Minneapolis Bar Band Blows Brooklyn Away

The Hold Steady; The Big Sleep; The Teenage Prayers
@ Prospect Park Band Shell
Brooklyn, NY - August 9, 2007

Craig Finn is a guy who likes to sing about hoodrats, getting high, bars, parties, Minneapolis, and the Mississippi River. And yet somehow this gets interpreted as being highly literary, as if Colin Meloy of the Decemberists isn't the only literary-minded singer-songwriter with a jarringly off-kilter voice who fronts a very accomplished set of musicians. How literary (last time I use the word, promise) Finn is, is up for debate. But the stories he weaves are compelling. And even more compelling are his frontman antics. And just as compelling are the exuberant antics of his band (particularly the keyboardist whose name I didn't know until recently, and as I am unsatisfied with the name Franz Nicolay, I shall rename him Giuseppe McSorley). And even more compelling than that is the combined joy of the band with the quality of the songs that they play. Put it all together and you have one of the greatest bands in America. I can't recall the last time a bar band was so good and achieved such success.
As soon as the Hold Steady began to climb, the backlash began. But as with most things, I'm about a year to two years behind schedule, so as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most perfect things out there right now. And everyone knows it, really. Especially those young hooligans known as the Rolling Stones who are having the Hold Steady open up for them next week in Dublin.
Oh, and for all the months (and for some, years) of "they sound like Springsteen!, they sound like Springsteen!", what I wouldn't give to hear these guys belt out "Bastards of Young". Minneapolis ties and all that.
Photos from Dfactor, via Waved Rumor

The Big Sleep have a fitting name. They would have entirely crossed over into snoozeville if it wasn't for their obvious talent-in-waiting. The Big Sleep, unless they were stymied by sound problems, have down all the basics for great rhythms, great backbeats, great songs - but then they don't do anything with it. Where are the melodies? Where are the vocals? What exactly are they trying to do?
I only caught the last couple songs of the Teenage Prayers and I wasn't paying much attention but what I heard wasn't too bad.