Don’t let the curly mustache fool you. Singer-songwriter Franz Nicolay is no out-of-touch throwback.
The former keyboardist of the Hold Steady — whose second album Luck and Courage was released in October 2010 (on Team Science Records) — looks to the past, but his tinkering with the old-timey has less to do with nostalgia. It’s more about recognizing what’s made to last — the tried and true.
Nicolay is a 33-year-old multi-instrumentalist-wordsmith-bookworm who uses his literary flair and romance for days gone by to inform his impassioned elixir of folk, punk and rock. He subtly adds tintype elegance to his storytelling, conjuring gypsy rebellion and parlor-room atmospherics with accordions, banjos and piano. He’s even been known to tap dance during shows.
The NYU grad acquired his many influences by collaborating with countless musicians. Nicolay has inserted his nimble fingers into many a musical pie as a band member, soloist, producer and arranger. His resume includes stints with the Dresden Dolls and Against Me! as well as being a member of the World/Inferno Friendship Society and co-founding the Balkan-klezmer band Guignol. He also founded the Anti-Social Music collective in New York.
Nicolay brings his solo vaudeville punk show to New World Brewery on Tues., March 8, when he and tourmate David Dondero perform in a one-man-showcase with the equally formidable Will Quinlan from Tampa — a show that has all the makings of a Top 10 of ’11 New Granada concert.
It won’t be Nicolay’s first time in Tampa. If you’re a fan of the Hold Steady, that’s a given (Ybor City has been name-checked in Hold Steady songs and the band has played here several times). He shares with CL some info about his new record and other choice tidbits during a recent phone interview.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.