The Hold Steady, lauded for the scope, depth, truth and heart they bring to chronicling the American rock myth, recently put the finishing touches on ‘Heaven Is Whenever,’ their new album set for release May 4 on Vagrant Records. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s ‘Almost Killed Me’ and produced ‘Separation Sunday,’ and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY, with mixing also happening at Wild Arctic.
Singer Craig Finn says ’Heaven Is Whenever’ is about “embracing suffering and understanding its place in a joyful life. The lyrics speak a lot about struggle and reward.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler. “I really believe the album exposes new elements of the band that we hinted at on other records but weren’t able to fully realize until this one,” says Kubler. “Rather than just concentrate on changes in the instrumentation, we made changes to the song writing process.”
Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. There was also a makeshift recording booth set up on the back of their tour bus so songs and musical ideas could be documented as they developed. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”
Following the release of 2008’s critically acclaimed ‘Stay Positive,’ which gave the band it’s highest Billboard chart position to date, The Hold Steady toured relentlessly, playing to some of their biggest audiences to date.
The Hold Steady is: Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Bobby Drake
‘Heaven Is Whenever’ tracklisting:
1. The Sweet Part of the City
2. Soft in the Center
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort
The Hold Steady Confirmed Spring Tour Dates
Fri April 2 Ardsley, NY LIFE the place to be
Sat Apr 3 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Mon Apr 5 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Tue Apr 6 Northampton, MA Pearl Street
Wed Apr 7 Albany, NY Linda Norris Auditorium
Thu Apr 8 Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater
Fri Apr 9 Jermyn, PA Eleanor Rigby's
Sat Apr 10 Syracuse, NY The Westcott Theater
Mon Apr 12 Rochester, NY The Club at Water Street Music Hall
Tue Apr 13 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
Wed Apr 14 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel Club Lounge
Thu Apr 15 Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant St.
Fri Apr 16 Harrisburg, PA Appalachian Brewing Company
Wed May 5 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
Thu May 6 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Sat May 29 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
Sat Jun 12 Newport, UK Isle of Wright Festival
Mon Jun 14 Paris, FR Fleche D’Or
Mon Jun 21 Amsterdam, NL Melkeg
Tue Jun 22 London, UK HMV Forum
Sat Jun 26 Manchester, UK Academy 2
‘Heaven Is Whenever’ will be available in the UK and EU on May 3 on Rough Trade Records.
http://theholdsteady.net/
No comments:
Post a Comment