Glen Hansard @ Southpaw, Brooklyn [10/15/06]

Wow. I can't put into words how good a Glen Hansard show is. I tried once before, and I think I got about as close as possible, so I won't try to do it again. All I'll say is that Glen is an amazing performer, and you should go to whatever lengths you need to in order to catch him or his band, The Frames, live. In many ways, their music really does make the world a better place to be.





A few notes from the show. First, Glen seems to be suffering the beginning effects of either the flu, laryngytis, or something similar. While it didn't really affect the majority of his performance, he was having some problems hitting higher notes, and mentioned that if it keeps up, he might be forced to cancel the remainder of the current tour. I hope for his sake, and anyone with tickets to a show, that it clears up soon.

Second, after the show, the guy at the merch table (road manager?) mentioned that the new Frames album, The Cost, which is currently available in Ireland, will be seeing a US release in April, and we can expect a full U.S. tour at that time. And those of us in New York can expect to see them at Town Hall. Not sure whether that's a good thing or not. I love the fact that they're big enough to play Town Hall (capacity 1,500), but really, really dislike seeing bands there. The acoustics are good, but the seats are uncomfortable, and for some reason the crowd usually talks way too much.

Third, also for those of us in New York, we might just be seeing Glen a little more than usual in the next year or so. Glen mentioned that he's thinking about moving to NYC for a year. It's too bad Fez is gone - I'd have loved the chance to see him play impromptu gigs there like the ones Ryan Adams and Rhett Miller used to do.

Finally, seriously, do yourself a favor and go buy Glen and Marketa's (pictured above) album, The Swell Season. It's spectacular.