(photo courtesy of Rahav Segev for The New York Times)Hood recently spoke about this on his blog citing his top 5 The Hold Steady Songs:
HS PRESS: Vagrant / NPR / Blender
MP3/Download: Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
MP3/Download: Drive-By Truckers - Zip City
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hold Steady / Drive-By Truckers
Crystal Ballroom
8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show | $20 advance, $22/door
1. CHILLOUT TENT - This is the song the made me first fall in love with the band. If "Let There Be Rock" was my snapshot of going to The Rock Show back when I was a teenager, it could be argued that this one is theirs. At any rate, it tells a great story with both humor and pathos and like so many of their songs is cinematic as hell. I also love the irreverent reinvention of the sappy Greece "Summer Lovin'" scene into a classic slab of pop-culture revision that somehow manages to be both ironically detached and humanistically warm. A rare feat in modern culture, especially from a Rock and Roll Band.
One of my favorite songs of the decade.
2. LORD I'M DISCOURAGED - My favorite song on the new album and probably my favorite song so far this year. Also cinematic as hell (boy, it's hard not to use that phrase in describing this band). This song plays out like a five minute movie with humor and drama. Even a twist at the end. A beautiful piece of work with an absolutely bitchin' guitar solo to boot.
3. YOUR LITTLE HOODRAT FRIEND (click to listen)- This one plays out more like better version of classic era alternative rock (boy that's a funny concept in its own rite) turbo charged and taken up about ten notches in the writing department. Damn, they write great Rock and Roll songs. This song is truly hilarious from start to finish (getting even better as it builds up to the punch line) and it Rocks like pure hellfire. Many of my favorite songs ever written are structured like a well told joke that builds to the payoff punch line at the end. This one does that about as well as any song I could name.
4. STEVE NICKS - I may be totally full of shit, but this one hits me like some kind of deconstructed Springsteen song (especially when it starts coming unhinged toward the end) and I mean this in the absolute best of ways. Listening to THS, I always got the feeling that they were trying to build their idea of an ultimate Rock and Roll Band, taking elements they all loved from their favorites growing up and reconstituting them on their own terms to build their version of the perfect beast. All of my favorite bands through the years seemed to take this approach; including The Clash and yes, Bruce Springsteen (and yes, Drive-By Truckers) and to me few have ever nailed the concept any better than The Hold Steady.
5. STAY POSITIVE - (click to listen) Here we have a great song that references it's own catchiness in the second verse ("The singalong songs will be our scriptures") immediately followed by the most amazingly unshakable singalong chorus of the last decade and a half. This song is a monster hit single waiting to happen and if there was any justice (or half decent radio) it would be blasting from every car stereo in America.
One of my favorite songs of the decade.
2. LORD I'M DISCOURAGED - My favorite song on the new album and probably my favorite song so far this year. Also cinematic as hell (boy, it's hard not to use that phrase in describing this band). This song plays out like a five minute movie with humor and drama. Even a twist at the end. A beautiful piece of work with an absolutely bitchin' guitar solo to boot.
3. YOUR LITTLE HOODRAT FRIEND (click to listen)- This one plays out more like better version of classic era alternative rock (boy that's a funny concept in its own rite) turbo charged and taken up about ten notches in the writing department. Damn, they write great Rock and Roll songs. This song is truly hilarious from start to finish (getting even better as it builds up to the punch line) and it Rocks like pure hellfire. Many of my favorite songs ever written are structured like a well told joke that builds to the payoff punch line at the end. This one does that about as well as any song I could name.
4. STEVE NICKS - I may be totally full of shit, but this one hits me like some kind of deconstructed Springsteen song (especially when it starts coming unhinged toward the end) and I mean this in the absolute best of ways. Listening to THS, I always got the feeling that they were trying to build their idea of an ultimate Rock and Roll Band, taking elements they all loved from their favorites growing up and reconstituting them on their own terms to build their version of the perfect beast. All of my favorite bands through the years seemed to take this approach; including The Clash and yes, Bruce Springsteen (and yes, Drive-By Truckers) and to me few have ever nailed the concept any better than The Hold Steady.
5. STAY POSITIVE - (click to listen) Here we have a great song that references it's own catchiness in the second verse ("The singalong songs will be our scriptures") immediately followed by the most amazingly unshakable singalong chorus of the last decade and a half. This song is a monster hit single waiting to happen and if there was any justice (or half decent radio) it would be blasting from every car stereo in America.
The only disappointing aspect of tomorrow's show at the Crystal Ballroom is that our secondary market was only relegated one night while most other cities get a two night stand with each band getting a chance to close. Sources tell us that The Hold Steady will close the Portland show. Nonetheless we are excited for this show and expect to get our faces rocked tomorrow night.
HS PRESS: Vagrant / NPR / Blender
MP3/Download: Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
MP3/Download: Drive-By Truckers - Zip City
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hold Steady / Drive-By Truckers
Crystal Ballroom
8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show | $20 advance, $22/door
REMEMBER THIS IS A CO-HEADLINE GET THERE EARLY!



















