The 20 Best Live Bands Playing Right Now

This weekend’s rock list, Best Live Band Playing Right Now, got an awesome and terrifying response from you all - thanks for all the nominations. After careful consideration, here is our final list. Now go see these guys! 1. White Stripes 2. Radiohead 3. Pearl Jam 4. Rage Against the Machine 5. U2 6. Metallica 7. Flaming Lips 8. My Morning Jacket 9. The Hold Steady 10. Arcade Fire 11. The Raconteurs 12. Wilco 13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 14. Red Hot Chili Peppers 15. Gogol Bordello 16. Kings of Leon 17. Muse 18. Dave Matthews Band 19. Tool 20. LCD Soundsystem Photo: AFP/STADLER/Getty

Published: 2007-07-24 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Weekend Rock List: Best Live Bands Playing Right Now

Between amphitheaters, major tours and giant festivals, summer is clearly designed for live music. So tell us which act you’ve seen lately that gave you that elusive wow-life-is-awesome sensation. Here are five bands we’re nominating: Arcade Fire Yeah Yeah Yeahs My Morning Jacket The Hold Steady The Raconteurs Photo: Winter/Getty

Published: 2007-07-21 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Tour Tracker: The Hold Steady & Drive-By Truckers, R.E.M. and Scars on Broadway

The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers storm November with a co-headlining tour, R.E.M. return to North America with a trio of shows and System of a Down off-shoot Scars on Broadway announce their first-ever tour. Full dates for all three treks, after the jump. The Hold Steady & Drive-By Truckers October 30 - Louisville, KY Coyotes October 31 - Nashville, TN Ryman Theater November 1 - Atlanta, GA Tabernacle November 2 - Tallahassee, FL The Moon November 3 - Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theater November 5 - State College, PA The State Theatre November 6 - New York, NY Terminal 5 November 7 - New York, NY Terminal 5 November 8 - Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory November 9 - Boston, MA Orpheum Theater November 11 - Toronto, ON Phoenix Theater November 12 - Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall November 13 - Bloomington, IN Bluebird November 14 - Chicago, IL Riviera Theater November 15 - Minneapolis, MN First Avenue November 16 - Minneapolis, MN First Avenue November 19 - Boise, ID Big Easy November 20 - Seattle, WA Showbox November 21 - Seattle, WA Showbox November 22 - Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom November 23 - San Francisco, CA The Fillmore November 24 - San Francisco, CA The Fillmore November 25 - Los Angeles, CA Wiltern R.E.M. October 24 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie October 26 - New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Music Experience November 18 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Auditorio Nacional Scars on Broadway October 19 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade October 20 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues October 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA October 23 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live October 25 - New York, NY @ The Fillmore October 26 - Boston, MA @ Paradise October 28 - Montreal, QC @ Le Medley October 29 - Toronto, ONT @ Phoenix October 31 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews November 1 - Chicago, IL @ Metro November 2 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Club November 4 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue November 5 - Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont November 7 - Denver, CO @ Ogden November 8 - Salt Lak

Published: 2008-08-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, On Tour

The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn: “Dylan’s Superhuman”

Craig Finn, the singer, guitarist and lyricist for Brooklyn band the Hold Steady, heard plenty of legends about Bob Dylan while growing up in Minnesota. “When you deal with Dylan, there’s a lot of legend, very much by his own design. When people meet celebrities they say, ‘Oh, he’s just a normal guy.’ Dylan’s not a normal guy. He’s superhuman.” Click below for more from Finn’s interview from the current issue, including which Replacement he used to dress like, how he embraced Led Zeppelin late and some of the secrets of the lyrics on Stay Positive. • Q&A: Craig Finn of the Hold Steady [Photo: Lucy Hamblin]

Published: 2008-07-30 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

New Music Report: The Hold Steady’s “Stay Positive”

In this week’s New Music Report, RollingStone.com’s Kyle Anderson gives his thoughts on the Hold Steady’s new album Stay Positive. The new album builds upon the greatness of the group’s previous record Boys and Girls in America, but does it eclipse it? Click above for all the details about one of the finest albums of the year so far. • Review: The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive (4 stars) >>Watch every episode of our weekly New Music Report video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Tuesday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don’t have iTunes, download it here. [Video: Pete Maiden]

Published: 2008-07-15 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos, New Music Report

News Ticker: NKOTB, Keith Richards, Lil Wayne, The Hold Steady

The reunited New Kids On The Block will release the single “Summertime,” their first new song since 1994, on May 13th on all digital music services. They also plan to release their comeback album this fall. For whatever reason, the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards is not fond of David Bowie, saying that “Changes” is the only Bowie song that he could remember. “It’s all fucking posing. It’s nothing to do with music. He knows it too,” Richards said. Rapper Lil Wayne will co-star in the upcoming basketball drama The Patriots alongside Forest Whitaker. The film revolves around players from opposing teams forced onto one roster by Hurricane Katrina. The Hold Steady have revealed both the tracklist and the release date for their fourth album, Stay Positive: July 14th.

