mjpuczko Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Personally, I think Stay Positive is their weakest, and that's largely due to the overwhelming presence of the keyboards. totally agree. the keyboards on that album are so obnoxious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 He was on everything but Almost Killed Me, easily their weakest album. Listen to Separation Sunday, Boys and Girls, and Stay Positive, and imagine all of those songs without keyboards. nope. Almost Killed Me is damn near their best record.Stay Positive is their without question their weakest album. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 To say the Hold Steady can survive without a majorly kickass keyboardist like Franz is blasphemy. And that man did kick ass. A LOT of ass. He gave meaning to the term "rock keyboardist". His parts were pure joy: "Sequestered in Memphis", "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night", "Chips Ahoy", "Stuck Between Stations", "First Night", "The Swish", "Slapped Actress", the list goes on. I can't put it in words how much this guy inspired me. From his chops, to his look, to his stage presence, he was what The Hold Steady is all about - creating pure joy out of thin air. His quote in the A Positive Rage DVD said it all. To paraphrase, it was something along the lines of, "With music I can communicate with these people (the audience) in ways I cant otherwise communicate with them ... that I want to know what they're about, that I'm interested in their lives, etc. Music allows me to that" Franz leaving is a major, major, major blow to everything we love about The Hold Steady. Next to Finn, I see him as the most irreplaceable guy in that band.did you ever see them without him? granted i only saw them without him 3-4x vs. 10+ with, but they were much more of a rock/punk band prior to him joining, which i prefer (as i prefer Lifter Puller too) his stage presence was fun sometimes, but annoying often as well. he often tried to steal the spotlight from Craig and the rest of the band.nice enough guy, but Matt's right, i won't miss his backup vocals whatsoever (have you listened to his Major General record? **) Tad is much more irreplaceable than Franz. Personally, I think Stay Positive is their weakest, and that's largely due to the overwhelming presence of the keyboards. totally agree. the keyboards on that album are so obnoxious. AGREED. i love maybe 3-4 songs total on that album. the Harpsichord on 'One For The Cutters' made me cringe it was so bad. i came to love a few songs live after a while, but overall i'm hoping for much more w/ this new album. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I see this as the equivalent of the Red Sox dropping a game to the Mariners in late April. Sure I was hoping they'd win, but far from devastating. Also agree with the love for Almost Killed Me. Outstanding rock album. They lost me a bit with Stay Positive. Very average record. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I can't say I'm upset by this. In fact, this guy was the main reason I could never profess my total love for these guys. He just looked and sounded like he should have been in a Sha Na Na tribute band. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I can't say I'm upset by this. In fact, this guy was the main reason I could never profess my total love for these guys. He just looked and sounded like he should have been in a Sha Na Na tribute band. and you're certainly not alone in that... a few of my friends used to really dig THS (and were longtime/hard core LFTR PLLR fans), but once Franz joined they lost a ton of interest in seeing them live. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 He certainly upped the "nerd factor." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blombekr Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 did you ever see them without him? granted i only saw them without him 3-4x vs. 10+ with, but they were much more of a rock/punk band prior to him joining, which i prefer (as i prefer Lifter Puller too) his stage presence was fun sometimes, but annoying often as well. he often tried to steal the spotlight from Craig and the rest of the band.nice enough guy, but Matt's right, i won't miss his backup vocals whatsoever (have you listened to his Major General record? **) Tad is much more irreplaceable than Franz. I have not seen them sans Franz. But it's not about Almost Killed Me vs. Stay Positive, and we're talking about The Hold Steady, not Lifter Puller. The bulk of THS's work featured large contributions from Franz on keys and vocals. If you see them live now, they play only three Almost Killed Me songs on a regular basis. Franz was integral in making 3 out of the 4 THS albums, and those 3 out of the 4 THS albums make up the large majority of THS shows today, so by the transitive property, Franz was an integral part of what THS is today. How did he try to steal the spotlight? You make it sound like he'd take out a trumpet during Craig's vocals in "Lord I'm Discouraged" and start soloing. Just because the guy looked happy and got into it onstage, doesn't mean he has an agenda. I haven't listened to Major General record, but I was never a huge fan of his vocals anyways, so I'll stay away. His "woah"ing is undeniable though. Tad is a douche. