Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Hold Steady!

The Hold Steady sing songs about drugs, partying, Catholicism, and Minneapolis. (I am not making this up.) There is no earthly reason why I should like them. But I really really do, so much so that they are among a very small number of bands (approximately 5) that I have considered "My Favorite" at one point or another in my life.

So why do I like The Hold Steady so much? It's actually not that hard to figure out. Once you look past "Craig Finn's deranged honk" (that beautiful and perfectly evocative description courtesy of Pitchfork Media's best albums of 2008) it's pretty clear that The Hold Steady are all about the guitars.

August 29, 2009 - Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images North America, found on zimbio.com
When I saw them last week they had 8 amplifiers on stage. That is twice as many amplifiers as they have players of stringed instruments. And, especially now that Franz Nicolai has left the band, the guitars are front and center, loud and crisp. I have never heard a wall of sound like that at any show I've been too, ever.  Tad Kubler is a genius, both when it comes to technical facility, but also for getting the most wonderful tone out of his instrument, his amplifier, and the space. The opening riff of "South Town" girls, heard live was some of the most beautiful noise I have ever heard. (The part I'm talking about is at :47. This video has great sound, really,  but it still doesn't do justice to the real live live performance.)



It doesn't hurt that their songs are catchy too.