Hold Steady streaming new songs, Franz Nicolay keeping busy, playing in Against Me! (but not for their upcoming US tour)

by Andrew Frisicano

Ex-Hold Steady troubadour Franz Nicolay is currently on the West Coast prepping for a short tour that kicks off from there next week, but that won’t (hopefully) stop him from joining in via Skype on this month’s Bushwick Book Club at Goodbye Blue Monday on Tuesday, April 6th (tonight).

His other upcoming dates include NYC-area shows on April 23rd show at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, May 11th show at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park with Bomb The Music Industry, and a May 14th performance at the release party for Kate Rockland‘s debut novel Falling Is Like This, at Word Bookstore in Greenpoint, along with music writer Rob Sheffield.

He’s also set to play a May 21st edition of the weekly Small Beast series gone big at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. Ticket info for that is forthcoming, and the lineup should include Botanica, Barbez, Bee & Flower, Little Annie, Spottiswoode, Blasco and others.

This May and June Franz heads to Europe as a touring member of Florida punk rockers Against Me, who have a new album, White Crosses, out June 8th on Sire Records. Franz says, “Gonna be a touring Against Me for the summer. I have already prepared my beard and promise to give at least the recommended 35 percent.” For whatever reason, the band isn’t using Franz in the US though. They kick off a North American tour without him in April and play Asbury Park’s Stone Pony on April 29th. Tickets are on sale (Sweden’s Moneybrother is also on that bill and part of the tour). Against Me!’s new video for the song “Rapid Decompression” off the new record is below with all dates. The LP will be their second on Sire and their first since the departure of drummer Warren Oakes (replaced by Hot Water Music’s George Rebelo).

Meanwhile, Franz’s Hold Steady compatriots have been putting up tracks from their new album, Heaven Is Whenever, set to come out May 4th. The record’s piano and keyboard parts (which are right up front on some of the new tracks) are played by guitarist Tad Kubler. Three of those new ones are streaming on their Myspace.

As for Franz, he’s also released a book & other assorted projects, and soon, a new CD.

[After my tour], I’m starting work on my new full-length with producer Jim Keller, who’s worked with everyone from Franz Ferdinand to Willie Nelson to Mastodon. Unlike “Major General,” it’s all new songs, nothing from the vaults – and in case you’re curious what that means, I’ve posted demos for two of the songs, “Felix & Adelita” and “This Is Not A Pipe,” at myspace.com/franznicolay. Hope you like.

All Franz & Small Beast tour dates, and Hold Steady & Against Me album info are below..

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Franz Nicolay – 2010 Tour Dates
Apr 08 – HOUSE READING @ the home of Famous Author Mykle Hansen Portland OR.
Apr 10 – Music Millenium (INSTORE), Portland OR
Apr 10 – Cherry City Music Festival, Mission Hill Museum; Salem OR %
Apr 11 – Sunset Tavern, Seattle WA
Apr 12 – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR
Apr 14 – Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco CA *
Apr 15 – The Cellar Door, Visalia CA
Apr 16 – Bootleg, Los Angeles CA ^
Apr 17 – Home, Silverlake CA
Apr 23 – Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken NJ
May 11 – Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, New Jersey &
May 13 – WORD Bookstore, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY !
May 21 – Angel Orensanz Foundation (Small Beast Big Show) New York, NY
May 24 – 59 to 1; Munich Germany #
May 25 – Luxor; Koln Germany #
May 26 – Logo; Hamburg Germany #
May 27 – Festsaal Kreusberg; Berlin Germany #
May 29 – Slam Dunk Festival at U. of Hertfords; Hatfield UK #
May 30 – Slam Dunk Festival at U. of Leeds; Leeds UK #
May 31 – Slam Dunk Festival; Glasgow UK #
Jun 01 – Garage; London UK #
Jun 02 – Academy 3; Manchester UK #
Jun 03 – Academy 2; Birmingham UK #
Jun 13 – Bonnaroo; Manchester TN #
Aug 12 – Oya Festival, Oslo Norway #
Aug 15 – Ankkarock Festival, Ankkarock Finland #
% w/ Black Prairie (mem. of Decemberists)
* w/ Frank Turner
^ w/ Autolux
& w/ Bomb The Music Industry
! w/ Rob Sheffield, at the release party for Kate Rockland’s debut novel “Falling Is Like This”
# w/ Against Me!

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Against Me! – 2010 Tour Dates
4/16 Greenville, SC The Handlebar
4/17 Richmond, VA Alley Katz
4/18 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre
4/20 Newport, KY The Historic Southgate House
4/21 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
4/22 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
4/23 Toledo, OH Headliners
4/24 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
4/25 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
4/26 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
4/28 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
4/29 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
4/30 Farmingdale, NY Crazy Donkey
5/02 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel
5/04 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing Company
5/05 Omaha, NE Slowdown
5/06 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep
5/07 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
5/08 Henderson, NV Sunset Station Hotel & Casino
5/10 Lubbock, TX Jake’s
5/11 San Antonio, TX Scoutbar
5/24 Munich, Germany 59 to 1
5/25 Cologne, Germany Luxor
5/26 Hamburg, Germany Logo
5/27 Berlin, Germany Festsaal Kreuzberg
5/29 Hatfield, UK Slam Dunk @ Uni of Herts
5/30 Leeds, UK Slam Dunk Festival
5/31 Glasgow, Scotland Slam Dunk Festival
6/01 London, UK The Relentless Garage
6/02 Manchester, UK Academy 2 + 3
6/03 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy 2
6/13 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
8/12 Oslo, Norway Oya Festival
8/15 Ankkarock, Finland Ankkarock Festival

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Small Beast – 2010 Tour Dates (all at The Delancey
Apr 05 MARTIN BISI; JULIA FRODAHL (Edison Woods); BLACK SEA HOTEL; P. WALLFISCH solo
Apr 12 VALERIE KUEHNE; ANTON SWORD; HANNAH FAIRLIGHT; P.WALLFISCH solo
Apr 19 ERIN & HER ‘CELLO; DAVID NAGLER; THE ROOM; ELISA FLYNN; P.WALLFISCH solo
Apr 26 ROVAR17 (Budapest!); BAD REPUTATION; (Brassens Project); BULL THIEVES; P.WALLFISCH solo
May 03 AE; HONNE WELLS; P. WALLFISCH solo + more tba!
May 10 MARK McADAM; P. WALLFISCH solo + much more tba!
May 17 EMILY HOPE-PRICE; + much more tba…
May 21 BOTANICA; BARBEZ; BEE & FLOWER; LITTLE ANNIE; FRANZ NICOLAY; SPOTTISWOODE; BLASCO + much more #
# at ANGEL ORENSANZ FOUNDATION

Rapid Decompression – Against Me! (Official Video)

‘White Crosses’ tracklist
1. “White Crosses”
2. “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”
3. “Because of the Shame”
4. “Suffocation”
5. “We’re Breaking Up”
6. “High Pressure Low”
7. “Ache With Me”
8. “Spanish Moss”
9. “Rapid Decompression”
10. “Bamboo Bones”

‘Heaven Is Whenever tracklist
1. “The Sweet Part of the City”
2. “Soft in the Center”
3. “The Weekenders”
4. “The Smidge”
5. “Rock Problems”
6. “We Can Get Together”
7. “Hurricane J”
8. “Barely Breathing”
9. “Our Whole Lives”
10. “A Slight Discomfort”