The Swell Season Live in Studio

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart – Featuring The Swell Season

Episode Title: The Swell Season Live in Studio
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart on WNYC, listeners are treated to an intimate live session with Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season. Celebrating their return after a 15-year hiatus since their acclaimed work on the film Once and its subsequent Broadway adaptation, the duo unveils their latest endeavor—a new concept album titled Forward.

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Reuniting After 15 Years

Glenn and Marketa discuss the journey leading up to their reunion and the creation of Forward. After years of solo projects and personal milestones, their collaboration rekindled the creative spark that made them beloved worldwide.

Marketa Irglova emphasizes the essence of their partnership:

“When we get together, we're so much more than some parts of ourselves... there's an energy that inhabits our collaboration” (05:54).

Glenn adds that their approach has evolved to a more balanced partnership:

“Before, it would have been like 80% my songs and 25% Marketa’s, whereas now it's 50-50” (08:00).

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Live Performance: "People We Used to Be"

The episode features a live rendition of "People We Used to Be", a poignant track reflecting on change and enduring relationships. The lyrics delve into the complexities of evolving friendships and the bittersweet nature of time's passage.

Glenn introduces the song by sharing its origin:

“The people we used to be. This is a song I heard Marquetta play at a sound check in Denver...” (01:38).

Key Lyrics Highlights:

“How I miss the people we used to be and all those things that you brought out in me... I will not stand by and watch this fire burn down everything we work so hard to build.” (02:33).

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Creating "Great Weight": Exploring Hope and Renewal

Glenn presents "Great Weight", a song imbued with themes of liberation and hope, inspired by personal loss and global uncertainties.

Glenn shares the song's personal significance:

“I wrote the song kind of after my mom passed and COVID had just ended... it was like the clouds have parted, the sun is shining” (21:15).

Notable Lyrics:

“A great weight is lifted, A great weight is gone... The sun is grinning from ear to ear.” (16:14).

He reflects on the song's ongoing evolution:

“The song continues to evolve even after you've committed it to tape... it keeps on giving you new lines” (21:15).

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The Making of "Forward" and Marketa's Short Film

Marketa discusses the organic and familial atmosphere that shaped the album's creation, highlighting the importance of maintaining joy and connection during the creative process.

Marketa explains the recording sessions:

“We had three separate sessions that kept getting longer... the whole process has been kind of two years of our lives.” (09:28).

She also shares insights into her short film documenting the album's creation:

“I thought it would be nice to have the camera around and capture stuff... it became the intention to give people a window into what it was like to be in the studio.” (22:41).

Glenn praises Marketa's filmmaking:

“She was so good at it, I didn't really notice the camera was rolling.” (24:07).

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Reflecting on "Once" and Its Enduring Impact

The conversation shifts to the monumental success of Once, which transcended into an Oscar-winning film and an eight-time Tony Award-winning play. Marketa delves into why Once resonated so deeply with audiences.

Marketa attributes the success to authentic storytelling and relatable characters:

“There's something about his storytelling that is attractive to people because it's honest... it connects to people's hearts.” (25:13).

She highlights the synergy between strong narratives, evocative music, and the vibrant setting of Dublin as pivotal factors.

Notable Insights:

“If you're having fun and you're doing something that feels right... that translates.” (25:13).

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The Power of Communication in Collaboration

Throughout the episode, Glenn and Marketa emphasize the significance of open communication in both their personal and professional relationships.

Glenn underscores the value of honesty:

“As long as you're communicating, you can be honest... that's something Glenn and Marketa have always been good at.” (27:30).

Marketa adds that their deep conversations fuel their creative synergy:

“Everything comes out of your talking to each other and having these good, deep conversations.” (27:24).

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Closing Performance: "I Leave Everything to You"

The session concludes with a heartfelt performance of "I Leave Everything to You", a song that encapsulates themes of trust, forgiveness, and the beauty of letting go.

Lyrics Sample:

“Everything I ever knew I passed it on to you... I leave everything to you.” (28:54).

