Chad VanGaalen

Self-recording, and playing almost every instrument - including many hand-crafted ones - VanGaalen has established himself as a diverse, unpredictable, and highly respected musician and visual artist. After the 2004 release of Infiniheart, American independent label Sub Pop approached Chad to re-release the record worldwide, earning it great critical response around the globe. The 2006 release of Skelliconnection then brought him critical acclaim across the media spectrum and earned many award nods, including 2007 Juno and Polaris Prize nominations. The 2008 album Soft Airplane, quickly brought in praise from around the globe, and the new animated video for “Molten Light” has again brought accolades to the reclusive artist. In November 2008 he toured Europe, and returns there in May and June 2009. In February 2009 Soft Airplane was nominated for a best Alternative Juno. Chad lives a quiet life with his girlfriend and their dog in Calgary, and recently got his driver's license. He continues to stay in the basement, writing songs for his dog, immune to all the fuss, and occasionally emerging to share his discoveries. He can often be found drawing anthills or tossing frisbee in the local schoolyard.