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"It's like, 'Welcome everybody, to the night club. Let me sing you a song about the Devil.'"
(Frank Black on Black Rider - Interview with Geocites)

 


 

 



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1/5/2006
Honeycombing To A Guitar Near You
Cult of Frank (23:12 PST)

Thanks to the thankless efforts of Proverbial Cereal (thanks!) we now boast a complete collection of Honeycomb tabs available for your perusal. We hope you'll like them.

Not a guitarist? Well, there's also some fresh new piano sheet music for This Old Heartache worth a definite check thanks to NimrodsSon.

And while we're at it thanking the thankless, thanks to everyone who participated in our Christmas Charity auction, we raised about $350. And thanks to Tre and Jim and all the forum members who helped to build up the content in the extensive song database. And thank you for visiting.

-Dean

1/15/2006
Honeycomb Two Tracklist
Cult of Frank (15:03 PST)

Not official by any stretch, but dyperman, whom we've long suspected of having ties to the man himself, has given us the quite-near final tracklisting for the follow up to Frank Black's first Nashville record, Honeycomb. To give you some indication of how deep this resides in the rumour mill, I'm giving the heretofore untitled album a name I'll come up with that should have approximately the same probability of being correct.

Wandering Soles
1. If Your Poison Gets You
2. Johnny Barleycorn
3. Fast Man
4. You Can't Crucify Yourself
5. Dirty Old Town
6. Wanderlust
7. Seven Days
8. Raider Man
9. End of Summer
10. Dog Sleep
11. When The Paint Grows Darker Still (duet)
12. I'm Not Dead (I'm In Pittsburgh)
13. Golden Shore

We hope to have a real title and official tracklist soon.

UPDATE: We now have some confirmation that this is in fact the tentative tracklist for something even more tentatively called "Fastman Raiderman". Finally, nothing solid on the sound of the new album, but from what I can gather, it's only like Honeycomb in production and straightforwardness, otherwise, generally more lively. "Nashville Saloon Rock" was the bandied term, I believe.

-Dean

1/17/2006
FBLA Recording Party
Cult of Frank (20:34 PST)

We at FrankBlack.Net try desperately hard to ensure that only the most official of news makes it to our news page. If we post rumour, speculation, or unconfirmed information, we let you know. Usually, it turns out to be true - for example, the weekend's news report that gave the tentative tracklist for the follow up to Honeycomb, possibly titled Fastman Raiderman. And sometimes, not - for example, the Pixies reuniting only to play Latvian lullabys.

And sometimes, we get get facts that only fuel speculation. And since that's half the fun of news anyway, here's an interesting fact for you: Frank Black is currently in Los Angeles. Recording. No word on what company he's keeping in the studio, but rampant speculation suggests that members of an old band of his are there with him. Other speculators think it may be him working with an old friend and collaborator, possibly a FED?

Whatever conclusions you choose to draw, it certainly is an exciting development.

-Dean

2/14/2006
Two Albums and a Podcast
Cult of Frank (09:31 PST)

We at FrankBlack.Net are always looking for new ways to spread the word to new listeners and also give more 'experienced' fans something new, something we like to call spreading the love. Seems that Valentine's Day is an appropriate time, so we've been working tirelessly to put together a gift we hope will do just that - the FrankBlack.Net Podcast. Coming in at just over an hour, our debut podcast features some live goodies, rare b-sides, underrated album tracks, and a previously unreleased song we think you'll be excited about. The program, for the moment, is a new podcast monthly (or sooner), and with new features each time. It's free, it's legal (thanks Frank, Ken, and labels), and it's here now!

Subscribe to the FrankBlack.Net Podcast
FrankBlack.Net Podcast Homepage

In much bigger news, completely unannounced, well sort of (Frank stopped by almost a year ago to date to announce their existence and tracklist), a two-disc compilation of Frank Black & The Catholics b-sides is now available on iTunes. There is no physical version of these albums planned, but they are expected to find their way onto CD sooner or later.

The first disc is called One More Road For The Hit and contains songs from Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day, the Show Me Your Tears single, and also a song done for the Powerpuff Girls' movie, "Pray For The Girls".

The second is called Snake Oil, and contains covers (such as Springsteen's "I'm Going Down"), more tracks from singles, and two never-before released b-sides, "Some Things" and "Belle Isle".

