Chad VanGaalen Turns Into Black Mold

Remember when Garth Brooks tried to moonlight as a pop singer called Chris Gaines? Or what about Paul McCartney's electro side project the Fireman? Well this isn't quite the same thing, but Canadian singer-songwriter Chad VanGaalen is showcasing his experimental side with an all-instrumental album under the moniker Black Mold.

"It's just kind of an experiment to get it out there and see if people are really into it," VanGaalen tells Spinner. "The previous two solo records, before 'Soft Airplane,' had a lot of instrumental stuff injected into them which didn't really make sense. It always kind of needed a space to be a thing of its own."

The material certainly warrants a space of its own. The songs are kind of freewheeling experiments with both traditional instruments and lots of manipulated analog equipment -- but no computers.

"I'm really into circuit bending," VanGaalen says. "So there's a lot of circuit-bent drum machines, synthesizers and stuff. There's no computers, it's all either just programming on analog drum machines or analog sequencers."

Although VanGaalen's solo work has received accolades in Canada and elsewhere, his fledgling electro-noise project is just beginning to see the light of day. "When I post a show as Black Mold, usually about 10 people show up," he says modestly. "There's not a huge noise scene and there's not a huge electro scene. So it's kinda hard to get inspired when you don't have a community."

Curious fans and noiseniks can help him get inspired when the album, 'Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz,' is released on August 11th.