VI Spotlight: Chad VanGaalen @ Mercury Lounge 2/3/06

You know that amazing feeling when you fall in love and want to shout it from your rooftop?  Right...well I guess I've never actually felt that sensation when it comes to romantic love either, but I have fallen hard more than once for an artist, and the recurring need to tell the world is essentially the reason for this site's inception.  And I think I may be falling again after Chad VanGaalen's phenomenal set, played to a half-filled Mercury Lounge last night.

Chad comes to us by way of Alberta, Canada, is signed to Sub Pop Records and was in town to perform at the PLUG Awards (for which his debut Infiniheart was twice nominated).  Painting an artist in terms of his influences can be unnecessarily confining, but Chad's reliance on Neil Young, Pixies, Ryan Adams and others are mere touching points: the indie pop that manifests when these rays filter through the prism that is VanGaalen's writing is unique, raw, moving and unquestionably melodic.

Take a taste of Chad...

MP3 Masala: "Clinically Dead"-Chad VanGaalen
MP3 Masala: "After the Afterlife"-Chad VanGaalen
MP3 Masala: "Echo Train"-Chad VanGaalen

...and take the jump for more review, a full setlist and pics.

Mr. VanGaalen was joined on stage by drummer Ian Russell and a serious rig of effects and distortion pedals, all used tastefully and necessarily. Much of  Infiniheart is acoustically performed and though the album is incredible, something about hearing Chad reconceptualize all of his material electrically was particularly gripping.

Songs like "Echo train" already move between reverb drenched clean guitar tones, strumming trebly chords with droning open high strings, and choruses constructed of Frank Black styled fuzz effects and dynamics.  Some of the non-album songs performed were at high tempos with heavy distortion settings and guitar loop samples, all of which were guided and pierced by Chad's sonorous tenor.  (on this note, the song "We Could Wait" was a total gut buster-I need it.  Does anyone know where I can find this track?) Tonight, even his more folk leaning compositions demonstrated an edge merely suggested on his record.

The slim majority of the set drew from Inifiniheart, while the other, "heavy songs" that he excitedly shared were either new or part of the 100+ song catalog yielded from his 10 years writing in his bedroom.  Chad took an audience poll on his choice of cover: I voted Lou Reed, but Springsteen won the day.  Pedals depressed, this cranked version of "Dancing in The Dark" was, umm...boss.  Failed attempts at humor aside, it sounded great and the sentiment of the majority, for once, was just.

A conversation with Chad and some of his fans after the show elicited a promise of a new album for June.  I'm pre-ordering.

With the weather so mild and the city's infinite entertainment options, I suppose it's understandable that there was so much room to stretch out and take Chad in.  While under-attended performances like this partially feel tragic, there's always something about them that feels like a treat.  File Chad VanGaalen at the Merc under "tragic treat," and don't miss him next time out.

Set List
Sing Me
Liquid and light
Graveyard
We could Wait
Somewhere
Dancing in the Dark
After the Afterlife
Echo Train
Wing Dogs
Blood Machine
Oceans Black
Waiting For My Man
Aching Head
Clinically Dead
Traffic
I Miss You Like I Miss You

 

 

Comments

[Rok'n Robin]

sounds like a good show.

must've been nice to have some space to breathe at the Merc, eh?

[VI]

This guy is incredible. Nights like that make running from show to show (I saw Doveman earlier in the evening at Joe's Pub, review to be posted soon) totally worthwhile.

I can't stop listening to Chad, and that's the greatest feeling.

[sarab]

yo vi,

you have a way of always making me wish i was at the show!
s

[Arya]

if anybody gets an mp3 of him doing "dancing in the dark" that would be ...boss as well.

[chelsea]

What I would have given to be there.
The sad thing is, I live in Calgary, where he's from and got his start, and I didn't get hooked till he was touring far, far away from Calgary.
It's not fair.