Now that I’ve opened up the Sunday awesome musicians post to omnivores, it’s a lot harder to choose who I’m going to talk about, as I have slightly more options. Like, unlimited options. So, today, let’s scan the music library, and go with…The Hold Steady. Yes. Your Sunday awesome omnivores of awesomeness are The Hold Steady, the band that was invented for you to drink in bars.

I’m trying to find live videos of the band to show you why they suggest you call in sick the morning after one of their concerts, but I’m having trouble finding anything that does their live shows justice. So I’m gonna stick mainly to the music videos, and throw some live stuff in at the end, so you can get a taste of why you need to see them live. Before I say any more, though, here’s “Chips Ahoy,” the first single off the excellent Boys and Girls In America.

That song, like most The Hold Steady songs, take awesome rock, and put it under lead singer Craig Finn’s lyrics of drug addiction, depravity, and parties. Oh, and also clever literary references. Like this song, “Stuck Between Stations,” which opens with a quote from Kerouac’s On the Road. Naturally. If you want to get to the music itself, scan to about 40 seconds into the video.

That song is also off Boys and Girls In America, which apparently I’m skewing towards today. My favorite album, however, is probably Separation Sunday, which deals mainly about drug addiction, depravity, drug addiction, and Catholicism. Here’s a live version of “Stevie Nix” off that record.

Now, if you’re thinking, “Hey now, Andy, sure he mentions being born again in that video, but it’s not REALLY that religious,” how about the song “Cattle and the Creeping Things,” off the same album, and you can go here to read all about the Catholic references in it. One dirty word in it.

I think I’ve done enough videoing for one day, but I will tell you that TODAY AND TODAY ONLY (Sunday, March 22), you can download ALL of Boys and Girls In America for only $1.99. But even if you miss that, you should still pick up either of the two albums I already mentioned, or the first album they put out, Almost Killed Me. And, as always, takepart to get your free vegetarian starter kit. One more video. “You Can Make Him Like You.” Not very easy to hear the lyrics, but they’re some of Finn’s best.

Also, they’re opening for both Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band this summer. What?