The Hold Steady Announce September/October Tour Dates, Includes DC!

Hey Craig Finn, we're just as excited as you 'cause The Hold Steady released tour dates today for September and October leg of the Heaven is Whenever tour, and finally, one of them is DC, woot! Fellow Vagrant label-mate Wintersleep will be opening on every date sans 10/20 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Tickets will be available for pre-sale tomorrow (7/14) here. General public sale is 7/16 (Friday).

September
20th - Richmond, VA - The National
21st - Nashville, TN - Exit / In
22nd - Oxford, MS - The Lyric Oxford
23rd - Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Room
24th - New Orleans, LA - Republic New Orleans
25th - Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Soundstage
27th - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
28th - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
29th - Lexington-Fayette, KY - Buster's Billiards & Backroom
30th - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue

October
1st - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
2nd - Newport, KY - The Historic Southgate House
4th - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
5th - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theatre
6th - Boston, MA - Royale Boston
7th - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
* 20th - Hailfax, NS - Pop Explosion Fest (The Paragon Theatre)

Three is the Magic Numb-a! We're Giving Away Three Copies The Hold Steady's Heaven is Whenever

Here's a poorly kept secret around here: we love The Hold Steady a whole bunch. Their newest record, Heaven is Whenever dropped yesterday and it's really good. And we want you to hear how good it is too, so we're giving away three copies!

Interested? Drop us an email here or leave us a comment below with the name of your favorite Hold Steady song, and we'll choose three people at random. Contest will end Tuesday, 5/11 at midnight, EST. Good luck!

Give a Listen: Touchless (HIW extra track)-The Hold Steady/Buy Heaven is Whenever

Speaking of The Hold Steady, A Great Piece by Craig Finn

A buddy randomly found this piece written about The Hold Steady's new record, Heaven is Whenever yesterday on The Hold Steady's concert page for the famed Minneapolis venue, First Avenue. Beautifully written by HS lead singer Craig Finn, it's a rumination about the band's evolution to now, in terms of recording and what keeps them moving forward, as well as a touching and humble thank you to the fans that have made it possible for them to get to this point, their fifth record. Let's hope when Finn stops making records, he starts writing short stories or something because it's obvious he can do more with prose than just song lyrics.

This wasn't included in the liner notes of the vinyl version of HIW but let's hope it's included in the liner notes of the CD when it's released 5/4...it would be a total shame if it's not.

During our time as The Hold Steady, I've made a lot in interviews and onstage monologues about what little ambition we had when we started this band. We weren't sure if we would play shows or release records. We had seriously managed expectations. But in the end, we did end up playing shows and releasing records, and we are better people for it. We've seen a lot of the world, met a ton of great people, and played a whole bunch of rock and roll music. Our efforts have been rewarded beyond our wildest dreams. It's not exactly a mind-blowing statement when I say that this is the best job I've ever had. That said, there are sacrifices and discomfort that come with this territory: busted relationships, distance from family, physical exhaustion, disconnection from civilian life, ringing ears, interminable waiting around, trying to get through a ninety minute show when you have food poisoning, etc.

Our new record, Heaven is Whenever, is about struggle and reward. It's about accepting suffering as a necessary part of a joyous life. It's about how love can help us rise above these struggles. It's about faith. It's about how bad it hurts to settle for less. It's about not being scared to try. It's about four guys who still believe in the power and glory of rock and roll. Because even after a thousand soundchecks, a thousand load-in and load-outs, fifty missed birthdays, and a few hundred electrical shocks, our reward still vastly outweighs the struggle. In fact, the reward would not exist without the struggle. Thus, this struggle is inherently part of the reward. And in this way, the fantasy of playing rock and roll for a living is a lot like real life.

It's hard to pinpoint when we started making this record, but I think the genesis was when Tad was doing a score for a film in early 2009. He started laying down some song ideas in the studio and sharing them with us. I started writing lyrics and at one point we even set up a makeshift studio in the back of our tour bus to record demo vocals. We spent our down time in the Summer of 2009 making demos in our rehearsal space. Songs started to pile up, and it was time to hit a proper studio and start making an album.

