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The story of how Glen Hansard helped to launch Jeff Buckley: “He blew the fucking roof off”
Glen Hansard, best known as the guitarist Outspan Foster in The Commitments, has recounted how a chance gig helped launch the career of the late American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The pair met in 1991 while touring America to promote the film, bonding over a shared love of Bob Dylan, and later found themselves performing together at Sin-é, a small East Village café in New York, kickstarting Buckley's rise from café performer to acclaimed recording artist.
Hansard, whose friend Shane Doyle owned Sin-é, arranged a midnight slot there with Buckley in 1990; during a cover of Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing", Buckley joined him on stage and, in Hansard's words, "blew the fucking roof off the place". Buckley went on to secure a regular Monday residency at the café, drawing growing crowds that eventually included Columbia Records executive Steve Berkowitz, who signed him in October 1992. Hansard later opened for Buckley on tour following the 1994 release of his album Grace, recalling a memorable show at Dublin's Whelan's, and reflected fondly on their friendship after Buckley's death in 1997.
In short
- Glen Hansard recalls helping launch Jeff Buckley's career via Sin-é café gigs.
- Their 1990 performance together led to Buckley's regular NYC residency.
- A Columbia Records exec spotted him there, signing him in 1992.
Explained simply
Sin-é was a small café in New York’s East Village where musicians could perform live. In the early 1990s, singer Glen Hansard and American songwriter Jeff Buckley met through gigs there and a shared interest in Bob Dylan.
Buckley’s regular performances at the café helped him attract attention beyond its audience. Columbia Records executive Steve Berkowitz saw him perform and signed him; Buckley later released the album Grace. Hansard, known for his role in the film The Commitments, went on to perform as an opening act on Buckley’s tour.