The Hold Steady | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, heartland rock, post-punk revival |
Years active | 2003–present |
Labels | Frenchkiss, Vagrant, Full Time Hobby, Washington Square/Razor & Tie |
Spinoff of | Lifter Puller |
Members | Craig Finn Tad Kubler Galen Polivka Bobby Drake Franz Nicolay Steve Selvidge |
Past members | Judd Counsell |
Website | https://theholdsteady.net/ |
The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2003. [1] The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (guitar). [2] Noted for their "lyrically dense storytelling," [3] and classic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city of Minneapolis.
Formed four years following the breakup of Finn and Kubler's former band, Lifter Puller, The Hold Steady released the debut album Almost Killed Me in 2004. They came to prominence with the release of their third studio album, Boys and Girls in America , in 2006. In 2010, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay left the band before the recording of their fifth studio album, Heaven Is Whenever (2010). During the band's subsequent tour, the band became a five-piece once more with the addition of guitarist Steve Selvidge. [2] The band released their sixth LP, Teeth Dreams , on March 25, 2014.
Nicolay rejoined the band on May 4, 2016, and the band has since embarked on several concert residencies in the US, the UK, and Australia. To coincide with each event, The Hold Steady released stand-alone singles, marking the first recorded material of the six-piece line-up. Working with producer Josh Kaufman, the band released their seventh album, Thrashing Thru the Passion , in 2019, followed by Open Door Policy and The Price of Progress in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
In 2003, Minnesota-raised singer, writer, and guitarist Craig Finn and New York City bartender and bassist Galen Polivka began talking about starting a band. Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kubler (both formerly of Lifter Puller) developed the idea of The Hold Steady when, while watching The Band concert film The Last Waltz , Finn asked Kubler, "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?" [4] The Hold Steady's 2004 debut album Almost Killed Me , released on Frenchkiss Records, was a sleeper hit among music critics, reaching No. 31 in the Pazz & Jop critics poll that year, an achievement Finn called "like being nominated for an Oscar or something." [5] In May 2005, they were the first rock band to grace the front page of The Village Voice in 15 years.[ citation needed ] They were Blender's 2006 "Band of the Year".
The band released its second album, Separation Sunday , on May 3, 2005. It is a loose concept album following the exploits of a character named "Holly" (short for "Hallelujah") and her quest to find a balance between Catholicism and rock and roll through drugs and a metaphorical resurrection. The album was critically lauded, and its religious overtones were picked up by many critics, such as Joe Gross of the Village Voice , who dubbed it "the most egregiously American Catholic album since X's Under the Big Black Sun , Springsteen's Tunnel of Love , or that Jewish new waver Billy Joel's The Stranger ." [5]
After Separation Sunday , the band moved from the Frenchkiss Records imprint to Vagrant Records. Released October 3, 2006, Boys and Girls in America was ranked No. 8 on the Rolling Stone Best Albums of 2006 list, and first by The A.V. Club. Pitchfork Media's Scott Plagenhoff wrote of the album, "[ Craig Finn ] not only has a commanding, rousing voice but he also says something worth hearing, displaying gifts for both scope and depth that are all too rare in contemporary rock—indie or mainstream." [6] In 2006, they released a music video for "Chips Ahoy", directed by Moh Azima and starring Avital Ash. [7] In 2007, the band recorded a modified version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to be played during the seventh-inning stretch at Minnesota Twins home games. [8] They also contributed a cover of the Bob Dylan and The Hawks/The Band song Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? to the motion picture I'm Not There .
