Glen Hansard’s new song, “Don’t Settle” is poetic with encouraging lyrics that lift your soul. The intro starts with a soft piano and lyrics, “Well you rose up through the ranks now and you worked hard for your luck. You’ve only got yourself to thank now, you and everybody else in the book and there are hidden hands to guide you. Other forces now at play but you’ve got to learn to get out of their way.” Hansard’s soft voice hums, “Don’t settle for less” which is the message in this song.

The video showcases dancers on a subway train, who emerge from their seats wearing headphones and blending in with the other passengers who are in their own little world. The dancers move their bodies around in a bold manner with intention and feeling. Hansard’s gut wrenching vocals emerge from the depths of his being as the song crescendos into full force before waning down again. Hansard fades out with words, “No, don’t settle. Not yet.”

Hansard collaborated with Joe Doyle (bass) and ROMY (piano, vocals, string arrangements) on This Wild Willing and with the Khoshravesh brothers and Deasy and Dunk Murphy (Sunken Foal). According to a press statement, “This is an album guided and formed by the twin totems of resolve and surrender – the resolve to see a thing through alongside a willingness to surrender, to trust in that which lies outside yourself – the other musicians in the room, your lover, your healer, your audience.”

On May 29, Hansard will kick off his US and Europe tour this summer with shows across various cities. He will open for Eddie Vedder in Europe with stops in Madrid, Dublin, and Firenze, Italy. He returns to the US after Europe for a nationwide tour ending at the Ohana Music Festival in Dana Point, California. In a recent article about Hansard, NPR Music says, “These are songs of letting go and listening, born of a wild willingness to let others in.”

US TOUR DATES
05/29 – Boston, MA – The Orpheum*
05/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Merriam Theater*
06/01 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre*
06/03 – Washington DC – Lincoln Theatre*
09/04 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre*
09/06 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre*
09/07 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom*
09/09 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre*
09/10 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle*
09/12 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues New Orleans*
09/13 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s*
09/14 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater*
09/16 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre*
09/17 – Santa Fe, NM – Lensic Performing Arts Center*
09/19 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre*
09/20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater*
09/22 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma*
09/24 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre*
09/25 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall*
09/27 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic*
09/28 – Dana Point, CA – Ohana Music Festival*

* Glen will be partnering with PLUS1 an initiative that channels the collective energy of a concert to catalyze social change. PLUS1 raises and grants millions of dollars to high impact nonprofits.

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
06/09 – 6/10 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live w/ Eddie Vedder
06/15 – Firenze, Italy – Firenze Rocks Festival w/ Eddie Vedder
06/17 – Firenze, Italy – Firenze Rocks Festival w/ Eddie Vedder
06/20 – Lisboa, Portugal – Altice Arena w/ Eddie Vedder
06/22 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center w/ Eddie Vedder
06/25 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi w/ Eddie Vedder
06/28 – Berlin, Germany – Max-Schmeling-Halle w/ Eddie Vedder
06/30 – Dusseldorf, Germany – Mitsubishi Electric Halle w/ Eddie Vedder
07/03 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena w/ Eddie Vedder
07/14 – Kilkenny, Ireland – Bob Dylan + Neil Young w/ Glen Hansard
07/24 – Luzern, Switzerland – Blue Balls Festival
07/26 – Gardone, Riviera, Italy – Anfiteatro Del Vittoriale

Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried