Craig Finn’s debut solo album is due January 24, followed by a tour that will have him holding steady at Mercury Lounge and Maxwell’s (photo by Mark Seliger)
“People say we suck at sports / but they don’t understand / It’s hard to catch with holes right through your hands,” Craig Finn sings on “New Friend Jesus,” one of the tracks from the Hold Steady leader’s debut solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, due from Vagrant Records on January 24. “New Friend Jesus,” which you can check out here, is one of eleven songs on the disc, which also includes such tunes as “Honolulu Blues,” “No Future,” “Terrified Eyes,” and “Balcony.” (The first five hundred preorders come with a bonus bandanna.) Finn will be in New York City for two sold-out shows at Mercury Lounge on February 29, but there are still a few tickets left for his March 1 show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. And you can catch Finn performing the new album’s “Jackson” in his apartment for the A.V. Club here.