A Positive Jam

Sweet Payne starts off on an awkward step as it connects various threads in Almost Killed Me and in the Hold Steady mythology. But it rises from those beginnings to a glorious finish, revealing some of Craig Finn’s best lines and some of the album’s best ensemble playing. It also introduces the idea of the Unified Scene, a defining aspiration and mantra for The Hold Steady, and digs into the Twin Cities as much as anything in the Hold Steady’s discography.

To understand this, we have Shawn Westfall, writer and comedian and founder of The Unified Scene Theater, join us to explain how Sweet Payne fits in, how the dissonance between sunny harmonics and lyrical darkness plays out for the Hold Steady, what hardcore can teach us about the Cityscape Skins, the importance of community, and more. We also bust out a last Map Corner for this season to get deep into the Minneapolis roots.

Check out show notes here: https://shortmanstudios.com/a-positive-jam-track-9-sweet-payne/

Almost Killed Me has a deluxe edition that features five bonus tracks. Bonus tracks are a good thing, especially coming from a great band. So, we break down the five tracks one by one to see what makes them stand out and why they might have been left off the album. These are lesser known but there are plenty of gems here.

We cover:

• Milkcrate Mosh
• Hot Fries
• Curves & Nerves
• You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came To The Dance With)
• Modesto Is Not That Sweet

Two more episodes remain on Season 1 of Positive Jam after this, so stay tuned!

Comes off crunchy but tastes like something deeper: Banging Camp, track 4 on The Hold Steady's Separation Sunday, may evoke tents and summer fun, but there's a more sinister undercurrent. Breaking bread and giving thanks may not mean what you think it means, in other words. We break it all down and figure out why this river trip is more Styxian than it seems on first appearance.

We start it all off with a positive jam. Namely, "Positive Jam", the first track on Almost Killed Me.

Matt Brooks of the Washington Post joins us to break down the Hold Steady's thesis statement, their scene establisher, their introduction to their triumphant career.

We break down how the track works, including how it sets up the band's ethos as much as Craig Finn's lyrical interests. We talk about where it could have gone wrong and why it's not our generation's "We Didn't Start The Fire". And we discuss whether this track stands alone, and whether it works as the first track for someone new to The Hold Steady.

A Positive Jam is a podcast dedicated to breaking down great albums track by track. Our first season focuses on The Hold Steady’s classic debut album, Almost Killed Me.

The Hold Steady emerged in 2004 with Almost Killed Me, a record that took a throwback 70s’ rock sound and made it wholly new. In a time of 80s knock-offs, dance-punk bands, and the last gasps of nu-grunge and boy bands, The Hold Steady kicked the doors down with a bag of one-liners and guitar solos. They reminded the sniffling indie kids and critics of the early ‘00s that this was supposed to be a party. And, they changed our lives.

In our intro episode, co-hosts Mike Taylor and Daniel Shvartsman explain why this album matters and what we aim to do over the course of the 12 episodes that cover season 1. We will be breaking down the 10 tracks from Almost Killed Me, one episode at a time, as well as breaking down bonus tracks and the Minneapolis music scene.

A Positive Jam debuts with full episodes in the first week of August 2020 and will be available on Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, Google Play, and wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they come out, and hold steady for the season through one of the great rock albums of this millennium.

Season 1 of A Positive Jam is sponsored by Retro Gear Shop. Check out Retro Gear Shop at https://retrogearshop.com/