” you know, all these other people doing these great performances on the record.
I don't think you give yourself enough credit though, you're a really talented songwriter and singer and that sort of thing.
Thank you, it's funny, you meet people who are incredible drummers and then you find out that they're also incredible guitar players and singers and songwriters and stuff. It's like, I've focused my whole life on being one thing, you know. My drummer, Kent Loewen, he's also got this other project called the Crackling that he writes songs and stuff. I remember the first time I heard him sing and play guitar, I'm like, what the heck, you're like at the forefront of Canada's improve jazz drumming scene and it turns out that your this fantastic folk singer songwriter too at the same time, it's like screw you man, haha.
So, do you play any instruments?
I play piano a bit, I kind of dabble in a lot of [things]. I'm kind of like, not really good at a lot of different instruments. I'm okay at the guitar, I've got the guitar mostly figured out but I can kind of dabble on piano and any piano based thing like the glockenspiel or xylophone. I put in a lot of percussion on the record, like shakers and tambourines, things like that. You know, the only instrument I would actually say I play very confidently is the guitar.
Okay, do you play the guitar at all on the new record?
Yeah, I play acoustic guitar, I don't play a lot of electric guitar. Most of the electric guitar was done by Aaron Joyce who also plays the weissenborn. I did a little bit of electric guitar on the new album but I kept it mostly to the guys I could hire who are really, real players, you know?
That makes sense.
Yeah, hiring them to do a job, make sure they do it.
There's nothing wrong with sticking to one thing and being really good at it.
Yeah, its good, I mean, I feel if I spent more time at the instrument stuff I would have spent less time on the songwriting stuff. Any one given talent that anyone has, it takes time and a lot of focus. I remember someone saying to Leonard Cohen in an interview like “It must be really nice being Leonard Cohen, you just open your mouth and out comes these incredible poems and stuff,” and he's like “Screw you man, I work endlessly. I treat this like a job,” and it's true, any songwriting of any kind, you're going to get better at it the more you do it and the more that you focus on it and, you know, not to even put myself in the same sport as Leonard Cohen but I'm always writing, like I'm always thinking about phrases and writing things down and tucking notes away. It's a full time job trying to write songs. The only thing that I want, I just want to keep getting better. I'm afraid of that impending peak, you know? When you hit that creative peak. I'm afraid of that so I'm just totally obsessed with trying to get better and never resting, never figuring that I've gotten very good and some people might call that kind of self-flagellation. I just never believe that I'm as good as I want to be so, you know? I just want to keep getting better.
There's always that feeling like you can improve that little bit more but I definitely think your songwriting has gotten even better from what I can tell off the EP.
From the earlier recordings, I guess I just feel there's more confidence in the lyrics. I used to make songs that kind of just sounded cool, you know? That I thought the lyrics kinda rhymed well and everything sounded good. Now I put a lot more thought into every line, a lot of turmoil into every phrase, questioning whether it's the right phrase and such.
But that's probably the best way to really come out with something you can be happy with at the end, you just have to constantly rework it.
Yeah, I mean, if you're going to go out on the road and tour these songs for years on end you have to be happy with them because if not, you're going to just drive yourself crazy singing them over and over. And no matter [what happen], when it comes out, sometimes no matter how happy you are you're going to drive yourself crazy anyways. But if you believe it and you really kind of live the songs, then people will respond to it and they'll find something in it to relate to. That's the most amazing thing music when two people from completely different parts of the world can relate to the same line, or relate to the same feelings
It's kind of that part of music that brings people together right?
Yeah, totally.
Do you find that you have certain inspirations for your songs, things that come from like, daily life?
Conversations really. I steal a lot lines from [them]. Sometimes you'll be in a conversation with someone and they'll say something totally not even thinking or meaning to, people will say something incredibly poetic or if not poetic, really ridiculous or something. So I tend to listen objectively to conversations I'm having with people and I steal phrases and lines, if I see a street sign that says something kinda funny. A lot of the time it's unknowingly but sometimes, people just, in the smallest of moments, the most insignificant of moments of people's conversations sometimes people will divulge things that are totally universal, you know. Like, people will kind of say some that is seemingly very small but could be a larger explanation for everything. I tend to try to just keep very aware of the words that are happening around me, there's a lot of lines that I've kind of stolen from people around me in my life. Generally, I just try to think about words a lot. I also think about how ridiculous we are. I think that human nature's inherently just very ridiculous and paradoxical and it's not anything we should be ashamed of, but I think it's something we should embrace. I just think we're really ridiculous beings, you know?
Haha, I could definitely see that. I remember during the festival you said that you wrote like “You Silly Git” for your girlfriend or something like that.
