Seminal alt-rock band The Hold Steady, often called the best bar band in the world, count Minneapolis and Brooklyn as home bases. But the band, who play Royale in the Theater District Dec. 30, also fall just short of qualifying as a local Boston band.
Lead singer and songwriter Craig Finn was born at St. Elizabeth's in Brighton, before his family moved to Minneapolis where he was raised. Eighteen or so years later, he returned to attend Boston College, where he majored in communications.
During a discussion with BC professor Carol Rotella in 2007, Finn recalled attending shows at The Middle East and TT the Bear's, and The Paradise to see acts such as Buffalo Tom, the Lemonheads, The Pixies, Dinosaur, Jr., Juliana Hatfield.
"I started a band my last semester of senior year, so it was born to lose," Finn said at the time.
References to the Hub pop up in several Hold Steady songs, including two, "Hostile, Mass." and "For Boston," Finn's take on the BC fight song.
Click the pins in the map below to track Finn's movements and musings about the city, and to see video of Hold Steady songs.
View The Hold Steady in a larger map
