Farewell Glen Hansard

Deeply saddened to hear of Glen Hansard’s passing. I never knew him personally unlike some of my friends in the musical community but Glen was an influence from the very beginning… the roots go deep. Those early shows were like something secret and special, Glen was always around, he’d ask for directions to the Woolen Mills for an interview, he’d share a bottle of absinthe with the whole crowd, we’d listen to For the Birds for our mornings and Fitzcaraldo for our nights. When For The Birds charted it felt like we’d qualified for the World Cup and when Falling Slowly won the Oscar it was like we all won! He seemed to give everyone a shot..he’d listen to a demo, reply to fans’ text messages on his phone, help newbies phrase a lyric, come to your show…

In 2022 at Electric Picnic we were playing at Spike Island which was pitched up beside the drama group Footsbarn. Glen was playing with them and I got the feeling he was very much enjoying his turn as a backing musician (playing mandolin and wearing a sort of incognito elf hat over his eyes). We got talking over the course of the day. I remember him saying he was ready for fatherhood and that’s so sad to think of now. At a certain point I commented to him how my first band had sent him a CD and that he had written back to say ‘do it for the metal’. He laughed to hear I was still releasing albums 25 years later. When I told him sincerely that he was a huge influence I felt him grow a bit uncomfortable with the compliment and I kind of regretted it. I think he just wanted to talk to the neighbour in the EP village. But I don’t regret it now. Glen asked what time our show was and said he’d come. I thought he wouldn’t but sure enough about half way through the set he walked in and stood to the side of the stage and listened to us play, smiling and nodding along. Beautiful.

So sad that we’ve lost such a giant of songwriting. Thanks for the vision and inspiration and songs. Thoughts and prayers with his family, friends and musical community. RIP.

Stay Human

Why are you hurt one and not me?

It’s just a drunkard’s trick of geography

If I could switch our places around

Spin that spinning top around

I’d be the hurt one, be the hurt one

For sure.

Fear of War, The Rest

———

When I perform this song, I always feel the question in the lines above. Life is sacred and when innocent people are slain it’s a tragedy.

It’s hard to believe that ‘Fear of War’ from ‘The Rest’, one of the most sombre songs I’ve written, started as a sort of alt country piece on an acoustic guitar which dwelt mostly in major chords. Listening back to early demos from 2018, I can hear when I decided to start the track with the ominous opening sequence, like something reminiscent of ‘The Killing Fields’.

Stay special, unique and human,

Pearse

Into the Search

Dear Reader, I wanted to share a new song. But it is a song that is far from finished. It’s just a kernel. Since I first recorded this voice memo I’ve changed the lyrics, and it’s moved from a sort of sparse PJ Harvey nylon string demo (which you can hear initially) to a bigger shoegazy atmospheric, Slowdive inspired thing. I didn’t really intend to write in either vein but when I listened back these artists were the most obvious references.

The lyric also has changed from filler lines that I really would never include, to something that struck me as a really cool idea for a song. I read that Ireland’s oldest man died at the age of 107 recently. His name was Joseph Veselsky and he immigrated to Ireland after the second world war. He was an amazing table tennis player, a jeweller and a survivor of the holocaust. His story stuck in my head for a few days after reading it. I’d written a melody on Christmas Day and when this was in the news in early January I began to wind it in to the song.

Songs for me take a little while to write. I have to sit with them for some time. Usually there’s an initial burst and I get curious about combining influences or lyrics. For a time, the melody just circles and circles, over and over until the phrasing fits the music. Sometimes I try to balance an interesting turn of phrase that makes sense with something that doesn’t make obvious sense..at least initially.

So this is an unresolved thing and I’m not sure where it will go. Isn’t that how life is sometimes?