The Hold Steady recently released their eighth full-length record, Open Door Policy.

It’s an album in every sense of the word, with ebbs and flows, dynamic musical shifts, and boisterous bar-room rock nestling alongside creeping musical passages. It’s all off-set by Craig Finn’s formidable lyrical storytelling, delivered in his trademark sung-spoken way.

We talk about how he developed that style in this interview, and how he went from attending hardcore shows in Minneapolis as a kid to playing in acclaimed underground band Lifter Puller, before moving to New York to form The Hold Steady.

We also talk about what it was like finding fame in his 30s, his DIY method of booking early tours, and much more.