Hold Steady's Craig Finn Reminisces About His Hardcore Youth

Posted on Aug 16th 2010 4:00PM by Dan Reilly
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Though it might not come across in his music -- or his persona, in general -- Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn was once immersed in the Minneapolis hardcore scene. On the band's latest album, 'Heaven Is Whenever,' he reminisces about those days, specifically going to see Youth of Today and the violence that surrounded the shows, on the song 'Barely Breathing.'

"I remember when Youth of Today and those bands were playing, I was really wrapped up in hardcore and all this minutiae that all seemed to be such a big drama," Finn tells Spinner. "You'd go to the show and there'd be a fight and it seemed like it mattered so much. I still like that music but I guess what I'm trying to say is whatever fight you're having at a hardcore show -- or any show -- it's all much bigger than this. Let's not do this. Don't get so worked up."

Even though Hold Steady shows are usually celebrations of music and positivity, Finn has seen his share of violence from the stage. "It's disappointing when that happens because 99 percent of the people out there are trying to have a good time and one percent are generally people who can't handle their alcohol," he says. "It sucks when it starts to become distracting from a performance standpoint. People are spending money and taking time off work to come see the show and there's this one."

"We do have a celebratory vibe and we do sing a lot about partying and things and sometimes people take those things and wrap it up," he continues. "Everybody starts with the best intentions but every once in a while someone ends up in a bad place. People are so excited about the show, and what sucks is the people who cause the most problems sometimes are the people who are most excited to see the show -- they try to get too drunk before it starts."

Now 38, Finn does admit that the behavior isn't totally foreign to him. "I've been there so it's not like just because it's my band I should act like I don't understand it," he says of drunken instigators. "I don't know if I've been exactly that dude because I'm not very big, but I've certainly been misguided."

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