The Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay will release his first solo album, entitled Major General, on the 13th of January 2009. The album will be released by Fistolo Records and was recorded during a six-day period with producer James Frazee and mixed by John Agnello, both of whom worked on The Hold Steady’s latest album Stay Positive.
Besides being a member of The Hold Steady, Nicolay is also a member of The World/Inferno Friendship Society and former World/Inferno member Yula Be’eri guests on one track and World/Inferno singer Jack Terricloth contributes several lyrics for Major General. Major General also contains guest performances by Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls, Demander and Peter Hess of Balkan Beat Box. Nicolay is set to tour the US in support of the album during the spring of 2009.
Nicolay is currently touring with The Hold Steady on the Rock And Roll Means Well Tour which The Hold Steady is co-headlining with Drive-By Truckers. In December The Hold Steady will also tour the UK, with short stops in Ireland and the Netherlands, before heading to Australia in late January/early February.
Via Pitchfork
– Johan A.
Tracklisting and tour dates after the jump.
Tracklist for General Major:
01. Jeff Penalty
02. Hey Dad!
03. World/Inferno Vs. The End of the Evening
04. Dead Sailors
05. Do We Not Live in Dreams?
06. Confessions of an Ineffective Casanova
07. Note on a Subway Wall
08. Quiet Where I Lie
09. Nightratsong
10. X-Games
11. This World Is an Open Door
12. Cease-Fire, or, Mrs. Norman Maine
13. I’m Done Singing
The Hold Steady & Drive By Truckers – Rock And Roll Means Well Tour:
11.06 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.07 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 (The Hold Steady closes)
11.08 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.09 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre (The Hold Steady closes)
11.11 – Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix Theatre (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Music Hall (The Hold Steady closes)
11.13 – Bloomington, IN – Bluebird (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.14 – Chicago, IL – Riviera (The Hold Steady closes)
11.15 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.16 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue (The Hold Steady closes)
11.19 – Boise, ID – The Big Easy (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.20 – Seattle, WA – Showbox (The Hold Steady closes)
11.21 – Seattle, WA – Showbox (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.22 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (The Hold Steady closes)
11.23 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore (Drive-By Truckers closes)
11.24 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore (The Hold Steady closes)
11.25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern (The Hold Steady closes)
The Hold Steady:
12.07 – Sheffield, England – Leadmill
12.08 – Oxford, England – Academy
12.09 – Nottingham, England – Rock City
12.10 – Manchester, England – Academy
12.12 – Bristol, England – Anson Rooms
12.14 – Portsmouth, England – Wedgewood Rooms
12.15 – Wolverhampton, England – Wulfrun Hall
12.16 – Den Bosch, Netherlands – Brabanthallen (with Counting Crows and Melee)
12.17 – London, England – Roundhouse
12.18 – Glasgow, Scotland – SECC (with Counting Crows and Melee)
12.20 – Dublin, Ireland – O2 (with Counting Crows and Melee)
12.21 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Odyssey Arena (with Counting Crows and Melee)
01.31 – Brisbane, Australia – Laneway Festival
02.01 – Melbourne, Australia – Laneway Festival
02.06 – Perth, Australia – Laneway Festival
02.07 – Adelaide, Australia – Laneway Festival
02.08 – Sydney, Australia – Laneway Festival
