It takes some getting used to not seeing the mustachioed Franz Nicolay behind the keys with the Hold Steady anymore. Striking out out his own, Nicolay released Love and Courage earlier this year and from which we’re happy to offer downloads of “This Is Not A Pipe” and “Have Mercy” below. You can catch Franz on the road the remainder of the year including dates with Stornoway and Two Cow Garage.

MP3: Franz Nicolay – “This Is Not A Pipe”
MP3: Franz Nicolay – “Have Mercy”
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Buy: Franz Nicolay – Luck And Courage

The Hold Steady will play Milwaukee’s Summerfest on Thursday, July 1st (which just happens to be my 30th birthday). Fans will want to mark April 17th on their calendars as the band “will release under 700 vinyl copies of their new album ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ (Vagrant Records) on April as part of Record Store Day.” Pretty awesome, right? “The extremely limited run of the album will only be available in independent record stores participating in Record Store Day.”

The Hold Steady’s Heaven Is Whenever will be released May 4th on Vagrant Records. Go here for a detailed interview with Tad Kubler and Craig Finn about the new album.

Heaven Is Whenever tracklisting:

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

Two MoB favorites played Madison last night. Sadly, I missed both of them. Drop a comment and let me know if you caught The Hold Steady or Black Joe Lewis. What were the highlights of the show you saw?

Myspace: The Hold Steady
Myspace: Black Joe Lewis

I’ve not seen a copy of The Hold Steady’s recently released DVD, A Positive Rage, but I also know I don’t really need a DVD to convince me of their live show prowess. I’ll definitely be in the crowd for this one.

The Hold Steady return to the Majestic Theatre in Madison on Friday, July 10th. Tickets are only $17 and go on sale Friday, April 24th at 10am.

Previously: Review: The Hold Steady – Majestic Theatre, Madison
Previously: Review: The Holdy Steady :: Stay Positive
Previously: From The Crowd | The Hold Steady “Chips Ahoy!”

Myspace: The Hold Steady

+Bookmark our Wisconsin and Chicago shows pages for all your concert announcements+

The Hold Steady + The War On Drugs Tour Dates

3/31 Albany, NY @ Valentine’s
4/1 Buffalo, NY @ Traif Music Hall
4/3 Urbana, IL @ Illini Courtyard Cafe
4/4 Bloomington, IN @ Jake’s Nightclub
4/6 St. Louis, MO @ The Gargoyle
4/7 Iowa City, IA @ Picador
4/8 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
4/10 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
4/11 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
4/13 Reno, NV @ The Underground
4/14 Stateline, NV @ Harrah’s Tahoe South Shore
4/15 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s

Chicago Fans: The Hold Steady play the House of Blues in Chicago on January 15th.

Previously: Review: The Hold Steady – Majestic Theatre, Madison
Previously: Review: The Holdy Steady :: Stay Positive
Previously: From The Crowd | The Hold Steady “Chips Ahoy!”

Myspace: The Hold Steady
Myspace: The War On Drugs
MP3: War On Drugs – “Taking The Farm”
MP3: The War On Drugs – “A Needle In Your Eye #16″