The Hoodrat Recap: a Podcast For The Hold Steady

Chicago ‘26: three nights, one tornado warning, and a travel itinerary scripted by chaos itself. Night one gets two songs into Talia Hall before everyone — band included — gets herded into the beer cellar for shelter. Night two, the Empty Bottle delivers as the stragglers finally roll in. Night three goes big: massive venue, four massive acts, and Garrett sliding in right as the headliner hits the...

Tad Kubler stops by The Hoodrat Recap and it feels less like an interview and more like catching up with an old friend. We dig into his new LP Casanova Complex — how he played and engineered more of it than you might expect — and then things get good. Tad unloads road stories from his years with Lifter Puller and The Hold Steady that you will not hear anywhere else. What went down in Albuquerque?...

Mike had less than 24 hours in Boston. Did that stop him from catching two shows at The Sinclair? Absolutely not. Snuck in under the radar, did what he had to do, and lived to tell the tale. Mark from Minny joins us fresh off four nights in Boston to break down every single one of them — and while he’s at it, he’s handing down the Ten Commandments of General Administration shows. Consider it requi...

Rich Tarbell was there from the jump. Like, the actual jump — first shows, floor sweat, all of it. Then somehow he ended up with a camera pass and a direct line to more rock stars than you can shake a setlist at. (Spoiler: they were mostly lovely. Except for one guy from the ’80s who clearly never got the memo that it stopped being the ’80s.) Rich sits down with us to talk Hold Steady history, the...

Tad Kubler has a solo album. It’s called The Casanova Complex. It sounds great. It sounds like nothing you expected. It sounds like three different bands depending on who you ask — and the guys absolutely cannot agree on which ones. This is that episode. Also: Luke from Deepwoods, Michigan called in to vent and accidentally started a whole thing. What begins as a run-of-the-mill ticket buying grie...

This week on The Hoodrat Recap , we kick things off with a transatlantic voicemail from Stuart in Scotland 🇬🇧—because the Unified Scene clearly has no borders. Then we sit down with Lee from Atlanta for a Scene Profile conversation about one of the sneakiest entry points into THS fandom: the humor. From tossed-off one-liners to blink-and-you-miss-them punchlines buried in heavy moments, we talk ab...

They went to London. They survived. And they are NOT okay — in the best possible way. Guest host Beth is joined by Dallas from Dallas and Hurricane Jess, fresh off what they’re calling the greatest Weekenders yet, and honestly? We believe them. This week we’re recapping every single moment of the London 2026 Weekenders — the Pub Quiz chaos, the meet and greet madness, the Storytellers session, and...

This week on The Hoodrat Recap, we wade deeper into the muck 💎🕳️ as Round Three of Diamonds in the Drains kicks off—with the controversial middle three albums taking center stage. Lines are drawn, takes are flying, and nobody’s pretending this is an easy stretch of the catalog. Kevin reports back from Union Pool in Brooklyn with a firsthand review of Craig Finn’s solo show, breaking down the set,...

On this episode of The Hoodrat Recap, we dig deep into the living, breathing history of The Hold Steady—and what it really means to come back home. Stephanie from Wisconsin (aka UnifiedScene 1) joins us to tell her incredible story. She discovered the band at just their second show ever and quickly became part of the inner circle—helping shape the band’s earliest online presence and riding alongsi...

We made it to the finish line, folks…and somehow still want more. In this episode, we break down Night Four of Massive Nights and then zoom out to look at the entire whirlwind weekend. From rare cuts to sing-along chaos to those “I can’t believe they played THAT” moments, we relive every highlight. Kevin hits us with the impossible question: “Which night was the best night?” We try to answer it. W...

Night Three of Massive Nights 10 will go down as one of the wildest—and weirdest—in the history of the Brooklyn Bowl tradition. The venue’s heat was out, but the band more than made up for it, kicking things off with a scorching soundcheck surprise: ten brand-new songs, unreleased, unrecorded, and completely unexpected. Fans who arrived early basically walked into a secret future-album preview. Th...

Scene Report from Brooklyn Bowl: Night Two of Massive Nights 10 came out swinging, starting with the annual Pub Quiz—and this year delivered what might be the single greatest Hold Steady trivia question ever asked. (No spoilers… but trust us, it brought the house down.) From there, the night exploded into something historic: a full-album performance of Separation Sunday, played front-to-back by a...

