Since forming in 2002, Brooklyn-based indie rockers The Hold Steady have put forth eight studio albums, self-releasing their latest, Open Door Policy, through their own aptly-titled Positive Jams label, in partnership with entertainment company Thirty Tigers.
A career spanning nearly twenty years that encompasses eight records isn’t a lifespan most bands are able to experience let alone celebrate.
And as pandemic continues to wipe out the idea of traditional live performance, further upending artist business and income, The Hold Steady were forced to ponder whether it was even worth releasing an album, which was just about complete prior to the onset of COVID, during a period in which they’re still unable to tour in support of it.
“We played our last shows last March, almost a year ago, in London. We flew back like March 8th or 9th. When we landed, it felt like it was on as far as the pandemic,” explained frontman Craig Finn. “At that time, we were really close to finishing the record. I guess I thought, ‘Surely by the fall, we’ll be playing shows again!’ So we were kind of dragging our feet a little, and seeing when it would be possible to play shows with an audience. And obviously that still hasn’t really come. So, at some point, it was like, ‘Well, let’s put this out. It’s just not worth waiting for these mythical shows.’”
Finding their footing as a band, The Hold Steady’s rise took place alongside that of the internet as music’s primary method of distribution over the last two decades.
Online file sharing gave way to streaming and with it largely went the ability for an artist to monetize recorded music, with most identifying live performance as a way to engage fans and sell branded merchandise directly, leveraging new music as a way to promote each tour.
The key to success for The Hold Steady has lied in their ability to develop a rabid fanbase despite the occasional clutter of the online experience.
At a time when most groups have struggled to sell records, The Hold Steady moved nearly 100,000 copies of their fourth studio effort Stay Positive, which debuted in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 albums chart upon release in 2008, topping out at #30. Their next two albums charted even higher.
“I’m really thankful that we have a fanbase that cares to listen to album number eight. There’s absolutely no way we could do it were it not for them. These guys are as much responsible for this album as we are,” said guitarist Steve Selvidge. “This community is such a huge part of The Hold Steady story - the community that’s around the band,” Finn concurred.
Selvidge officially joined the group in 2011 following the departure of Franz Nicolay the year prior, the band doubling down on guitar after losing a keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist who had become a distinct part of some of their most commercially successful work.
Nicolay returned five years ago, rounding out a six piece version of the group that’s appeared now on the two most recent Hold Steady albums, the band hitting its stride on the new Open Door Policy, now available.
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