When your career progresses to “indie legend” status, it comes with a certain omnipresence in which it seems as though we can always count on you to be there.
With three decades of consistent excellence, punctuated by recent release Always Been, Craig Finn has earned that label. So when the concert announcement came through about his Oct. 16 show at the Vivarium, no doubt there were plenty of fans in Milwaukee who were delighted even as they found themselves asking, “Wait, wasn’t he just here?”
In fact, he was! Less than a month ago, he stood on our stage for a Studio Milwaukee Session in advance of his gig opening for Bob Mould at Turner Hall. The session was a 22-minute crash course in character-driven songwriting, featuring Finn’s distinctive vocals and melodic guitarwork (plus Milwaukee native Nelson Deveraux in support).
When Finn returns in October, he steps into the headlining slot with a new batch of musicians: The Band of Forgiveness. Always Been will likely get a fair amount of attention at the show, but with a deep well of material to pull from, Finn could probably build a different set list for every tour stop.
Tickets for Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness at the Vivarium on Oct. 16 go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. this Friday, May 16, online and at the Pabst/Riverside box offices.
Artist bio
Craig Finn is a Minnesota-bred singer/songwriter who spent the ’90’s leading Minneapolis indie band Lifter Puller, which released three albums and an EP. After relocating to New York, he joined with Lifter Puller member Tad Kubler to form The Hold Steady in 2003.
The Hold Steady quickly achieved critical acclaim and a worldwide fanbase with their unique pairing of dense lyrical narratives with big rock guitars. The band’s ninth album, The Price Of Progress, was released in March 2023, commemorating the band’s 20th anniversary.
Finn released his sixth solo album, Always Been, on April 4. Produced by Adam Granduciel (The War On Drugs), the album features musical performances by Granduciel and members of The War on Drugs, Kathleen Edwards, Sam Fender and more.
Always Been tells the story of a man who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The songs detail his rise, fall and eventual redemption, while also shining a light to sharply reveal the other characters that populate the world he moves through.
That’s How I Remember It is Finn’s podcast series, launched in 2022, that examines the connection between memory and creativity. Each episode features a discussion between Finn and one creator — musicians, authors, filmmakers and more — about the role memory plays in their art. These exclusive conversations reveal the different ways each creator synthesizes their remembered life experience to tell stories about themselves and the world we live in.
Podcast guests have included George Saunders, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Marr, Jason Isbell, Duff McKagan, Adam Duritz, Ben Gibbard and many more.