Yeah, I'd written that song when I was in England and there's a Monty Python skit where they use that phrase, you silly git, but I just felt that git was a very British word to use. That song kind of came after a phone call home and I was really worrying like, “Oh, what if this doesn't happen, you know, or what are things gonna be like if such and such?” and my girlfriend was like, “Relax, you're in England, you're playing music, like, don't get so worked up about it.” So that's kind of what the song is about, it's kind of about not worrying about the future but just being present in the now. In some ways that's probably the most person song in terms of the lyrics. The lyrics of that song are probably some of the most personal, like true to heart, me lyrics on the record. There's a couple of very revealing lines where everytime I sing them I'm like, “Oh man, what am I doing?” but the record goes them, at times the new record is very metaphorical and speaking in code and then in other times it's very true to heart and very blunt. There's kind of both sides of me in there.
So would Robots be one of those more metaphorical-
Yeah, Robots is pretty metaphorical. Actually, I read online, someone had done a blog post, I can't remember which one it is and they totally nailed it. Like, I hadn't done an interview with them or anything. I hadn't talked about Robots with them. They, just by listening to the lyrics and listening to the song a bunch of times, they totally nailed the vibe down. They explained it better than I could honestly. It was really interesting. It's just kind of like; Robots is generally, sort of like a metaphorical explanation of the kind struggle between being kind of pushed into doing non human things, I don't even mean technology wise, I just mean, doing things that you're doing because you're socialized to and you're being a robot, you're being a sheep basically. And there's the struggle between that and trying to be a unique individual and treat people well and that kind of thing. The line Robots need love too, it's like, the people who are the nastiest, most skeletal shells of human beings that you can imagine, the ones who aren't really doing a good job of being very passionate, are probably the ones who need the most love. They're the ones who need a hug the worst, the ones who don't have their shit together, and are just being kind of mean, you know? That's basically what that line is about and you can go into technology as well, how we're becoming more and more dependent on our, iPhones and Blackberrys and laptops, and everything. But to me, originally, that's what that lyric was about, it was just kind of about all the assholes out there, they're the ones who need a hug the worst. That's the nice thing about a song, you can interpret it many millions ways and really you wouldn't be wrong in any of those ways and I think that if you listen to a song and you feel a certain way about a lyric, it doesn't matter if that's what the songwriter intended, that's what's coming across.
Yeah, a lot of songs can mean very different things to different people and there's nothing wrong with that. The artist might intend something but definitely could mean some completely different and really important to that person.
And there have been times where people have called out on lyrics of mine and said, “Oh, that's a really great line because of such and such and such and such,” and I totally hadn't even thought of that. It's like they're giving me credit for some totally multi-layer of lyric where really, I just meant it straight up and then you're kinda like, “oh thanks yeah, yeah, that's what I meant,” you know? Like, its just so funny when people really read into lyrics they can kind of pull all these meanings out of it that you may not have intended and it's sort of like, I'm really not that clever, there's nothing that clever about me but then they pull something out of it and are like, “oh, that's really clever,” and your kind of taking credit for something you didn't mean to do in the first place.
Maybe it's just that you're subconsciously very clever.
Haha, no no, sometimes I feel that the least clever person around but its funny. I don't know, lyrics are crazy things, you know? It's really, really important to me. The first thing I listen to when I listening to music is the lyrics and a lot of people, they listen to the beat or listen to the vibe and stuff and it doesn't really [matter to them]. It's really hard for me to overlook bad lyrics when I'm listening to the radio and stuff. I mean, the music would have to be really good for me to overlook the lyrics, that's not even to say I'm some sort of moral snob or superior lyricist kind of person. I just, for me, it's a really important part of music and I think for a lot of people, it's not a very important part. I think if you're listening to trance music usually the lyrics are like, “Yeah, we're going to party,” or like, “Look into your soul,” that kind of stuff and a lot people that are listening to that kind of music, where the lyrics are secondary, what they're looking for is the beat and the vibe and that's totally cool. You know, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that but for me personally, the lyrics are always the deal breaker.
Yeah, I'm the same way actually, the first thing when I listen to the song, I pay attention to the lyrics a lot so I understand what you mean there. Just like a song can be great with the melody and everything, but if the lyrics just aren't really up to par, they just totally ruin the song for me. Oh yeah, I heard you were up for a music award?
Yeah, the Western Canadian Music awards. Roboteering got nominated for an award. I think it's like best solo roots category or something like that. So that's cool, that happens in Brandon in September. Braaaandon Manitoba.
You going to make it out to Brandon?
Yeah, actually it's a really fun festival. I've been to the Western Canadian music awards three of the last four years. It's always a really good time. The music industry in western Canada is really small, it's a really tight knit community, it's a really good time so I think I'm gonna head out there and see what I can do.