The decision to release these on iTunes came after Tunecore approached Frank Black and asked him to release the compilation as a way of kicking off their new service. Owned by SpinArt's Jeff Price, its goal is to help artists who otherwise can't get on iTunes (i.e. without a label) to access the service. While Frank has no problem getting his stuff on iTunes, he did want to support the initiative, and voila - an iTunes release.

Finally, it has been noted by many followers that these b-side discs were expected on an upcoming Frank Black & The Catholics Boxset. While the boxset hasn't been cancelled, its future is currently unknown. There is, after all, a lot more in the archives we've never heard, and surely a a lot of fans would like to see a physical manifestation of these CDs whether in a boxset or not.

-Dean

2/20/2006
Fastman Raiderman a Double Album
Cult of Frank (15:12 PST)

It has been confirmed that the new Frank Black album, Fastman Raiderman, will in fact be a double album. It is expected to be released this summer and we'll post a complete tracklist when we have it.

Meanwhile, Frank Black, asked on our forum what he's been up to, listed among other things, "recording demos for something, ...". Mysterious!

While we will have to wait to hear those demos, you can hear a track from the upcoming Fastman Raiderman, "Dog Sleep", on our inaugural podcast. We will also have a track from the recently announced second-half of the album, courtesy again of Back Porch Records, in an upcoming popcast.

No, that's not a typo, that's just pure ego. After all, the FrankBlack.Net Podcast recently topped 1000 downloads, less than a week after being published on Valentine's Day.

Podcast producers weren't available for comment, but inside sources close to them stated, "Cool!"

Asked what was coming next, "Well, they've been talking about getting Karl Pilkington, or possibly a monkey dressed like Karl. And of course, they have hopes to someday reach their next target, 1001 subscribers."

The next podcast is slated for release next week and biweekly thereafter. More exclusive and great music is expected.

- Dean

2/22/2006
Charity/Chat
Cult of Frank (23:17 PST)

No, this is not a chatathon or pay per word chat for charity (didn't you see the slash?!). Rather, it's two separate items. The first is that at this instant Frank Black is holding audience in the forum and if you hurry you may catch him.

The second is that we recently had a charity auction for Childreach/PlanUSA that was very successful. Richard "Old Man In A Coffee Can" Hedgepath donated five Frank-Black autographed Americana Music Association (AMA) t-shirts with all proceeds going to Frank & Violet's favourite charity.

Not only that, but he threw in a few hard-to-get singles from his personal collection. All said, he helped raise almost $500 for Child Reach and also Red Cross.

So thanks to Richard, and also to all who bid and gave for charity. And congratulations to our lucky winners, Eric, James, Jon, Kathleen, and Mike. And a special thanks to Kathryn, who though she lost the auction, still donated her bid to the charity.

We're proud to have such members on our site, and we wanted to share their success with you and thank them publically. So, again, to everyone, thank you from all of us at FrankBlack.Net!

- All of us!

3/1/2006
Fastman Raiderman Release Dates, Tracklist
Cult of Frank (11:30 PST)

You heard it here first; The official Fastman Raiderman release date(s) and tracklist have just trickled in via our Official Source(tm). And we wanted to share it with you.

As stated previously, Fastman Raiderman is indeed a double album, due to his shelves June 19th in Europe and June 20th in North America. The album contains a combination of tracks that "didn't fit" with Honeycomb as well as a second Nashville session in 2004 and some new numbers recorded in the recent FBLA Sessions.

One of the tracks from Disc 2 will appear in an upcoming FrankBlack.Net Podcast. In the meantime, Podcast Two has just been released, and it includes other rarities and Frank Black goodness.

Finally, before we release the tracklist, we'd like to welcome our newest forum administrator, starmekitten, into the fold. She has long been working for the site as administrator for our burgeoning Song Database, and this has been a long overdue inclusion.