We tapped Dean Baltulonis to produce the record. Dean had produced our record Separation Sunday and is an old friend. We headed upstate to Dreamland Studios in West Hurley, NY. Isolated and surrounded by amazing Autumn beauty, we spent two weeks living on site, playing music, drinking beer, and standing around the grill. We hit a few things that we had already demoed, but also jammed on a lot of new stuff. One memorable night is captured on the last song on the album "A Slight Discomfort". Tad did a few guitar tracks out on the front lawn that night, and you can hear the chorus of crickets chirping from the surrounding trees as the record draws to a close. We also talked our friend John Reis into coming out from San Diego and jamming with us for a few days. He played a bit of guitar on the record and helped write the song "Rock Problems".

After we left Dreamland we hit the road for a little bit, which gave us the opportunity to try out new songs in front of an audience. When we returned to Brooklyn, we hit our rehearsal space with a vengeance. We reworked some of the new stuff and wrote even more. We soon repaired to Wild Arctic Studios in Queens. We've done a lot of work at Wild Arctic in the past and it's a very comfortable place for us. We did a number of shorter sessions at Wild Arctic throughout the Fall and Winter of 2009. The record was starting to come together.

We broke for Xmas and wrapped up recording in January 2010. We began mixing and faced the usual heartbreaking decisions about which songs would and would not make the record. We mixed and remixed. We sequenced and resequenced. Finally, we turned it in, about six months after we started. It felt good to be done, but it also felt good to know that our time and perseverance had paid great dividends. I think we made something that is both different than our previous releases, yet unmistakably a creation of The Hold Steady.

Heaven is Whenever is our fifth full length release. This is both cool and a cause to stop and think, as there are some inherent truths in any fifth record. For one, the band has to stay together long enough to last through the first four. Secondly, an audience has to be interested enough to encourage the band to make album number five. And third, the band still has to have something to say that it feels that it hasn't said before.

I just went through my record collection to see how many bands I love never made it to a fifth record. I realized that most of the bands that mean the most to me had indeed made it through five and sometimes beyond: Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Thin Lizzy, REM, Creedence, etc. In some ways, album five implies a commitment and dedication and a realization that the band's success is not a fluke, and that it's not going anywhere. Albums like Physical Graffiti, Combat Rock, Fighting, Document, and Cosmo's Factory are all fifth records that show their creators confident and brimming with new ideas. In many cases, peaking. While I am not going to compare our record to any of these masterpieces by my rock and roll deities, I am proud to unveil Heaven is Whenever and add it to our body of work. Five records in seven years. Not bad.

The title of this record comes from a lyric in the song "We Can Get Together", which states "Heaven is whenever/We can get together." In the end, that might say it best. The most amazing part of this life is the opportunity to share music with a supportive audience. It is not lost on us that people make sacrifices of their own to see us perform. They spend money on tickets and travel, they get baby sitters, they take time off work. It's an honor for us to be a recipient of this kind of dedication. So when we say Heaven is Whenever, we mean that the greatest of rewards is our privilege of being able to tour and share our music and our lives with yours.

Thank you for being a part of this.

Craig Finn

The Hold Steady Announce New Tour Dates with The Whigs, Provide NewAlbum Stream

6591_The Hold Steady @ the Recher Theater, Towson, MD (3-29-09), originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

Still no Washington, DC date in the mix, which stinks (especially given that The Whigs are opening this group of dates), but The Hold Steady did announce additional dates today for July.

July 2010 Hold Steady Dates
2nd - Hayward, WI Lac Courte Oreilles Casino
3rd - Minneapolis, MN Cabooze Outdoor Stage
4th - Minneapolis, MN First Ave
6th - Omaha, NE Slowdown
7th - Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
8th - Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Company
10th - Dallas, TX Granada Theater
11th - Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe
12th - Knoxville, TN The Square Room
14th - Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
15th - Pontiac, MI Crofoot Ballroom
16th - Toronto, ON Kool Haus

Probably as a premptive strike, knowing how many low-quality rips of the record would start flying around after Saturday's Record Store Day release of the limited vinyl the band has been streaming their new record, Heaven Is Whenever, over at NPR since Sunday. The National is following suit with their new one, High Violet, which starts streaming over at the New York Times on Friday,

Record Store Day This Saturday (4/17)

This Saturday (4/17) is the third Saturday in April so that means... Record Store Day!! Conceived in 2007, it is a "celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally." Not only is RSD great because it helps showcase and support independent record stores, but it also lets artists put out some unique and interesting items (keep reading if you're a Hold Steady fan...) Today's NY Post had an interesting article giving some of the details.