Glenn and Marketa deliver the song with profound emotion, leaving listeners with a sense of hope and introspection.

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It offers a comprehensive and intimate look into The Swell Season's creative journey. Through live performances, thoughtful discussions, and personal anecdotes, Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova illuminate the enduring power of collaboration, storytelling, and music in reflecting and shaping our cultural landscape.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the moments in the provided transcript.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thanks for spending part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you are here. On today's show, we'll learn about Lin Manuel Miranda and Issa Davis's new concept album, Warriors. They are hosting a silent disco listening party tonight at Lincoln Center. Writer Jonathan Gluck joins us to talk about his new book, An Exercise in Uncertainty, A Memoir of illness and hope. And we'll get a preview of a new exhibit at the Shed that showcases the work of a dozen up and coming local artists. That's the plan. So let's get this started with the Swell Season. The last time the Swell Season released an album was 2009, more than 15 years ago. It was after the band's two members, Glenn Hansard and Marketa Iglova, had starred in and composed the music for the film Once, which was then turned into a Broadway musical. In the decade or so since, the two of them have released solo albums, raised families. But now they're back with the new album Forward. They just played the King's Theatre last weekend, but if you missed them, we've got them here in studio now. Glenn and Marketa, welcome to all of it.

[Glenn Hansard]

Hi, Elsa.

[Marketa Irglova]

Thanks for having us.

[Alison Stewart]

You're going to start us off with a song the way it should be be what are we going to hear?

[Glenn Hansard]

The people we used to be. This is a song I heard Marquetta play at a sound check in Denver, and I asked her would she consider putting it on our record. So that's kind of how this all began.

[Song Lyrics]

How I miss the people we used to be and all those things that you brought out in me we're both different now and times have changed Even the best of friends can become estranged While I am well aware that we cannot go back But I will not stand by and watch this fire.

Burn.

Down Everything we worked so hard to.

[Glenn Hansard]

Build.

[Song Lyrics]

If you keep willing those flames to go higher you know they will.

[Glenn Hansard]

Things were easy once when our hearts were lighter we'd stay up talking late and put all the world to write we got fair warning Though I may have spoke too soon Then something altogether unforeseen stepped into view well, I am well aware we can't go back there.

[Song Lyrics]

I will not stand by and watch this fire burn down Everything we worked so hard to build if you keep willing those flames to go higher you know they reveal I will not stand by and watch this fire burn down everything we work so hard to live if you keep willing those things to go higher you I will not stand by and watch this fire burn down Everything we work so hard to be if you give a window sl to go higher, you won't.

[Alison Stewart]

That was gorgeous. That was gorgeous. That's the swell season. After approaching an album together after 15 years, this is a question for both of you. What is something that you hoped would remain the same, and what was something you knew that you wanted to be a little bit different this time around? Marketa, why don't you go first?

[Marketa Irglova]

Well, the thing that I've always loved most about our collaboration, back in the day, I probably wouldn't have really had the words for it, but, like, in retrospect, looking back and kind of revisiting it now, it's so obvious to me that, you know, when we get together, we're so much more than some parts of ourselves somehow, you know, there's like. I feel like there's something else that comes in, and that's the spark, and that's the thing that people tune into more than me and Glenn or even the music, that there's an energy that inhabits our collaboration, for me, at least, that I love and I find so satisfying and gratifying in a different way than I could ever find my own work on my solo records. And it makes sense. I mean, I've always loved the idea of sort of alchemy, how you can take raw materials, and by combining them, they become something different and more. And I feel like there's definitely a process like that that happens in music, you know, when the right energies sort of come together. And that goes for our band as well, that we play with. Like, when we come together and we create, we're creating something together that's more than we could do on our own. And I think that's. That's kind of freeing, too. You know, you kind of. All you need to do is show up and provide your piece, and that piece fits in with other pieces and creates this kind of. So that's the exciting collaborative asp to. To my work with Glenn that is the same. The. The nice thing about that is that I'm able to sort of see and appreciate it even more than I used to before, and I already did then. You know, I kind of knew it was special, but now I have. Being able to have it again after so many years of not. It's just so nice, and I. I'm so grateful that we got to collaborate again.

