On April 20, 2013, The Hold Steady will release a limited-edition 7” in celebration of Record Store Day. The 7” features two exclusive unreleased tracks: “Criminal Fingers” and “The Bear and The Maiden Fair,” with a limited run of only 1500 copies.
“The Bear and The Maiden Fair” was recorded specfically for an upcoming episode of HBO’s universally acclaimed fantasy series, ‘Game of Thrones.’ The show’s creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, approached The Hold Steady to record the song – with lyrics taken directly from author George R. R. Martin’s novels. Entertainment Weekly exclusively revealed the details today, including the following quote from the creators:
“As with the National, we went after one of our favorite bands and were happily surprised when they agreed to do it,” said showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss. “This is one of the most popular songs in Westeros, beloved by nobles and commoners alike, sung at taverns and feasts and etc. We wanted our rendition to be bawdy and a little sloppy — drunken musicians getting up on the table and jamming while the rowdy party continues around them. There was no one better for the job than the Hold Steady, and the song they delivered has been stuck in our heads for the last four weeks.”
“It was a great fit,” says The Hold Steady’s guitarist Tad Kubler. “An episode of Game of Thrones is not unlike many of the early Hold Steady tours: almost everyone was drunk and there was always a strong possibility for bloodshed at any moment. We were ecstatic to get the call from Dan and David and we hope we get to work with them again."
The Hold Steady is entering the studio soon to start recording their new album with plans for a release later this year.