Talking about touring, I saw that you're hitting, I forget where you're going first, but you're going to go to Nelson next week.
Yeah, I'm gonna go to Penticton, Nelson and then the ArtsWell Festival in Northern BC and then in August we're going to do a 2 night CD release party weekend at Vancouver's East Cultural Centre, that's august 28th and 29th. Then in September I go out to Brandon and then through all of October I'm gonna have a four piece band we're going to go from Vancouver all the way to Halifax and back. Kind of do like a full Canadian tour for the CD release tour. I'm really looking forward to that, then in November I might actually go to Dubai. I got an invite to go play in Dubai. So that would be pretty crazy and then I think I'll mill around England or Europe for a couple weeks, then maybe go to Paris for another festival and then come home for a little while and then possibly go to Australia in December. So, it's looking to be a very busy fall and winter. The nice thing about going to Australia in the winter is it's their summer, very hot. Should be a lot of fun.
I'm just curious what brought you to play in Nelson because I'm originally from Nelson before I moved out here.
Oh really? There's a something called Keep the Beat and it's a fundraiser for War Child. There's a whole bunch of artists, Stephen Fearing's playing, Aaron Nazrul , I can't remember who else, there's a bunch of bands playing. It's like a big free outdoor concert by the lakeside, I think its free, maybe it's not free, I dunno, but it's all for War Child, it's a big fundraiser. Actually, I haven't played Nelson in like 4 years, the very first tour I ever did I played through Nelson and I played with someone named Colleen Lamb.It's just kind of a good excuse to get back to Nelson and it made sense around ArtsWell to make a trip of it so then we threw on a show in Penticton as well. Penticton's always been this really amazing place for me, since the very first time I went there I've always had a really fun show in Penticton. For whatever reason, just the crowd going people in Penticton are really great and really they listen to lyrics and they're really into it. I'm really looking forward to getting back there
It's good to hear someone touring the smaller cities in BC.
And it's really easy to skip Penticton cause you could go to Kelowna 45 minutes away and it's twice the size but Penticton's a really great little town, it's beautiful. I just love that main street strip, with the book store, Il Vecchio's Deli. It's a good town, good people there. Also, Shane Koyczan lives there and he's become a very good friend. There's always a reason to go to Penticton, good friends there.
I'll have to try and force my parents to go to your in Nelson.
Well, it's during the day at like five o clock outdoors
Actually, that'll probably be perfect for them.
Yeah, it's gonna be outdoors along the lakeside so it should be a fairly enjoyable environment
Well, I'm not sure if I have too much more in the way of questions for you.
Yeah, we've covered a lot of ground.

That was where we finished up. As mentioned above, Dan is about to start a cross-Canada tour after attending the WCMA in Brandon, Manitoba. You should definitely get out to see him but buy your tickets soon, as you can see, his Vancouver CD release party is sold out so if that's any indicator, get your tickets soon! Below is a list of the dates.

Aug 28. Vancouver, BC
Night one of "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" CD Release Party Weekend @ The "Cultch" Vancouver East
Cultural Centre w/ Aidan Knight - SOLD OUT
Aug 29. Vancouver, BC
Night two of "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" CD Release Party Weekend @ The "Cultch" Vancouver East
Cultural Centre w/ Meatdraw - SOLD OUT
Sept 17-20. Brandon, MB
Western Canadian Music Awards | Showcase TBA
Sept 24. Victoria, BC
Rifflandia Festival
Element w/ Said The Whale | 8pm
Oct 2. Port Moody, BC
Port Moody Festival Of The Arts
Inlet Theatre
Oct 3. Kelowna, BC
Habitat | Details TBA
Oct 4. Canmore, AB
Communitea | Details TBA
Oct 5. Calgary, AB
The Marquee Room w/ Deon Blyan
Oct 9. Windsor, ON
Phog Lounge w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 10. Sarnia, ON
Paddy Flaherty's w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 13. Montreal, QC
L'escogriffe w/ Will Currie & The Country French and guests
Oct 14. Ottawa, ON
Algonquin College w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 15. Peterborough, ON
Montreal House w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 16. Toronto, ON
In-store performance at Criminal Records | Details TBA
Oct 16. Toronto, ON
The Rivoli w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 17. Wakefield, QC
The Black Sheep Inn w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 21. Charlottetown, PEI
UPEI w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 22. Halifax, NS
Dalhousie - T Room
Oct 23. Halifax, NS
Halifax Pop Explosion | Details TBA
Oct 24. Fredericton, NB
The Capital w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct 28. Winnipeg, MB
The Lo Pub w/ Katie Murphy
Oct 29. Saskatoon, SK
Amigo's w/ Kirby Criddle
Oct 30. Edmonton, AB
The Haven Social Club with manraygun