Ireland's The Frames set dates in U.S.

The Frames – Ireland’s enormously popular and charismatic rock quartet – will touch down in the United States this September for a series of select dates. The news comes as frontman Glen Hansard continues to garner praise for his starring role in Once, the Sundance-championed film currently playing in theaters.

The September dates follow The Frames’ personal invitation to open for Bob Dylan this month on the American rock legend’s August tour of Australia and New Zealand. Beginning with a high profile performance at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival on September 3rd, the group will appear in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in continued support of their second Anti- album, the widely heralded The Cost, which was released this past February.

Driven by the heartfelt song craft of Hansard and the band’s ability to weave delicate folk melodies through blasts of big guitars and artful noise – The Frames have also earned strong praise for The Cost.

“The album is sophisticated and layered with deft orchestration,” The Boston Globe professed. “And yet, the band's songwriting and delivery display an earnestness and lack of pretension that's pure rock.” Meanwhile All Music Guide asserted, “This stuff is pure musical and lyrical inspiration.”

With Once, Hansard co-stars and collaborates with young Czech musician Marketa Irglova. Initially selected by one-time Frames bassist turned filmmaker John Carney to lend his songwriting skills to the project, the director later realized that Hansard would be a better fit than the more polished actors he was considering.

Based on critics’ enthusiasm and the Sundance attendees that awarded it this year’s World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic prize, Carney was 100% right. Called “a scrappy, heart-on-its-sleeve little movie” by The New York Times and “the perfect blend of romance and music” by The Chicago Tribune in a cover placement, Fox Searchlight has since picked up the film and placed it in select theaters.

The Frames released their debut album in 1992 and, for over nearly a decade bounced through various record deals and band line-ups. Their live album, Set List, and 2005’s Burn The Maps both entered the Irish music charts at Number 1. The latter reached #5 on The New York Times’ end of year, best-of list.

Here are The Frames’ U.S. dates:

9/3 Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
9/5 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
9/6 Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA
9/8 The Hideout, Chicago, IL
9/10 Webster Hall, New York, NY