NOTE: The Editors, nor the author, were able to attend the show on the account of its being sold out. As such, all review are purely inferential.
Review:
Old Videos:
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Sundays are a day of rest. And for me, that means one thing: watching old music videos and sitting on the couch. Luckily the two go quite well together. Kind of like Craig Finn and the best songs of the past 20 years.
Here’s some old video for “The Swish,” off the Hold Steady’s first album …Almost Killed Me, which has actually been a source for a lot of their live material lately. A little background on the Hold Steady: they’re the band that’s saving rock n’ roll, one balls-to-the-wall blow-your-fucking-knees-out show at a time. Their new album, Stay Positive is set to blow everyone’s collective mind July 14th. If I were you, I’d go buy their whole back catalog before anyone knows you don’t own it. Oh, you already own it? Good, burn it all for your friends.
The video is pretty cool, and would be a lot better if the music matched up with the video, but what can you do. I think this might be before Franz joined the band, so they lose a few points for that. Still, hands down my favorite band then and now. See the video (and two others) for yourself after the jump.
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Yesterday I ran across an article in the New York Times with Billy Bragg talking about some of his favorite music. It’s all part of a column the Times runs from time to time called “Playlist.” Much to my satisfaction, Billy’s been diggin’ on some of my own favorite music. Talking about The Hold Steady’s Boys and Girls in America, he says:
There are some albums that take you back to your early teens — before they invented Guitar Hero III — when you’d get by with your bedroom mirror and a tennis racket for a guitar. This would be my tennis racket album of the year.
Billy Bragg, you just described the essential step in my morning routine.
Bragg also talks about his other favorite bands and his own new album Mr. Love & Justice, due out the 22nd of this month. Read the full article here.
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In their latest issue, Entertainment Weekly released what they’re calling the “Indie Rock 25.” This is a list of the last 25 years and the indie bands and their albums that made them special. The list is surprisingly competent considering its source, but there are definitely some ridiculous choices. We’ve provided the list for you after the jump, but if you’d like to take a closer look (as well as view the list criteria), it’s all here.
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The only thing better than seeing Art Brut and The Hold Steady share a bill is seeing The Hold Steady play again like two months later. The boys from Minneapolis made their way down to Austin Thursday night to shake the dust off our normally monotonous concert going experiences. There are few bands that compare to The Hold Steady on any level. They are truly a gift to any appreciator of live music.
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