The Hold Steady | |
|---|---|
 The Hold Steady, 2005 | |
| 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 inBrooklyn, New York, in 2003.[1] The band consists ofCraig 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] andclassic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such asdrug addiction, religion andredemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city ofMinneapolis.
Formed four years following the breakup of Finn and Kubler's former band,Lifter Puller, the Hold Steady released the debut albumAlmost 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-instrumentalistFranz 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, in March 2014.
Nicolay rejoined the Hold Steady in May 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 producerJosh Kaufman, the band released their seventh album,Thrashing Thru the Passion, in 2019, followed byOpen Door Policy andThe Price of Progress in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
In 2003, Minnesota-raised singer, writer, and guitaristCraig Finn and New York City bartender and bassist Galen Polivka began talking about starting a band. Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kubler (both formerly ofLifter Puller) developed the idea of the Hold Steady when, while watchingthe Band concert filmThe Last Waltz, Finn asked Kubler, "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?"[4] The Hold Steady's 2004 debut albumAlmost Killed Me, released onFrenchkiss Records, was asleeper hit among music critics, reaching No. 31 in thePazz & 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 ofThe Village Voice in 15 years.[citation needed] They wereBlender's 2006 "Band of the Year".
The band released its second album,Separation Sunday, on May 3, 2005. It is a looseconcept album following the exploits of a character named "Holly" (short for "Hallelujah") and her quest to find a balance betweenCatholicism androck 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 theVillage Voice, who dubbed it "the most egregiously AmericanCatholic album sinceX'sUnder the Big Black Sun,Springsteen'sTunnel of Love, or that Jewish new waverBilly Joel'sThe Stranger."[5]
AfterSeparation Sunday, the band moved from theFrenchkiss Records imprint toVagrant Records. Released October 3, 2006,Boys and Girls in America was ranked No. 8 on theRolling Stone Best Albums of 2006 list, and first byThe 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 theseventh-inning stretch atMinnesota Twins home games.[8] They also contributed a cover of theBob Dylan andthe Hawks/the Band songCan You Please Crawl Out Your Window? to the motion pictureI'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 inHoboken, New Jersey, and Wild Arctic studio inQueens, New York, with producerJohn Agnello during January and February that year. Guests on the sessions included Ben Nichols fromLucero,J. Mascis ofDinosaur Jr.,Emilyn Brodsky, andDoug Gillard, who played guitar inGuided 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, includingtalk-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 titledA 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 ofHeaven Is Whenever on February 23, 2010. The album was released May 4 on Vagrant Records in the U.S. and May 3 onRough Trade in Europe.[16]
The band's subsequent tour featured additional musicians Steve Selvidge, formerly ofBig Ass Truck andBloodthirsty Lovers, on guitar and Dan Neustadt, of In Cadeo andthe World/Inferno Friendship Society. Neustadt had previously played keyboards onHeaven 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 theGame of Thrones episode "Walk of Punishment", titled "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", and released it, alongside a new track, "Criminal Fingers", forRecord 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 aniTunes 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 labelRazor & 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 andMassive Nights, before performing over three nights in London forBoys & Girls in London in 2018.
In late 2017, to coincide with the band's 2017Massive 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 accompanyingBoys & Girls in London. The recordings were the first to feature the full six-person Hold Steady line-up and were produced byJosh 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, viaFrenchkiss 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 firstBillboard top-ten record,[22] receiving end-of-year accolades fromAllMusic,Uncut,Double J andGod is in the TV by appearing on their top albums of 2021 lists.
On January 28, 2023 they celebrated their 20th Anniversary atMusic 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 withPitchfork Media, Finn outlined the band's influences:
Growing up inMinneapolis,Hüsker Dü was a huge band. I always thoughtGrant 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... certainlyBruce Springsteen,Jim Carroll,John Darnielle fromThe Mountain Goats. A lot ofhip-hop really inspires me. My absolute favorite stuff isBrother Ali fromRhymesayers.Atmosphere, obviously. Things likeAesop Rock,Sage Francis,Murs, all those guys. EvenJay-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'sBillions series as themselves performing at a party for Axe Capital.
The Hold Steady has been honored with a star on the outside mural of theMinneapolis nightclubFirst 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.
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Live albums | |
| EPs | |
| Related articles | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
