“People say we suck at sports, but they don’t understand / it’s hard to catch with holes right through your hands” That, amongst many other Finn-isms are packed into Clear Heart Full Eyes, the first solo record from Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn. Separated from the beer-swilling, teen-apocalypse narratives of his main band’s frantic pomp - it’s a much smaller record, quieter, denser, more thoughtful. Finn wraps in pedal-steel and placid acoustic guitars, his lyrics talk about himself, rather than all his characters. It provides an ideal odyssey for bookish, lyrics-first Hold Steady fans, and genuinely pretty nighttime music. In advance of his show tomorrow night at Frank, we caught up with Finn at Dominican Joe’s for a quick chat about the record, his time in Austin, and the Minnesota Twins. more ›

There’s a distinct line between homage and imitation, and the members of the Hold Steady are no imitators. The band formed on a foundation of skepticism and hard luck: frontman Craig Finn and guitarist Tad Kubler spent six years trying to make it in the Minnesota band Lifter Puller, and by the time the year 2000 rolled around, they figured their run was done. Finn took an office job with no thought of looking back. But just a couple of years later, he and Kubler, who were now based in Brooklyn, found a few recruits and formed the Hold Steady. There were no frills and there wasn’t a whole lot of ambition—just straight rock in the vein of rough-edged outfits like the Replacements. more ›

Alright, we'll confess. They're not really 'leaks' in the proper sense of the word. Since Austinist is a proud media sponsor for Fun Fun Fun Fest, so we might get to hear about a few things before you do. more ›

Photo by Marina Chavez; Image from MySpace. The Hold Steady + Art BrutThursday, November 15La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th Street)$21 Advance, $23 Day Of Show[info] | [tickets]Brooklyn's The Hold Steady may well be America's best bar band. Their 2006 release Boys and Girls In America made Austinist's 2006 top albums list (and everyone else's) by combining sharp lyrical wit, meat and potatoes power chords, and dry vocals that the listener either loves or hates.... more ›

Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.) Folksy but freakish Portlanders Blitzen Trapper have yet to be scooped up by Zach Braff, but that's probably only because they're still on the fringes of too weird. Yet, between soothing and familiar odes to old Grateful Dead tunes and powerful plays towards anti-genre adorableness, the odd sextet manage to capture the listener's attention while totally defying their own. Eccentric, playful and genuine songs fuse 70's goofball... more ›

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Oh, the confusion I must be causing! Sort of. Yours truly, hostess of The Laurie Show, which frightens the locals on late night Fridays, has been an on-again off-again presence. My apologies for the irregular schedule. Chris Hillen, my tag-team show partner in crime who graciously subs for me when I'm out wreaking... more ›

FRIDAY [8] music • DJ Krames (Cobra Kai), Prince Klassen at Beauty Bar (Free) books • Dominic Smith presents The Beautiful Miscellaneous at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) film • "The Secret Mirror" at The Paramount film • Master Pancake Theatre: "The Breakfast Club" at Alamo Downtown film • "Severance" at Dobie Theatre food • Central Market Cooking Class: Manicotti Workshop with Foodie Barbara Sampson at... more ›

The Hold Steady have been holding, er, steady in the limelight since 2004, picking up a Village Voice cover here and a best album of the year there (2006: The Onion’s A.V. Club), and just generally best-ing all over the place: they were Blender’s 2006 Band of the Year and made it to Rolling Stone’s annual album ranker at number 8. Critical acclaim blah blah blah. The big hit from the big album Boys... more ›

Wilco Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch) Recorded in Wilco's own Chicago studio, the album was recorded by TJ Doherty (the Hold Steady, Sonic Youth) and mixed by Jim Scott (the Rolling Stones, the Dixie Chicks), Sky Blue Sky finds Tweedy & Co. leaning closer to the down-home gritty side of their sound, all while bending glass with avant-jazz guitar hero Nels Cline. Full of guitars and electricity, songs like "Impossible Germany" highlight the relationship between... more ›

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.... more ›

Yes, the holidays are here. Not only does this mean Christmas-themed beers and colder weather, but it also heralds the ubiquitous radio station holiday concert. Tonight, it's 101X's turn, as they bring a triple bill of artists to the intimate room at Antone's. Headlining is New Jersey's Pete Yorn, a guy who obviously listens to lots of earnest stuff like Bruce Springsteen. Luckily for Pete, Bruce is this year's band to emulate, so songs... more ›

Badly Drawn Boy - Born In The UK (Astralwerks): If Talking Heads were last year's band to emulate, The Boss is certainly the sound of 2006. After seeing a great Springsteen record from The Hold Steady and a suspect one from The Killers, we now find Brit Damon Gough wrapping himself in the English flag and turning up the shiny, Human Touch-style production. Unfortunately, Badly Drawn Boy's main charm were his lo-fi early songs... more ›

