Mangan brings music to Halifax

Vancouver-based singer-songwriter takes his show on the road after a new album and big award throw him into national spotlight

Laura Smith and Dan Mangan share a laugh last Friday at the Company House.

Adam Miller

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Dan Mangan is committed to his fans and his music.

The 26-year-old Vancouver-based musician battled swine flu for days while watching bad movies in a P.E.I. motel room, is driving across the country for two and a half straight months of touring, and lost his violinist Erin Aurach (of Hey Rosetta! fame) to another show at Dalhousie Univserity – but still managed to put on a great performance at the Halifax Pop Explosion last Friday night.

Playing to a sold-out crowd at the Company House, a small bar on Gottingen Street, last Friday with band members Laura Smith on keys and trumpet and Michael Owen-Liston on banjo and acoustic bass, Mangan struggled to stave off bouts of coughing in between songs and joked with the crowd about his commitment to playing the show.

“We’re used to touring to 10, 20 or 30 people, but on this tour half the shows are totally sold out,” said Mangan in an interview. “There’s definitely some momentum happening, and the snowball effect really helps.”

Mangan was eager to play a concert in Halifax for the first time and, even though he had never been to the city, the crowd at The Company House made him feel right at home.

“I’ve toured with a lot of East Coast bands over the last couple of years, and made a bunch of pals from here including (Halifax-based musicians) Jenn Grant and Andrew Sisk,” said Mangan, while filling up his tour bus with gas.

“They always claimed it was a great scene over here, and (when it’s your) first time in any city you don’t really expect anything.”

Mangan performed an intimate and emotional show, playing darker and more solemn songs dealing with death and life in a sincere and forthright way. One of his songs, “Unnatural Progression,” was recently used in a screening of the film 65 Red Roses at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It tells the story of a young girl who suffers from cystic fibrosis, and Mangan told the crowd that he “bawled like a little schoolgirl” when he watched it for the first time.

His hoarse yet melodic voice is unlike that of any other Canadian singer-songwriter around, and it matches his powerful lyrics well with a subtle, sensitive air.

“I haven’t been bestowed with the most beautiful voice – but I’ve learned over the years to utilize it in a way that is at least unique,” says Mangan.

“It’s become a bit of a signature, but the goal is to keep growing as a musician.”

Mangan’s newest album Nice, Nice, Very Nice (an allusion to a Kurt Vonnegut poem) has been out since late August. It’s a great display of his musical range, featuring bluegrass and folk influences, and he sounds like a young Leonard Cohen at times.

Some of the more memorable moments of the performance include Mangan handing out tambourines and even a drum to audience members during the performance of his most popular song, “Robots.” When he finished, the crowd continued to sing the chorus back to him, causing him to gush, “That’s never happened before.”

Mangan was also surprised to learn he had won the Verge Music Awards Canadian Artist of the Year in September, which included a $25,000 prize. He describes the award as “immediate fuel to the fire,” allowing him to buy a van and fund his national tour.

“I don’t really know how that happened,” he says humbly. “Vancouver is very isolated and very far away from the epicenter of Canadian heritage, culture, government … everything. Everything happens in Toronto and Montreal, and it was rewarding to be recognized in Toronto as a Vancouver artist.”

Despite working as a musician in Vancouver for years, the pressures of becoming so successful so fast can weigh on a young musician’s mind – especially while Mangan strives to keep his music fresh.

“There’s been a lot of exposure in the last month which is also kind of anxiety-causing,” says Mangan.

“I don’t plan on making the same-sounding record twice – ever. That’s the scariest thing for me. I want to keep growing and become a better songwriter.”