The band's fourth album, Stay Positive , was released in the UK on July 14, 2008, and in the U.S. on July 15. The album was recorded in Hoboken, New Jersey and Wild Arctic studio in Queens, New York with producer John Agnello during January and February that year. Guests on the sessions included Ben Nichols from Lucero, J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Emilyn Brodsky, and Doug Gillard, who played guitar in Guided By Voices. Finn has said that he believes the album "captures a band hitting their creative peak, as well as enjoying each other's creativity and company." [9] The album is more expansive than previous releases, including talk-box solos, harpsichord, and tuneful vocals (the notoriously gruff-voiced Finn started taking voice lessons). "There are some bands that do five records that all sound similar," says guitarist Tad Kubler. "We've tried to avoid that." [10] Many familiar elements–sing-along choruses, extended piano and guitar solos and lyrics that deal with faith, crime, rumor, loss and love—remain.
In April 2009, the band released a two-disc documentary and live album set titled A Positive Rage . [11]
On January 20, 2010, Franz Nicolay confirmed on his official website that he had left the band. [12] [13] Of his departure, Finn said: "Franz is a real ambitious guy, and I think he wanted to do a lot of different things, and we want to really follow this one Hold Steady thing to its logical end. And it takes up a lot of time. It was an amicable departure, and I think we all wish him the best. He’ll do a lot of interesting, cool things." [14]
Nicolay said that he considered his work with the Hold Steady completed: "I’m proud of the work we did together. In the end, I felt I completed the work I needed to do with them. I’d prefer to think of it as a closed book." [15]
The Hold Steady announced the release of Heaven Is Whenever on February 23, 2010. The album was released May 4 on Vagrant Records in the U.S. and May 3 on Rough Trade in Europe. [16]
The band's subsequent tour featured additional musicians Steve Selvidge, formerly of Big Ass Truck and Bloodthirsty Lovers, on guitar and Dan Neustadt, of In Cadeo and The World/Inferno Friendship Society. Neustadt had previously played keyboards on Heaven is Whenever, [17] but eventually left the touring band by 2011.
In 2011, Selvidge was added to the band's official lineup. Finn said: "We added [Selvidge], we are a five-piece. We are rolling without keys right now. We did some shows without keys and we really liked it. It sort of opened things up for us. We have two pretty amazing guitar players in our band, and it's really fun to have that space and spread out. They can sort of work against each other/with each other. Steve's been a great addition to the band. We came across Steve many years ago and we always kind of said, 'Man, if things open up and we can get him in the band, we want him.' [...] Steve, lives in Memphis. So wherever we record this time, someone's not going to be at home." [2]
In July 2011, during a five-month break from the band, Finn recorded a solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes , that was released in January 2012.
The band recorded a track for the Game of Thrones episode "Walk of Punishment", titled "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", and released it, alongside a new track, "Criminal Fingers", for Record Store Day 2013. Of the release, guitarist Tad Kubler said, "Steve [Selvidge]—our guitar player wasn’t in the band when we did the last record so we haven’t formally released anything that he’s played on, other than an iTunes session or something like that. Having been away for a few years, we thought this would be a great opportunity to reintroduce the newest version of the band." [18]
On January 8, 2014, The Hold Steady announced the release of their sixth LP, Teeth Dreams . It was released on March 25 via Washington Square, a new imprint of record label Razor & Tie. In addition, the band announced the release of a covers EP, RAGS, whose proceeds go to the K + L Guardian Foundation to benefit the children of deceased super fan Mike "Jersey Mike" Van Jura. [19]
In 2016, Nicolay rejoined the band, expanding its lineup to a six-piece. The band soon began performing three-night residencies in specific cities, as opposed to embarking on full tours. In 2016, they performed residencies in Chicago and Brooklyn, and returned to both the following year for the named events, Chicago Seemed Wired Last Night and Massive Nights, before performing over three nights in London for Boys & Girls in London in 2018.
In late 2017, to coincide with the band's 2017 Massive Nights residency, the band released two new songs, "Entitlement Crew" and "Snake in the Shower", with two further tracks, "Eureka" and "Esther", from the same recording sessions accompanying Boys & Girls in London. The recordings were the first to feature the full six-person Hold Steady line-up and were produced by Josh Kaufman, who had worked with Craig Finn on his solo material. The band continued to record and release Kaufman-produced singles with throughout 2018 and 2019, with each release coinciding with a concert residency.
