Fans of Brooklyn-based band The Hold Steady have been mourning the departure of multi-instrumentalist and composer Franz Nicolay since he left the band in 2010. The mustachioed musician was an exuberant presence onstage and his piano playing was a cornerstone of The Hold Steady’s Bruce Springsteen meets punk rock sound. Nicolay’s mark was made on two of the band’s most acclaimed albums, 2006’s Boys and Girls In America and 2008’s Stay Positive. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Boys and Girls In America, which featured classics and live staples like “Stuck Between Stations”, “Massive Nights” and “Southtown Girls”, and from the looks of it the band will be celebrating. Though the band has been hinting at something special in the works with a series of cryptic Facebook posts over the last couple of weeks, this morning they dropped some exciting news that many die-hard fans of The Hold Steady never expected to hear with the following Facebook post:
Hey Everyone!
Our Boys & Girls in America album turns 10 this year and we are very excited!
We will be playing a limited number of live shows this fall to celebrate. Our old friend Franz Nicolay will be joining us.
More info on the first few shows will be available Wednesday, May 18. Mark it on your calendar!
(One apology: The plan was that today was going to be the day releasing the precise info on everything. Unfortunately, some details with our co-conspirators changed and it required waiting two more weeks on the details.)
Also, we are finally reissuing Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday on VINYL this fall on Frenchkiss Records.
Stay Positive! It’s about to get incredible!
The Hold Steady
Stay tuned for official dates for these shows. Here’s The Hold Steady performing at SXSW 2009 with Franz Nicolay:
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