Hold Steady tours, John Agnello muses on Stay Positive

Former Paste cover fellas The Hold Steady have been squirreled away for the better part of 2008 working on both their beards and their fourth full-length, Stay Positive, which will be swishing through the city centers starting July 15. But any fan of the band knows that these boys were born to run—and born to rock face in towns across the world. The onslaught of awesome begins today with the release of "Sequestered in Memphis," the first single from Stay Positive, the beginning of ticket sales for the just-announced summer U.S. tour and producer John Agnello's first blog post for Paste about Stay Positive's recording process.

Hold Steady lead singer/guitarist Craig Finn ended many of the shows on the band's '07 tour by saying, "There is so much joy in what we do up here," a sentiment shared by the rowdy crowds that hang on the populist preacher man's every word. To celebrate the eagerly-awaited tour announcement, we offer a primer for anyone heading out to see them for the first time:

• Even though the band promises that Stay Positive will have some "different instrumentation," The Hold Steady does not make complicated music. Folks call 'em a "bar band" for a reason—expect loud guitars, twinkling keys, steady drums and Finn's giddy, Bono-as-a-bespectacled-CPA shtick.
• Standing still with arms crossed is unacceptable, whereas yelling along is not only encouraged, it's practically required. Selected screamable songs to bone up on before the show: "Massive Nights," "Party Pit," "Your Little Hoodrat Friend," "Southtown Girls," "How a Resurrection Really Feels." (Prefer shredding air guitar? Try "The Swish.")
• Nothing at all against sobriety, but if you're setting aside one night per year to get blotto, blacked out, cracked out and/or caved in, odds are you won't regret making it coincide with a Hold Steady performance.
• Yes, keyboardist Franz Nicolay's handlebar moustache is real. And real amazing!
• "Sausage party" doesn't even begin to describe the ratio of boys to girls at a Hold Steady show. You can make him like you just by having two X-chromosomes and showing up.
• Don't wear anything you wouldn't want to get doused with sweat, beer or Finn's exuberant spittle.
• All that said, Hold Steady shows are really, really fun.

Did we leave anything out? Let us know! Meanwhile, after you've purchased tickets to the show nearest you (see below) and acquired the new single from your favorite online MP3 store, why don't you mosey on over here to read Agnello's first diary entry on the making of Stay Positive. It's dense, informative and funny. Basically, it's just like a Hold Steady song. This is also the first of a series that's completely exclusive to PasteMagazine.com, so enjoy and look forward to more soon! With no further blathering, here are those tour dates:

June
8 - Chula Vista, Calif. @ 94/9 Independence Jam
27 - Baltimore, Md. @ Ram's Head Live!
28 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Festival Pier (The Paul Green School Of Rock Festival)
29 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ McCarren Pool

July
6 - London @ O2 Wireless Festival
8 - Liverpool @ Liverpool Summer Pops
10 - Leeds @ The Irish Centre
11 - Newcastle @ Carling Academy 2
12 - Kinross, Scotland @ T In The Park
17 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom
18 - Pontiac, Mich. @ Crofoot Ballroom
19 - Chicago, Ill. @ Union Park (Pitchfork Festival)
21 - Madison, Wis. @ Majestic Theatre
22 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
23 - Fargo, N.D. @ Fargo Theatre
26 - Seattle, Wash. @ Capitol Hill Block Party
27 - Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
29 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Mezzanine
30 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Avalon

August
2 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre
3 - El Paso, Texas @ Club 101
5 - Dallas, Texas @ Palladium Ballroom
6 - Austin, Texas @ La Zona Rosa
8 - Oxford, Miss. @ Proud Larry's
9 - Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt
10 - Charleston, S.C. @ The Pour House
12 - Carrborro, N.C. @ Cat's Cradle
13 - Norfolk, Va. @ The Norva

Related links:
John Agnello's first Stay Positive blog post
TheHoldSteady.com
YouTube: The Clay Steady, "Stuck Between Stations"

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