Oh Fortune!

Dan Mangan can do no wrong.  That's something I strongly believe.  He made an album recently and it was called "Oh Fortune".  It was really, really good.  Like really, really, really good.

So you should just get it (if you haven't already).
Listen to it.
Enjoy.
Repeat.

That's the good stuff.

Live Acts, the ones I loved and the ones I look forward to

Is it New Year's yet?

Well we're still in that "Year in Review" part of the calender, and I've enjoyed writing these articles.  I am quite excited for Joel Plaskett tomorrow night here in Victoria, and using that as inspiration I've decided to list the live shows from the past year that I really enjoyed, and an act I really want to get out and see.




Mangan and his band at

Alix Goolden Hall

Dan Mangan at Alix Goolden Hall was a really great show.  It was awesome to see him live, after reading reviews of his shows across the country.  Every review seemed to be positive, and it was quite obvious why.  Musically the band could not have been any better, and the fun they shared with the crowd really gave the concert an intimate feeling.  You would be hard pressed to find someone that didn't like Mangan live.



Christina Maria at Lucky Bar

One performance I won't forget from this past year was Christina Maria at Girls with Guitars 2.  Although the majority of the crowd had left, it didn't seem to faze her.  Her performance was amazing.  If you left that show early, you missed out.  It's hard to keep everyones attention in a bar, especially a half empty one, but that's exactly what she did.

Christopher Arruda was brilliant to watch.  We got to see a set of his at Lyme Aid 5 in Victoria, and he was great to see in action.  It was a good set, and it really made me want to see a show that is his own.  With a band and a Grand Piano, I think this guy would blow some peoples minds.

The Malahat Revue at Sugar Nightclub
(Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Taggart http://www.jonathantaggart.com/)

I would have to say there wasn't a show I went to this year that I didn't like.  But I can't very well write about them all again here.  So the last act I'll mention that I enjoyed is The Malahat Revue.  A ridiculous group of musicians got together and played as though they've been a super-group for years.  The fact that they biked from show to show made it all the more awesome.  The best part?  Jeremy Fisher said recently they have some news coming in the New Year, possibly another tour?

And finally an act I am anxious to see.  I am going to Ontario to visit the family in June, and I've just realized that the dates line-up with North by NorthEast.  Although I won't be in Toronto that entire time, I am really hoping The Ruby Spirit will be playing a night I have available.  I really enjoyed their album this year, and have been curious to see their live show.  They really intrigue me and I think it would be quite a spectacle.

Of course there are plenty of other artists I would like to see in the New Year, but I'm even more curious to know what you will be seeing?  What artists did you love from this past season?  Let me know all about your favourite live acts guys, and thank you so much for reading!

Santa photo courtesy blogs.smarter.com

Dan Mangan, need I say more?

 

Dan Mangan and his band playing at
Alix Goolden Hall in Victoria, BC



You can find all sorts of news and information on Dan Mangan these days.  Google his name and pages of articles and news appear.  The thing is though, none of it is negative.  You can't find someone saying a bad thing about the man.

Dan Mangan is an asshole.  Ok, that's obviously not true, but I thought I could make this article unique in a hurry (I'm just looking for hits, it's pure greed really ;).

Truth is Dan Mangan is a class act.  His care for both music and his fans is genuine.  The man loves to play and boy oh boy do people love to hear him do just that. 

Playing to hundreds of people in halls and theatres across the country has become the norm for Mangan. The success and attention brought on from Nice Nice Very Nice, his sophomore LP recorded in 2009.  The record becoming a favourite for many fans of Canadian Indie.  Add his live show, where years of touring and playing are evident, and there is a bona fide Canadian Star here.

As proud as he is of his latest works, the really amazing thing here is how confident and excited he is to get back in the studio.  You can hear it in his voice. Nothing but positivity surrounds his movement forward.

"Nice Nice Very Nice kinda exceeded everyone’s expectations in terms of where it would go, and how many people would latch onto it. I've had a lot of people ask me, "Do you feel like you have to live up to it?" I feel more like I’m ready to just blow right by it. I’m just excited to keep moving."

Fans of Mangan know how much work he has done to get here.  Always busy and seemingly always on the road, music is the mans life.  Even this interview he has mashed in to his day, working on a sandwich at the same time.  Although being busy is nothing new, having people to share the journey with is.

"If you are on your own, and you are having an off night, there is no one to lean on except for yourself. Whereas if you have that unit, if someone is having an off night, then everyone else lifts them up.  There is that team mentality of everyone getting their head in the game and playing a great show. The band that I have are just such amazing people, everybody is able to connect in the moment. It’s amazing.

For it to be that way you have to have the collective will of everyone there, and that doesn't always happen.  So I'm pretty lucky."

Besides the ability to pick each other up, this group of musicians is helping Dan take that next step.  These guys are the reason his confidence is so evident.  In the past, it was Mangans' dream to chase, and he would hire help to get there.  Now the dream is collective, and that energy is feeding the creative process.

"This time we are going in as a much more cohesive band, and the players are just fantastic.  I think my material has grown too, it’s probably some of my strongest and most honest work yet. So they're (the band) connecting with the material, and I’m connecting with them connecting with the material, and everything is kinda circulating. There is a lot of great synergy happening in that regard. I feel like now we are entering the studio with idea we wanna create something great.

It's certainly going to be a different sounding album.  I’m so proud of Nice Nice Very Nice, but it's a couple years old now. I'm feeling like I have more to say in my career and my body of work.  I have more to say and I wanna say it. That's where I'm at now."

The Vancouver based singer/songwriter is hoping to release the record in the fall of 2011.  The group takes all that positive energy into the studio this month.  With the nominations and awards already piled high for Nice Nice Very Nice, there is no reason to think next years release could take this Canadian act from star, to Superstar.