Lifter Puller, Rock and Roll!

Oh -- hi. I'm Stephanie and I run the Hold Steady website (per Craig, of course). Not that it'll be any help to the faithful few among you in desperate need of a fix, but the ETA for a couple mp3s off the six-song recording is probably mid-April? Possibly sooner.

I digress; just wanted to kick in my two cents and add another bit of glowing appreciation for the glory that is/was LP.

www.citypages.com/databank/20/988/article8166.asp

One of the few times that hanging out with musicians was actually as interesting as listening to their records. I like their recordings fine, but their live show really makes me wish that adjs like explosive, blistering, fierce weren't rockcrit cliches.

1. Opening band was the Monarques, led by Nathan Grumdahl, ex of Selby Tigers; strong, confident, well written songs, sort of...don't wanna say "arty" but something tells me Ned would love them--they have some kind of British thing going on that's hard for me to put my finger on at the moment. Sorta majestic w/o the preening feel that adjective usually conjures. Songs felt really composed--as in parts that felt distinct from each other but worked as a whole.
2. Ladies and gentlemen, the Mountain Goats. J0hn got up and played relatively few obvious crowdpleasers and a lot of semi-obscurities (including his cover of Steely Dan's "F.M.," which Nate Patrin recognized). He's amazing live, which a lot of you know already, and was super pumped to be opening for LP, and said so frequently.
3. On the last two songs ("See America Right" and "The Best Death Metal Band in Denton") J0hn was accompanied by the multitalented Tad Kubler--LP bassist, lead guitarist for the Hold Steady--on drums.
4. Got to meet J0hn for the first time. He even said it was OK that I called him a terrorist on national television. What a nice guy.
5. Not a second after being announced by a couple of college radio DJs or club employees (not sure which), LP fucking tore into "To Live and Die in LBI," Craig and Tad and Steve jumping like fucking crazy and the crowd going nuts. They KILLED from top to bottom, the crowd screamed the lyrics back at them; Craig in particular was extremely energized, even more so than usual (having seen the Hold Steady several times now it's not like he's exactly been lazing off in the stage movement department), and um holy fuck
6. he had a big mosh pit going, which included at the periphery me, Nate P and J0hn D. So I got to fucking slam dance w/a Mountain Goat. ILx heaven, kids.
7. The new venue that the Triple Rock Social Club opened up (the LP shows are its inaugural events) is beautiful--nice stage, terrific PA, excellent sightlines, comfortable, attractive wood and metal walls, holds about 600. I dare say it's the nicest rock venue in Minneapolis--a town that could use a really nice rock venue.

I'm beat. More tomorrow. And again, WOW.

Oh and a couple other things: The Hold Steady are at Pianos in nyc on July 10th.

IMHO the Archers comparison is unfair as Archers were a fairly standard, if decent, '90s indie rock band, whereas LP has more substance, more springsteen, great lyrics, more Dinosaur Jr. references, are more danceable, and have a conviction and charisma that Archers lacked. And I love Vee Vee, I really do.

And then there's the Joe Strummer quote, "It's Lifter Puller's world, we just live in it."

< /matos>

the idea that lp "romanticize" anything is completely fucking laughable unless you have a kneejerk response to anything involving "rock lifestyle" lyrics. it's pretty obvious that craig finn is singing in character, about several characters; he's telling stories inna hard-boiled-novelist stylee about (in lp songs) a seedy underbelly underworld w/recurring characters/situations/settings. lots of very deliberate grotesquerie, and the hyperreality appeals (to me, to j0hn, to others) for its detail, its hyperactivity, its playfulness, its style. also, the band fucking rocks.

Don't get me wrong - you can hate the Shaggs all you want! I'm not trying to claim them as some sort of underground badge. I love pop music too, and hell one can probably find that Shaggs cd on Rounder at any damn Tower Records store anyway. But that's just it isn't it? Why would you not have at least a natural curiousity about this group that a lot of people seem to be interested in? After all, you're a professional critic aren't you? I like your writing bunches, your one of the best I've read in terms of evocative descriptions and really being able to convey what makes a piece of music work. (and this is one of my favorite styles of music writing when - thank god - someone can actually DO IT). but in your tastes you also strike me as a bit of an unadventurous listener, someone who really isn't interested in much beyond what's happening now. This is probably due to your career/job position I know, but it's sort of disappointing, is all.

ok, ok, on-topic: everything I've read about Lifter Puller leads me to believe they are like everything I can't stand about rock music. This kind of simpering emo boy blathering on with his "narratives", right? Over vaguely prog/math inflected guitar-oriented backing? Please fucking shoot me now. But like I say, I've never heard them.

But hey, I love the fact that you're here! ANd I can communicate with you just like this! Unlike when I was growing up in the 80's reading say Rolling Stone or Spin and finding similar irritants in some of the writing.

OK, how about this: Archers of Loaf is quite frankly the worst horseshit I've ever heard in my life.

but i'll still take archers' "assassination on xmas eve" over any LP trax.