Now, without further ado, the Fastman Raiderman tracklist:

Disc 1

If Your Poison Gets You
Johnny Barleycorn
Fast Man
You Can't Crucify Yourself
Dirty Old Town
Wanderlust
Seven Days
Raiderman
The End of the Summer
Dog Sleep
When the Paint Grows Darker Still
I'm Not Dead (I'm In Pittsburgh)
Golden Shore

Disc 2

In The Time of My Ruin
Down To You
Highway To Lowdown
Kiss My Ring
My Terrible Ways
Fitzgerald
Elijah
It's Just Not Your Moment
The Real El Rey
Where The Wind Is Going
Holland Town
Sad Old World
Don't Cry That Way
Fare Thee Well

-Dean

3/2/2006
Gigs! Podcast! Hooray!
Broken Face (15:27 PST)

As the release date for Fastman Raiderman draws closer, we see more and more exciting Frank Black news trickling in.

First and foremost, FB will be returning to the solo spotlight with two gigs at San Francisco's Café Du Nord on March 14th and 15th. The shows are 21+, tickets are $20.00 and are available at Ticketweb. As none of the FB.net staff lives anywhere near No. Cal, we are jealous that we'll be missing these gigs and have threatened bodily violence on anyone who lives in San Fran and doesn't attend. I mean, c'mon, what are you thinking?

Sorry, I'll behave myself for the remainder of the news post.

French fans rejoice! The Pixies will be playing the Vieilles Charrues Festival on July 23rd along with Tracy Chapman and Dionysus. As of now this is the only confirmed Pixies show of the year, but there are more scheduled with confirmation to come.

More exciting news from the Podcast world - a very special Frank Black collaborator has agreed to participate in a future Podcast! Who is it, pray tell? Time will reveal all.

-Brian

3/14/2006
Oddballs Offer FM/RM Exclusive
Cult of Frank (23:37 PST)

Finally, the upcoming Fastman Raiderman is starting to make waves in the media. We had an exclusive preview of a track from disc 1 of the upcoming double album in our first episode of the podcast - Dog Sleep. In an episode released today, we have another exclusive preview from the second disc, so if you're interested in the new album, we have a chance for you to check some more of it out.

As well, if you've been trying in vain to find the increasingly rare Oddballs, you may be interested in a contest in this episode of the podcast. We're giving away a few brand-new Oddballs discs this week, possibly the last chance you'll ever have to get the complete album brand new.

Of course, if you have all the luck of a one-legged puppy named L'il Brudder, you can always forgo the contest and download most of the tracks from eMusic or iTunes, so don't despair. You can make it on your own.

-Dean

3/16/2006
Fool the US
Cult of Frank (15:30 PST)

Josh Frank, the man behind the Teenager of the Year musical recently wrote a book called Fool the World on the Pixies, released in Europe. In his continuing quest to, indeed, fool the world, the book is coming to the US on March 21.

While the book is not official, and there may even have been a little friction generated as the presses began to roll, the general consensus from our European contigent was quite comprehensively positive, so we felt it our duty to pass this along to you. Certainly we know that Josh is actually a fan of Frank's which is more than we can say for other recent books that cashed in on the Pixies reunion.

Fool the World is already available for pre-order on Amazon and of course is still available to Europeans as well. Or check out the website.

-Dean

3/20/2006
Q&A With Frank Tonight
Cult of Frank (23:47 PST)

Frank Black just sent us this:

Q & A WITH FRANK TODAY/TONIGHT AT 10.00 PM PST IN THE KING HOLDS COURT THREAD. SEE YOU THERE!

FB

Which means that he shall be by any minute now, so hopefully you can make it for a little chit chat with the man. See you there indeed!

-Dean

3/23/2006
Franky & Ricky At It Again
Cult of Frank (00:32 PST)

Those in attendance at Cafe Du Nord a week ago, where Frank Black was performing two solo gigs (accompanied in part by Eric "Ricky" Drew Feldman) got more than they ever expected.

They got, in addition to old Frank Black favourites and tracks from the up-and-coming Fastman Raiderman, to officially be the first to hear songs from Frank's latest project, a collaboration with Eric Drew Feldman.

This at a time when he already has a double album not even slated for release until June, a child on the way, a possible tour for Fastman Raiderman (if it is well received), and of course some more Pixies dates in the pipeline.

Frank confirmed this last night in a chat on the forum, simply saying, "Currently working with Eric Drew Feldman on [an] untitled record." While Frank has worked with Eric throughout his solo career, most recently on Show Me Your Tears, this will be the first major collaborative effort since the widely acclaimed Teenager of the Year and Frank Black self-titled albums. How this new record will sound, however, is anyone's guess. From what we've heard live, well, we're pretty darned excited!

