Even better news: the artist, Christopher Halbkat--who appears to be incredibly talented--has agreed to print some up for us! Here's the specs:

Glad you like the poster! Yeah, The Hold Steady was a heavy show & I'd be
happy to print some more posters for you and the crew.

About Each Print: $25.00 / Signed & Numbered

Printed digital offset with archival-pigmented ink on acid-free Etching
paper, which has the subtle texture of an etching paper and a soft white tone.

Print Size is 12"x 18" including the 0.25" border for framing.

It is much more cost effective to print more than one at a time so If your
interested in more than one I can sell you four prints @ $75.

Let me know and I will email you a Paypal Invoice, Thanks much!

So there you go: if 4 people will purchase one, they are only $18.75. Pete and I are already down for orders, and I was going to purchase another one for when Sgt. Hales returns.

If there are any takers, leave it in the comments or get a hold of me. I want to order these ASAP, so please decide soon.

Labels: Bemis Press, Christopher Halbkat, Concert Posters, Sokol Underground, The Hold Steady

So last night I continued my futile search for a poster commemorating when The Hold Steady played at the Sokol Underground in Omaha, back on May 20, 2007.

Great "I'm totally into this song right now" rock concert face.

Anyway, I thought those were kind of cool. More importantly, it reminded me of that day/night, easily one of the most fun days ever. Ahh, memories.

In the meantime...1% Productions, get these guys back in Omaha!!!!!

Labels: good times, Sokol Underground, The Hold Steady

I would like to think sometime after The Hold Steady played their (in these parts) legendary Omaha show at the Sokol Underground.

I found this interview actually looking for some live sets from Bonnaroo from this weekend--the "superjam" they have every year consisted of ?uestlove, Ben Harper, and John Paul Jones, which is as cool as it fucking gets for me--and found this Hold Steady interview. Read the questions and answers, and then ask yourself...is he talking about us? Or, more specifically, MIB?

H. A BRIEF INTERLUDE ABOUT THE CROWDS AT HOLD STEADY SHOWS

CRAIG: Dudes will be misbehaving and their girlfriends won’t even be there. That’s the Hold Steady crowd—tons of drunk dudes and then the girls that are there are totally pissed. I think it’s getting better. Like more chicks.

HAPPIER CHICKS?

CRAIG: Yeah. The smaller shows, there’s always some dude totally into it. He’s pumping his fists, and he’s pretty drunk and then his chick is just like pissed that they’re there. I think they come to the show kinda drunk and then they get drunker. A lot of dudes are doing shots with their buddies.

WHAT’S THE HARD LIQUOR OF CHOICE?

CRAIG: In the dressing room, it’s Jim Beam, but I think dudes are into tequila. A Hold Steady show is a show where you take the next day off of work. No one’s even fooling themselves. Which is a good feeling. Clubs have always told us that our liquor sales are really good for the amount of people that are there.

WHY?

CRAIG: I think the music supports partying in a positive way. Most people can feel good and forget their problems. There’s definitely a culture. I think the band drinks a lot. There’s a lot of drinking on stage. I drink Bud or Coronas. The big thing I have learned is the way it works best is to not drink until about ten minutes before we go on, and then to drink as much as possible while we’re on stage. I have to sing a lot, so there is physically not much time to drink. But I can drink a six-pack onstage. A lot of it spills. A lot of it is for show.

Labels: Awesomeness, Interviews, Sokol Underground, The Hold Steady