The increasingly iconic Brooklyn rock band The Hold Steady shook up a full house at WXPN in Philadelphia on May 30, performing old favorites and a handful of new tunes from the forthcoming Stay Positive.
The Hold Steady might just be the best bar band in America. With its riff-heavy mixture of classic rock and Craig Finn's lyrically dense storytelling, the group crafts detailed musical universes that have already made it a critical darling and fan favorite. Stay Positive is The Hold Steady's fourth album in five years. The record finds the band sampling a broader range of sounds, including a mandolin and a harpsichord, but rock is still its metier. The songs have been kicking around in the minds of the musicians for a while: The Hold Steady played the title track during its 2007 tour with Art Brut.
Dr. John, Ani DiFranco, The Hold Steady, and Newton Faulkner performed at the NON-COMMvention in Philadelphia. NON-COMM is an annual convention of non-commercial radio programmers and music directors, as well as other music-industry professionals.
Copyright 2008 XPN