[Alison Stewart]

How about for you, Glenn? What was something that was. You definitely hoped was still there and something that you hope to do different?

[Glenn Hansard]

Yeah. Well, whenever I bring a song to Marketa, I know for sure that I'm going to get a very honest reaction. And that's really great. And sometimes Mar will say, well, I don't think, I'm not. I don't believe this bit. And she was never afraid to just say to me, you know, this bit works, this bit doesn't for me. And there's a great. And there's a great element of kind of giving over, almost delegation when you're working with someone. I'm so used to working on my own and sort of being the boss, I guess, in my own kind of creative life, that when I'm working with Mar, something opens up and I just have to collaborate and I love that. And what's a big difference now is that, you know, before when we collaborated, it would have been kind of 80% or 75% my songs and then 25% Mars, whereas now it's 50, 50. And that feels great. It feels great to go into the. Into the collaboration knowing that we're going to create equally. We made a decision to put eight songs on the record. Then we're going to have. We're going to have four of each of us. And you know, and it was just, it just. That just felt natural this time, whereas before it didn't feel as natural.

[Alison Stewart]

He calls you Mar?

[Marketa Irglova]

Yeah, yeah. I've been called so many different names depending on what country I'm in. And I love them all. I embrace it.

[Alison Stewart]

How long have you been working on the album? I'll call you Marketa.

[Marketa Irglova]

Sure.

[Alison Stewart]

How long have you. Were you working on the album?

[Marketa Irglova]

Well, recording wise, we had three separate sessions that kind of kept getting longer. The first one was about five days, the second was about a week, and then the Last one was 10 days, at which point we kind of managed to finish everything with the other musicians as well. But then it took time to mix it and master it and do all the artwork. So the whole process from starting the recording to finish finishing the production and then the. The kind of pre release campaign, it's been kind of two years of our lives.

[Alison Stewart]

Glenn, why did it take longer every time you met?

[Glenn Hansard]

Well, the first time we met in Iceland, it was just a kind of a. Let's kind of go over and my family went over and our family, my family and Mara's family hung out and we were just like, let's see what happens. And that was kind of a very, very creative, very loose. We may be making A record we may not. And we spent a lot of time, it's true, we spent a lot of time on the phone to Iceland there, changing tickets because, like, we'd stay an extra couple of days. I would stay an extra couple of days. And then once we realized we had a lot of ideas that first session and the spark was there, the old, the old fire was still there in the creative partnership. And so then once we came back, we kind of knew what we were getting into. We knew which songs, which ones were kind of wanting to be finished and which ones were. And then we brought different members of some great Icelandic musicians that Marketa and knows and that I know. And then we brought over Joe and Piero, Piero's from Luca in Italy and Joe from Dublin. And we, we brought over those guys to finish it off. So it was very organic and, you know, not a lot of time in the actual studio. But yeah, like visits and then a couple of months to kind of think about what we did and read over it. It was fantastic.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you think those visits, Marketa, were important?

[Marketa Irglova]

Oh, yeah, I think they were the backbone of the record. You know, the, the kind of hangs and the nice conversations and the playtime with our kids and the cooking, the dinners. I think all of that goes into the results within a creative process. And it's important, you know, to feel like you're enjoying it. You're not just kind of putting your head down, trying to get it done, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

Glenn, were you ever concerned that the creative spark wasn't there, that you would have had a nice visit with your friend, but maybe you couldn't work together?

[Glenn Hansard]

No, no, I was never worried about that. We've always, you know, even good times and bad, we've always been good with music. Sometimes the bad has actually fed the good in the music. That can, that can happen, can't it? But no, you know, they say a band that breaks bread together stays together. And it's true. A lot of this record was, was. Came together subtly through conversations around the dinner table or breakfast table.

[Alison Stewart]

The song we heard, people we used to be. Well, first of all, Marketa, what did you want to explore about how people change?