On this special flash-cast edition of the Hoodrat Recap, we break down The Storytellers’ first-ever appearance at Massive Nights—and what a debut it was. Cat from Vermont and Heather "with the Henna on her hands" joins us fresh from the front row to relive the sheer joy of finally catching Cat's “white whale”: a spectacular live “Curves & Nerves” that had the entire room buzzing. The band kept...

In this Massive Nights 25 Preview, we kick things off with Gaspar’s unbelievable run-in with none other than Daniel Radcliffe . Yes, that Daniel Radcliffe. After recognizing Gaspar's tee-shirt, Harry Potter himself apparently lit up and proclaimed that The Hold Steady is his favorite rock band — setting the tone perfectly for the magic that Massive Nights always brings. Then we turn things over to...

In this episode, we bring in two non-fans of The Hold Steady — Derek and Mark from The Canadian Film Crew and Or Is It podcasts — to give us their first impressions of three THS songs chosen by you, our listeners! Will these tracks land somewhere on the “Mark Cohn–Barenaked Ladies scale”? And how does Spruce Stringbean interpret these lyrical deep dives? You might be surprised by how our guests he...

This week on The Hoodrat Recap, we’re diving into the live music scene with a full report on Craig Finn and the Band of Forgiveness, who are tearing across the United States with their latest tour. The Hold Steady frontman’s newish solo project is proving to be essential viewing for fans of literate, character-driven rock and roll. Gaspar phones in from (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City, where h...

This week on The Hoodrat Recap, Matt from Riverside joins us to break down an epic three-night Stand at two iconic LA venues - the Tetragram Ballroom and the Moroccan Lounge. Matt dives deep into the setlists, highlighting the impressive number of new tracks that made their way into the performances and how they fit alongside the classics. But that’s not all - Matt takes us back to 2006 and shares...

In this episode of The Hoodrat Recap:  Scene Report from Boston Damon takes us straight into the rain-soaked streets of Boston with a first-person breakdown of the latest Hold Steady show. From a weather delay that had fans buzzing, to the moment the lights finally came up, Damon captures every detail. How did the Dropkick Murphys crowd react to the confetti-soaked antics of the Unified Scene...

Listener Voicemails: We kick things off with some truly epic call-ins. Who dropped the sharpest diss on Gaspar’s infamous “Freddy Knuckles” routine? And which listener scored a free one-year subscription to Laynards , including a soundcheck experience with The Hold Steady ? The Unified Scene shows off some serious talent in this round. 🎬 Hold Steady Biopic Madness: Next, we tackle a listener ques...

Join us and Dave Gottlieb of Death or Glory and Manager of The Hold Steady and Guitarist extraordinaire  Steve Selvidge for a talk about “the business” of The Hold Steady! Plus Dave and Steve announce Massive Nights and give some insight into the band’s new fan club Lanyards!  You will even get a chance to win a free Lanyards account in our latest contest! Show Notes: Check out...

The Hold Steady took on the City of Brotherly Love — and we’re recapping all the action from another epic weekend of residency shows in Philly. Gasper climbed the Rocky stairs, (licking?) the Liberty Bell, and the band surprised fans by unveiling three brand new songs. We’ve got all the soundcheck scoops, setlist surprises, and set-by-set breakdowns. Plus — who became the only multiple-time winner...

Bill from Chicago might’ve said it best: the Hoodrats kicked off an epic night at The Bowery Ballroom by squeezing into the tiniest bar in NYC—and things only got bigger from there. Vermont Cat and Gaspar join the recap to break down a Craig Finn show that featured up to eleven musicians on stage at once. Which songs soared? Which moments hit hardest? Then, Gaspar gives his take on Craig’s Rough T...

Join Gaspar and Mike as they embark on an epic adventure through the Twin Cities to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic album "Separation Sunday." This special episode captures their whirlwind tour of Minneapolis landmarks, musical history, and local culinary delights! The Twin Cities Scavenger Hunt - **The Replacements House** - Mike and Gaspar visit this legendary music landmark - **Mar...

 Gaspar tries to keep up as Stage Right Mike and Spunky Comstock recount their wild adventure to Codfish Hollow, Iowa, where they caught Craig Finn and Bob Mould performing together. * The guys describe their unconventional journey following directions that included "take a left at the cow pasture" and encountering a town crier dressed remarkably like Jesse Ventura from "Predator." * Mike and...

Is Always Been Craig Finn’s best album yet? We dive deep into his latest release, breaking down the rich storytelling and unforgettable melodies that make this record stand out. Plus, we explore Lousy with Ghosts, Finn’s companion book, and how it adds layers of meaning to the songs. Do these tracks work better as a full narrative experience, or can you just rock out without the deeper dive? We br...