What Happens Next? The Dan Mangan Documentry

Dan Mangan will be featured in an upcoming documentary titled What Happens Next? The Dan Mangan Documentary. The film is due to air on CBC TV on August 25 at 7 p.m. PST. A brief official blurb describes the flick like this: "The night before musician Dan Mangan plays the biggest concert of his life, he invites a few close friends over for a poker game and explores the ideas of fate, destiny and the daunting question... what happens next?" Check out the trailer above and tune in August 25th on CBC (courtesy of exclaim.ca)

 - Spencer 

Polaris Prize - Who Could Have Made The Cut?

One of the best things about the Polaris Music Prize is the debate that follows the short list being announced. Before I get into talking about the bands who made the short list, I feel like I should take a moment to talk about some of the bands that arguably could be right up there with the short listers. Here are a couple of the bands that I felt could have fell either way:

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Kings and Queens


This album is one of those records that doesn't get as much coverage because it finds itself sitting in the folk/rock/alt-country genre. However, this record was great front to back. You can check out one of my favorites Black Sheep, which features Serena Ryder.



Cannon Bros. - Firecracker/Cloudglow

After seeing the Cannon Bros. during the Sled Island Music Festival this year Firecracker/Cloudglow, became one of my go to albums. This rock duo created an album that is both catchy and raw. I considered them one of the underdogs in the long list and I sure was hoping to see them on the short list this year. Please, stream the album below and buy it!



Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune

Dan's last album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, made it to the short list in 2010 and many people considered this new album to show a lot of growth in his writing. I have to admit, I was surprised to not see his album up there yesterday. However, that being said... the list is pretty damn good this year. You need something really special to get on there. Check out 4 tracks from Oh Fortune, below:



Joel Plaskett Emergency - Scrappy Happiness

If you follow this blog at all, you will know that I posted weekly updates on Scrappy Happiness as Joel recorded the album in 10 weeks. Once the final product was released I was really impressed. I thought Joel made a great rock record... which is really what you can expect from him day in and day out. But, a great rock record might not get you past a list with the caliber of talent that the Polaris long list holds. Nonetheless, check out You're Mine, below:



John K. Samson - Provincial

This was another album that I was hoping would make it to the short list. John K. Samson is an established artist, which I feel sometimes works against the artist. People want to see fresh stuff on the Polaris short list. Saying that, artists like Feist are on the list... Who am I to say who should be on anyways? You can stream the whole album over on Soundcloud or sample a couple songs below.



Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Backyard

This album wasn't necessarily a surprise, but it is the first time a Patrick Watson album has not made the short list. I still love this album and think it can be stacked against his other albums any day. That being said, I think is one of those cases where everyone knows what Patrick Watson is about and this album played into it. Definitely long list material, maybe not short list material. I have provided a couple songs below.



Bry Webb - Provider

I considered Bry Webb's solo effort another one of those underdog albums. This album should have gotten wayyyyyy more press. It was amazing in my opinion and I believe it landed on our top albums of 2011. If Provider made the short list it would have been a surprise to many I am sure. You know the drill.



Honourable Mentions:

Rich Aucoin - We're All Dying To Live
The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence
Yukon Blonde - Tiger Talk

Those were the main albums that I felt could contend with the short list this year. I am excited to see what the Polaris Gala on September 24th brings!

- Bryce

Calgary Folk Music Festival

The 2012 Calgary Folk Music Festival is fast approaching and the line up this year is one you will not want to miss. This years festival will run from July 26th - 29th on Calgary's beautiful Prince's Island Park. Below are some artists you should definitely check out if you end up going to the festival. Check out the Full Lineup on the Artist Page.

Beirut
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings
Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires
Iron & Wine
Chris Isaak
Leeroy Stagger & the Wildflowers
Jeff Mangum
Dan Mangan
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Rae Spoon
Serena Ryder
Whitehorse

Check out The Head and the Heart, performing Cats and Dogs and Coeur D'Alene at Folk Fest last year:



- Bryce

Dan Mangan - About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All (Video)

Check out the new music video for About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All below. The track is off of Dan's most recent effort, Oh Fortune.



Also, check out the video for Post War Blues which was released about 3 weeks ago.



- Bryce

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune

Happy Friday Everyone! Enjoy the acoustic version of Oh Fortune below.


Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune - Kiyanna Project from Kiyanna Project on Vimeo.