On June 18, 2019, the band announced their seventh album, Thrashing Thru the Passion , which collected several of the previously released singles alongside new Kaufman-produced recordings. The album was released on August 16, 2019, via Frenchkiss Records. [20]
On December 21, 2020, the band announced their eighth studio album, Open Door Policy , which was released on February 19, 2021. [21] Released to critical acclaim, it was their first Billboard top-ten record, [22] receiving end-of-year accolades from AllMusic, Uncut , Double J and God is in the TV by appearing on their top albums of 2021 lists.
On January 28, 2023 they celebrated their 20th Anniversary at Music Hall of Williamsburg. They played their first show at the venue (then named Northsix) in 2003. [23] [24]
On March 31, 2023, The Hold Steady released their ninth studio album, The Price of Progress .
On Dec 1, 2023 they released the 20th anniversary show recording on bandcamp. [23]
In an interview with Pitchfork Media, Finn outlined the band's influences:
Growing up in Minneapolis, Hüsker Dü was a huge band. I always thought Grant Hart was the better songwriter, and his lyrics were very specific. Bob Mould kind of favored vague lyrics. But as far as detail-oriented songwriters, more contemporary... certainly Bruce Springsteen, Jim Carroll, John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats. A lot of hip-hop really inspires me. My absolute favorite stuff is Brother Ali from Rhymesayers. Atmosphere, obviously. Things like Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Murs, all those guys. Even Jay-Z. Hip-hop is so much about lyrics, and as a lyricist it's hard not to be inspired by it. [25]
The Hold Steady have received almost universal praise by the press for their performances and early records. [26] [27] [28] Their more recent releases have seen a slight decline in their reception. [29] [30] The Hold Steady appeared in the Season 3 finale episode of Showtime's Billions series as themselves performing at a party for Axe Capital.
The Hold Steady has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, [31] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the venue. [32] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. [33] Kubler and Finn's previous group Lifter Puller also has a star.
Robert Arthur Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.
The Suicide Commandos are an American punk rock trio from Minneapolis. They formed in 1975 and released two 7-inch EPs on an indie label in 1976 and 1977 before signing with Blank Records in 1977 and releasing one album, Make a Record. Despite their short original 4-year stint together, the Suicide Commandos are considered the pioneers for jump-starting a punk rock music scene in the Twin Cities, which eventually produced bands like The Suburbs, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and Soul Asylum.
Lifter Puller, or LFTR PLLR, was an American indie rock band from the Twin Cities and the Boston area between 1994 and 2000. Their music is considered innovative, with its angular riffs and a synth-infused sound that predated the 1980s revival trends of the early 2000s.
Separation Sunday is the second studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on May 3, 2005, through Frenchkiss Records. A concept album, Separation Sunday follows the interconnected stories of several fictional characters: Craig, Holly, a sometimes addict, sometimes prostitute, sometimes born again Christian or Catholic ; Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party.
Franz Nicolay is an American musician and writer. He is best known for playing the accordion and piano in The World/Inferno Friendship Society and keyboards in The Hold Steady from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2016 onwards. He is also notable for founding Anti-Social Music, a composer/performer collective based in New York City, and for performing in the Balkan jazz quartet Guignol.
Almost Killed Me is the debut studio album by Brooklyn-based rock band the Hold Steady, released on March 16, 2004, on Frenchkiss Records. It is considered by many to be a concept album, with several recurring themes such as near-death experiences, parties, and the fictional characters Hallelujah and Charlemagne. Its concept album roots are further explored with the recurring characters in Separation Sunday, the Hold Steady's second album, which uses the same characters introduced in Almost Killed Me. Almost Killed Me was ranked number 99 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the Decade.
Boys and Girls in America is the third studio album by the Hold Steady, released on October 3, 2006, by Vagrant Records.
