Franz Nicolay leaves The Hold Steady

In a recent post on his website, keyboardist Franz Nicolay made the  announcement that his days with The Hold Steady are over. He had this to say about his decision,

“You should know: I’ve left The Hold Steady. I told the band I’d be leaving in early September, played my last show with them in Minneapolis around Thanksgiving, and dotted the t’s and crossed the i’s this week. Five years seemed like a nice round number. Thanks to everyone who was a part of the experience, especially the Unified Scene, who are nice folks. I’ll see you all soon in any case.”

Don’t worry folks, Mr. Nicolay is keeping busy these days. He is currently preparing for the publishing of his first written works, Complicated Gardening Techniques, which is said to be a collection of short stories and Nicolay’s observations. You can expect 3 zines to be released over 2010, which will culminate into one full novel of Nicolay’s work.

Learn more about what’s going on in the life of this wonderfully talented musician on his official website.