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Music

Mr. Nice Guy

DAN MANGAN at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), tonight (Thursday, April 22), 10:45 pm. $15. rotate.com.


When Dan Mangan won the Verge XM Artist of the Year Award last fall, he knew exactly how to spend the $25,000 purse. Before the week was out, he’d purchased a seven-passenger Ford Flex and a hitch-up trailer.

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“I figured if I won money from a music endeavour, I should spend it on another musical investment,” says a constantly yawning Mangan during a rare day off at his Vancouver home. “I named the car Verginia, in gratitude.”

Considering Mangan’s touring schedule, Verginia’s got a long road ahead of her. Since 2003, the indie folk singer/songwriter has taken a self-sufficient, anytime/anyplace approach to shows – cold-calling venues, “going on MySpace to find bands to play with” – that sees him touring up to seven months a year. Last fall alone, he played 75 shows in 11 countries in 95 days.

“That was a little much,” he says, describing getting knocked out by swine flu for three days in a Charlottetown Travelodge, in part due to exhaustion. “I guess I just figured that if I wanted this to be my career, the only way was to do it wholeheartedly. The kind of musician who does it just when it’s convenient is not someone I’m capable of being.”

That full-throttle passion comes through clearly on Mangan’s acclaimed sophomore full-length, Nice, Nice, Very Nice (File Under Music), released last August. Driven by his hard-strummed acoustic guitar and vivid, raggedly sung lyrics (often about Vancouver), the tunes bring to mind Neutral Milk Hotel and entice audiences to burst into singalongs.

The album’s success has led to stints in Europe and Australia, SXSW showcases, a prime time Olympics appearance and an upcoming show at Glastonbury. And the ink’s barely dry on a new management deal with Arts & Crafts that’s left Mangan “ecstatic.” Besides lending a guiding hand and helping him tour more strategically, the label will release Nice, Nice in the States.

“What is it they say? It takes eight years to make an overnight success?” laughs Mangan. “For years I always felt like such an underdog. And the media throughout the fall portrayed me as that, focusing on the grassroots growth and the DIY stuff.

“But because there’s been so much attention – blogs, street print – I started to feel like, ‘Oh no, what if I’m not the underdog any more?’ I’m not sure how to handle that. It’s all I’ve ever known.”

Interview Clip

Vancouver singer/songwriter Dan Mangan recorded his acclaimed Nice, Nice, Very Nice full-length, which features over 25 guest musicians, in Toronto with producer John Critchley. He discusses the city’s pull and Vancouver’s ascendant music scene.

Download associated audio clip.

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