Front page	From the Event Guide archive! This article refers to an event which took place on, or until, 27 February 2007 Music Interview – The Hold Steady Steady, Ready, Go! It was’ The Last Waltz’ that inspired Craig Finn to form The Hold Steady. He talks to Paul Byrne about living up to the blueprint. They both hail from New Jersey, and they’ve both made their name singing about blue collar heroes with big dreams, but there’s a world of difference between Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. The former is a singer/songwriter who encapsulates the spirit of rock’n’roll as both a means of nostalgic escapism and social realism. The latter are cocksucking corporate whores that deliver product. “I would hope we’re closer to the former,” laughs The Hold Steady’s founder and lead singer, Craig Finn, when I mention the above. “I think any band that tries to deal with everyday life in America is going to get compared to Springsteen, and that’s fine. Dylan’s good too. But we had The Band in mind when we first decided to get together.” Getting The Hold Steady together meant the demise of Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kubler’s former band Lifter Puller, who had managed to release three LPs and an EP before calling it a day in the summer of 2000. For Finn and Kubler, the key to their new direction was sitting down to watch The Last Waltz. The story goes that Finn turned to his buddy at the end and said, “Dude, why aren’t there bands like this anymore? Let’s do this from now on”. True, or PR? “Well, it’s not entirely true, but it’s not just PR either,” says Finn. “We had seen The Last Waltz, and we both felt that here was a way of making music that wasn’t tied to market research, or pie charts, or whatever. The Band just made these great songs that seemed older than the guys involved, and today, they sound like they’ve been around forever. We just felt we should be aiming for that same kind of approach.” The Hold Steady’s first album, ‘Almost Killed Me’, scored more with the critics than the public, but by the time ‘Separation Sunday’ came out on May 3rd, 2005, the band found themselves gracing the cover of New York’s Village Voice. They were the first band to do so in 15 years. And the accolades just keep on growing. The latest album, ‘Boys And Girls In America’, hit the no.8 spot on Rolling Stone Magazine’s best albums of 2006, and no.1 by the Onion A.V. Club. Those hip rascals at pitchfork.com said of the band’s lead singer, “Craig Finn not only has a commanding, rousing voice, but he also says something worth hearing, displaying gifts for both scope and depth that are all too rare in contemporary rock, indie or mainstream”. “Wow, that’s a mouthful,” says the man himself, “but it’s all good, so I ain’t complaining. We’ve always been blessed with a solid falling amongst critics, but it’s live where we really shine. I think we’ve captured some of that with the latest album, but onstage is where we feel we really belong.” And what about saying “something worth hearing”? “It goes without saying that every artist should be saying something,” says Finn. “Even if it’s only how his heart is broken, or how he just can’t get his life together. It doesn’t have to be about the end of the world, but if there’s a truth in there, real emotions, then you can connect with people. And you can hopefully pass something on, a shared experience, maybe even a slither of wisdom.” It was Finn who said two years ago, “We’re definitely doing well with the people who listen to 100 records a year. We haven’t crossed over to the people who listen to four”. Has that changed now, given the success of ‘Boys And Girls In America’? “There’s definitely been an upswing. On this side of the Atlantic, the album’s been popping up on loads of recommended lists, which is great. It’s like a groundswell, and that’s what every band dreams of. That sort of success is real. It’s not like your record company just spent five million to have your face on every bus, on every billboard. People are liking the record, and they’re telling other people.” So, given that Finn and Kubler have come up with the perfect formula for their band of and for working class heroes, how come their previous incarnation, Lifter Puller, didn’t survive. “We had a lot of success with Lifter Puller,” offers Finn, “but it just came to a natural end. There was a certain sound there, a certain approach, and I think we did what we did pretty darn well. It just wasn’t our time. “The funny thing is, Lifter Puller are doing great now, probably better than when we were together. There’s something that little bit cooler about following a band who no longer exist. They can’t go and embarrass you by releasing a really bad record.” The Hold Steady play the Music Centre, on Dublin’s Curved Street, in Temple Bar, on Tuesday 27th February. 8pm. €17.50. www.theholdsteady.com / www.mcd.ie / www.tbmc.ie / www.ticketmaster.ie