Indie rocker Chad VanGaalen, Photo: ERICA TIMMERMAN
ERICA TIMMERMAN, Suite 101, Apr. 09
Calgary rocker, Chad VanGaalen, often wishes he could go back to busking his hometown city streets before he unintentionally became an indie darling.
“I learned by busking I could usually make $200 a day and pay my rent. It’s what I wanted to do and was a great life,” said VanGaalen during an interview with Suite101.
That was the past however and today VanGaalen is fast becoming one of the top Canadian indie singers as well as a favourite in the U.S. and Europe.
Unconfirmed Style
After signing onto Flemish Eye Records in Canada and Sub Pop Records with the U.S. in 2004, he released his first album, Infiniheart, to critical acclaim. The Globe and Mail described it as, “Pulp fairy tales that are easy to enter, so hard to leave behind.”
Since then he has worked hard to write, produce and animate a new album every two years. In 2006 he came out with Skelliconnection and in 2008, the album he is promoting currently, Soft Airplane.
VanGaalen’s songs are original and experimental. His willowy, fragile voice sings songs of death and dreams in beautiful context. He uses a variety of instruments, including the harmonica, ghetto blasters, banjo and his favourite, the Steinberger, a small electric guitar.
His music moves back and forth from rock flirtations to electronic diversions to folk digressions. In Skelliconnection VanGaalen was accused of alienating his audience because he was creating too much noise and not enough music. His record producers asked that he concentrate on a niche and stick with it. Soft Airplane has a more defined balance, VanGaalen said. “It’s not too thought out, but is a happy medium of improv and focus.”
Critics have a hard time pin-pointing his style. The magazine Treble Zine commented, “The reason I may not be able to put a finger on that extra quality is most likely what makes him one of a kind.”
Some relate him to rock legend, Neil Young, but VanGaalen declines the compliment. “I didn’t listen to him at all growing up. I thought he was this burnt out old hippie dude.“
Instead VanGaalen said he often seeks inspiration through ambiance music, trains and bird songs. “Music can get kinda boring,” he explained, so he looks for natural sounds to get his mind thinking outside the box.
Notorious Homebody
VanGaalen spends the majority of his time in his basement where his studio is. There he writes songs, records music and animates the videos that accompany them. Recently he recorded the debut album of the band, Women, using ghetto blasters and old tape machines to create a lo-fi, psychedelic sound.
VanGaalen is vehement about his distaste for touring, explaining he would rather stay home creating music than performing. “I would much prefer making videos than I don’t have to leave the house. Seems crazy to tour because I get the same message out and I put as much good energy into what’s produced.”
But the power of the record label is high and so is the demand from his fans. Recently he completed a tour throughout the West Coast that proved successful. Seattle Weekly wrote, “ If Chad VanGaalen is any indicator, Canadians have excellent taste in music.” He toured with Women and almost every night tickets were sold out, VanGaalen said.
This coming May VanGaalen will be touring again, across the Atlantic and around Europe. This particular tour he is looking forward to because he said he likes the European lifestyle.
“In North America when you say you are an artist, people think you make no money, but when you’re an artist in Europe, they let you express yourself and are more accepting.”
Sure Writer 