Glen Hansard Shares Inventive New Album THIS WILD WILLING via NPR First Listen, New US Fall Tour Dates Announced

Today NPR First Listen has exclusively shared an early stream of This Wild Willing, the fourth solo album by Glen Hansard; listen to it HERE prior to its April 12 release date. This Wild Willing marks a defining point in Hansard's career where he has married the sonic inventiveness of his work in his former band The Frames to the discipline he has found as a lyricist in his solo career.

"Freshly inspired, Hansard finds thoughtful ways to fuse multiple sides of his artistic personality," NPR Music's Stephen Thompson said. "It's gorgeous: expansive without sacrificing intimacy." He later added: "These are songs of letting go and listening, born of a wild willingness to let others in."

Hansard recently performed in select, intimate spaces across the US in the weeks leading up to the new album's release. This included the Paste Studio, the Billboard offices and the rare book room of the legendary Strand Book Store in New York City, the Bluegrass Underground caverns outside of Nashville and finally he held court in the round at Thalia Hall in Chicago for both a performance and a spirited discussion with WXRT's own Marty Lennartz.

"This collection of songs is mainly made up of those that came through while improvising and following the melodic lines and threads," Hansard explained. "Sometimes when you take a small musical fragment and you care for it, follow it and build it up slowly, it can become a thing of wonder."

Hansard has also recently announced new US fall tour dates beginning on September 4 in Minneapolis, MN and ending on September 28 at the Ohana Music & Arts Festival in Dana Point, CA. This run of shows will follow an extensive European tour that will be taking place this spring and summer; all upcoming shows are listed below.

US TOUR DATES
5/29 - Boston, MA - The Orpheum*
5/31 - Philadelphia, PA - Merriam Theater*
6/1 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre*
6/3 - Washington DC - Lincoln Theatre*
9/4 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre*
9/6 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre*
9/7 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater & Ballroom*
9/9 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre*
9/10 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle*
9/12 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues New Orleans*
9/13 - Austin, TX - Stubb's*
9/14 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater*
9/16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre*
9/17 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center*
9/19 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre*
9/20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Eccles Theater*
9/22 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma*
9/24 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre*
9/25 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall*
9/27 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic*
9/28 - Dana Point, CA - Ohana Music Festival*

* Glen will be partnering with PLUS1 for his upcoming US tour. PLUS1 is an initiative that channels the collective energy of a concert to catalyze social change. By partnering with performing artists, PLUS1 raises and grants millions of dollars to high impact nonprofits addressing our most serious global challenges around Access, Equity, and Dignity. The work begins with a $1 per ticket add-on that makes fundraising simple and seamless. Beyond the dollar, PLUS1 supports artists as educators and advocates, fueling their passion, reach & impact. To date, PLUS1 has raised and granted over $7 million, and served as the connective tissue between over 100 artists, millions of their fans, and 100s of leading social justice organizations tackling global injustice.

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
4/9 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
4/10 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
4/12 - Derry, United Kingdom - St. Columb's Hall
4/13 - Derry, United Kingdom - St. Columb's Hall
4/15 - London, United Kingdom - Barbican Centre
4/16 - London, United Kingdom - Barbican Centre
4/27 - Paris, France - Casino de Paris
4/29 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Koninklijk Theater Carré
4/30 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Koninklijk Theater Carré
5/2 - Kobenhavn, Denmark - Amager Bio / BETA
5/4 - Stockholm, Sweden - Skandiascenen
5/6 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal
5/8 - Cologne, Germany - K?lner Philharmonie
5/9 - Frankfurt Am Main, Germany - Alte Oper
5/11 - Brno-?abov?esky, Czech Republic - 5th Anniversary of SONO Centrum
5/13 - Warszawa, Poland - Palladium
5/14 - Warszawa, Poland - Palladium
5/16 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
5/17 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
5/19 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
5/29 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
6/15 - Firenze, Italy - Firenze Rocks Festival w/ Eddie Vedder
6/17 - Firenze, Italy - Firenze Rocks Festival w/ Eddie Vedder
7/3 - Dublin, Ireland - Special Guest of Eddie Vedder
7/24 - Luzern, Switzerland - Blue Balls Festival
7/26 - Gardone, Riviera, Italy - Anfiteatro Del Vittoriale

This Wild Willing Track Listing
1. I'll Be You, Be Me
2. Don't Settle
3. Fools Game
4. Race To The Bottom
5. The Closing Door
6. Brother's Keeper
7. Mary
8. Threading Water
9. Weight of the World
10. Who's Gonna Be Your Baby Now
11. Good Life Of Song
12. Leave A Light

Pre-Order 'This Wild Wiling'

Photo Credit: Stephen Vanfleteren