A song that will resonate with fans of Hansard’s earlier solo work, ‘There’s No Mountain’ is featured on his new album All That Was East Is West of Me Now, coming out October 20. Equal parts noisy and meditative as well as sprawling and hypnotic, the album was produced by long time Glen Hansard and The Frames co-conspirator David Odlum (Tinariwen, Sam Smith) at his home studio on the outskirts of Dublin.
The process of recording, as of songwriting, “must be an intuitive leap into what feels right,” says Hansard. “When it feels right, I usually run from it, mix it quickly before it collapses.” For the bulk of the record, Hansard was joined in the studio by fellow Frames Joe Doyle, Graham Hopkins, Ruth O’Mahony Brady, Rob Bochnik and honorary Frame Earl Harvin. Strings came courtesy from fellow live contributors Gareth Quinn Redmond, Kate Ellis, Paula Hughes, Katie O’Connor and Una O’Kane.
“I’m in the latter third of a good life!” Hansard says of the meaning behind the album’s title. “And my golden prize is a life in song. I haven’t gotten lost, I’ve stayed true to my first calling, and I’ve been blessed with life’s deepest riches. So, I might be facing west, or east. But I’m happy in the place I’m in.” There is great possibility here. The journey is nearer to its completion than its commencement, but Hansard isn’t yet ready to come to a standstill; there are more mountains to climb, there is more terrain to explore. There is still so much more to experience. Glen Hansard and his band will embark on a European and UK tour in November and December. See below for the full list of dates.
Glen Hansard Tour Dates
Mon 30 Oct – Palladium, London, UK
Tue 31 Oct – RNCM Theatre, Manchester, UK – SOLD OUT
Thu 2 Nov – La Cigale, Paris, France
Fri 3 Nov – Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium
Sun 5 Nov – E-Werk, Köln, Germany
Mon 6 Nov – Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Wed 8 Nov – Circus Krone, Munich, Germany
Thu 9 Nov – Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
Sat 11 Nov – Volkshaus, Zurich, Switzerland
Sun 12 Nov – Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, Italy
Tue 14 Nov – Velky sál Lucerna, Prague, Czech Republic
Wed 15 Nov – Palladium, Warsaw, Poland
Fri 17 Nov – Verti Music Hall, Berlin, Germany
Mon 20 Nov – Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam, Netherlands – SOLD OUT
Tue 21 Nov – Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam, Netherlands – SOLD OUT
Wed 13 Dec – Vicar St., Dublin, Ireland – SOLD OUT
Fri 15 Dec – Leisureland, Galway, Ireland
Sat 16 Dec – St Columbs Hall, Derry, UK
Mon 18 Dec – Ulster Hall, Belfast, UK
Tue 19 Dec – City Hall, Cork, Ireland
All That Was East Is West Of Me Now album tracklisting
1. The Feast Of St. John
2. Down On Our Knees
3. There’s No Mountain
4. Sure As The Rain
5. Between Us There Is Music
6. Ghost
7. Bearing Witness
8. Short Life
9. Reprise
