Book readings aren’t for everyone. Hearing an author spill words as they page through their latest work might lack the pizzazz some of us desire from a night out — which is why we should be thankful musicians like Craig Finn exist.
The indie-rock legend doesn’t just sing; he builds characters, constructs scenery, sets the stakes and delivers lessons learned, verse by verse and chorus by chorus. He’s done it across nine studio albums with The Hold Steady and another half-dozen solo projects, including the just-released Always Been.
As 88Nine music director Erin Wolf astutely pointed out during the mid-set interview of Finn’s Studio Milwaukee Session, the new record has been called his most narrative one yet, which — as we’ve established — is really saying something. With all of the media outlets out there, it might be tempting to dismiss superlatives like that as bluster. Finn proved otherwise across four songs performed in our overflowing performance space.
Always Been is built around a character “who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith” and tells an 11-track story of “his rise, fall and eventual redemption.” Finn transmitted that tale effectively with his four selections, three of which you’ll hear in the broadcast version.
As he sung about “pissing off a petty vengeful God,” a mother who “waltzes with the vacuum on” and how “curtains can’t keep out the gray,” the lyrics became vivid scenes. It was easy to imagine the faces of these nonexistent people, their emotions and the struggles that refuse to let them be.
Finn didn’t do it alone, though. Alongside him on our stage prior to their Friday night gig opening for Bob Mould at Turner Hall was longtime collaborator Nelson Devereaux — a multi-instrumentalist and Milwaukee native who was at the center of his own session last November.
With Finn strumming a classical guitar given to him by Hold Steady bandmate Steve Selvidge and Devereaux jumping from saxophone to clarinet to flute, the pair effortlessly held the audience’s attention while barely changing tempo from one song to the next.
You can hear the broadcast portion of Craig Finn’s Studio Milwaukee Session using the player at the top of the page and book your spot at the next one by becoming a member today.
Studio MKE: Craig Finn set list
- “Bethany”
- “People of Substance”
- “Crumbs”
- “Shamrock” (non-broadcast performance)
