Ffm 2009

The Hold Steady’s songs explore the struggles of ripping highs and exquisite, sketchy lows of clever kids, townies and a host of apocryphal characters in their hungry—and often violent—search for grace, their fatal flaws and dubious virtues given equal spiritual weight. An ornate thread of mysticism shoots through lyricist Craig Finn’s narrative as God is revealed to punks and skaters through frightening visions and bold transfigurations.