Feb. 3
Craig Finn
The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St.
9 p.m., $10 advance/$12 day-of-show, onepercentproductions.com
Craig Finn unravels new narratives, removed from the familiar rock band circumstance of the Hold Steady, the band the bespectacled Finn has led for the last eight years. This time, Finn wrote the songs himself, without relying on music written by his Brooklyn bandmates to guide him. He took the songs down to Austin, Tex. and assembled a bunch of local all-stars to bring these new songs to life. There’s more of a country-rock bar band vibe at work on the resulting album, Clear Heart, Full Eyes. The biggest revelation here is just how well Finn’s distinctive, sing-speak style works in the new surroundings