The Hold Steady

Can The Hold Steady Win Over Middle America?
During the last five years, as a critically acclaimed rock band with indie-cred galore balancing family with life on the road, the Hold Steady has been inundated with change.

On "Stay Positive," due July 15 via Vagrant, the Brooklyn-based band confronts these issues not only by expanding its sonic repertoire but via frontman Craig Finn's insightful narratives.

Finn says the album is "by and large about growing older and being faced with adult choices and decisions," issues particularly evident on "One for the Cutters" and "Lord, I'm Discouraged." "I guess I felt like the end of your 20s—you become sick of going out, and being sick of going out all the time because you felt like you had to," he says.

Groundwork for the new songs was laid on the road last summer, but Finn knew a summer 2008 release was likely so he was able to refine the material over time. "It helped me a lot, to put a riff down and sing it to myself," he says. "It was good to get off the road and have a lot of ideas fleshed out."

Finn also took singing lessons, a decision he made in hopes of learning how to control his voice better. New instruments were added to the mix (harpsichord and talk box on "Joke About Jamaica"), resulting in an album that remains steeped in nods to classic rock radio, but fresh enough for longtime fans to see a progression.

"It all comes down to wanting to make things more musical. In some ways it involves playing a lot," Finn says of how the hundreds of gigs the band has played during the last two years increased the desire for added instrumentation.

The Hold Steady's Vagrant debut, 2006's "Boys and Girls in America," has sold more than 76,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and as such "Stay Positive" is one of the label's biggest priorities for the year.

For starters, Vagrant plans to up its push to commercial radio. "The band has a broad appeal," label GM Dan Gill says. "We're interested in tapping into middle America in that way. There's no reason why the NASCAR community would not be into this band. That could be something down the line."

A robust digital campaign is already in motion, with iTunes snagging a one-month prerelease exclusive on "Stay Positive" that started June 17. The band also taped an exclusive video track-by-track breakdown for imeem, as well as an AOL Interface session. Vagrant is also actively seeking licensing in videogames as well as on such sports networks as ESPN.

"It's a matter of taking the right steps to do it and being careful about it," Gill says of expanding the band's base.

The Hold Steady will return to the road this summer, playing clubs and festivals around the States and the United Kingdom, starting in late June and extending through August. (July 15, Vagrant)

—Michael D. Ayers