In other news, contrary to persistent rumour, the Pixies also appear to have no record in the works nor even planned, though that could change "in a heartbeat". Likewise, there are apparently no plans for a Frank Black video game or religion, though Frank admitted that, "I think a combination of the two would be wonderful..." Perhaps when he has finished his masters in Sociology?

In the meantime, Fastman Raiderman approaches quickly, and we hope to have some really great live cuts (big thanks to forum member Jefrey) of the new project with Eric on our next podcast, if at all possible. Also, thanks very much to forum member scruvs who posted the pictures above and also tracklists and some video.

-Dean

3/29/2006
Doolittle, Feed Lots
Cult of Frank (09:59 PST)

As you may have noticed, our front splash page has a fancy new icon (if not, you may have to refresh your browser by pressing Ctrl+F5 at that page). This is an RSS feed - now you can get the latest FB News delivered straight to your feed reader or news aggregator of choice. Firefox users can also add a live bookmark by clicking on the icon that appears when you visit our page (it looks like a small version of this one).

In actual news, another Pixies book is expected in stores this April. From the well-loved 33 1/3 series, and written by the equally affectioned New York Times writer Ben Sisario, the book is called Doolittle and takes a good and critical look at that album. As well, it offers some of the insights that could only come from spending a weekend driving around with Frank in his caddy. And, maybe, talking to everyone involved with the Pixies during that era.

I should clarify that the critical look does not mean praising or criticizing the album as a piece of music, but rather, analyzing Doolittle, particularly its lyrics, as a piece of modern art, which it surely is. Ben does so with enough insight to make even the most observant fan feel as though they had been blind. Not that I'm the most observant fan, but...

The book is coming at the same time as the US Release of Josh Frank's Fool the World, but they couldn't be more different. Fool the World is a written oral history of the Pixies leading up to their split and Frank Black's solo career, offering amazing doses of conversational tidbits and insights spanning their entire career, but with much more emphasis on the people and events than the music.

Doolittle has quotes and backstory as well, but focuses primarily on that era of the Pixies with the emphasis much more heavily weighted on the music. What this means is that your wallet will necessarily be twice as light, but you'll probably be too busy reading to care.

Anyway, I can't recommend these books enough, and I am certainly looking forward to Ben tackling Teenager of the Year and perhaps Josh doing a little musical of the same name.

-Dean

4/5/2006
Frank on Henry Rollins
Cult of Frank (00:12 PST)

Missed the already legendary San Francisco shows in March? Don't want to wait until fall to see Frank Black perform solo? Well, you can catch him wherever you are on the Independent Film Channel's Henry Rollins Show April 15. In other words, next Saturday night on IFC at 10pm EST, 7pm PST, and again 1AM/10PM. Though, to be honest, he won't exactly be solo - he's expected to appear with Moris Tepper, rumour has it, the two of them performing I Burn Today.

After the show airs, IFC.com will also be hosting a web-only exclusive performance of Nadine, probably also with Mr. Moris. That should be a very interesting exclusive indeed, good stuff!

-Dean

4/10/2006
FMRM Cover Art
Cult of Frank (16:09 PST)

It would appear that Cooking Vinyl now has the cover art for Fastman Raiderman, as the June 19/20 release dates (UK/US) approach. Keep your eyes open for a higher-res version in our brand new-looking Frank Black Discopedia. The version linked here is still in beta testing (let us know what you think), but thanks to Frank Black popping by to share the lyrics with us, there's at least something to read on the new album as well as tonnes of insight on other works. Thanks to Velvety for the spotting the album art.

Speaking of new stuff, we've recently had demand for the podcast hit completely unforeseen peaks. So much so that we've had to get a new server to host the podcast and perhaps other files soon as well. Thanks to generous past and present members of the Friends of FrankBlack.Net Club for helping us finance this. We have restarted this program and will be getting it up to date soon. And keep spreading the word!

-Dean

4/20/2006
Lucy Joins Jack!
Broken Face (14:01 PST)

Straight from the news wire, we have news that Frank Black and his wife Violet have a new baby girl! Lucy Berlin Thompson was born in Eugene, Oregon at 5:30AM, weighing just under 8 lbs., 10 oz. Both Violet and Lucy are healthy, and FB has this to say about his family's newest member: "She's gorgeous. She's got lips like Angelina Jolie!" This is Frank and Violet's second child together; their son Jack Errol was born in January 2005.

