In 2005 Glen Hansard, frontman of Irish band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová hung out in a studio in Prague where they worked on the soundtrack of the Jan Hrebejk film ‘Beauty In Trouble’. They got a taste for it and together the duo wrote a magnificent album under the name The Swell Season. That in turn inspired cineast John Carney, who asked the duo to both provide the soundtrack for his picture ‘Once’ as well as to play in the film. This low-budget Irish film soared and their song ‘Falling Slowly’ received the Oscar for best original song.

Afterwards the duo also headed off around the world live and they are currently hiding out in a recording studio (with, amongst others, other members of The Frames) and working hard on a follow-up 'Strict Joy'. This album is out since October.

Special guest for The Swell Season concert is none less than American Josh Ritter. Yup, that name is sure to ring a bell as this singer-songwriter has already appeared on the AB stage 3 times previously. The last occasion was in May 2006 while bearing his ‘The Animal Years’ album and with this description as guide: ‘A finely strung and incisively entertaining troubadour. Furthermore: a natural talent that has eagerly been influenced by grandmasters like Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen’. Successor ‘The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter’ was released in 2007, and in the meantime there has been a whole series of live CD’s.