Feeling groovy isn't what it usedto be. CDs, iPods and flash drives have pretty much replaced vinyl platters and diamond needles.

Yet even in these digital times, some discerning listeners have kept vinyl from extinction. Saturday, on what's known to some as Record Store Day, such collectors -- who still have turntables -- will get their due.

The format is the star of the third annual event, at which highly collectible vinyl records -- made exclusively for the celebration -- will be for sale at $5 and up.

Among the highlights is the "John Lennon Singles Bag," a $25 package that features three 45s: "Mother," "Imagine" and "Watching the Wheels" -- backed, respectively, by Yoko Ono's "Why," "It's So Hard" and "Yes I'm Your Angel." (A "45" is a 7-inch record popular as late as three decades ago, which features two singles and is played at 45 rpm rather than the standard 33 rpm.)

What makes the Capitol record particularly collectible are the details -- assorted postcards and a 2-by-3-foot poster of the couple's bed-in for peace; here, they're wearing pajamas and holding flowers to protest the Vietnam War. There's even a plastic adapter hub, in case your turntable doesn't play 45s.

The Flaming Lips make a strong showing with a $25 cover album of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." After opening with the familiar heartbeat drums of the original, the psychedelic rockers take the music on a more propulsive and experimental tack.

Familiar songs such as "Breathe," "Time" and "Brain Damage" are updated with twisting ragged guitar work and fragile vocals.

The Rolling Stones get in on the act with a 7-inch single titled "Plunder My Soul," a previously unreleased track from 1972's "Exile on Main Street" album. Suggested price: $12.

This is as funky as the Stones get. With terrific guitar work by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger's vocals easily reaching the upper register he's lost over time, this single ranks among the best Stones music to emerge in years. A remastered track of "All Down the Line," another cut from "Exile on Main Street," is on the flip side. It's a preview from the CD and vinyl re-release of "Exile," due May 18, which will have 10 never-before-heard tracks.

Other vinyl rarities include music by Bruce Springsteen (a 10-inch vinyl with "Wrecking Ball" live at Giants Stadium), Modest Mouse, Elvis Presley, the Sex Pistols, Gorillaz and the Velvet Underground.

They forgot to mention a bunch of cool label samplers coming out as well. You can see the full list of all of the special items being released here.

And if you like The Hold Steady and have an itch for their new record, Heaven is Whenever, they're releasing a super limited hand screen printed vinyl edition, two weeks in advance of its official drop date (5/4)!!

Participating Record Store Day stores in the DC area include....

Washington, DC -CD Warehouse -Crooked Beat Records -DJ HUT -Melody Record Shop -Politics & Prose Bookstore -Red Onion Records & Books -Smash! -Som Records

Maryland -Baltimore: !El Suprimo! Records, Dimensions In Music, morphius.com, Sound Garden -Catonsville: Trax on Wax -College Park: cd.gamexchange -District Heights: Memory Lane CDS and Records Inc. -Frederick: blinding sun records,Platters That Matter Records -Hillcrest Heights: Kemp Mill Music -Silver Spring: cd.gamexchange, Joe's Record Paradise -Temple Hills: Kemp Mill Music -Towson: celebrated summer records

Northern Virginia -Fairfax: Record & Tape Exchange -Falls Church: CD Cellar -Vienna: Vienna Music Exchange

Fourth Hold Steady Single From Forthcoming Heaven is Whenever Released

8869_The Hold Steady @ Virgin FreeFest 2009 (8-30-09), originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

The Hold Steady dropped another single from the forthcoming Heaven is Whenever on Friday. "Barely Breathing" makes the fourth single the band has released prior to the record's drop on May 4. I'm liking this new one, it's a little different sound that the wall of guitar we've heard in the last couple of singles and...there's a clarinet! And keyboards! For some odd reason, the first adjective that popped into my head was "film noir," possibly because of its bouncy, jazzy sound.