We here at FrankBlack.net wish nothing but the best to Lucy, Violet and all the happy family!

Another new exciting project is in the works here at FrankBlack.net, and that is our first E-book! Staffer Tre, aka Starmekitten, has spearheaded a book of short pieces of poetry or prose, under 2,000 words, loosely based on an 'on the road' theme. More info can be found here.

5/10/2006
Spinning Fastman Raiderman
Cult of Frank (00:17 PST)

Every day we get a little closer to Fastman Raiderman, and what better way to build the excitement then to hear a track or two? Well, okay, we've done that. We've played two tracks from the album on our podcast. But always you wanted more. More!!!

Well, Cooking Vinyl has answered. They've created a MySpace Page where you will be able to hear a new song up from Fastman Raiderman every week until the release. Currently, you can check out the double album's opening number, If Your Poison Gets You. Go on, we'll wait (click here).

The site also includes a press release issued with promo copies of the album and even some early (and of course glowing) reviews of the new album.

There are more goodies to come in the near future, so next week, don't forget to stop by the site and grab the next song (could it be the already beloved Johnny Barleycorn?) and of course here for the news.

-Dean

5/23/2006
FB with Foo Fighters
Cult of Frank (12:11 PST)

While this was announced last week, we've been waiting on confirmation that Frank Black would indeed be playing solo with the Foo Fighters when they hit the east coast in August. And now we have it, and so do you. No word on what he will be performing, but expect songs from the upcoming Fastman Raiderman and perhaps even from his current work-in-progress with Eric Drew Feldman.

As for Fastman Raiderman, we are now less than a month away from its release and excitement is mounting. You can now hear some more new tracks on the Cooking Vinyl MySpace Site. In addition, we hope to have a commercial for the album in an upcoming podcast - by which we mean a bunch of snippets from different songs on Fastman Raiderman.

Finally, as you doubtless have noted, Violet was kind enough to send us a link to a photo of the young Ms. Lucy Berlin, Charles' and Violet's beautiful daughter. Again, congratulations!

So, to leave you with something completely random, here's a song by, presumably, Ron Weiner, about our hero and a Black by another first name: Download Song.

-Dean

6/19/2006
Fastman / Raiderman / In Stores, Man
Cult of Frank (10:35 PST)

Today marks the release of Fastman/Raiderman, a 27-track double album recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles with more seasoned veterans than an old Army and Navy club. To steal a few names from the Cooking Vinyl Press Release, we have: Reid Paley, Levon Helm, Tom Petersson, Steve Ferrone, Al Kooper, Marty Brown, P.F. Sloan, Simon Kirke, Steve Cropper, Reggie Young, Buddy Miller, Spooner Oldman and Chester Thompson.

But enough about the cast of characters. The plot? Well, there are many interweaving themes, but in general, Frank Black seems to be fusing his famed eclectic songwriting into a genre that rarely sees such things as well as putting a little oomph into the sound he established with his last record, Honeycomb.

But don't take our word for it! Well, do, but if you must form your own opinion, we've put together a preview of the album, which you can check out here:

Preview of Fastman Raiderman

The only thing better would be to hear it live, and you definitely will have your share of chances at the End of Summer. Frank Black will be touring some solo dates and, rumour has it, also be touring with a band for some shows. Who is in this "Frank Black Band" is unknown, but we will keep you posted.

Finally, we should soon have some tabs and background information for Fastman/Raiderman on the site, so don't be a stranger.

Oh! And if you're new to Frank Black, we've just completed a fan-selected best of, compiled and available free via the FrankBlack.Net Podcast Episode 9 (which also has the Fastman/Raiderman Preview in it). So definitely check it out if you want to hear some of his stuff and give it to your friends to introduce them. For you old-timers, episode 10 is shaping up to be pretty monumental, but then, we're prone to hyperbole.

-Dean

6/21/2006
FMRM Liner Goodies
Cult of Frank (13:24 PST)

If you've found the liner notes for Fastman/Raiderman a little on the light side, fear not. We are busy collecting all the information you could ever want about the album and the songs.

Frank Black, for example, stopped by a month before the album was released and dished out the lyrics for the new tracks. You can read them in our Discopedia.

