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The Swell Season, the Academy-Award winning duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, is traveling this summer to support their 2006 collaboration and accompanying film, "Once".
Hansard, an Irish musician, and Irglova, a Czech singer, came together when asked by Czech film director Jan Hrebejk to record songs for the film "Beauty in Trouble." They have since starred in a film, recorded an album and began dating - its been a busy two years for the duo.
Hansard took up the guitar at an early age and quit school at 13 to pursue his passion, performing live on the streets of Dublin, Ireland. He eventually found success with rock band The Frames.
Irglova grew up on the piano from the age of seven and at nine started to experiment with the guitar. She is a classically trained vocalist and pianist, and did little performing prior to collaborating with Hansard. She also contributes the violin and viola that is so prominent in many of The Swell Seasons tracks.
Hansard continued to record and tour religiously with The Frames, until last fall when he decided to take some time away in the Czeck Republic to write songs. He reconnected with the classically trained pianist and vocalist Irglova and were in the studio while filming "Once." In the film, Hansard plays a Dublin busker and Irglova is an immigrant street Vendor. The resulting album, "The Swell Season," was named after Josef Skvoreckys book. The album deals with pain and struggling, while pursing the unobtainable and seeking out love.
The tracks "When Your Minds Made Up," "Lies," "Leave" and "Falling Slowly" were all featured on the "Once" soundtrack, and the latter took home an Academy Award for Best Song.
The band is taking their introspective, sometimes haunting songs across the U.S. this spring and summer, including a number of festival stops including Bonnaroo, Coachella and Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
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