Holdin' Steady

The Hold Steady are one of the best live bands on the planet. There is an incredible energy that fills every one of their shows. As Craig Finn shouts at the end of their live record "There is so much JOY in what we do!" I got to see them for the fourth or fifth time (I forget) on Monday at DC's 930 Club. As always they put on a great show but it did seem a little more subdued than previous. Maybe that was because they are a bit older, or maybe because my wife and I perched from the club's balcony so that we had perfect sound and a perfect view. When I've gone solo I usually get down front, so though  the mob at the front didn't seem particularly ornery, perhaps being away from it proved less exciting. The crowds are part of what make their shows more revival than concert. Everybody knows the words to the classics, and the classics were well represented. It was a wonderful show, and if you like classic Thin Lizzy-sounding rock with a madman holding court at the lead singer mic, then you should love The Hold Steady as much as I do.

Their latest record is Teeth Dreams and it is an improvement from their somewhat disappointing Heaven Is Whenever. That 2010 record sounded a bit lethargic to me. It was their first without keyboardist and backing vocalist Franz Nicolay. He brought a lot to the band. It took a record for them to adapt. Steve Selvidge, who used to be in Lucero, is now an official member and he brings a great compliment to Tab Kubler's guitar playing. They share lead duties and it rely ram homes the Thin Lizzy sound for me. A bunch of their solos start together, diverge to wrap around one another, before coming back. The short solo in "Saddle Shoes" is a nice sample of this.

Lyrically, Craig Finn is one of the best around. Maybe THE best. As always his songs are more stories. Tales of losers and drug addicts and lapsed Catholics and teenagers looking to score.  It's interesting, it's smart, it simply resonates. His voice is not for everybody, he uses this sing-talk style that folks tend to find grating. I found it grating when I first heard them, but the music draws you in and lends itself to the stories Craig is telling, the worlds he is building in his lyrics. The album closes on a new note, a great nine-plus-minute opus called "Oaks" which features some of Craig's best singing.

Here's a cool trailer for the new record. All hail The Hold Steady!!