Glen Hansard was busking the streets of Dublin at age 13, and by 17 he was signed to Island Records. His first record, Another Love Song, with a band he pulled together called The Frames, was so unspectacular that he and the label soon parted ways.
Between a role in Alan Parker's 1991 film The Commitments that gained him valuable exposure, and landing a job as the presenter on "Other Voices: Songs From A Room," a music-talent showcase program for Irish television, Hansard and The Frames released several notable albums including Fitzcarraldo and For The Birds. Despite its ever-rotating lineup, the group's dusky simplicity, rooted in the best of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, made them an extremely popular live act in and outside of Ireland. Including live albums, they have nine releases, their most recent being 2007's The Cost. In 2006, Hansard issued his debut solo effort, The Swell Season, which featured young Czech singer Markéta Irglová, Finnish violinist Marja Tuhkanen and French cellist Bertrand Galen.
But it was an ultra-low budget indie film written and directed by one-time Frames bassist John Carney that changed Hansard's life. The delightfully non-commercial Once, about a struggling Irish songwriter and the girl he falls for, became a critics' darling and proved an unexpected showcase for Hansard and co-star Irglová. Their oddly charming attraction on-screen (which blossomed into a real-life romance) intertwined with their stirring acoustic guitar/piano compositions captured for them legions of fans, as well as Grammy and Oscar nominations for songwriting.
Provenance: Dublin, Ireland
Latest release: Once: Music From The Motion Picture (2007)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Glen Hansard
