WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: glen hansard - love don't leave me waiting

glen hansard - love don't leave me waiting
[wasn't too sure about glen's previous single, but THIS is just wonderful.]

NEW GLEN HANSARD!: glen hansard - philander

glen hansard - philander
[though this song doesn't have the instant hook of some of his previous work (see once and swell season), there are some moments of respite during this 4 mins of slow burning rage. interesting and hopefully just a taster of some of the stuff we'll get to hear on his upcoming solo album]

buy here

LIVE WONGIE: dublin simon community xmas busk 2009 feat bono, glen hansard, damien rice, mundy and more - one / knocking on heavens door

dublin simon community xmas busk 2009 feat bono, glen hansard, damien rice, mundy and more - one / knocking on heavens door
[an annual xmas evening event in which some of dublin's biggest singers gather in the name of charity. as you watch this video, please click on the link and see how the dublin simon community helps homeless people get back on their feet. amazing really]

LIVE WONGIE: the swell season (aka glen hansard and marketa irglova) - tiny desk concert (npr)

the swell season - tiny desk concert
[oh my god! part of the 6 song set from oscar winners glen and marketa (ONCE) is new material from their upcoming album strict joy!]

live wongie: the swell season (aka glen hansard / marketa irglova from ONCE) - live from the artists den

they're baaack! yes, my favorite couple glen hansard & marketa irglova, aka the swell season, are back on the wongie blip as they release a live dvd from the stages of the good shepard center chapel in seattle.

titled, the swell season: live from the artists den, the dvd concert not only includes some wonderful tunes taken off of both the swell season and once soundtrack, but also 30 extra minutes of footage not broadcast on the original ovation tv broadcast "live from the artists den".

also featuring two of glen's bandmembers from the frames, check out two of the performances below:

the swell season - falling slowly (live @ the artists den) [link 2]
[i've heard this a million times and i still sing along like a fool. sigh. plus, i love glen's intro to the venue.]


the swell season - lies (live @ the artists den) [link 2]
[love this song and can't wait to see the rest of this live show!]

dvd is released april 15

they won an OSCAR! glen hansard and marketa irglova "once"

glen hansard & marketa irglova - once [link 2]
[after a year of blogging about once, the duo found themselves in front of a billion viewers last weekend culminating in an oscar win! i feel like a proud parent!]


their sweet acceptance speeches...


jon stewart on the daily show talking about marketa irglova's additional speech

wongie top songs of 2007: #3 glen hansard and marketa irglova - falling slowly

glen hansard and marketa irglova - falling slowly [link 2]
[i could honestly watch this scene over and over again (i sort of do it already now that i bought the dvd of the film) and i still go into 'sigh' mode. the movie, the soundtrack and ultimately this very tune drew me in so deep that 2007 was easily the year of ONCE. i can't really add more to that except that if you haven't seen this film yet, then i implore you to watch it soon (especially if you love gentle guitar music, it would be a shame to miss this sweet experience).]

interview: glen hansard and marketa irglova (ONCE) backstage at the carson daly show

glen hansard & marketa irglova (ONCE) - falling slowly [link 2]
[just returned from my weekend at the virgin festival and am too tired to write about it tonight, but i did find this nice interview with glen and marketa backstage at the carson daly show last week as the lovebirds performed falling slowly live. i'm so happy that the song is getting play (finally!) but was shocked to hear that director john carney almost threw in an ending in which 'guy' and 'girl' kiss. thank goodness it didn't go down like that!]

songs we like: glen hansard & marketa irglova - falling slowly

glen hansard & marketa irglova (once) - falling slowly [link 2]
[no surprise here (since i bring up the movie every few weeks), basically an official video was made for this song and i thought i'd post it. funnily enough, when i do listen to the soundtrack i fall instantly into my 'sigh' mode. it's so cheesy, but i can't help it.]

best of 2007: fave acts so far (1/2 year report)

this has been an amazing music year so far with new stuff coming at me daily (much that i've shared back to you). but amoung the batch, a few acts have filtered through and kept on returning to my personal playlists.

since it feels like such a slow week, i figured now is probably the best time to re-introduce some of the artist highlights of 2007 from january to june (in no particular order):

[for friends and fans of wongie, you probably know the class of 2007 (so far) pretty well. but for the rest of you, hopefully you can discover some gems from the list below. also you may have noticed that wongie faves mika, amy winehouse, gossip and lily allen aren't here (since they were loved in 06, i kind of took them out of the lineup just cause i'm a stickler like that!)]

tracey thorn - raise the roof
siobhan donaghy - ghosts
just jack - i talk to much
loney, dear - saturday waits
peter bjorn & john - young folks
feist - my moon my man (boys noize remix)
rufus wainwright - sansoucci
rihanna - rehab
glen hansard & marketa irglova (ONCE the soundtrack) - falling slowly
lil mama - lip gloss (absorb the lip gloss mash up remix)
kate nash - foundations
mia - boyz
cherry ghost - 4am
sara bareilles - love song
a fine frenzy - almost lover
roisin murphy - overpowered

wongie redux: ONCE - the movie

fans of my music world know that i've pretty much decided ONCE to be one of my favorite films of 2007. though i hyped the film a few months prior to it's release, i still tell everyone that this is the movie to see this summer.

so much so, the other day i dragged a few friends with me to watch the film again (to their surprise since it's been ages that i've actually PAID to go see a film) and on second viewing i have to say ONCE still holds that sweet gentle place in my heart.

maybe it's the simplicity of the film, or the fact that i have similar feelings about life and music, but i'm not the only one. currently the #1 soundtrack on itunes and doing some serious box office on just 127 screens (3 million yo!), it's great to know that the film is resonating with a larger audience!

check out some new items posted by the ONCE folk.

