Glen Hansard Shares 'Sure As The Rain;' 'The Swell Season' On Tour Now

Glen Hansard is sharing the compelling new song “Sure As The Rain,” a musical love letter to his wife and the mother of his nearly one year old son. The song features Via Mardot on theremin, whom Hansard contacted after seeing a series of her performances online. Listen below.

“It’s a song about finally being happy in the place you're in, despite the wild instincts and longings to run to the next bright and shining thing,” Hansard explains. “A declaration of each other, as independent spirits who’ve chosen to conjoin and bring new life into our world. In short, it’s a love song. A song that recognizes the natural in each other, the love that’s growing wild and the pram in the hallway as a symbol of that grand adventure.”

Hansard is set to release his fifth solo record ‘All That Was East Is West Of Me Now’ on October 20. The album came together thru a series of five word-of-mouth gigs Hansard arranged at his small local pub over the course of November 2022. “A song only becomes what it is through witness,” says Hansard, and in the presence of an audience, “the song finds a different way.” By the end of the residency, the record had taken shape and recording commenced with long time co-conspirator David Odlum at his home studio on the outskirts of Dublin.

The title, which Hansard says, stems from the “sudden realization that there’s more behind than ahead,” suggests a survey from a great height, taking in terrain travelled and yet also that which is still to be discovered. Though the passage of time may be a central theme, these eight tracks focus more on the promise for the future than thoughts of regret or nostalgia.

Four years ago Hansard released ‘This Wild Willing’, an album that Associated Press hailed “a rangy collection of experiments in musical exploration. His work demands that you listen with the same ferocity he brings to his playing and singing,” while NPR Music called it “gorgeous: expansive without sacrificing intimacy.”

Hansard also kept busy in the years between ‘This Wild Willing’ and this new album, collaborating on the Flag Day soundtrack with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Cat Power, touring with Eddie Vedder as a member of The Earthlings, and reuniting with Markéta Irglová for a sold-out run of shows commemorating the 15th anniversary of the film Once. That tour is making its way across the country now, with a performance in Washington DC tonight. All upcoming shows are listed below.

Listen to the single here:

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova: The Swell Season US Tour Dates

8/15 - Washington DC @ The Anthem
8/17 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens SOLD OUT
8/18 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed SOLD OUT
8/20 - Denver, CO @ Levitt Pavilion
8/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
8/23 - Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
8/24 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
8/26 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
8/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum Theatre SOLD OUT

Glen Hansard Tour Dates

9/29 - Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Fest
10/30 - London, UK @ The London Palladium
10/31 - Manchester, UK @ RNCM Theatre SOLD OUT
11/2 - Paris, France @ La Cigale
11/3 - Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque Royal
11/5 - Cologne, Germany @ E-Werk
11/6 - Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
11/8 - Munich, Germany @ Circus Krone
11/9 - Vienna, Austria @ Wiener Konzerthaus
11/11 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus
11/12 - Milan, Italy @ Teatro Dal Verme
11/14 - Prague, Czechia @ Velký sál Lucerna
11/15 - Warsaw, Poland @ Palladium Club
11/17 - Berlin, Germany @ Verti Music Hall
11/20 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Royal Theatre Carré SOLD OUT
11/21 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Royal Theatre Carré SOLD OUT
12/13 - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street SOLD OUT
12/15 - Galway, Ireland @ Leisureland
12/16 - Derry, UK @ St. Columb’s Hall
12/18 - Belfast, UK @ Ulster Hall
12/19 - Cork, Ireland @ City Hall

Photo Credit: Stephan VanFleteren

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