Falling Slowly

As some of you may know, my passion for film is often equaled – if not often eclipsed – by my love of music. Once in a while, these two passions manage to click together when a great film is made about great music. Such was the case with 2007’s ONCE, which was actually the very first movie I ever wrote about on this blog.

ONCE, in case you didn’t know is an indie film about an unconventional love story set in Dublin. Two strangers meet and learn a lot about each other through a mutual love of music. Fittingly, the film won the Oscar for Best Original Song, for the tune “Falling Slowly”. The movie really worked for me, and its soundtrack has quickly become one of the most-played albums on my iPod. So it was pretty much a no-brainer when I heard the news that the film’s stars Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova would be playing a concert in my hometown, that I jumped for tickets.
They call themselves The Swell Season, and their concert was at Toronto’s Massey Hall – which I fully believe is the best concert venue in the city. I’m happy to report that the music sounds even more beautiful and uplifting in person, and the duo are both quite charming and endearing. They both enjoy telling stories about the inspirations for their songs, and they do so in a way that makes the entire audience relate to every word and note they are about to hear.

Perhaps the finest moment of the show, came when the entire band left Glen alone onstage. He proceeded to unplug his acoustic guitar, step forward to the very lip of the stage, and sing “Say It To Me Now” (the song he busks at night in the film). No amps. No mics. Just his voice bouncing off the walls of that packed concert hall. Unreal.

The Swell Season. If they’re coming to your town – go see them.