ONCE OST - glen hansard - say it to me now [link 2]
[the song that starts off the film. sigh...]


ONCE OST - glen hansard & marketa irglova - when your minds made up [link 2]
[i still get goosebumps when he hits that crazy high note in the middle of the song. but what's even more amazing is that glen is playing the same guitar he does in the movie!]

hype wongie: ONCE (a new vid, glen hansard live)

once - when your mind's made up
[another week another reminder that one of my favorite movies of the year will be opening on may 18th (in LA and NY, then in other cities soon after). this time it's movie clips set to the awesome track "when your mind's made up". if you've been lucky enough to catch glen and marketa during their US film tour, then i'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.]


glen hansard - astral weeks (van morrison cover)
[doing double duty touring with both the frames and the film, glen stopped by the awesome radio station the current and performed this cover. gosh i love him...]

hype wongie: ONCE (screenings in the US, soundtrack details AND glen hansard live in NYC!)

i just took a look at the once myspace page and found out a load of goodies about this movie and it's upcoming preview tour.

first things first, the soundtrack to the film will definitely be released with the following track list (in no particular order).


ONCE soundtrack
falling slowly
when your minds made up
if you want me
lies
trying to pull myself away
once
the hill
fallen from the sky
all the way down
gold
leave
say it to me now

and if you're in the NYC area, you can definitely check out glen for free at the tribeca film festival ASCAP lounge on may 1st and 2nd (guess where i'll be?)

THEN, if you're in any of these cities below, you'll get a chance to see a sneak preview of this movie that i personally can't wait to see myself!

Apr 27 2007 7:00P
Minneapolis/St.Paul Film Festival Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 28 2007 7:15A
San Francisco International Film Festival San Francisco, California
Apr 29 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Boston, Massachusetts
May 1 2007 5:00P
Glen's solo gig, Tribeca Film Festival New York, New York
May 2 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 2 2007 5:00P
Glen's solo gig, Tribeca Film Festival New York, New York
May 3 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Washington D.C., Washington DC
May 4 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Toronto, Ontario
May 6 2007 9:30A
San Francisco International Film Festival San Francisco, California
May 7 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Detroit, Illinois
May 8 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Chicago, Illinois
May 9 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As St. Louis, Missouri
May 10 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Memphis, Tennessee
May 11 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Dallas, Texas
May 14 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Phoenix, Arizona
May 16 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As San Diego, California
May 17 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As San Francisco, California
May 18 2007 12:00A
Once screening with live performance and Q&As Seattle, Washington

now go out and spread the ONCE love will ya?

hype wongie: once (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova aka: the swell season)

i have been reading about the irish film once for ages. a critical and fan favorite ever since it premiered at the sundance film festival in january, the story focuses around an irish busker (played by glen hansard, lead singer of the popular irish band the frames) and a czech pianist (played by his friend and sometime collaborator marketa irglova) who find common ground in music and eventually love.

the movie just opened in ireland this week and will make it's way to our US screens sometime in mid may.

i shared the trailer (see below) yesterday, but i'd love to pass on some more bits and pieces i've found since then (can you tell i'm a tad obsessed?).


once - sundance channel profile
[check out this brief profile that features an interview with director john carney and his two leads. there are also a few clips from the film for you to fall in love with.]

though there isn't an official soundtrack of the album released yet, glen and marketa were actually commissioned to write a few songs last year for a czech film beauty in trouble. the sessions were so successful that they recorded a full album under the guise of the swell season. when filmmaker john carney was looking for music for his film, he not only chose three songs from the album, but asked glen and marketa to star in his film. pretty cool eh?

here are some performances to get you even more excited:

glen hansard & marketa irglova - falling slowly (live performance at sundance)
[for an outdoor performance the sound recording is very good! here they are in january performing like buskers on the slopes of salt lake city, utah. lovely!]

glen hansard - when your mind's made up (from the movie ONCE)


glen hansard - sleeping
[taken from swell season, this song was one of the featured tunes for the czech film beauty in trouble; absolutely gorgoeus.]


Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova aka:the swell season - falling slowly
[if you can't get enough of this gorgeous song, here is an indoor version recorded last year in chicago. btw, the frames have also taken on this song as part of their new release the cost.]

(music) trailer park: once / across the universe

once
[who knew that frames lead singer glen hansard could be such a romantic lead? a crowd favorite at sundance and now slowly making it's way across european screens (before hitting US ones mid may), once is about two lonely souls (one a street busker, the other a czech pianist) who find each other through music. as corny as it sounds there is nothing like watching a truly romantic movie every now and then. this should be the little romance that could.]


across the universe
[coming in september, is this 2007's moulin rouge? i really hope so! directed by the amazing julie taymor and starring jim sturgess and evan rachel wood, the cuties play star crossed lovers during the turbulent 70's. totally reminds me of hair, but that's a good thing!]