XPN Free at Noon Featuring the Hold Steady
at World Cafe Live
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music

Live Concert Fridays At Noon from NPR Music and WXPN
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast

Brooklyn-based indie rock quintent The Hold Steady might just be the best bar band in America. With their riff-heavy mixture of classic, Bruce Springsteen-meets-the-Replacements-style rock and frontman Craig Finn's lyrically dense storytelling style, The Hold Steady craft intricately detailed musical universes that have already won them countless fans.

Formed in 2000 from the ashes of the Minneapolis-based Lifter Puller, the Hold Steady released their first album, "Almost Killed Me", in 2004 to nearly universal critical acclaim. Bolstered by ever-widening touring circles, 2005's Separation Sunday raised the band's profile even further: it managed to reach the top of many year-end best-of lists, including snagging the #10 spot in Spin Magazine. A loose concept album, Separation Sunday concerns itself mostly with a set of recurring characters (Holly, Charlemagne, and Gideon) who's lives and exploits are chronicled in Craig Finn's complex and allusion-filled lyrics.

After solidifying their reputation for solid, storied classic rock, the band then went on to release two more highly acclaimed albums, 2006's "Boys and Girls in America" and 2008's "Stay Positive". Their latest, "Heaven is Whenever", is set to hit the shelves in the beginning of May. Its first single was posted on Pitchfork in March, and guitarist Tad Kubler has stated that "musical scores" and "cinematic soundscapes" are a big part of its composition. Unfortunately, Franz Nicolay, the mustachioed former keyboardist, will not be featured on "Heaven is Whenever". He left the band in 2010.

Join other fans this coming Friday at World Cafe Live to rock out with this talented, entertaining bar band. What better way to spend a lunch break, or start the weekend early?

Website: http://www.theholdsteady.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theholdsteady
Recent Release: Heaven is Whenever
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Label: Vagrant
Origin: New York, New York

Free At Noon Setlist
1. The Sweet Part of the City
2. The Weekenders
3. Hurricane J
4. Barely Breathing
5. Rock Problems
6. Soft in the Center
7. Our Whole Lives
8. We Can Get Together
9. Southtown Girls
10. Your Little Hoodrat Friend

Visit NPR Music to hear the concert.

PARKING NOTICE and Directions

Due to the construction in the area, free parking is no longer available for XPN Free At Noon shows. Metered parking on 31st street is no longer available, and metered parking on Walnut Street is extremely limited as a result of the closure and reconstruction of the South Street Bridge, and the rerouting of traffic onto Walnut Street.

Public transportation to XPN Free At Noon is recommended. For more information on parking in the area visit World Cafe Live.

Find more information on directions and public transportation here.

Serving People in Need - Help Drive Hunger from Our Communities

When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!

WXPN and NPR Music Live Friday Free At Noon Concert Archives Include:

Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The Low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...

WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!