- Bryce

Calgary Concert Update

Just a little update of the concerts coming to Calgary in next couple months, the city is really stepping up it's game and there are some great artists coming through. Take a look a whose coming by and check out just a fraction of what these artists/bands have to offer.

Tickets for the following shows are available through Prime Box Office:

September 29 - Arctic Monkeys @ MacEwan Hall (U of C)

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

October 14 - Young The Giant @ MacEwan Hall (U of C)

Young The Giant - My Body

October 18 - The Boxer Rebellion @ The Republik

The Boxer Rebellion - Evacuate

October 28 - Cuff the Duke @ Dickens

Standing On The Edge - Cuff The Duke

November 4 - Dan Mangan @ MacEwan Hall (U of C)

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune

November 5 - Chad VanGaalen @ Central United Church

Chad VanGaalen - Sara

November 14 - Hey Rosetta! @ MacEwan Ballroom (U of C)

Hey Rosetta! - Welcome

November 16 - tUnE yArDs @ The Republik

TUnE-yArDs - Bizness

November 19 - Austra @ Hifi Club

Austra - Lose It

November 21 - Jill Barber @ Knox United Church

Jill Barber - Tenderness

Tickets for the following shows are available through Ticketmaster:

October 25 - Sam Roberts Band @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Sam Roberts Band - I Feel You

November 10 and 11 - Matthew Good @ Jack Singer Concert Hall and November 17 - Matthew Good @ The Stone (Lethbridge)

Matthew Good - Non Populus

November 21 - Feist @ Jack Singer Concert Hall

Feist - How Come You Never Go There

- Spence

Dan Mangan Day

In honor of today's arrival of Dan Mangan's new LP Oh Fortune, Blue Sloth would like to dedicated this day as Dan Mangan Day. This post will provide you with everything you could possibly want and need in anticipation for Oh Fortune official release of September 27th.

Also, we would like to say thank you to @danmanganmusic twitter for the retweet of Blue Sloth Music and for the source of this wonderful information. Please do yourself a favor and follow him immediately if you have not already done so.

Full Length Stream of Oh Fortune:



Check it out via CBC Radio 3, AUX TV, and Exclaim.

Performances:

"Row of Houses" @ CBC Vancouver September 17



"Oh Fortune" @ Canada AM

Canada AM

Pictures and video from Oh Fortune premiere @ CBC Vancouver

CBC Radio 3

Free Download of "Post-War Blues" @ iTunes Single of the Week

iTunes


Canadian Tour:

Oct 14 – Ottawa @ Bronson Centre
Oct 15 – Kingston @ Sydenham United Church
Oct 16 – Montreal @ Theatre Outremont
Oct 17 – Quebec City @ Le Cercle
Oct 19 – St John’s, NFLD @ Cochrane United Church
Oct 22 – Fredericton @ Wilmot United Church
Oct 25 – Waterloo @ Starlight
Oct 26 – London @ Aeolian Hall
Oct 27 – Hamilton @ The Theatre at Hamilton Place
Oct 28 – Toronto @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Oct 29 – Guelph @ Dublin Street Church
Nov 1 – Winnipeg @ The Garrick Centre
Nov 2 – Saskatoon @ The Broadway Theatre
Nov 3 – Edmonton @ McDougal United Church
Nov 4 – Calgary @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Nov 9 – Vancouver @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov 10 – Victoria @ Alix Goolden Hall

Bryce and I will be attending the November 4th show in Calgary, if you happen to be going fire us an email at blue.sloth.blog@gmail.com. We would be happy to meet you, have a couple beers and listen to some great Dan Mangan music.

- Spence

Dan Mangan - "Leaves, Trees, Forest"

Hello everyone, I am working on finding a re-broadcast of last night's Dan Mangan Oh Fortune album premiere for your listening pleasure. At this time I have had no luck but remain patient, I'm working. For now, enjoy Dan playing "Leaves, Trees, Forest" from Oh Fortune shot in an old ruin in Nijmegen, NL on September 4th.



- Spence

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune Album Premiere

As you may know, Bryce and I are very avid fans of one particular Vancouver artist, Dan Mangan. We have posted the first two tracks "Oh Fortune" and "Row of Houses" from the upcoming Oh Fortune album, set to be released September 27th. But this Saturday, that's right tomorrow, Dan Mangan and some of his friends will be premiering the album live at CBC Vancouver and will be broadcast via CBC Radio 3 at 8:00 pm PT. Tune in to hear the new album and what I am sure will be some pleasant surprises!