[Marketa Irglova]

Well, this specific song was kind of written on the basis of, I suppose, you know, long term relationships and how in the beginning, you know, there's always that honeymoon period and it's really just a period, you know, or, you know, that period is over and the kind of work starts, the person you're with kind of brings up the best parts of yourselves and the worst parts of yourselves, like all the stuff that you haven't worked on, all the stuff that you carry from your past, it's brought up to the surface and you're kind of faced with the challenge of either you kind of stay the same and you struggle or you grow and you kind of rise above certain things. And then there's the thing of like, do you grow together? Do you grow in the same direction at the same pace? Or do you grow apart? And so it's about kind of observing this idea that over time, especially like if going from being boyfriend and girlfriend to having children and having a family, there's a lot that comes up there that's like all the focus goes on the children and you don't have time for yourself, you don't have time for your partner. You're just kind of putting all your attention and focus into your children and kind of raising them. So you get kind of lost to each other in the process a little bit and kind of have to find your way back to each other. And, you know, many relationships fall apart and many relationships make it. It just really depends on, you know, what both people want. So for me, that song was kind of like, you know, the choice of like, no, I want to fight for this. And that applies to so many moments in my life. You know, it even applies to, you know, that's why it's on the, on our record because it could so easily be about our friendship, you know, mine and Glenn's, and kind of knowing that that's something worth fighting for and worth kind of like, you know, even if it requires of you, like to kind of rise above yourself or kind of, you know, grow with it, then that it's worth it and that, yeah, it's, it's nice to embrace that.

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to my conversation with Marketa Irglova and Glenn Hansard of the Swell Season. They have performed a album, they're performing a new album and we're hearing songs live in our studio. We'll be right back with more music after a quick break. This is all of it. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. The award winning songwriting duo the Swell Season joined us in studio this week for some live music. You know them from the movie and the Broadway musical. They just released a new album after a 15 year gap. Here's Glenn Hansard to introduce us to one of the songs from it.

[Glenn Hansard]

Titled Great Weight, this song was written from a kind of some near future date, preferably near when a Tyrant has tumbled. And you can kind of take your pick as to which tyrant that might be, because there's plenty of them.

[Song Lyrics]

A great weight is lifted, A great weight is gone. Great waves of wonder are coming home. The clouds have parted, the sky is clear. The sun is grinning from ear to ear. No thunder rolling, no gathering storms, no more sitting in the dark for too long. A great weight is lifted. A great weight is gone. New moons are rising, Great towers fell with joy and water up from the well, the fields are blooming, the seeds are so the gods alighting back on their thrones. And in their absence, didn't we do well when they decided they would leave us fend for ourselves? Great weight is lifted, the great weight is gone.

[Glenn Hansard]

Any way the wind blows. Any way the wind blows. Now I will roam.

[Song Lyrics]

Great tongues are spoken hard lessons learned. The spell is broken, the tables have turned. Nobody's falling through the cracks, Nobody breathing all down my back. No fiery furnace, no tolling bell, no more wandering around the nine circles of hell. Great weight is lifted. Great weight is gone. The storms have shifted.

[Glenn Hansard]

The coast is clear, the storms are.

[Song Lyrics]

Drifting, there's nobody here. You had your chance but your chance was blown. The tyrants will tumble, it's just how it goes. Your mighty empire will go up in smoke and screw you if you can't take a jump. Great raiders lifted, Great raiders go.

[Glenn Hansard]

Any way the wind blows. Any way the wind blows. Any way the wind blows. Now anywhere my love goes, Every way the wind blows. Any road I want to go down I will run over land, over sea, over foam. Go circle the wagon. Tell me who can we trust? We've been pushed to the margins, Left out in the dust. We watched in silence, we saw what we saw. It's holy murder in the name of your lord. We ruminated, we watched them divide. Now if I have a voice, I say stop this starving genocide. Great weight is lifted, Great wait is gone.

[Song Lyrics]

Great wait is gone. Great wait is gone. Gone. Great wait is gone.

