The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Bobby Drake, Franz Nicolay and Steve Selvidge. Noted for their "lyrically dense storytelling," and classic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city of Minneapolis.
Formed four years following the breakup of Finn and Kubler's former band, Lifter Puller, The Hold Steady released the debut album Almost Killed Me in 2004. They came to prominence with the release of their third studio album, Boys and Girls in America, in 2006. In 2010, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay left the band before the recording of their fifth studio album, Heaven Is Whenever. During the band's subsequent tour, the band became a five-piece once more with the addition of guitarist Steve Selvidge. The band released their sixth LP, Teeth Dreams, on March 25, 2014.
Nicolay rejoined the band on May 4, 2016, and the band has since embarked on several concert residencies in the US, the UK, and Australia.