Published: 2008-05-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Video: Live at the John Varvatos’ CBGB Opening Party

The symbolism of a luxury retailer inhabiting the space recently vacated by CBGB (birthplace of punk and all that) is a little unsettling. But John Varvatos is fashion’s most rock-obsessed designer, and the opening party for the new space turned into the biggest all-star jam outside of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. In just the first half of the show Ronnie Spector, Ian Hunter and Joan Jett all tore through their biggest hits with the killer Loser’s Lounge house band. The second half was even better: MC5 frontman Wayne Kramer kicked out the jams with Slash, Jerry Cantrell and Tom Morello — and then Perry Farrell appeared (they nailed “Mountain Song,” totally the greatest Jane’s Addiction tune ever) as did Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, who’s still explaining about how he just doesn’t give a damn. The Hold Steady closed the party around three — six or so hours of open bar after the doors opened. Click above for video of all the highlights. [Video: Pete Maiden]

Published: 2008-04-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

News Ticker: Velvet Revolver, Tribeca Film Festival, Grammys Tour

Responding to yesterday’s departure letter from Scott Weiland, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum simply said, “As for Scott, I wish him well.” Sorum also told fans the band will “have some exciting news soon.” The Hold Steady, Nick Lowe and Regina Spektor are among the artists that will perform at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. That T-Mobile/Grammy tour we told you about has begun announcing acts that will participate. Cat Power, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Kid Rock, John Legend and others have been recruited to play one show apiece. While his wife Gwen Stefani takes a break from her solo career to record with No Doubt, Gavin Rossdale will release his first solo album, Wanderlust, in June. Stefani will appear on the song “Some Days.” [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-04-03 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Single Minded: The Hold Steady, Stephin Merritt, Hansard and Irglova

Every Tuesday Single Minded highlights new tracks hitting stores (or the Web) this week. On Fridays, come back for rarities, remixes, mash-ups and more. The Hold Steady, “Stay Positive” [Live] Circuitous lyrics? Oblique references to drug use? A winning combination of nostalgia and anxiety? Can it be anything other than a new Hold Steady song? Various Artists, A Whole Bunch of Mixtapes [Mixtapes] A bounty for Friday: a whole bunch of mixtapes, rarities, promo tracks and remixes from legends (and semi-legends) like Kool G Rap, Jeru the Damaja, MF Grimm and J Dilla. Stephin Merritt, “This Little Ukelele,” “The Nun’s Lament” [Live] In this NPR performance, Merritt makes a convincing case for the ukelele as the saddest of all instruments. Sorry, tuba! Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, “Falling Slowly,” “If You Want Me,” “Once” [Live Videos] The antidote to end-of-week exhaustion: three stirring performances from these newly minted Oscar winners. The Mountain Goats, A Whole Slew of Covers [Covers] More impressive than John Darnielle’s finesse with his own songs is finesse handling other people’s. We strongly urge you to download his take on “The Sign.” [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Single Minded

On the Scene: Rolling Stone’s Rocker Stalker

New this week! Rolling Stone tracks rock stars in the wild. Foo Fighters Rokbar, Miami, FL All four Foo Fighters hung out at the bar (owned in part by Tommy Lee) after the opening show of their tour. The guys were offered bottle service but got their own beer at the bar, and Pat Smear also made an appearance. Slash Cameo, Miami, FL At the after-party for the Wu-Tang Clan show (presided over by all the performing members), Slash was hanging out with the group, and appeared to have had a few. Maroon 5 Playboy Club at the Palms Casino, Las Vegas, NV The band made it a late night, arriving at the club a little after two in the morning. They played at a private blackjack table until just after four. Craig Finn Mercury Lounge, New York City The Hold Steady frontman was in the crowd, watching Ben Nichols of Lucero perform a solo set. Max Weinberg Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Brooklyn, NY Weinberg was watching the Neurosis/Mastodon show from the balcony. He was there with a very excited teenage boy who appeared to be his son.

Published: 2008-01-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Daily

The Hold Steady Enter “Aquarium” to Record New Album

Brooklyn-via-Minnesota rockers the Hold Steady announced on their Web site that they’ve finished preproduction work on the follow-up to Boys and Girls in America, which Rolling Stone deemed the one of the top ten albums of 2006. After enduring the longest stretch of time out of the recording studio in the band’s history, singer Craig Finn says, “I’ve never looked forward to being placed in a giant aquarium with headphones like I have been lately.” The group will take January and February to record the new album, during which time they’ll post “photos and updates for those interested,” which should mean everyone. There’s no target release date yet, but safe money says 2008 will bring a new Hold Steady record.