[Alison Stewart]

That's the swell season singing Great Weight. I'm so curious listening to that song. I've heard that song several times, but hearing you play it live, it made me wonder, Glenn. And maybe you have an answer for this. How do songs like that help people through these uncertain times?

[Glenn Hansard]

Well, it's. I suppose the. The sentiment in the song originally was I wrote the song kind of. The idea of the song kind of came after, you know, my mom passed and Covid had just ended, and a great weight is lifted. I was kind of singing to her in A way because she had thrown off the burden of her life, because she, she had emphysema and she was struggling for a long time. And it was kind of. I was trying to kind of emphasize the celebration of throwing off the yoke of birds burden. And so it was full of positivities. Like a great weight is lifted, great weight is gone. You know, the sun is shining. You know, it's like the clouds are part of the sun is. The sun is smiling from ear to ear. So it was, it was all positive stuff in light of the negative stuff that was happening in the world at the time. And then of course, a lot of this, a lot of the time when you're singing a song, you're still like, the song actually doesn't get finished when you record it. The song continues to aerial in even after you've committed it to tape. I think oftentimes people make the mistake of once they've recorded it, they play that version every time. But I kind of like the idea that a song will keep on giving you new lines and saying, I want to say this now or I want to. So it's been kind of. The song has been kind of leading the charge on that. On that front.

[Alison Stewart]

That's really interesting. Marchetta, you captured making the album on a short film, said editor Marchetta Iglova. What was something that you wanted to capture about making this album?

[Marketa Irglova]

No, I didn't really have a plan in the beginning. It was just that I had gotten the camera from my husband for Christmas, the Christmas before the. The May, I suppose, or the June when we got together in the studio. So I thought it would be nice to have it around and kind of experiment with it and maybe capture some stuff. And that's exactly what I did. The camera was always around and I would pick it up when I wasn't playing. And sometimes other people would it up. And I wasn't really even sure how much was captured or what kind of footage was there until I kind of uploaded into the computer and went through it and realized there was a lot of nice stuff that edited together. Could kind of really give people kind of window into what it was like to be in the studio at the time. And so that became then the intention.

[Alison Stewart]

What did you learn about your family after looking at all that footage?

[Marketa Irglova]

Well, I kind of, you know, just thought the energy and the joy and the kind of familial sort of surroundings that were happening, like they really translated onto that footage, you know, and like everyone's taking part and there's times when we're just having dinner and playing games or, you know, going for walks. And it was nice to have all of that on top of, you know, capturing some of the writing process.

[Alison Stewart]

What did you learn from all the footage? Did you see it?

[Glenn Hansard]

I loved it. I mean, it was just a kind of a joyous gathering of people. I thought it was brave of Mara to just have her, you know, to sort of film everything that was going on. Actually, she was so good at it, I didn't really notice the camera. The camera was rolling. I had no idea. There's a lot of me being goofy in the film, which is funny because Mara was filming most of the time. I didn't even notice. She managed to do an awful lot of stuff. And as well as write, I could come down, you know, come down after lunch and Mara would be like, oh, I've written and recorded this song just when you went downstairs. So there's one song on the record, the bit the I leave everything to you and it's, gosh, it's just so beautiful. And she wrote it literally between us kind of taking a break and going downstairs and making coffee. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I'm going to ask one once question. Is that okay?

[Glenn Hansard]

Of course.

[Alison Stewart]

For those who don't know what we're talking about, we're talking about Once it was turned into an Oscar winning film, an eight time Tony Award winning play. When you think about the success of Once, why do you think it struck a chord with people? Marketa.