Hey, did you hear that Google bought YouTube? No? Well, then go buy some records. Damien Jurado And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (Secretly Canadian) October's releases seem to be in touch with the temperature drop (however small) and shift of mood. Damien Jurado's latest offering is the perfect example: dark, sparing treatments on the decline of romance in the Midwest, a disagreement between friends in the back of a pickup truck, and... more ›

Grab onto something. Better yet, sit down. Are you ready for it? That's right, it's giveaway time again, ladies and gentlemen. The Hold Steady are playing at Emo's this Sunday with Sean Na Na and Zykos. Described by many as America's best bar band (don't hate, alliterate), the NYC based band is kicking out the thinking man's fist pumping jams behind their latest album "Boys and Girls in America". As lead singer Craig Finn... more ›

Fans of the indie-rock will find much to like in the latest concert update. Flying V lovers My Morning Jacket, the willfully obtuse Fiery Furnaces, and alt.country godfather Jay Farrar have each been added to Austin's fall music schedule. As we've mentioned, the sheer volume of shows is unprecedented, so get out and enjoy the fact that every band you like is coming to town in the next two months. Thanks as always to... more ›

As Elvis Costello might say, we just don't know where to begin. Even if you are skipping ACL, the fall is turning into a music wonderland. Acts of every genre and size are booking Austin's clubs up like there's no tomorrow, leaving music lovers with many questions on how to spend both time and cash this fall. Trust us, you can't see it all, so pick your favorites and buy tickets in advance to... more ›

Tomorrow night, we're helping out folks from PartyEnds.com, Green Potato Ventures, Sparrowhead, and Super!Alright! to throw one hell of a party over at Gallery Lombardi. Come and check out bands, video projections, art installations, and DJs while you enjoy complimentary beverages, courtesy of Austin's own Independence Brewery. The Lineup: The Lemurs [link] Cue [link] Tacks, the Boy Disaster [link] Economy [link] Stay Gold DJs [link] Luther at PartyEnds has also put together his first... more ›

[mp3] The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" [mp3] The Hold Steady - "The Swish" [link] The Plastic Constellations - "Iron City Jungles" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Endless Night" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Love's Small Song" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Lilacs" [mp3] Shearwater - "I Can't Wait" [mp3] Shearwater - "Whipping Boy" [full EP] Weird Weeds - "This Is Not What You Want (EP)" [mov] Nina Simone - "I Want A Little Sugar In... more ›

Our comprehensive theatre guide can be found here M O N D A Y [13][film] Ralph Nelson's "Tick…Tick…Tick" at Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Alamo Music Mondays presents "Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon" at Drafthouse Downtown (9:45pm) (link) [comedy] "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" at Drafthouse South Lamar (10:15pm) (link) [film] "Coachella" at Drafthouse Village (9:45pm) (link) T U E S D A Y [14] [party/music] The White Ghost Shivers Valentine's Day Ball at... more ›

On sale this weekend: [3/29] Death Cab For Cutie and Franz Ferdinand - Tomorrow at 11am (The Backyard) (tickets) [4/18] Neko Case - Tomorrow at 11am (La Zona Rosa) (tickets) [4/18] Lily Tomlin (The Paramount Theatre) (tickets) Tickets to see The Strokes and Eagles of Death Metal are totally sold out Did we miss something? Let us know! Upcoming shows include: [2/14] Voxtrot (Emo's) (tickets) [2/15] The Hold Steady and Swearing At Motorists (Emo's)... more ›

Tickets to see The Strokes and Eagles of Death Metal go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am (link), while pre-sale tickets for Dinosaur Jr's late March show are available now (link) Upcoming shows include: [2/09] Of Montreal (Emo's) (tickets) [2/14] Voxtrot (Emo's) (tickets) [2/15] The Hold Steady and Swearing At Motorists (Emo's) (tickets) [2/16] Dalek and Meat Beat Manifesto (The Parish Room) (tickets) [2/16-17] Cowboy Junkies (One World Theatre) [2/18] Nada Surf and Rogue... more ›

The Ponys – Celebration Castle Second release from this Chicago band that has more of their garage rock sound with some post-punk guitar thrown into the mix. (The Ponys play Emo’s this Friday along with Faceless Werewolves and Camp X-Ray) Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses Double disc that should have probably been edited down to one, it shows Adams moving back to his country-rock roots. Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness... more ›

With so many bands to see, how will you ever decide? We'll give you OUR approved list every day! 9pm Kaiser Chiefs at La Zona Rosa 10pm The French Kicks at Buffalo Billiards 11pm The Futureheads at La Zona Rosa 12am Hot Hot Heat at La Zona Rosa Nini Camps at Crowne Plaza Young Heart Attack at Momo's Bavu Blakes at The Vibe The Hold Steady at The Whiskey Bar 12:30am Fat Boy Slim at... more ›