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Tad's a douche?that's news to me. what, did he not sign your Fender Squire strat you brought out after the show or what? as for Almost Killed Me songs live, maybe they play a lot more in Minnesota than usual? idk. they consistently play a 3-4 per show here. i guess i can understand how someone might have found Franz a totally integral part of THS if they never saw them without him or prefer the songs where he plays keys/sings backu, i just however am not one of those people is all i guess. different strokes as they say. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blombekr Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 No he signed it, it's just the handwriting wasn't legible. Different strokes indeed. Plus, I'm Franz's father. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 He certainly upped the "nerd factor." nerds can rock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 nerds can rock.As you well know, I was at that show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tugmoose Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Being a Wilco fan means not being put off by occasional lineup changes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I liked Franz fine but didn't like the keyboard player standing up front. What in the fuck is with all the nastiness towards Stay Positive though? With the exception of 2 or 3 songs, I love that album. Am I broken? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 it's not BAD by any means, but it has 3-4 songs i don't care for too much and only 1-2 song i'd put in my top 15-20 THS songs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cre618 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Hearing rumors of a tour and record in April. Let's hope that's true! We can settle this Franz vs. no Franz debate soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 but i could not stand his voice/backup vocals. I agree. The few times I have seen them play live, on tv admittedly, his backing vocals were bloody awful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Some new tour dates announced today. A lot of really small venues, which will be fun: 04-02 Ardsley, NY - LIFE 04-03 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place 04-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street 04-07 Albany, NY - Linda Norris Auditorium 04-08 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater 04-09 Jermyn, PA - Eleanor Rigby's 04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater 04-12 Rochester, NY - The Club at Water Street Music Hall 04-13 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom 04-14 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Club Lounge 04-15 Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St. 04-16 Harrisburg, PA - Appalachian Brewing Company I'm hoping to catch them in Jermyn (my dad's one-stoplight hometown!) or Harrisburg. Syracuse would've been so much easier except that I'll be in Philly for Wilco that night Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Oh shit - they will blow the roof off the Bearsville Theater. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Some new tour dates announced today. A lot of really small venues, which will be fun: 04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Westcott TheaterSince I seem to no longer be getting mail from THS, you are officially my new best friend. THANKS!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I can't believe I managed to miss both of their Ithaca shows last year, considering neither would've been more than a 10-minute drive The Westcott would be a no-brainer for me if I were going to be home that weekend. Have you been there yet? I haven't, and I'm interested to hear more about it. I don't know how far from here you are from Ithaca, but we're getting some pretty good shows in the next few months, mostly because of Dan Smalls. I'm planning to see the Avett Brothers and Deer Tick at the very least. Cornell is bringing in the Flaming Lips in April, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I find it incredibly weird that they're playing in Ardsley, NY, which is a little town in Westchester County (northern NYC suburbs). I've never heard of LIFE. It's probably like a storefront or something. Really wish I could make it, but I've got another engagement in Montclair, NJ, that night. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 The specs for the club in Jermyn say it holds 600-800 people, and I know the Westcott and the bar in Harrisburg are both really small, too. Between work and other travel plans, it's not looking good I'm going to be able to catch them this time around, though Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Since Franz Nicolay has left the band, it's looking like the rationale for the small clubs in close proximity to NYC may be to break in a new keyboard player. Or not. I'm in for Syracuse. I've never been to the Westcott (or any other venue in Syracuse for that matter). But for anybody planning a trip, I got the Renaissance Hotel for $57 plus taxes on Priceline. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ViaVancouver Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I love the Hold Steady albums but have not enjoyed either time I've seen them. i get used to the timing and delivery of the studio version and then get pissed at the drunken chaos that takes place on stage. Caught the tour with DBT, never heard the Truckers before, but I won't miss them again. They opened, they killed it, I loved'em. After the truckers, I kind of got bored with THS, and I'm a fan whose seen them before. I was just overwhelmed by the truckers, they nailed it for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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