Keyboardist Franz Nicolay Leaves the Hold Steady

After five years of service with the Hold Steady, keyboardist/accordionist/pianist Franz Nicolay revealed in a statement on his official Website that is he officially no longer a member of the band (via P4K). "You should know: I've left The Hold Steady. I told the band I'd be leaving in early September, played my last show with them in Minneapolis around Thanksgiving, and dotted the t's and crossed the i's this week," Nicolay wrote. "Five years seemed like a nice round number. Thanks to everyone who was a part of the experience."

During Nicolay's tenure with the Hold Steady, the group released perhaps their three most acclaimed albums, 2005's Separation Sunday, 2006's Boys and Girls in America and 2008's Stay Positive. In fact, on his Albums of the Decade ballot, Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield named Separation Sunday the seventh best album of the 2000s (The Hold Steady's 2004 debut album Almost Killed Me, which the band recorded before Nicolay joined, was Sheffield's Number One pick.) Last year, Nicolay released his solo album Major General.

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Song Stories

“Youth Knows No Pain”

Lykke Li | 2011

“Like on 'Youth Knows No Pain' — we are the ones that should demonstrate, because we can take it,” Likke Li said. “We can pierce ourselves, take Ecstasy, dance all night and still go to work at our McDonald's jobs.” Despite the hedonistic sentiment in the song, the Swedish singer also admitted in hindsight her youth had repercussions. “I remember when I was 18-19 and feeling that I know it all,” Li said. “I always feel that I know it all. But that song is about realizing you don’t, and reflecting, ‘Boy, if I only knew what would follow.’”

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