Canadian City Guides #1 // Dan Mangan's Vancouver (BC)

As part of our partnership with the Canadian Blast & The Local present Canada festival on June 30th, we have caught up with some of the artists involved to find out what their home towns are like. The first of the series looks at a long time TLOBF favourite, Polaris Longlister and recent Arts & Crafts signing from the West Coast…….

Who are you and what city are you from?:
Dan Mangan / Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

What is the city known for (and is that fair?)
Rain and stoners and parks. Fair.

If we were come to the city for the first time, what would be the first thing you would take us to see and why?
I live by Jericho Beach, so I’d wow you with the view of downtown and North Vancouver. It’s also the site for the Vancouver Folk Festival. It rules.

Best Place to grab a bite to eat?
So many. Vancouver has a lot of amazing restaurants, many of them fairly affordable. Recently, I’ve been slightly addicted to the gourmet grilled cheese sandwich at “Burgoo”, but that’s just the tip o’ the iceberg.

Good places to see a show?
(Big) Orpheum, Commodore, Vogue Theatre
(Small) Railway Club, Media Club, Little Mountain Studios, Biltmore Cabaret

If I wanted to pick up a copy of your record, where would be the best place in the city to go…
Red Cat Records on Main St. – Excellent vinyl collection, great staff. Zulu Records is also a total indie record store staple in the city.

What would be your perfect day in the city?
Eating at restaurants, hanging at beaches/parks in between, seeing a show at night

Outside the city walls: best day trip outside of the city?
Grouse Mountain, though since the Olympics, the gondola is more expensive. Bring runners and hike it, take the cheap gondola down.

Local Legend: one person (or group of people) (musical or otherwise) who is held to be a legendary figure in the town (and why?)
David Suzuki is from here. I don’t know how well he’s known outside of Canada, but he’s been at the forefront of ethical environmentalism and sustainability movements for decades and decades.

Favourite city story/myth:
Gassy Jack, first settler of “Gas Town” – known not for flatulence, but for yapping a lot.

We would like you to make us a playlist featuring bands from the city (past and present):

1. Parlour Steps – Thieves of Memory
2. Brasstronaut – Six Toes
3. Said The Whale – Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
4. Apollo Ghosts – Sons Of Norway
5. Yukon Blonde – Brides Song
6. Analog Bell Service – Left The Park

Has living in the city had much of an affect on the music you create? If so, how?
Definitely. I feel like every interview I do, the journalist is like, “So, you write songs about Vancouver.. What’s that like?”. I think it’s unintentional, and often subtle, but my last album is like a backhanded lovesong to Vancouver. I spend a lot of time away from home, so I think about home a lot.

What has been your most memorable live show? Have you got anything special planned for your UK dates?
Really excited about Glastonbury and shows with Broken Social Scene. We’ve got some ringer horn and string players we’ll be stealing for our show on the John Peel Stage at Glasto. Certainly one of my more memorable shows was a month ago at the Vogue Theatre at home here in Vancouver. We had a 10 piece band, and it had sold out weeks prior, so there was a really electric vibe in the room. Plus the Vogue rules.

Dan Mangan Plays The Lexington on June 30th as part of Canadian Blast and The Local present “Canada”

Photo: Dan Mangan at the Sold Out Vogue Theatre via Christine McAvoy

‘Canadian Blast and The Local Present CANADA’ is the inaugural Canada-only music festival in London. In association with The Line of Best Fit and sponsored by: Canadian Tourism Commission, VIA Rail, Sleeman Beer and CIBC.