And thanks to drummer Billy Block, who played on both Honeycomb and FMRM, we have a few photos from the sessions as well (with more to come). Unfortunately, our site gallery is suffering from exhaustion and they are, for the time being, posted here.

Meanwhile, I am told, we have some fans working out who played what on which track, looking for references and researching song histories, and more. Keep your eyes on the site in the coming weeks.

-Dean

7/2/2006
Frank Black Interview Series
Cult of Frank (21:47 PST)

In honour of our tenth FrankBlack.Net Podcast, the show's hosts met at the halfway point of their respective homes in Saskatoon, SK and Oakland, NJ to host a 10th Podcast Penthouse Party. From there, the show was podcasted live, with guests/listeners around the world in attendance.

While we had many special guests, there was one that really made it an event: Frank Black showed up in person and chatted with us on the podcast.

Episode 10 marks the beginning of a series of interviews included in the podcasts, with Frank Black, collaborators, friends, and others acquainted with the man.

So be sure to check out our tenth episode party here, and maybe you'll want to subscribe to hear what else will be discussed with Frank Black and others in the next 10 podcasts.

Check out our Podcast Page Here

-Dean

7/7/2006
Frank Black and the...Heartbreakers?
Broken Face (09:49 PST)

News of Frank Black shows keeps pouring in, and today is no exception (thanks to Jared for the heads-up). It turns out that Frank will be opening for classic rock legends Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on September 29th and 30th at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Callifornia.

Tickets go on sale July 16th, and are available via Ticketmaster.

Could this lead to the long rumored Frank Black and the Heartbreakers/Tom Petty and the Catholics crossover that everyone has been talking about? Only time will tell...

7/12/2006
Hello! More FB Appearances
Cult of Frank (10:37 PST)

Hello Radio - The Songs of They Might Be Giants By now, you've had three weeks to digest Fast Man / Raider Man , and it's probably at the point where you're just realizing what a great record it is. And you want more; Of course you do. Well then, it's your lucky day!

Just released yesterday, and now available on eMusic, is a tribute album to TMBG entitled: Hello Radio - The Songs of They Might Be Giants . That link should bring you to eMusic, where you can hear a clip of the song FB covers, Road Movie to Berlin. Frank Black appears with artists like The Wrens, OK Go, sELF, Hotel Lights, and David Miller, who is also running the show. He had this to say of the FB cover: "Frank's version of Road Movie is nothing short of kickass. It's live, it's strong, and really really serves the song well."

Frank Black is also due to make an appearance on the upcoming PF Sloan album Sailover, due August 22. According to producer Jon Tiven, "He sings verse #2 of Eve of Destruction ... and chimes in with harmonies in the choruses." Have a listen on NPR and check it out.

-Dean

7/21/2006
Never Means We'll Try
Cult of Frank (16:17 PST)

Those upset that there would "never" be another Pixies record may yet have some hope. Frank Black gave an interview at the French music festival Voix du Gaou a few nights ago and had this to say:

"I was in Geneva last night and Kim and I had a very long talk, there on the lake. So, I think we have reached an understanding. ... if it doesn't sound good, we don't put the machine into record."

The interview is French but the answers are most decidedly English and quite entertaining, so if you want a peak at the video, you can check it out here.

Thanks to Mathieu Claude for the heads up. As always we'll keep you posted if "Never" again becomes Never or Definitely sometime in the future.

And since we're here, we thought we should mention that FB.Net Podcast 11 features an interview and music from Reid Paley, cohort of Frank Black for many years and co-writer of several tracks on Fastman Raiderman. Go check it out!

-Dean

7/25/2006
Pixies To Play With New Material
Cult of Frank (11:29 PST)

This is pretty much a reiteration of the previous news item, but now in Spanish and with a more media-friendly headline. Oh, and quite a bit more definite.

Contrary to the consensus among music news sites, the Pixies will play around with some new songs. If they don't like it, they don't record. The notes fade like meteors in the atmosphere. If they do like it, well, expect a new Pixies album to make planetfall or at least a few fragments in the shape of new songs.

