The Hold Steady have become an essential New York band since coming together in Brooklyn about eleven years ago. Three of the guys live in Greenpoint within a few blocks of each other with the remaining members in Manhattan and Memphis. I spoke with Craig Finn and Tad Kubler (pronounced ‘Koobler’ I learned) back this spring at a release party for Teeth Dreams at Hill Country Live in the Flatiron District where the fellas played the new album and a handful of bonus tunes for a WFUV radio crowd. This video (which runs 7 minutes) features conversation and footage that was not included in the 2 minute Sound Advice piece that ran in March. It also offers a preview of what may become the next Hold Steady classic Jimmy Got Soup that grew out of a question I asked Craig about the many memorable named characters of Hold Steady songs past. The chat also includes some kind words about their bandmate Steve Selvidge and lyrical themes that emerged in the recording.
The Hold Steady are wrapping up this year with two shows (30th and 31st) at the Music Hall of Williamsburg with fellow Brooklynites The So So Glos. New Years’s Eve is sold out but as of today, a few tickets remain for the 30th. As a lead-in to those – no doubt spirited – shows, catch the radio program I recorded with Craig Finn recently that will air on Monday, December 29th at 9p on WFUV radio. We spoke about his five favorite albums of 2014 from The War On Drugs, The Donkeys, Wussy, Strand of Oaks, and Protomartyr. We also compared notes on the glorious show at Forest Hills Stadium that The Replacements did in September and Craig went on the record that they are his all-time favorite band – no surprise with his Minneapolis roots but good to hear nonetheless.