Craig A. Finn is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band The Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Prior to forming The Hold Steady, Finn was the frontman of Lifter Puller.
Build & Burn is the second album by American punk rock band The Loved Ones. It was released on February 5, 2008 through Fat Wreck Chords. The album was produced by Pete Steinkopf and Bryan Keinlen from The Bouncing Souls and features cameos from The Hold Steady's Franz Nicolay and Tad Kubler. A music video was released for the song "The Bridge".
Stay Positive is the fourth studio album by the Hold Steady, released on July 15, 2008, through Vagrant Records. Vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn notes that the album is about "the idea of ageing gracefully [...] keeping going, perseverance [and] how to stay true to the ideals and ideas you had when you were younger." Keyboard player Franz Nicolay notes that the album is his favorite, stating that it features an "integrated, nuanced, less hectic distillation of [their earlier] sound." Stay Positive was the last studio album to feature Nicolay until 2019's Thrashing Thru the Passion, who departed from the band in early 2010 but returned in 2016.
The War on Drugs is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005. The band consists of Adam Granduciel, David Hartley, Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez, Anthony LaMarca (guitar) and Eliza Hardy Jones.
A Positive Rage is a live album and documentary double-disc set by the Brooklyn-based rock band The Hold Steady, released on April 7, 2009 by Vagrant Records. The documentary DVD features backstage interviews, fan commentary and live footage, while the CD features a live set performed on Halloween 2007 at the Metro Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, made up of songs from the band's albums Almost Killed Me (2004), Separation Sunday (2005), Boys and Girls in America (2006), and the then-forthcoming Stay Positive (2008), as well as three tracks previously only released as bonus tracks on these albums. The enhanced CD also includes a link to download five bonus tracks.
Heaven Is Whenever is the fifth studio album by the Hold Steady. It was released May 4, 2010, on Vagrant Records in the U.S. and May 3, 2010, on Rough Trade in Europe. The album's first single, "Hurricane J", premiered on Pitchfork Media on March 22, 2010. Regarding the album's lyrical content, vocalist and guitarist Craig Finn states that: "I kept saying Stay Positive was a record about trying to age gracefully. This record, I think actually was us aging gracefully. Some of the lyrics come from a place of a little more wisdom, being 38 and at this point having a lifetime in rock'n'roll."
Clear Heart Full Eyes is the debut solo album by The Hold Steady vocalist and guitarist Craig Finn, released on January 24, 2012 on Full Time Hobby. Produced by Mike McCarthy, the album was recorded during a five-month break from The Hold Steady, with Finn noting, "I wanted to do something with a little more storytelling and a lot less volume." Upon release, the album debuted at #89 in the US.
Teeth Dreams is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released March 25, 2014, on Washington Square/Razor & Tie. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the album is the first to feature guitarist Steve Selvidge, who joined the band in 2010 to tour in support of the band's previous album, Heaven Is Whenever (2010).
We All Want the Same Things is the third studio album by Craig Finn. It was released on Partisan Records on March 24, 2017.
Thrashing Thru the Passion is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on August 16, 2019, on Frenchkiss Records. Produced by Josh Kaufman, the album sees the return to the line-up of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who had left the group after 2008's Stay Positive.
Open Door Policy is the eighth studio album by the American rock band the Hold Steady, released on February 19, 2021, through the band's own label Positive Jams. The album was produced by Josh Kaufman, who has previously worked with the band on their seventh studio album, Thrashing Thru the Passion (2019), and was preceded by the singles "Family Farm", "Heavy Covenant" and "Spices".
"Heavy Covenant" is a song by American indie rock band the Hold Steady. It was released on January 8, 2021, as the second single from their upcoming eighth studio album, Open Door Policy by Positive Jams and Thirty Tigers. The song was written by Craig Finn and Franz Nicolay, with Josh Kaufman handling production.
The Price of Progress is the ninth studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady. Released on March 31, 2023, by Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers, the album received generally positive reviews from critics.