And, I feel you on the whole Shaggs deal; I hate that when stuff I feel has a real kernel of musical interest gets reappropriated or misrepresented or whatever. I just really think that - yes, as untutored, amateurish, and goofy as they were - there was a really singular accident in that Shaggs stuff. Where the three girls all kind of became of one mind and forged this crazy alternate rhythmic base for their odd little songs. I mean, it really does work! It's fun, and it makes you sort of enthusiastic about the ability of people to express themselves and enjoy themselves and so on (yeah, cliches, etc). These are all perceptions gleaned from the music; I know nothing of the personal history of this family, supposedly to be addressed in this film...

"Nassau Coliseum" is the most emo Lifter Puller song and it's my favorite. Am I wrong?

Fucking A. If Sam Cooke's "If It's Alright" and Rod Stewart's "Found a Reason to Believe" aren't the two greatest songs in the world I don't know what they could be. (and yes I realize Sam and Rod are the same person, only different hues)(and yes I realize this is LP thread. whatev)

I love "Assassination on Xmas Eve" though I'll take "Harnessed in Slums" myself

Yanc3y's comment got me thinking: one thing about Lifter Puller that I realize smacks of fanboyism, progthink, and other kinds of brainwash, but is nevertheless true, is that in order to understand them completely you have to hear a lot of them. There's individual tracks that stand up great on their own ("Space Humping $19.99" and "Nassau Coliseum"* and "To Live and Die in LBI" are my top three) but it's the overall effect of the songs--the way they reuse and slightly alter the same lines ("She said my name's Juanita but you can call me L.L. Cool J") not to mention the recurring characters/situations/places--that kills me.

Also it should be noted that I wasn't offended by yr crack, Diamond, just puzzled; your post cleared it up (I sort of suspected it but wasn't sure). I think the film is based on Susan Orlean's New Yorker piece, which is pretty good--definitely the best thing I've read on the band, though

*As soon as I typed this I realized I was sort of wrong earlier. "Nassau Coliseum" is a six-minute song in which Craig Finn does sort of whine over vaguely mathy guitars at a dragging tempo. Thing is, it's one of the funniest breakup songs** ever written: "Didn't think that you'd dis me/Did you sleep with that hippie?" Tone is all: he's more bemused than pissed off and so loghorreic that you get caught up in his narcoleptic singsong flow. If Mr. Diamond were to download this one song, probably their best, for your intro, it would totally confirm his suspicions about them, but it's still a great, great song.

**except it's not actually a breakup song; Craig Finn wrote it after/about a riot at a Grateful Dead show

(shudder)

I think I have all this stuff (the odds and ends collection is all on Soft Rock, it looks like). But still - nice. Also I guess Soft Rock is outta print or something.

http://pitchfork.com/news/37089-pre-hold-steady-band-lifter-puller-remembered-with-reissue-series-book/

digital reissue = laaaaaame

tru. I'd buy Half Dead and Dynamite on vinyl. that one's my favorite.

btw it's kinda lame to me that because tad is in hold steady that the original (and best) lifter puller bassist, tommy roach is sort of written out of the band's history....he was an amazing bassist and quit i think to pursue grad school (i had him as a TA at the u of m once)..but anyway he plays in half dead, which remains their best work, and from what i have been told was very instrumental in writing lifter puller songs when he was in the band and sort of helping to define their sound.

don't call her lazy cause she's crazy about the daytime tv
channel 3, look at me, i'm a real whale watcher

I think it's Wheel watcher

https://i.imgur.com/IDw9f9s.jpg

lmao that makes way more sense, i'm submitting the correction to every lyrics website

every lyric in "touch my stuff" is gold

even though i think fiestas is their masterpiece my fav lifter puller song is "sangre de stephanie," it kinda feels like every thematic touchstone finn explored in both lifter puller and the hold steady ("she crossed herself and it turned me on") appears there

I feel really lucky have seen them dozens of times in small clubs in Minneapolis in those days.

This just surfaced, sound is dodgy but this is def the era, Lifter Puller playing the Dillinger Four Midwestern Songs of the America's release show on a boat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFByA1t6KG4&feature=youtu.be

oh shit!

I want Night Club Dwight dead in his grave
I want the Nice, Nice up in blazes

I have so much of that album stuck in my head.

it ain't just a money thing it's a question of community, the liberty the ecstasty the love the drugs the unity and the busts they looked just like the hey kool aid commercial, they're breaking down the walls and they're tipping over tables and it tastes great

for a little bit Paddy (St. Paddy) of Dillinger Four is standing in front of the camera.

the whole Lifter Puller/D4/Atmosphere mutual appreciation society was really cool back then

legendary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQulI5RcfOs

another great find! 00 full set from the weisman art museum at the university of mn campus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxAyApDYrs&feature=youtu.be

Ooh, nice finds. The Jenny Jones one lead me to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoWgl5XeBws

which in turn led me to this Aussie band's cover of same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPEzGabTpK4

which reminded me of how I came across Lifter-Puller via J0hn D's piece on "Mission Viejo":

http://lastplanetojakarta.com/articles/lift.html