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The Swell Season bring Strict Joy only Once to DC tomorrow night
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For anyone who saw the 2007 Indie movie Once which was a beautiful tale set in Dublin, Ireland the band The Swell Season or at least their tunes are very familiar. While their self-titled debut CD came out a year earlier and then was followed by the Once soundtrack in 2007 the duo of Irishman Glen Hansard and Czech Markéta Irglová really made a name for themselves as the stars of the stirring romantic movie. They soon after hit the road performing these gorgeous songs for audiences around the country at packed houses under the name The Swell Season. The combination of Glen Hansard’s powerful voice and stellar guitar playing ability and Irglova’s hauntingly beautiful soprano voice and mesmerizing piano skills made for some of the most gripping, unique music. Out in support of their second CD Strict Joy the band once again hit’s the road and will be making a stop at the 930 Club tomorrow night which is sure to be one incredible show.
Hansard who is quite popular in Europe due to fronting the band The Frames has a very charismatic presence on stage weaving funny stories and sometimes even dirty jokes in between songs to break up any seriousness. Irglova who appears a soft, shy girl until she transforms into another person once she sits down behind the piano or opens her mouth to reveal one of the most gorgeous voices ever. Yes the duo’s romance on screen in the movie soon transferred off stage which was pretty much evident throughout the debut CD. But sadly the couple broke off their relationship last year and Strict Joy seems very much inspired by this since it is packed full of songs of falling out of love and picking up the pieces of a broken heart. But the music may be mellower but hasn’t lost any of its power and is equally as breathtaking as the debut. The band even proved they have a great sense of humor about their relationship both on and off screen and the movie that catapulted them into the spotlight when they appeared in a Once parody on the Simpsons episode "In the Name of The Grandfather."
The first CD which is jam packed full of original tunes and some that did appear on previous recordings like "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up" which did appear on t The Frames' album The Cost, and the same two tracks "Falling Slowly", "When Your Mind's Made Up", along with "Lies" and "Leave" were on the Once soundtrack. These songs are sure to be performed along with new songs from Strict Joy such as the CD’s first single “In These Arms.” They bring their completely unique blend of indie folk, acoustic rock and alternative to DC tomorrow night and although the show is sold out do not despair because if they continue to sell out shows throughout the country this will likely not be the only stop in the area for future. But this is the chance to hear this brilliant twosome’s music.
So regardless of whether you will be in attendance at the 930 club show or not do yourself a huge favor and first buy the first part of the duo’s journey through love and loss in debut CD The Swell Season and then buy the 2nd second of Strict Joy. Because while the bands name comes from the rising of each season this is one band that should be rising even more due to the refreshingly genuine works of art they hopefully continue to produce for years to come.
For more information on the Swell Season check out: www.theswellseason.com or www.myspace.com/theswellseason and to purchase or listen to any of the above mentioned cds click on the titles above
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