DAN MANGAN
Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates St.
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Tickets: Sold out
Note: Mangan also performs Thursday (Sept. 21) in Cumberland at The Waverley and Friday (Sept. 22) in Nanaimo at The Port Theatre
Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan could use a minute or two to catch his breath.
The two-time Juno Award winner was in Toronto at Massey Hall on Tuesday, for the Polaris Music Prize gala, and was due to arrive home Wednesday in time to pick up his children, ages 10 and 6, from school. The plan, Mangan said, was to spend some time at home with his wife and kids before packing his bags and heading off to Vancouver Island, where his 33-date trek across sa国际传媒 gets underway Thursday.
“My kids are pissed,” Mangan jokingly said from the seat of his plane at Pearson International Airport, minutes before take-off.
“They do not like me travelling all the time. But if you are going to tell your kids they can do anything, they won’t believe it unless you show them. Part of raising kids is showing them that adults can have an impact on their world. Maybe that is selfish rationalizing, but I want them to know that if they want to do big things, they should feel the wherewithal to try.”
Mangan has been doing big things for the better part of 20 years, and continues to move the needle. His sixth album, Being Somewhere, was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and though he didn’t emerge triumphant (Toronto’s Debby Friday won the $50,000 prize) the experience left him anything but disappointed.
He performed two songs at the Tuesday gala, Fire Escape and In Your Corner (for Scott Hutchinson), both of which are from Being Somewhere, and felt appreciated by a roomful of his peers. “Just being there, and seeing the talent on stage, and the people involved, the night felt like a big celebration. And at the end of the night, one person got a bunch of money, which is cool.”
While a Polaris win would have been welcome, Mangan has a multitude of things keep him busy.
He performs tonight (Sept. 21) in Cumberland at The Waverley and Friday (Sept. 22) in Nanaimo at The Port Theatre, before making his way to Victoria for a sold-0ut show at the Capital Ballroom on Saturday.
Mangan was also shortlisted for the prize in 2010, for his second album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice. Looking back, that was a lifetime ago, both personally and professionally, according to Mangan. “I kind of feel like I’ve had two careers. There was the initial bump, and then I slowed down and had kids and was not as active. Now, I’m back at it, and it feels rewarding to be at it again in the second chapter.”
Being Somewhere is an extension of that freshly-minted mindset. Due to the pandemic, the majority of his writing and recording sessions for the record were done remotely over two-and-a-half years, primarily with writer-producer Drew Brown. Mangan and Brown solicited help from a variety of contributors — including R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker, Beck guitarist Jason Falkner, and members of the Broken Social Scene universe — who swapped their files electronically.
Musicians were in the same room for a total of three days during the entire process. “It was a funny experience to be working with these incredible musicians and working with them over text message,” Mangan said. “It was arduous and difficult and painstaking. It’s the kind of record that only could have been made during the pandemic. But it’s very special. It can never be replicated. It is what it is because of the time it was made in.”
He has had some voice issues in recent years, related to vocal exhaustion and acid reflux, which forced him to change the way he sings. Mangan, who turned 40 in April, welcomed the adjustment, and describes Being Somewhere (which drew a 2023 Juno Award nomination for adult alternative album of the year) as the best record of his career.
“Even though my voice is softer than it used to be, in some ways it’s stronger.” That is something he takes pride in, and will serve him well as he embarks on the next phase of his career.
“None of my records are the same as any of the other ones. I take pride in that. But at the same time, there is a through-line that is my essence, whether it is my phrasing, or my lyrics. I still feel like all my records are me. I have never felt locked into any one genre.”
