Stir Q&A: Dan Mangan chats Side Door, pandemic worries, and Harry Potter
The Vancouver musician is making art accessible to the COVID-19 world through the platform he cofounded
Dan Mangan got his start as a DIY artist playing house concerts and underground arts spaces. Photo courtesy Dan Mangan
BELOVED VANCOUVER SINGER-SONGWRITER Dan Mangan is not only a JUNO and Polaris Music Prize winner and married father of two; he’s also a co-founder of Side Door.
The platform started out as a way for anyone to perform, host, or curate shows for their communities in alternate spaces like juice bars and back lawns. With the onset of COVID-19 meaning the sudden end of touring and live performances, however, the team switched gears, fast.
It transitioned to a virtual model of paid ticketed events livestreamed via Zoom. These interactive gatherings mean artists can see the audience and viewers can see each other (and use the chat button to connect if they so choose). The shows maintain Side Door’s core value—to build community through the arts—while helping artists earn some income during these disastrous pandemic days.
Among the talents who have done online Side Door shows to date are Sarah Slean, Veda Hille, and Danny Michel.
October’s calendar includes performances by Vance Joy, Haviah Mighty, and Terra Lightfoot. There’s also the three-night run of Presentation House Theatre’s 5th annual All-Star Stand-Up Comedy Nights fundraiser.
Mangan—who got his start as a DIY artist playing house shows and underground arts spaces—shares some thoughts about Side Door, pandemic life, and family with Stir.
Side Door was quick to do the COVID-19 pivot and start offering shows online. How’s the virtual format of the program going?
We launched in 2019, sort of like an Airbnb for shows. The idea was that any space could be a venue: living rooms, back yards, book stores, et cetera. When the pandemic hit, we transitioned the platform pretty quickly to facilitate online shows, but whereas most other sites focused on traditional livestream type models, we doubled-down on the community-building philosophy that’s always been baked into our ethos.
We started messing around with Zoom and hacked the app for music, then developed a number of methods to really foster incredible engagement between performers and audiences. Then we built a secure ticketing portal for Zoom, as well as a bunch of bells and whistles to make the experience more valuable for artists and audiences. It’s been such a juggle—such a dance. A lot of new behaviours and standards for online shows that we have to adapt to and then educate our users on best practices.
How have you been coping with the pandemic, professionally and personally?
It’s been a weird, rough year. In a lot of ways, obviously. Worry about my family and their health? General COVID fear? My career? Side Door? World politics? I feel like you just choose which layer of your onion you want to worry about each day and then worry about it.
How old are your kids? What are they into these days?
They’re nearly four and seven. The older one is obsessed with Harry Potter and is pretty thrilled that he’s a strong enough reader now that he can just sit and read chapter books. The other day I found him sitting on the toilet with The Prisoner of Azkaban in his hands.
When you were a kid, what did you dream of doing one day?
I was pretty certain I was going to be a veterinarian. I LOVED animals as a kid. But then my friend Julian crowd-surfed at my high school band’s show in the basement of the Dunbar Community Centre and I knew there was only one path for me.
How would you describe your stage presence using hashtags?
#samesamebutdifferent
What do you miss most about pre-pandemic life?
I’m a hugger. The elbow-five joke got old in like three seconds.
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