I was first introduced to this man, affectionately known as the “mayor of Vancouver” by some, at a free event back in 2016. He was showcased as the musical talent for SAIT’s 100th birthday party in Calgary. I was just starting to get into music back then, especially Canadian indie music, so I jumped at the chance to see someone “new” for free. What I didn’t know was that Dan had been a mainstay in the Canadian indie-folk scene for over 10 years at that point! Needless to say, that show was magical and introduced me to a few incredible tunes, some more of my favourites.
His first album, Postcards and Daydreaming, came out in 2005 and showcases Dan’s unique vocal tone and his undeniable instrumental talent. The follow-up, 2009’s Nice, Nice, Very Nice, is where Dan really hit his stride. Some of his best and most popular songs came from this album. The likes of Road Regrets, Robots, Sold, and Basket are among some of the best offerings from Dan to date.
YouTube/Dan Mangan Music
Dan continued making music throughout the 2010s dropping 2 more full-length solo albums and one EP. He also ventured into the band landscape putting together a group called Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. They put out one full-length album known as Club Meds with the most popular song being Mouthpiece. Mangan also teamed up with a few other musicians to work on the soundtrack for the movie Hector and the Search for Happiness, which I watched just because he did the soundtrack, it was a good movie though.
Fun fact: Dan also appeared as an extra at the end of the movie! You can spot him in the bottom left-hand corner at the 16 second mark of this clip!
YouTube/Telmo Mendes
Some of Dan’s more recent offerings include covers of Neutral Milk Hotel’s legendary indie tune In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion.
He is slated to play two shows at The Vogue Theatre on the 8th/9th, January 2021. Tickets are on sale now!
Seeing this guy in concert is something you will not regret, I promise you.