Pitchfork

As far as we can tell, 2007 might be the year the Hold Steady break their long-standing "album every year" streak; if they've got another record coming at you before January, it'll be news to us.

It's cool-- they did drop that EP, after all-- and, besides, when would they have had the time? Between regular meet-and-greets with seamy characters for future lyrical fodder, twisting the ends of Franz Nicolay's cookie duster, and stiffing bassist/bartender Galen Polivka when it's time to tip at Hi Fi, they've been squeezing in tour dates wherever they can. They've pushed the list of appearances into the late summer, cutting a wide swath through Europe following an all-too-brief North American run in the wake of their Lollapalooza appearance.

Speaking of which, their Lolla set-- along with quite a few others-- will be beamed live through various wires and cogs and sprockets and down into your computer, thanks to AT&T. If only they were this generous when I'm a day late with my cable bill.

It was a blockbuster summer:

08-04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-05 Covington, KY - Madison Theater
08-06 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
08-07 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
08-09 Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park Bandshell
08-18 Slane, Ireland - Slane Castle
08-19 Limerick, Ireland - Dolans Warehouse
08-21 Belfast, Ireland - Vital Festival
08-22 Carlisle, England - Brickyard
08-24 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-25 Cardiff, Wales - The Point
08-26 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-28 Zagreb, Croatia - INmusic Festival
08-30 London, England - Electric Ballroom
08-31 Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
09-01 Inveraray, Scotland - Connect Festival