The Hold Steady :: More Pix from Charleston, SC Show

All the pix I took at the Hold Steady show (minus the crappy ones) are up on Flickr right now. Follow this link.

Live Review :: The Hold Steady, Charleston, SC

The heat is nothing new here in coastal, sunny Charleston. But every band that has never come to the edge of South Carolina is always stunned by it's presence. "I think we're halfway through the hottest show we've ever played," singer/guitarist Craig Finn. But that didn't stop Finn and company from taking us all to rock church for a sweaty, fist-pumping service at The Pour House.

But before The Hold Steady ambled out, the crowd got their warm-up from Philadelphia's The Loved Ones. "Let's all pretend, just pretend, that we don't have to go to work tomorrow," Dave Hause pleaded with the crowd. They finally won everybody over by the time their set ended, but it took some effort. Opening for The Hold Steady is not easy feat, I'm sure. But the quintet (joined by Hause's sister Missy on keyboards) finally broke through with their Less Than Jake-meets-Against Me! brand of punk. (The group is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords.) By the time they were joined onstage by Tad Kubler and Franz Nicolay (who wins a dual award for "Best Rock Mustache" and "Most Unlikely Member of a Rock Band") for their closer, it was too much for folks to handle: The Hold Steady were mere feet away.

Honest to God, I could have left after the first four songs: "Constructive Summer," "Chips Ahoy!," "Sequestered In Memphis," and "You Can Make Him Like You." I defy you to tell me that's not rock's biggest wet dream. But I stuck around for most of the new album (including my personal favorite, "Slapped Actress" the closer before the encore) and some back-catalog numbers (never heard "Milkcrate Mosh," and it seemed a little too literary for the party crowd).

Finn looks like a manic preacher who genuinely enjoys his job; converting all the non-believers to his own brand of positivity. And while there's only so many songs about hoodrats, drugs, hardcore sing-alongs, and bars, Finn sells it like this is the only life there is. And as I left the club last night, sweat-drenched and dizzy, I thought that The Hold Steady might just be the only rock band left on the scene worth talking about. And I'm glad that I'll go to my grave believing in what they have to offer.

Charleston :: Weekend Concerts

If you're going to be in sunny, hot-as-hell Charleston this weekend, the weekend is looking like a good one for live shows.

• Friday, August 8, you're on your own...though I suppose you could go to the Music Farm to see Mike Gordon, bassist for Phish. If that's what you're into.

• Saturday, August 9, Richard Lloyd and the SufiMonkey Trio will be playing at A Dough Re Mi. Lloyd and drummer Billy Ficca were 1/2 of Television. The City Paper has an interview and article on the band here.

• Sunday, August 10, The Hold Steady + The Loved Ones are at the Pour House. I don't need to say any more. The City Paper has an interview and article on the band here.

I'm out for Friday and Saturday, but I'll be out Sunday with my rock shoes on.

Eat the Hype

Saw The Dark Knight yesterday and the jury's still out on it for me. Heath Ledger as The Joker was phenomenal, but the plot was just kind of so-so. I'll probably enjoy it more after it stews in my brain for a few days.

Some other items that are worth the hype but only after many listens:

Centro-matic, Dual Hawks

Not as great as Fort Recovery, but another masterpiece from one of the best bands in America. Yep. Believe it.

The Hold Steady, Stay Positive

They could've stuck with their same-old formula, but they proved they can refine it and still rock like balls.

Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Stark and frighteningly spare. Like listening to ghosts in an abandoned house.

Incidentally, all three of these albums are available for download at eMusic. Get them now.

Maybe this is what I have in store for me at The Hold Steady show at the Pour House in two weeks. God I hope so.

Almost Killed Me

Monday morning is gonna land on your head like a ton of bricks. At least it did for me. Here's some help procrastinating at work:

• Salon reviews The Hold Steady's "Stay Positive"
• Muzzle of Bees talks to Centro-matic's Will Johnson about "Dual Hawks"
• Charleston City Paper has a live review of Modest Mouse at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach
• You Ain't No Picasso interviews Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes
• The Onion asks the tough questions

...and my iTunes library just took me from Thelonious Monk Quartet to Third Eye Blind...I am currently attempting to adjust.

You Can Make Him Like You

Sweet zombie Jesus, The Hold Steady have lined up a date at Charleston's Pour House on August 10. The Loved Ones open the show.

Also at the lovely Pour House on July 25th, an evening with Jason Isbell. Two sets, no opener. That's what I'm talking about.

Built to Spill are taking "Perfect From Now On" on the road for a Summer/Fall tour. I would much prefer a "Keep It Like a Secret" tour, but I'll take what I can get to see Built to Spill before I die. (They are nowhere near the Southeast--unless you count VA, and really who does--so roadtrip people.)

I'll be at the Village Tavern this tomorrow night for The Helio Sequence and The Explorer's Club. Apparently those boys from The Explorer's Club are blowing up. Nice job, boys. Represent Chucktown, ya hear?

(Those boys need some sunlight, stat.)

mp3: The Hold Steady: "Sequestered in Memphis" (Thanks, I Guess I'm Floating)
mp3: The Helio Sequence: "Can't Say No" One of my favorite tracks of the past month. (Thanks, Sub Pop)