Indie Music Chatter

Here’s a confession — I’m not just a music geek, I’m also a big film geek. I have loved films ever since I was a teenager. I find the whole process of filmmaking so inspired and a wonderful creative outlet. I’ve actually dabbled in filmmaking in college and a few years after it — basically doing some acting work for indie filmmaker friends and also helping out with production. I just absolutely love it when everything just comes together and you are presented with a film that assaults you visually with some of the best eye candy directors/auteurs can muster.

What I absolutely love though is when an artist manages to combine both my love for film and music and actually succeed in his vision. These films are few and far between (I can name drop The Commitments, 24 Hour Party People, and yes, even Singles) so it really excites me when I hear about a new work that has the potential of joining this very rarefied field. I think one film that I can add to this group would be Once.

The new film, helmed by John Carney, stars Glen Hansard. For indie rock fans, Hansard will be immediately recognizable because he is the vocalist for Dublin band The Frames — which is one of the most awesome bands to come out of the area in recent years. The film is quite simple and understated in the way it chronicles the story of a street musician and an immigrant as they sing songs that describe their love story. According to the distributor, it is a modern day musical and from what I’ve seen it really is one. Glen Hansard is one cool dude and I believe that after this movie is seen by more people, The Frames will become more famous — which they justly deserve.

The Frames, Glen Hansard, Once