I have put together a soundtrack for you to enjoy while reading:
Immerse yourself in this curated mixtape I made of these artist's on this playlist for favourable reading.
The latest Glen Hansard LP “All that was east is west of me now” has just arrived at my house.
The album was initially released October 20th of last year. I've been meaning to purchase the album for a while but for one reason or another I just got around to it now. While spinning this album for the first time, I can’t help but sit down and gush about this artist for a moment and write some of my thoughts down.
I initially discovered Glen Hansard’s music when I went to see Damien Rice play in Toronto for the first time. The gig was held at Convocationall Hall April 23rd 2004 which would mean I was about 20 years old at the time.
Damien Rice’s album “O” had just been released in North America about 3 years after it's original release in Ireland. His song “Blowers Daughter” was featured in a trailer for the film “Closer” and he was becoming quite well known for his beautiful debut record.
Anyway, a week or two before the concert my friend Sarah asked me if I had ever heard of a band called The Frames. I hadn't, and she told me that they were opening for Damien Rice!
Sarah had discovered their music when she was on a trip in Ireland and assured me that their music was incredible. She sent me what she considered to be some of their best songs at the time. Those songs included “Star, Star” “What happens when the heart just stops?” and ”God Bless Mom” to name a few.
Needless to say I was LOVING the music of The Frames and I got myself familiar with their music before the show.
Upon our arrival at the concert, Sarah and I were hanging out at a spot with a tour bus parked not far from there. A short distance away from the bus, we noticed a guy sporting what looked like tattered bell-bottoms made of all kinds of different fabrics. He was engaged in a solo game of hacky sack on a nearby patch of grass, with his vibrant pants flowing in the air with every kick of the hacky sack. I saw his face and noticed something.
“That’s Damien Rice.” I said to Sarah.
“Shut up! Are you sure?” She said.
“Yep.” I was sure.
I then walked up to him and told him what a massive fan of his music I was. He kindly thanked me and was willing to sign my concert ticket. I panicked because I didn't have a sharpie or anything on me, but he found a red pen and signed the ticket for me.
On the ticket he drew me this stick figure dude who was holding a guitar and I couldn’t think of anything cooler. The guitar in the drawing has sadly faded away over time, I think I may have spilled some water on the ticket once.
Following our brief conversation, he bid us farewell and proceeded to board the tour bus. I think it would have been hilarious had he walked in the opposite direction and turned out NOT to be Damien Rice.
Thankfully it was. And as you can imagine Sarah and I’s spirits were pretty high at this point and the show hadn’t even started yet. What an entrance!
What followed was a roller coaster set from frontman Glen Hansard and the Frames. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for it really. The set was so tight, so brooding and emotional. And yet, all very comforting every step of the way. You really got the sense that the band had been playing together for a very long time and that you were in their care. They were a force, they were incredible.
After the Frames blistering set, Damien Rice graced the stage with a remarkable performance, marked by his unique storytelling and ultra dynamic delivery, leaving the Toronto audience totally in the palm of his hand. Since then, I have been a dedicated fan. *After a little google search I discovered you can actually listen to the full performance here! https://archive.org/details/damo2004-04-23.aud.
Flash forward a few years after that concert.
I’m at the movies with my girlfriend at the time in a small movie theatre in Toronto. A trailer began to play and light music was started to twinkle in the background. It was taking me a second to realize it but then it hit me ...
“HEY! That’s a song by The Frames! I know this song.” However, I noticed it was sounding different. I recognized the song but noticed that now there was a female lead singing with him doing harmonies and playing piano. The movie trailer continued ... A moment or two later I thought ... “Hey! That’s the singer of The Frames too! OK, so he’s acting in the movie and doing the music??!” I was really thrilled by what I was seeing and hearing. Above all else, the movie was called “Once” and it looked really good.
A month or so later, we went to the one tiny theatre in Toronto that was playing the movie. It was an independent movie from Ireland and was only playing in select theatres at the time. I don't think I've ever really tracked down a movie like that before or since. I was just following my instincts I guess knowing what a talent Glen Hansard was.
Both the movie and music was outstanding. The whole thing was so natural and powerful. This movie was a musical I guess but not in an over the top theater way. I had never really seen anything like it before. This take on a musical had so much raw emotion in the acting and music that there didn’t appear to be any acting in sight really.
"Once" is a remarkable depiction of a busking musician's journey of living, loving, and losing while the spirit of music remains a constant companion. The movie resonated with me in a way that few others have. It kind of redefined my perception of what a "musical" can encompass in terms of it's intimate real life situations and music.
A year or so later, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová won an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly". Following this achievement, the film "Once" became a successful play worldwide.
The Broadway adaptation of the play also received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2013. Building on the success of the movie and its soundtrack, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who were now a couple, recorded two studio albums under the name The Swell Season. They later released a concert film that delves into that period, which can be found at IMDb.
From 2012 - 2023 Glen Hansard has gone on to record 5 solo albums. Markéta Irglová has also made music with 4 albums to her name with her most recent album "Where you belong" (2024) having just been released.
Last year, the Swell Season released their first new music together in years with the single "The Answer Is Yes". And the best news? An instagram post from February of this year revealed that Glen and Markéta are working on brand new music together in studio.
Ten years have passed since Damien Rice released his last album "My Favourite Faded Fantasy." (2014) Despite this, he was actively involved in the completion of Leonard Cohen's final album, "Thanks For The Dance," in 2019. Watch this video.
Since my initial time seeing The Frames and Damien Rice play live in 2004 to me ultimately performing "Falling Slowly" as a duet for my sister and brother in law's wedding to this very moment where I'm currently listening to Glen Hansard's latest album.
I simply want to state that I am forever in awe of the power of music and the art of songwriting, creativity and live performance. I have learnt and experienced so much simply from being a fan of their music collectively. What a group of songwriters! Fan for life.
Photo 1: Glen Hansard - All that was East is west of me now
Photo 2: My signed ticket from Damien Rice before the show in Toronto in 2004.
Photo 3: Tickets to Damien Rice, the Swell Season (Glen Hansard / Marketa Irglova) and Glen Hansard concerts over the years.
Photo 4: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová winning an Academy Award in 2008. During the ceremony, when Markéta Irglová went up to accept her award, her microphone was rudely cut off, the music began to play, and the broadcast cut to commercial. Thankfully, I think the following artist that won brought her back up on stage to complete her speech!
Photo 5: In the last few years I also randomly discovered that Glen Hansard portrayed the guitar player in the movie "The Commitments" (1991). Ironically, that soundtrack played regularly in my household growing up. Life is pretty amazing that way. "Mustang Sally" anyone?
Written by Brad Gardner July 1st 2024
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