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Hold Steady tour dates (Irving Plaza, SXSW) & a documentary

A Positive Rage

Vagrant Records and The Hold Steady announce an April 7 release date for A Positive Rage, a double disc package featuring a documentary on DVD and their first-ever live album. The set will be released on April 6 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe.

A Positive Rage captures the excitement and high spirits of both the band and their fans in the days surrounding the release of their third full-length, Boys and Girls in America, (Vagrant) and ensuing world tour in 2006.

The 53-minute documentary begins with The Hold Steady’s first ever London performances with never-before-seen live footage, back stage interviews with the band members, fan commentary and the original, raw audio. Cameras follow the band as they return to the US for a 24-date tour that culminates on screen with an especially poignant performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

The live album was recorded on October 31, 2007 and includes seventeen songs that Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Franz Nicolay, and Bobby Drake performed on the second of their two-night sold-out stand at the Metro in Chicago. The enhanced album will also feature five bonus studio tracks: “Ask Her For Adderall,” “Cheyenne Sunrise,” “Two Handed Handshake,” and the previously unreleased tracks “Spectres” and “40 Bucks.”

The booklet features personal photos and the band’s memories of the tour, including this excerpt from Craig Finn… “It ended up being a fantastic suburban blow out with band and audience on the floor, Frisbee and tailgating in the adjoining parking lot, and everyone singing along to every song…. It reminded me of the hardcore shows I loved as a kid, everyone sweating and screaming together in a rented hall. And drinking in the parking lot, of course. The next night worlds converged…. “

The Hold Steady, in addition to appearing at SXSW in mid-March, will kick off their late-March-into-April tour at Irving Plaza in NYC on March 30th. $25.00 tickets to the “WRXP Anniverary Show” will go on sale Friday February 20th at 10AM via LiveNation.com. Openers TBA.

In related Vagrant news, they just announced that they signed the UK’s Olivia Broadfield. “I have been blown away by how well things have been going for me over the past year and signing with Vagrant is quite simply the cherry on top,” said Broadfield. “I am so excited to be working with Vagrant, they have shown such faith and belief in me as an artist and I know that my album will be in good hands. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get this far and I can’t wait to take things to the next level with Vagrant by my side.”

In related Hold Steady news, the band covered Bruce Springsteen‘s “Atlantic City” for the new “War Child Heroes” charity comp. “A Postive Rage” tracklist, and all tour dates, below…

A Positive Rage track listing:
1. Intro
2. Stuck Between Stations
3. The Swish
4. Chips Ahoy!
5. Massive Nights
6. Ask Her For Adderall
7. Barfruit Blues
8. Same Kooks
9. You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)
10. Lord, I’m Discouraged
11. You Can Make Him Like You
12. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
13. Southtown Girls
14. Citrus
15. First Night
16. Girls Like Status
17. Killer Parities

The Hold Steady – 2009 Tour Dates
Mar 18-21 – SXSW, Austin, TX
Mar 30 – The Fillmore New York At Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Mar 31 – Valentine’s Albany, NY
Apr 1 – Tralf Music Hall Buffalo, NY
Apr 2 – Calvin College Fine Arts Center Grand Rapids, MI
Apr 3 – Illini Courtyard Cafe Urbana, IL
Apr 4 – Jake’s Nightclub Bloomington, IN
Apr 6 – Gargoyle St. Louis, MO
Apr 7 – The Picador Iowa City, IA
Apr 8 – Slowdown Omaha, NE
Apr 10 – Fox Theatre Boulder, CO
Apr 11 – The Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 13 – Beauty Bar Las Vegas, NV
Apr 14 – Harrah’s Tahoe South Shore Room Stateline, NV
Apr 15 – Harlow’s Sacramento, CA
Apr 17 – Coachella Indio, CA
May 10 – SECC (supporting Counting Crows) Glasgow, UK
May 11 – Manchester Evening News Arena (supporting Counting Crows) Manchester, UK
May 13 – NIA (supporting Counting Crows) Birmingham, UK
May 14 – Wembley Arena (supporting Counting Crows) London, UK
May 16 – Cardiff Arena (supporting Counting Crows) Cardiff, UK
May 18 – BIC (supporting Counting Crows) Bournemouth, UK
May 19 – Royal Centre (supporting Counting Crows) Nottingham, UK
May 21 – Academy (supporting Counting Crows) Brixton, UK
May 30 – Mountain Jam Hunter Mountain, NY