The Hold Steady: Once Is not Enough

I was given a copy of “Boys and Girls in America” by a very cool almost girl friend in Los Angeles and I loved it. The CD has been in my personal heavy rotation ever since. I’ve bought their older stuff too and feel just as strongly about it.
It’s pretty clear from the lyrics on “Boys and Girls in America” that at least Craig Finn has done some time in Minneapolis, which is where I spent my 20s.

When I was younger I read Circus and Hit Parader and later Rolling Stone and Spin religiously. I guess I felt it was important to know what kind cereal Vivian Campbell likes.
Anyway, I’m a fan of Rock journalism. But over the last 10 years I’ve just stopped reading Rolling Stone as much. It’s not because I grew up, ask around. Point being, I finally got around to googling The Hold Steady.

Much to my surprise, Craig Finn the singer and Tab Kubler, the guitar player were in a Minneapolis band called Lifter Puller in the 90’s. I was very diligent about checking the band listings in the back of the City Pages and going and hanging out at Acme Company in the 90’s so I never went to see Lifter Puller. But Lifter Puller were listed constantly.

So when I see that my current favorite band was playing my back yard every week for $5 at the door during my 20’s, I felt like I’d missed something great. Although if I had gone and seen Lifter Puller and gotten into Lifter Puller, I am told I would now hate The Hold Steady and I love The Hold Steady so it’s all for the best.

One more thing. I found my old room mate from that time period on Myspace. He’s in a band called Hojas Rojas. They’re great. I got ahold of him and mentioned, “I’m a huge The Hold Steady fan and I had no idea Craig Finn and Tab Kubler were in Lifter Puller. Did you go see them when you they where in Minneapolis?”

Tim went “Yeah, Tab Kubler was the drummer for my first band.” Ohhh shittttttt, that’s great, man.

I listened to the brand new album “Stay Positive” for the whole drive from Crookston to Fargo. I stopped listening briefly while I got pulled over in a massive speed trap for not having a front license plate. Fortunately I went to junior high with a former Fargo Sheriff. Thanks Buddy, you know you who you are. Good to have a name to drop from time to time.
The opening band, The Loved Ones, are strong. They played a tight set of poppy punk. The Audience liked them. The wheels had fallen off the back of their bus on the way to the show. Drag. They’re safe and sound though so don’t fret.

The Hold Steady was f*cking great. Craig Finn is a weird, brilliant little nerd. He’s a nerd from his glasses to his checkered shirt to that little dance he does that only a genius would get applauded for. Craig has the kind of physical appearance that weeds out the people that aren’t here for the music. It is very unlikely that there will ever be a Craig Finn Rock of Love and I think we can all agree that that’s a good thing. Craig Finn, brilliant little nerd that he is, rocked the Fargo Theater in half.

The audience was this eclectic mix of older hipsters, younger hipsters and hipster-leaning non hipsters. There were four or five really drunk, really loud, really aggressive guys who almost got pounded on by security every five minutes for the whole show.

There was something very satisfying about seeing the muscle bound mosh pit jocks in the front row causing trouble and bowing to Craig. My irony meter almost broke. I don’t know if anybody there was a hoodrat. There were some I guess what you would call normal people.

Don’t be confused: The Hold Steady isn’t a “normal” band. They are a great anthem rock band, and it’s not that I think they don’t like their own music, but the music is almost like a trick to lure you into the lyrics.
This music will sound right to the “Carry on, our wayward son/ There’ll be peace when you are done” crowd, but Kansas never had lines like “She said there’s gonna come a time/ when I’m gonna have to go / with whoever’s going to get me the highest.”

The people in these songs are f*cked up. They’re the people that their families glaze over during Thanksgiving dinner.
“How’s Holly?”
“Oh, she’s Holly.”
They leave out the part about how Holly

Crashed into the Easter mass
Her hair done up in broken glass
She was limping, left on broken heels
And she said ‘Father can I tell the congregation
How a resurrection really feels?’

I think I dated her briefly.
Craig Finn doesn’t write songs about boys and girls who fall in love. He writes songs about hoodrats and dealers and fuck ups. The songs don’t glorify the party life. These tales tend to pick up their characters in a downward spiral or after a crash landing. Craig’s characters are coming to in the chill-out tent, they like the warm feeling but are tired of all the dehydration. Their habits start out recreational but end up kind of medical.
I love this band because they resonate with me. Last night I got to see something brilliant. I’m really glad I went and gas prices had dropped all the way to $3.79.
One final note. I took a shower after I wrote this, and then I slipped on my brand new The Hold Steady t-shirt that I’d bought without looking at the tag. I took a second to look at the tag. It says American Apparel which are made in the USA, not in a sweat shop.
Man I like this band.

If You Go

What: The Hold Steady
Where: The Parish, Austin, Tex.
When: Wed., Aug. 6, 8 p.m.
Info: (512) 479-0474