Frontman Craig Finn discusses new disc, favorite parts of touring
Craig Finn can’t wait to be back in Columbia.
The Hold Steady frontman couldn’t remember the last time his band was in South Carolina’s capital city, but the group will be returning this weekend as a headliner at the Jam Room Music Festival.
The festival, which will be held from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday on Main Street, features local, regional and national acts. Admission to the day of concerts is free, which adds a different dimension for both the performers and the audience.
“It takes a lot of the pressure off,” Finn said. “You can probably reach some new people that might not go if there was some barrier of some cost.”
The Hold Steady is currently at work on a new album and will begin recording this month.
“We’re, like, right on the verge of going into the studio,” Finn said.
Since recording the previous album, the Hold Steady has added a new guitarist and stopped playing with a keyboard player, which changes the group’s sound a bit.
“It might be a little more guitar-oriented,” Finn said.
As far as inspiration goes, the singer said the new material draws on personal experiences.
“It’s [about] another year of being human, another few years,” Finn said. “We’re all growing as people, and we’re growing artistically as well.”
While the Hold Steady has been together for nearly a decade, the band’s core genre hasn’t changed much through the years.
“When people ask me, I just say rock ‘n’ roll,” Finn said. “I think what we do is very timeless ... We’ve been around a lot longer than most bands; we’ve been together nine years.”
Finn also released a solo album, titled “Clear Heart Full Eyes,” earlier this year and said recording it gave him the opportunity to show off a different side as a performer.
“It was nice to be able to flex both muscles,” Finn said.
The sound on the solo album is much different from the Hold Steady’s music.
“This whole album was a lot quieter,” Finn said. “The subject matter was more intimate and personal.”
But Finn doesn’t plan on going solo full-time any time soon, as he enjoys playing with the band.
“I really love the celebratory nature of the whole stage shows as well as the camaraderie and the friendships we’ve built over the past nine years,” he said.
The frontman enjoys touring because it gives him a chance to explore new places and stroll the streets.
“I just love getting somewhere I don’t know and just walking around,” Finn said. “I get a lot of inspiration just walking through somewhere.”
Finn’s favorite song to perform with the Hold Steady is “Stuck Between Stations” because it usually gets the audience excited.
“It’s a crowd favorite,” Finn said. “It’s always a nice moment in every show.”
In addition to playing fan favorites, the Hold Steady plans to debut a few tracks that have never been heard before at Saturday’s Columbia show.
“I think there will be some new material,” Finn said. “We’ll probably play a new song or two or three.”
The band will play on the festival’s Main Street stage at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. To learn more about the festival, visit jamroommusicfestival.com.