R, P and I checked out 2/5ths of Canadian Music Week's B.C. showcase at The Reverb last night. Openers Lotus Child put on a good, energetic show for the sparse 9pm crowd. All four guys in the band seemed to be having a great time. Lead singer Zach Gray offered affable, if minimal, banter in between songs and I bought a CD from friendly bassist Peter Carruthers. I always appreciate a band that uses permanent, integrated keyboards/pianos as opposed to occasional key-plinking and they did that well. With the exception of one or two jammy songs I wasn't crazy about, Lotus Child's set was very enjoyable. No Talking, especially, is a head-bopping, head-sticking tune. This clip of You Better Watch Out, recorded in Vancouver, shows the size of the audience they deserved to be playing to yesterday, if it wasn't a Friday night cluttered with other musical attractions around the city. Too bad neither of these songs are on their album, Gossip Diet. Let's hope another disc is on its way.
Next up was Dan Mangan, our reason for attending the show thanks to P's earlier good work. His amazing, weathered voice sounded just as good live as it does on his album, Postcards and Daydreaming. Mangan belongs in beautiful theatres that cater to the intimate style of his songs. Despite having to battle the usual chatty drinkers at the back and thumping beats banging through the floor from the club below, he captured the room's attention with his second song, So Much For Everyone. As the song neared its vocal crescendo, the crowd went almost silent and that's as good as you get in bars.
He continued to win over the audience by instigating a singalong to Robots Need Love Too and in a move worthy of the best in the buzz game, by playing his final song unplugged and off-stage in the middle of the room with the crowd encircling him and his guitar. It was a wonderful end to the set because while it was masterful PR, it was really just a genuine response to defeat the racket downstairs that didn't come off like a calculated stunt. I asked Mangan afterwards if he had any copies of Postcards and Daydreaming for sale but he'd sold them all at a gig the night before. He was super-nice, very approachable and his depleted merchandise stock is a good sign. Watch him talking humbly about his bright future here.
Mangan is worth supporting so pick up his album and see him live if you have the opportunity. Even R was impressed. He's a hard sell anytime but more so last night, convinced as he was that we were taking him to some kind of hippie folk-fest. It was a good night for music and all of that easy fan interaction is the great benefit of small venues and pre-crazyhype fame. Love it.
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