popwreckoning

The Hold Steady played the 9:30 Club on August 28, the night before the five-some were scheduled to appear at the Virgin Mobile Freefest at Merriweather Post Pavilion the next day. Given the choice of standing in the dark in an air-conditioned venue at night versus being exposed to the elements (sun, heat, and bugs) in the daytime, there’s no contest. The floor was conspicuously empty when 7:15 rolled around and the opening act, Iran, was due on stage. Iran is the experimental/indie rock side project of TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone (though Malone was nowhere to be seen, as TvotR was playing the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco this weekend). Iran’s music is definitely different than TVotR or even the Hold Steady’s; I guess it could be defined as bass and drum-heavy indie rock. (I’m not entirely sure about this b/c both acts sounded bass-heavy, so I couldn’t tell if the bass was heavier in the mix than everything else.)

Long-haired singer Aaron Aites is a bearded, kindly looking Santa Claus-ish character not unlike Elbow’s Guy Garvey. However, the two singers couldn’t be any more different. Aites’s voice is almost bluesy. Before starting into “I Can See the Future,” Aites quipped, “it’s nice to be back here in Washington when it’s not so goddamn hot!” The exciting, drumming-driven “Evil Summer” was introduced by Aites with “last time we were here we didn’t play “Evil Summer,” so here it is for the guy that wanted it last time. We don’t play it very often. So this is for that guy, who probably isn’t even here.” The crowd laughed at this warmly as they applauded for each of the band’s songs. Iran ended with “Long Time Now.”

The floor and balcony filled up in the interim time between the bands, so much that the place was packed by the time it was the Hold Steady’s turn to entertain us. I was clued in (or perhaps warned?) by a fellow gig-goer that the Hold Steady “attracts a weird Christian following”; perhaps they were clued in by the band’s ultra-Catholic second album, Separation Sunday? Christian or not, there was a very vocal group of kids behind me, ready to get their kicks from the band, shouting “positive!” over and over again while Iran’s equipment got broken down. This gave me an introductory taste to the rest of the evening: the Hold Steady’s fans know every single word of their songs, and I mean every word.

Singer/lyricist/guitarist Craig Finn strikes me as an unconventional front man. He’s bespectacled and he has an unusual blue guitar, emblazoned with a Grateful Dead teddy bear sticker. He alternates between three modes: kid in a candy shop (jumping up and down and all over the stage exuberantly, like a child who’s been given too much sugar); excited singer with extremely expressive arms, daring us to raise our arms up in unison with him; and less often, the bashful “who me?” songster. But when he gets going, get ready, because he really gets going, communicating with us in his unique singing/speaking style, leading the rest of the Hold Steady and all of us on a sonic journey of (dare I say it?) near Biblical proportions. And it’s really hard to not like his guy-next-door look and delivery.

The band was unstoppable, moving through their 22-song set with almost breakneck speed, barely taking a moment to wipe their sweaty brows and faces or take a swig of beer (or in nattily-dressed keyboardist/accordion player Franz Nicolay’s case, a swig from a rare bottle of wine – oh so classy!) before launching into another one of their hits. It’s really hard to pick out a couple tunes from the night as standouts, because Finn, Nicolay, guitarist Tad Kubler, bassist Galen Polivka, and drummer Bobby Drake really pulled out all the stops for this show. But if I must, I really enjoyed “You Can Make Him Like You,” “Stuck Between Stations,” and “Lord, I’m Discouraged” (one of the songs that Nicolay brings out his squeeze box for). And of course, “Stay Positive” was a crowd pleaser with it’s “oh oh ohhh, oh oh ohhh, we gotta stay positive!” chorus that was chanted by the audience back to an appreciative, grinning Finn.

“Certain Songs,” the Hold Steady’s closer, has the lines of “certain songs, they get scratched into our souls.” (Or is that skulls? I ask b/c I got hit on the head by someone’s wayward arm being waved about). Either way, I’m sure everyone at the 9:30 will have that amazing evening etched into their brains and will remember it for a long time to come. A rollicking good time was had by all.

The band have one more appearance in America, at Stewart Park in upstate New York on September 6. The band will then head over to London to play a sold-out show at the 02 Islington Academy next week, followed by appearances at County Clare, Ireland’s Cois Fharraige Festival and Salisbury, England’s End of the Road Festival before returning to North America for one date in Alaska and several more across Canada.