Published: 2007-12-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Weekend Rock List: Weirdest Shout-Outs

In memory of opera star Beverly Sills, who passed away earlier this week, we’ve kept The Hold Steady’s “The Swish,” on repeat, which contains the lyric “We spent the night last night in Beverly Hills / There was this chick that looked like Beverly Sills.” Craig Finn has a serious knack for quirky references — but he’s not the only artist to pack his songs with unlikely shout-outs. Which examples would you add? Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain” references Alicia Keys The Clash’s “Car Jamming” references Lauren Bacall Public Enemy mention Sonny Bono and Yoko Ono in “Bring the Noise” Lloyd Cole’s “Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken” references Norman Mailer Eminem raps about Christopher Reeve on D-12’s “Purple Pills” [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2007-07-06 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Rolling Stone’s Top 25 Underappreciated Artists

If you readers had your way, your unsung rock heroes would not stay underappreciated for long. We got a veritable shitload of comments in response to this weekend’s rock list: Most Underappreciated Artists. Now it’s time for us to unveil our official list. With your help we’ve come up with Rolling Stone’s 25 most underappreciated artists ever. Enjoy. 1. Tom Waits 2. The Replacements 3. Cheap Trick 4. Sonic Youth 5. Warren Zevon 6. Big Star 7. The Pharcyde 8. Roxy Music 9. Talking Heads 10. Bob Seger 11. The Hold Steady 12. Fugazi 13. The Cramps 14. The New York Dolls 15. The Band 16. The Cars 17. Pogues 18. Alice Cooper 19. Dinosaur Jr 20. Sleater-Kinney 21. Husker Du 22. Devo 23. Wilco 24. Tom Petty 25. Ween

Published: 2007-05-01 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: General

Exclusive: Lollapalooza Lineup Leaks

The official Lollapalooza site says the lineup won’t hit the wires until tomorrow…but an ad for the festival published in a local Wisconsin paper found its way to our desks. Technically the weekly doesn’t come out until tomorrow but it’s available in some places early, as in on Wednesdays, as in TODAY. So, as you can see, the bold names appearing at the resurged Lollapalooza festival on August 3-5th include Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket, Snow Patrol, the Stooges, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, TV on The Radio, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Patti Smith, Regina Spektor, Lupe Fiasco, Amy Winehouse, the Hold Steady, and many more. Let the feasting on organic vegan burritos while rocking out begin.

Published: 2007-04-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Lollapalooza

Lil’ Kim, Novelist? The Hold Steady Celebrate Opening Day, Sweden Hates Metallica and More

Lil Kim is authoring a fictional (read: non-autiobiographical) book, to be published on St. Martin’s Press. Whoopee! More proof that life is like a Johnny Cash song: Country singer Billy Joe Shaver is wanted for a shooting a man in Austin, Texas. We missed our Mets, but apparently not as much as the Hold Steady missed the Twins, judging by their Metrodome-approved version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Not be outdone by cracked-out Brit import Amy Winehouse, Lady Sovereign has cancelled some shows due to “exhaustion,” which everyone knows is code for “too many drugs.” The person responsible for our favorite Clip of the Day ever will be performing at the Bamboozle music festival in New Jersey on May 5th. Sweden is supposed to be this ultra-free country, yet the government won’t let parents name their baby “Metallica”?

Published: 2007-04-04 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Daily News: In Brief

On the Charts: Controversy Doesn’t Keep Nas Out of First Place

The Big News: It took an Untitled album to finally unseat Lil Wayne and Coldplay from the chart’s upper echelon, as Nas‘ latest debuted in the top spot with 187,000 copies. Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III dropped to number two, selling another 105,000 copies while the Mamma Mia soundtrack rose from seven to three, selling 91,000 units. Coldplay’s Viva La Vida finally fell out of the top two after five weeks, dropping to four, while the Camp Rock soundtrack rounded out the top five. Debuts: John Mellencamp’s Life, Death, Love and Freedom debuted at seven, selling 56,000 copies. David Banner’s The Greatest Story Ever Told, despite his problems with our review, landed at eight. Frat rockers O.A.R. grabbed thirteen with All Sides, the Kraftwerkian Dark Knight soundtrack took 20 and the Hold Steady’s Stay Positive came in at 30. Last Week’s Heroes: With three debuts in the top ten, there was some reshuffling atop the charts. Beck’s Modern Guilt was the biggest victim, dropping from four to 16 thanks to a 66% sales dip. G-Unit’s T.O.S. suffered a similar fate, falling from nine to 24. Next week, we’ll find out if Miley Cyrus can retake her charts throne, and how many copies Nine Inch Nails‘ physical version of free album The Slip will sell. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-07-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Chart Roundup