If you've paid attention to indie music for the past few years, you've probably heard this cliche about The Hold Steady; that they're America's greatest bar band. I think it's probably true and this week you'll get a chance to decide for yourself.
The Hold Steady will play The Vogue at 8pm on Thursday with opening act Wintersleep. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door. The Vogue is located at 6259 N College Ave Indianapolis, IN 46220
Wintersleep is an indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Musically, they sound similar to Matthew Good and Joel Plaskett.
Currently, The Hold Steady are on tour to promote their new album Heaven Is Whenever. Earlier this year keyboardist Franz Nicolay left the group under amicable circumstances to pursue other projects.
I thought Heaven Is Whenever was a better album than its predecessor, Stay Positive. I found it immediately accessible, while with previous records I had to listen to the album a few times before everything started to click. That's not a criticism of their previous albums, I think they're all really good. It just felt nice to grasp the music so quickly.
I first heard The Hold Steady while working at WIUX my sophomore year of college. It was right around that time I was really into The Replacements, Huesker Due and Bruce Springsteen. These artists turned out to act almost like a gateway drug to The Hold Steady.
Lyrics are very important to me, which is one of the reasons I like The Hold Steady so much. Craig Finn writes powerful character sketches about broken, emotionally damaged people in search of redemption. Some of these characters find it in partying hard or in abusing their psychic powers to win at the horse track.
The Hold Steady performing "Stuck Between Stations" on Letterman.
These great lyrics are backed by music that draws equally from classic 70s rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and the Faces as well as early indie rock groups such as the Replacements, and Huesker Due
Craig Finn described the band's influences in a 2005 interview with Pitchfork.
"Growing up in Minneapolis, Huesker Due was a huge band. I always thought Grant Hart was the better songwriter, and his lyrics were very specific. Bob Mould kind of favored vague lyrics. But as far as detail-oriented songwriters, more contemporary... certainly Bruce Springsteen, Jim Carroll, John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats. A lot of hip-hop really inspires me. My absolute favorite stuff is Brother Ali from Rhymesayers. Atmosphere, obviously. Things like Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, MURS, all those guys. Even Jay-Z. Hip-hop is so much about lyrics, and as a lyricist it's hard not to be inspired by it."
So if a great indie rock show is what you're looking for and Yeasayer isn't exactly what you're in the mood for, I suggest you get your friends together and take a road trip to The Vogue.
-Andrew Crowley