[Marketa Irglova]

There'S probably many reasons, you know, many ways to answer that question. I think Gian Carney is a wonderful storyteller. Like that's really a strong suit of his. And you know, he kind of, you get the impression that he really sees people and kind of notices the dynamic of whatever city he's living in. And kind of he has the eye, you know, and a way of sort of capturing his unique way of seeing the world. And it's a very honest way. In fact, like, I think there's something about his storytelling that is attractive to people because it's honest, it's without all the, you know, it doesn't dress it up too much and you can relate it kind of. There are characters that you can sort of relate to. And I think that goes for Guy and Girl for sure that people kind of almost felt like they knew them, you know, after watching the movie. And then, then the music kind of. Music has a way of kind of helping you go deeper into anything. So, so whatever it was, the combination of the like, strong characters and Dublin being, like, a very charismatic city. And in combination with the music, as well as the fact that it was really kind of reflective of. Of the time in Dublin at that time. You know, he really managed to capture something as it was happening, and there was a kind of aliveness about that. And similarly to the recording process. And Glenn became really good friends throughout the process of kind of preparing for the shoot. And during the shoot, we would have, you know, go for dinners and coffees and have conversation. And it was a joyful process making it. And I really think that has a lot to do. Like, if you're having fun and you're doing something that feels right at the time, something that you can kind of put all your love into, that translates, you know. So my experience with talking to people who have seen the movies and have their own story with it, they always say, I get the impression that it kind of opened their heart a little bit and they were kind of, you know, confronted with what was already in there, you know, so it's very kind of individual to everybody. But, yeah, I think it connects to people's hearts is the shortest way to put it.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting, during this conversation, you both have said how much you like to talk to each other.

[Glenn Hansard]

Other.

[Marketa Irglova]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

That so much comes out of your talking to each other and having these good, deep conversations. Why is that?

[Glenn Hansard]

It's been a couple of them on this trip already. Yeah, it's. It's important to keep communication open. I think as long as you're communicating, you can be honest. And I think everything. Everything is every option, every avenue, no matter whether it's a song arrangement or just some personal grievance, whatever it is, as long as you're in communication, things are. You can actually, you can. You can. You can kind of air stuff and fix it and put it out in the open and see what it is. And that's something Mara and I've always been good at in the music as well as in life. Just, you know, Like, I know when Mara says, how you doing? I know she doesn't just mean, how you doing? You know, there. And then there are other friends who, when you say, how you doing? I know that they just mean, how you doing? So it's about knowing that person in your life.

[Alison Stewart]

The name of the new album is Forward. It is by the Swell Season. My guests have been Glenn Hansard and Marketa IR Glova. Will you send us out on one more song?

[Glenn Hansard]

Yeah. So whatever you think, Mar.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you think?

[Marketa Irglova]

Do you have any Wish it can be an older song too, if you prefer.

[Song Lyrics]

Oh, like.

[Alison Stewart]

No, I'm going to let you. I'm going to let you decide. Surprise us.

[Glenn Hansard]

Well, we can do Stuck in reverse. We can do 100 words that we can do. Or maybe you could do I leave everything to you. Cuz it's so beautiful. I'd love that.

[Marketa Irglova]

Okay.

[Song Lyrics]

Everything I ever knew I passed it on to you the good and the bad I hope you don't resent anything I represent in your life I am trying to abide by the rules that now apply it's not easy I can see where I went wrong I am trying to be strong Please forgive me Things are never what we imagined them to be how they. But they are always working out for you and me, aren't they? Bury.

[Glenn Hansard]

Me.

[Marketa Irglova]

Here.

[Song Lyrics]

Here I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I wish I kept an open mind Instead of letting my emotions blind me Uncertainty is my new friend the only one I comprehend Come find me in this place this in between not the real world Not a dream A place of waiting I am just beyond the veil I'm a ship without a sail already fading.

[Glenn Hansard]

Things are.

[Song Lyrics]

Never what we imagined them to be, are they? But they are always working out for you and me, aren't they? Remember.

[Glenn Hansard]

Me Remember.

[Song Lyrics]

Me I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I leave everything to you I leave everything.

[Marketa Irglova]

Everything.

[Song Lyrics]

I ever knew will be forgotten In a few moments I'll be starting from the start Start with the same ache in my heart when this all ends Things are never what you imagine them to be, are they? But they are always working out for you and me, aren't they?

[Alison Stewart]

That was the swell season with the song I Leave Everything to youo from their new album forward.

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