The Hold Steady "Spinners"

I love love love The Hold Steady, but, as always, programming the station isn't about what I like, it's about what fits the station's style and the listeners' expectations.

And this one is a little too rocking for us, I think.  Hopefully, when "Teeth Dreams" comes out, we'll find another track on the album that is a better fit for the station.

Meanwhile, this one fits ME just fine.

)
Hear the song on Youtube.

The Hold Steady "Killer Parties"

Attention songwriters!

There are Christmas songs about snow and snowmen.  About good presents and bad presents.  About Santa and Rudolph and all kinds of Christmas characters.  Songs about happy Christmases and sad Christmases.  Even songs about Christmas sandwiches.

But to my surprise, there are no songs (that I could find) about office Christmas parties gone wrong.

I mention this, because the mvyradio staff party was last night, and I was looking for a good hangover-office-Christmas-party tune.  And it doesn't seem to exist.

A good song often works because the theme is relate-able.

Well, this theme should resonate, as most of us have gone to a work party and either gotten too drunk, or watched someone in our office get too drunk.

So get on it, songwriters.  This could be your ticket.  Write the right song, and it will get played every December!

In the meantime, here's a song about a non-holiday-affiliated hangover.

"If she said we partied, then I'm pretty sure we partied.  I really don't remember."


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Hold Steady "Constructive Summer"

I've launched a variety of post features on this blog.

Some have been fruitful (Hello, "Let Me Ruin This Song For You"). 

Some have not (Goodbye "Random Ridiculous Songs That Have No Business Being Played In Public Again But I Heard In The Grocery Store Today").

I'm not sure how far I can go with this latest one, but, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome:

"Dismissive One Sentence Reviews By Friends."

Have you ever had a friend, co-worker, or family member say something critical of a song or band, and, from there forward, are never able to hear it/them, without hearing their slight?

My friend Martin has been good for several of these.

When I once suggested he listen to The Hold Steady, his two word review was "townie rock."

At first, I thought this was a shallow and dismissive view.

But upon further thought, it's actually a pretty succinct and accurate assessment. 

The Hold Steady's songs ARE pub ready.  And the characters in the lyrics ARE often like the guys and girls you went to high school with.

But where Martin was saying it as a slight, I think those characteristics are what I enjoy about The Hold Steady and songs like "Constructive Summer."


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Hold Steady "Sequestered In Memphis"

I had an interesting back-to-back concert experience. Nothing profound here, I just took note of the different approaches.

I went to see Wilco last week (yes, I seem to be going on, and on, and on about it).

In their nearly 90 minute regular set, they only played only one song that had ever been a radio single. And that was "I Might," their newest (and therefore, least familiar) single. Everything else was an album cut.

In contrast, I went to the Life Is Good Festival, and the one band I went out of my way to see, was The Hold Steady.

The Hold Steady opened the show with the beat poem/song "Positive Jam" and then launched into single after single after single.

I think they played every single off their last 3 albums ("Sequestered In Memphis," "Lord I'm Discouraged," "Hurricane J," "Stuck Between Stations"), filling the first half of their set. The effect was that every song was familiar to any mid-level fan. It was only later in the set that they dug a little deeper into their records.

I can only guess as to why each band approached their set list in such a way.

Wilco isn't really all about singles. They make some great ones, but they've really been an "album" band for a long time. Their singles are hooky, but the real power of Wilco is the artful noise and sonic dynamic the six guys on stage can make.

The Hold Steady, meanwhile, puts on a live show that seems designed to win you over by whipping you into a frenzy. They unload the magazine from the get-go, but have the power to keep up that pace even after delivering their hits.

Again, no agenda here. I just found it interesting.


Plus it gives me the chance to point out one of the funniest lyrics of the last several years, from "Sequestered In Memphis":

We didn't go back to her place.
We went to some place where she cat-sits

See the band on Letterman, on Youtube.

The Hold Steady "Hurricane J"

I wasn't crazy about my name, "PJ," when I was a kid.

For one thing, people would always get it wrong. BJ, AJ, etc.

They'd always try to guess what it stood for. "Picklebarrel Juicebar?" No.

And if I went to Disneyworld, there was never a bike license plate with "PJ" on it. Sure, my sisters Julie and Amy could easily find personalized Mickey Mouse ears or a pencil set bearing there name. But no such luck for PJ.

The Romper Room lady would always call out to my friends like Brian and Elizabeth and David and Christine, and every day I'd watch her look through that magic mirror and wait in vain for her to call my name.

And never, ever, in my forty-plus years, have I heard a song about PJ.

There are songs for Alison and Barbara and George and Jane, but never for PJ.

At least, as a DJ, I can pass on the love, when a song comes around with your name in it.

So to the several Jessie's I know (and I'll count you, Jess Phaneuf), here's a song with your name in it from The Hold Steady. Enjoy!



Buy the album, here

Songs featuring the names of people mentioned in this post:




And no, she still hasn't said my name