- Spence

Dan Mangan - Row of Houses

Here is another track off of Dan Mangan's upcoming album Oh Fortune. The album is set for release on September 27th, 2011 via Arts and Crafts.



- Bryce

Dan Mangan - "Oh Fortune"

Vancouver's Dan Mangan is quite possibly the best indie singer songwriter Canada has to offer. His 2009 release Nice, Nice, Very Nice is one of our favorite all time favorite albums here at Blue Sloth and was on the short list for the coveted 2010 Polaris Music Prize (2011 Polaris Music Prize Short List is announced tomorrow by the way)! His songs including "Robots" and "Road Regrets" are regarded with the highest of respect and talent by indie staples CBC Radio 3 and Sirius XM. I also I had the pleasure of seeing his talents live one very "liberal" night in Lethbridge, but most exciting is that Dan Mangan is set to release his new LP Oh Fortune on September 27, 2011. You can see the album art above and embedded below is the widget to his site and a free download of the first single and title track "Oh Fortune". Check in for more news Oh Fortune including new singles and tour dates.



- Spence

Blue Sloth Returns ... with three new songs from Dan Mangan

Hello internet world, I have been slacking astronomically here on Blue Sloth since summer has began but I promise to get back on the horse and posting great indie and Canadian indie rock news, events and new material. Starting with three new songs from Bryce and I's favorite west coast Canadian indie artist Dan Mangan. The three tunes, available off Lecargo.org are acoustic versions of songs from the upcoming album due to be released this fall. I love the new tracks and I think you will to. Keep tuning for more info on the new album as I come across it but for now, here are "Leaves, Trees, Forest", "Oh Fortune", and "Post-War Blues".

This post is dedicated to the Blue Sloth co-creator Bryce, he is currently biking his way across France! Keep it up man!







- Spence

New Dan Mangan Album Teasers

Dan Mangan is undoubtedly one of our favorite Canadian artist here on Blue Sloth and we are highly, highly anticipating his follow up to Nice, Nice, Very Nice. But for now you can check out a couple teasers for the new album which is due out in September or October of this year. They don't give much a way in terms the sound of the new album, but it looks like Dan and the boy will be really exploring their vocal range and instrumentals this time around. See for yourself!





- Spence

Aidan Knight, Dan Mangan, Wildnerness of Manitoba

Just have a couple videos with some good music for everyone to check out. If you haven't already checked out these three artists you really should.

Firstly, check out Dan Mangan and Aidan Knight performing Aidan's song Jasper.


More Aidan Knight



And lastly, The Wilderness of Manitoba.



-Bryce

Dan Mangan on NPR World Cafe

Arguably the best that Indie Canadian music has to offer, Dan Mangan recently appeared on NPR's World Cafe. Click HERE to head over to NPR to check out Dan Mangan discussing what it takes to make an album, how he writes about himself and explaining the meaning of some of his tunes, as well as live renditions of "Sold", "Road Regrets" and "Robots". The session also includes an interesting little web extra featuring "Basket", so have a listen and enjoy, I know I did.



- Spence

Dan Mangan at the Knox United tonight

For any of you out there who want to brave the snow, Dan Mangan will be performing at the Knox United Church in Calgary today. Heralded as a favorite among Canada’s new breed of independent musicians, Dan Mangan’s travels initially took him everywhere but home. Spending most of the last six years toting guitar and merch-sack, Dan experienced Vancouver as more of a resting place than roost. He toured nearly non-stop in support of his debut album Postcards And Daydreaming, testing his words, honing his craft, and building a dedicated following. Graciously, if un-strategically, Mangan pretty much accepted every gig that came his way. He train’d and plane’d on his own throughout North America, Europe and Australia because he couldn’t afford to bring a band along. When he cobbled together funds to get a second album made, he enlisted Toronto based producer John Critchley and spent weeks at Green Door Studios, bringing in musical collaborators from around the country. By the time that sophomore album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice (named in reference to a Kurt Vonnegut calypso) hit the airwaves across his homeland, Dan had already cut his teeth on the road.

He is not one to disappoint during a live performance so go check him out tonight at The Knox United Church at 7:30 tonight.





-Bryce