Farewell, mustachioed keyboardist...

In a post on his website last week (franznicolay.com), Franz Nicolay reports that he has left the Hold Steady. The mustachioed keyboardist was easily the most flamboyant and unmistakable member of the band after Craig Finn, and on catalogue highlights like “Stuck Between Stations” and “Sequestered in Memphis” his muscular piano style was keenly felt. His explanation is respectfully brief, and we can hope that the actual split was as drama-free as his announcement.

This is a definite loss for the band, but there may be a silver lining. Though his piano and organ playing on recent releases has remained a key aspect of the band’s appeal, some of the most cringe-worthy bits of Stay Positive (2008) occurred in Nicolay’s domain. We don’t know whether the harpsichord on “One for the Cutters” or the synth on “Navy Sheets” was Nicolay’s idea, but perhaps his departure presents an opportunity for the band to course correct.

It’s not that I want the band to just re-hash their old material over and over, but these particular avenues for growth weren’t paying off. Here’s hoping whomever replaces Nicolay has hands as heavy for pounding, but perhaps a little less of an itchy patch-change trigger finger.