There's a cliché in popular music about a band member getting too big for his britches and dramatically and huffily announcing that he's "going solo!" It's become a running gag, this idea that a musician would be so cocky as to quit a successful band to go and do his own thing before, inevitably, crawling back to beg his former bandmates for reentry.

In the case of Franz Nicolay, I think it's safe to say this cliché fails to hold water.

Last year, Nicolay announced he would be leaving wordy arena-rock heroes, the Hold Steady, in order to pursue a solo career, citing a feeling that he had done all he could in that band. Listening to his solo debut, Master General, and its follow-up, Luck and Courage, there are certain moments where you could see a song fitting in perfectly with the Hold Steady's cannibalistic rock ethos, such as Major General‘s opener and standout, the Dead Kennedys-worshiping "Jeff Penalty."

There are still many more moments when one can look at multi-instrumentalist Nicolay's statements about having accomplished all there was for him to do in the Hold Steady and unquestionably agree. Both Major General and Luck and Courage are all over the map stylistically, but largely focus much more on tender balladry than the Hold Steady's model could ever accommodate.

Predictably, Nicolay's vocals are far more emotive than the deadpan of Hold Steady vocalist, Craig Finn. Even on record, Nicolay's showmanship comes through in this way. He's a balladeer, a troubadour. In a live setting, this quality of his is exaggerated into near-vaudeville-level theatrics.

"(Vaudeville) is a state of mind about approaching being an entertainer," says Nicolay. "I think that, any time you get onstage, your job is not ‘rock musician' or ‘punk musician' or ‘classical musician' or ‘comedian' or any of the little subgenres that you might consider yourself. The minute you step onstage behind a live microphone or even without one, your job is ‘entertainer.' I think people forget that or ignore that or aren't aware of that. One of the great lost strains of American popular culture is this vaudeville idea."

Nicolay's propensity for exploring several different musical styles is further indicative of his spirit of showmanship. The ability to dabble in a little bit of everything is a very vaudevillian notion. Styles covered on Luck and Courage include folk, punk, metal and sea shanties. Because of Nicolay's talents with multiple instruments, including horns, violins and accordions, he always manages to frame these genres in interesting new ways.

"This vaudeville idea was dominant for 40 years, arguably longer," continues Nicolay, "of the all-purpose entertainer, the person who knew a couple jokes, knew some stories, could play little piano, could do some soft-shoe. Whatever it took to entertain a crowd. My job, in a very literal way is the same as Jimmy Durante or Al Jolson, or any of these no-name performers who did this sort of thing for their entire lives - which is to travel around and get up in front of a bunch of strangers and not only convince them not to walk out of the room, but to hold their attention."

Nicolay does more than hold attention on Luck and Courage. It's exciting when the next song comes up and you have no clue which way the record will turn. "Have Mercy" rebounds from delicate opener "Felix & Adelita" with crashing guitars and mariachi strings. The big band swing of "My Criminal Uncle" segues into the rustic "Z is for Zachariah," and later the chamber pop of "James Ensor Redeemed."

Mostly, the restless singer-songwriter with so much more to make is the impression one gets of Franz Nicolay.

Franz Nicolay

With David Dondero and Curt Terry
Saturday, April 2, 9 p.m.
O'Malley's Irish Pub, 2403 Sixth Ave., Tacoma
253.383.3144