Set list
Hornets! Hornets!
Constructive Summer
Hot Soft Light
Sequestered in Memphis
The Swish
Barfruit Blues
Magazines
Our Whole Lives
Don’t Let Me Explode
Stevie Nix
You Can Make Him Like You
Separate Vacations
Lord, I’m Discouraged
Stuck Between Stations
Southtown Girls
Stay Positive
Slapped Actress
How a Resurrection Really Feels
//
Chips Ahoy!
Going on a Hike
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Certain Songs

Tour dates
Sept 06 – Stewart Park / Ithaca
Sept 17 – Bear Tooth Theatre / Anchorage
Sept 19 – Vogue Theatre / Vancouver
Sept 21 – Starlite Room / Edmonton
Sept 22 - Warehouse / Calgary
Sept 23 – Odeon Events Centre / Saskatoon
Sept 24 – West End Cultural Centre / Winnipeg
Sept 26-27 – Lee’s Palace / Toronto

The Hold Steady: website | myspace | @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater | Rothbury: Day 4
Iran: myspace

read all about ROTHBURY Day 1, ROTHBURY Day 2, and ROTHBURY Day 3!

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Tony Rice // Ranch Arena
Having grown fairly accustomed to bongos, fireworks, and loud hippies until 5AM, then the early risers from 6AM on, I managed to sleep in on Sunday, making it to the festival grounds in time to catch the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Tony Rice. Most notable in the jaunty and wildly entertaining set were the literary references, namely those referencing Poe. I was impressed that such upbeat music could associate itself with the dark writing of Edgar Allan Poe.

Toots and the Maytals // The Odeum
I didn’t stick around Ranch Arena for Peter Rowan long – I didn’t want to miss any of Toots and the Maytals at the Odeum. My boyfriend introduced me to the Toots, which surprised me because his taste is dominated by electronica. I had to make sure I saw Toots and the Maytals, not only to rub it in to boyfriend that I caught them, but because I was genuinely interested in seeing their live show after hearing their lively recordings.
I did arrive to the stage after they’d started, and I walked up to hear the band covering John Denver’s “Country Roads”, putting the Toots lively reggae rock touch on it, and making it just as much fun as the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version.

Sam Roberts Band // Sherwood Court
Canadians Sam Roberts Band stormed the Sherwood Court stage with a very rock and roll sound that held the audience rapt. Their motherland following is wildly loyal and enthusiastic as displayed by many shirtless dudes running around draped in the Canadian flag, or other accessories adorned by the red maple leaf. It’s no wonder, with how energetic and tight that Sam Roberts Band is, that their fans would follow them to the States for ROTHBURY.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals // Sherwood Court
A friend of mine went to college with Grace and clued me into how amazing this woman is years before I’d ever heard of her. I was beyond stoked to catch the sizzling blonde at ROTHBURY and was impressed by her masterful, jazzy piano work and sultry vocal work. Her sexy stage presence is enough to seduce you just halfway into the first tune.

The Hold Steady // Ranch Arena
I’ve never caught on to the Hold Steady craze. I don’t dislike the band, I just haven’t gotten swept up in the Hold Steady mania. I’m pretty sure many other ROTHBURY attendees are in my same shoes: they performed to a modest crowd on the Ranch Arena stage, though I would have pegged them for a Sherwood Court band, since that stage seemed to feature the less jammy, more rock or experimental outfits. Either way, I stuck around for the entire set and was impressed with their performance. I was pleasantly surprised to find accordion, harmonica and keyboard played Franz Nicolay killing it after I’d caught his solo show last Fall and had to leave halfway through the set because I found it to be that unbearable. The Hold Steady’s set was a mix of songs from both of the band’s records and I had a lot of fun taking in what the Hold Steady was dishing out.

Matisyahu // Sherwood Court
I missed out on Matisyahu’s performance as I stuck around for all of the Hold Steady and moved right on to Willie Nelson. By chance, I did get to see Matis as he hung out with his son and entourage in the media area, his son playing some kiddie instruments that were in a basket next to the Ice Cream Man’s truck. It was just adorable!

Willie Nelson & Family // The Odeum
Willie Nelson is a legend. He was soft-spoken, though jaunty in his music, playing classics like “On The Road Again”, “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Georgia On My Mind” to an adoring audience. Performing for more than 50 years, at a healthy 76, Willie Nelson isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Matisyahu, over on the Sherwood Court stage, was so loud it almost overpowered Nelson’s unusually quiet set, but this had no effect on Nelson’s solid performance.