Maybe they're planning a single a week up to the drop date? Whatever it is, grateful fans are uber happy about it.

Stream a Listen:Barely Breathing-The Hold Steady

Three! Three New Hold Steady Songs, Ah Ha Ha!

It's an 80-degree Friday here in Washington, DC and if that wasn't nice enough, The Hold Steady released the third single from their forthcoming record, Heaven is Whenever (out 5/4) today as well. Of the three, "The Weekender" probably my favorite to date. It's got such a cool and immense sound...

Stream a Listen:The Weekenders-The Hold Steady


The second one they put out is called "Rock Problems"...

Stream a Listen: Rock Problems-The Hold Steady


...and the first one was "Hurricane J."

Stream a Listen: Hurricane J-The Hold Steady


May 4th can't come soon enough!

The Hold Steady start their spring/summer tour in support of Heaven is Whenever tonight in upstate NY.

04-02 Ardsley, NY - LIFE The Place to Be *
04-03 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place *
04-05 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
04-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street *
04-07 Albany, NY - Linda Norris Auditorium *
04-08 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater *
04-09 Jermyn, PA - Eleanor Rigby's *
04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Wescott Theater *
04-12 Rochester, NY - The Club at Water Street Music Hall *
04-13 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
04-14 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Club Lounge *
04-15 Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St. *
04-16 Harrisburg, PA - Appalachian Brewing Company *
05-04 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern #
05-05 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey #
05-06 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore #
05-29 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-12 Newport, England - Isle of Wrght Festival
06-14 Paris, France - Fleche D'Or
06-15 Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9
06-16 Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club
06-17 Munich, Germany - 59.1
06-19 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06-20 Sheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkeg
06-22 London, England - HMV Forum
06-24 Vitoria, Spain - Azkena Rock Festival
06-26 Manchester, England - Academy 2
07-01 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

* with the Oranges Band
# with the Donkeys

New Hold Steady Record, Heaven is Whenever Announced, Out 5/4

The Hold Steady @ Virgin Fest 2009, originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

Woot!! New Hold Steady record to be titled Heaven Is Whenever, is out 5/4 on Vagrant Records.

The Hold Steady recently put the finishing touches on Heaven Is Whenever, their new album set for release May 4th on Vagrant Records and May 3rd on Rough Trade in the UK and EU. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s Almost Killed Me and produced Separation Sunday,, and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY.

Singer Craig Finn says Heaven Is Whenever, is about “embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on Heaven Is Whenever, received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”

Tracklist:
1 The Sweet Part of the City
2 Soft in the Center
3 The Weekenders
4 The Smidge
5 Rock Problems
6 We Can Get Together
7 Hurricane J
8 Barely Breathing
9 Our Whole Lives
10 A Slight Discomfort

Give a Listen: Our Whole Lives-The Hold Steady (live, 930 Club, Washington, DC, 8-29-09)
Buy here (Available 5/4)

The Hold Steady Spring 2010 Tour Dates
April 2nd: LIFE the place to be, Ardsley, NY
April 3rd: Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT
April 5th: Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
April 6th: Pearl Street, Northampton, MA
April 7th: Linda Norris Auditorium, Albany, NY
April 8th: Bearsville Theater, Woodstock, NY
April 9th: Eleanor Rigby’s, Jermyn, PA
April 10th: The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY
April 12th: The Club at Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY
April 13th: Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
April 14th: Diesel Club Lounge, Pittsburgh, PA
April 15th: 123 Pleasant St., Morgantown, WV
April 16th: Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
May 5th: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
May 6th: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
May 29th: Sasquatch Festival, George, WA
June 12th: Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Festival, UK
June 14th: Fleche D’Or, Paris, FR
June 21st: Melkeg, Amsterdam, NL
June 22nd: HMV Forum, London. UK
Jun 26th: Academy 2, Manchester, UK