Smokey Maverick

I know this band is nothing new to the music scene, but I have to blow their horn for them to my 3-4 readers (every new fan counts).

They are The Hold Steady, and they currently hail from Brooklyn New York. Most of the members were apart of the band Lifter Puller, based in Minneapolis in the 90s, only to break up and move to NYC to go their different artistic ways. After milling about NYC, growing older and earning receding hairlines, in 2004, they decided to reform and just rock (influenced by bands such as The Band and Minneapolis based The Replacements). Their attempts to achieve this goal have been serving them very well these past few years.

Their songs are usually found focusing on sing-along choruses, extended piano and guitar solos and lyrics that deal with faith, crime, rumor, loss and love. Many of their songs pull the listener along a narrative. As for the sound, they are a mixture of classic rock sounds with interesting lyrics and hard riffs intertwined within. Their songs consistently hit you hard, both musically and lyrically (check out #2 for an example).

The Hold Steady has released 4 albums, as well as a recently released live album entitled A Positive Rage. If this is your first time experiencing the Hold Steady, this is a great album to discover them, for it highlights their strong live performance ability in addition to their sincere interaction with their fans in the crowd.

This is definitely a band that will help you welcome the warmer weather with windows down and music blasting.

The Hold Steady just ended a tour with the Drive-by Truckers and will be opening for Dave Matthews Band on Dave’s tour this summer. Most definitely worth your time to Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks them.

Tags:   Drive-by Truckers · Piano Rock · Rocking Rock · The Hold SteadyNo Comments