Ani DiFranco // Sherwood Court
I once told a friend that I’d never listened to Ani DiFranco and she, without a moment’s hesitation, told me, “That’s because you’re not a lesbian.” I was taken aback by the answer, but took it and laughed, unsure of what to make of it. Needless to say, I was intrigued to see what the lovely Ms. DiFranco was actually like and was afforded the opportunity to do so while at ROTHBURY. I was delighted to find her sweet, folky sound wonderful and confused as to my friend’s aforementioned answer as to why I wouldn’t have ever listened to Ani before. So maybe I just don’t get it, but I’m solidly pro-Ani.

Bob Dylan and His Band // The Odeum
When I’d seen Bob Dylan at last summer’s Virgin Mobile Festival, I was disappointed with the performance. Dylan is a legend, and with that comes wild expectations, which just weren’t met last summer. Thankfully, Dylan’s ROTHBURY performance this summer was a knockout. I hadn’t been expecting too much, considering last year’s let down, but there was no way I was going to miss another chance to see this living legend.
The passion exhibited in his performance was amazing to see, especially at the ripe old age of 68 and 50 odd years of performing. It was clear in his voice that he still means every word of “Spirit on the Water” off 2006’s Modern Times as he sang, “You’re always on my mind…I can’t sleeeeeeep.” His scratchy vocals were precise and emotion filled. Amongst the expected classic Dylan songs played was a slow and jazzy version of “Blowin’ In The Wind”, a very impressive rendition thanks to the arrangement of His Band.

Dylan didn’t allow any photography for his set, but check out a bootleg video of “Tangled Up In Blue” here. You can also check out some shots of Dylan by a guy who had a great telephoto lens and was really close to the front here and watch “Thunder on the Mountain” below.

“Thunder on the Mountain”

On the whole ROTHBURY was an amazing time. Here’s to ROTHBURY 2010.

ROTHBURY: website | interview with

Photos: Jon Gitchoff

Oh man, Franz Nicolay is like the coolest dude eva. It’s all about the mustache, and Franz has one hell of a mustache. It doesn’t hurt either that he’s the portly keyboardist in The Hold Steady, who’ve been steadily gaining popularity with plenty of support from Pitchfork and the blogosphere over the last couple years. On his first solo outing, Major General, Nicolay delivers exactly what’s expected of him, but nothing more. His music has the same awesome pseudo-dramatic feel that his signature look has and it indeed is not a far cry from the music he makes with The Hold Steady.

The make it/break it factor is Nicolay’s boisterous voice, which is just too theatrical to take seriously. While Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn also has kind of an unlikely rock star voice, Finn’s incredible lyrics and believable characters are too real to not take seriously. Meanwhile, when Nicolay sings, “It was never this cold in my dreams,” in “World/Inferno vs. The End of the Evening”, it just doesn’t fly in reality.

Musically the album resembles The Hold Steady in terms of its basic bar-band set-up, though its been augmented sometimes (as The Hold Steady’s more recent albums have been) with interesting touches like orchestration and synthesizers. Nicolay however, does depart from that band’s usual shtick at times, throwing in some jazzy touches like the lounge-y “Do We Live In Dreams?”

Also like Finn, his lyrics often detail a narrative. Unfortunately, Nicolay’s often come off as far too straightforward, as though he were simply putting stories to music, lacking the poetic beatnik flair that Finn imbues his writing with.

Sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover (the cover is after all meant to give people an idea of what the book is like) and such is the case with Franz Nicolay and his music: it’s very endearing and entertaining with plenty of positive attributes (the manic, uplifting “The World Is An Open Door” is fantastic, for instance), but just a little goofy to get close to. If great mustaches translated into great music, this album would be Sgt. Peppers. Until it does though, stick with The Hold Steady.

Major General will be available on January 13th from Fistolo Records. You can catch Nicolay on tour now through the end of the month promoting the record.

Tracklisting:
01. Jeff Penalty (feat. Demander)
02. Hey Dad!
03. World/Inferno vs. The End of the Evening
04. Dead Sailors
05. Do We Not Live in Dreams?
06. Confessions of an Ineffective Casanova
07. Quiet Where I Lie
08. Note on a Subway Wall
09. Nightratsong
10. X-Games
11. This World Is an Open Door
12. Cease Fire, or, Mrs. Norman Maine
13. I’m Done Singing

Franz Nicolay: website | myspace

Written By: Marc Z. Grub