In addition to the video we posted last week, there's a new press conference with Frank, Joey, and Dave in Spain at the Benicassim Festival that you'll want to check out here. Though not confirmed, these are probably not the songs written to sound like old Pixies songs that Black had called 'fakey', and so it's quite possible a new Pixies album will take them in an entirely new direction. Regardless, it is still the same four Pixies playing, and they will doubtless all lend their own style to the songs in addition to their experience since the band broke up.

Meanwhile, the von Black family will be touring the US and Canada starting August 9th in Salt Lake City. Indeed, FB's entire family will be along for the ride, though, he jokes, most likely won't be put to work quite yet. "The kids are too young for me to put them to work as roadies, but Julian, who is a very talented artist, will probably be hustling the Foo Fighters to buy the artwork he does while on the road."

If you have a chance, be sure to catch FB in these dog days of summer in support of Fastman Raiderman. And Frank will also be making an appearance on the next FrankBlack.Net Podcast to talk about his upcoming tour. See you there!

-Dean

7/29/2006
It's All Disco
Cult of Frank (22:12 PST)

It's All in the DiscopediaAs Iggy Pop famously remarked, it's all disco here at FrankBlack.Net. That is to say that it's all in our new Frank Black Discopedia. By day, mild-mannered discography. By night, full blown encylopedic cross-referenced graphical goodness. A completist's dream. What's new, you ask?

First of all, a brand new graphical interface that we think looks swell. It really is nice to have all that artwork at your fingertips as you look for a certain album.

There's more new content than you can shake a long and pointy stick at. Check out album art from around the world. Check out expanded references, definitions, and hidden meanings. It's all in here.

There's a brand-new all inclusive song index. Want to find FB songs that you've never heard of? Now it's easier than ever to keep up with the man.

There are now links so that members of popular music services like iTunes, eMusic, Napster, Yahoo, and Rhapsody can instantly call up the album or song they are looking at and listen as they browse. We've tracked down all sorts of hidden gems on these services that we didn't even know were available commercially. I know, it's surprising. But, for example, did you know:

It's all in there. And finally, because we can't possibly know everything, there are nice and convenient places where you can instantly help us make corrections or add missing content.

So swing on by and check out the new Song Database... err... Discopedia. And special thanks to Tre for working so hard with me to make this happen.

-Dean

8/3/2006
Fly to Tennessee to see FB!
Broken Face (20:50 PST)

Here is a truly cool opportunity for our UK friends to enter a contest to travel to the "bread-basket" of the USA to see our man, Frank Black. Jack Daniels is sponsoring a party celebrating the birthday of its namesake in Lynchbugh, TN on October 6, where FB, Richard Hawley, and Guy Garver (Elbow) will play with the one-time only Tennessee supergroup, New Silver Cornet Band. This very cool, one time event, is not open to the general public and will only seat 200 people! This may very well be the smallest FB show in many a year. For some reason unknown to Frankblack.net, the contest is only open to those in the United Kingdom, and also includes round-trip airfare. So, if you are eligable, enter the contest here.

8/6/2006
Pixies DVD Spree
Cult of Frank (15:13 PST)

So, the Pixies haven't played in your neighbourhood in a while? Or you weren't able to see them play an acoustic show in Newport? Or maybe you just want to know more, more, more!

Well, settle down. There are a bunch of DVDs flying at you very soon. And they are, in no particular order:

Pixies - Club Date: Live at The Paradise in Boston. Thanks to dslator for the heads up, this is due to be released in the UK on Sept. 4.

Pixies Acoustic: Live in Newport Due to be released Aug 22 (but you can preorder now), this is - so far as we know - the only 'unplugged' Pixies performance to date and thankfully they've captured it on DVD.
 

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies - A documentary on the Pixies' reunion with lots of backstage access and, from what we've heard, pretty well done. Comes out Nov. 7 and, well, that seems far too far away. Again, you can preorder it in advance if you can't wait for it at your cool local record shop.

So, three DVDs in the pipe for fall. And for completists out there, we should probably re-mention DVDs already available. There's The Pixies - Sell Out DVD, which follows them around their reunion in 2004 but is a compilation of songs from their tour rather than a documentary. There's the meaty Pixies DVD which has about 2.5 hours of Pixies-related goodness, focusing more on the old days and the band's history, combining live performances and documentary-style interviews with other artists like Radiohead, David Bowie, PJ Harvey, U2, etc. And finally, there's the Pixies Live at the Town and Country Club 1988 DVD which look a lot like the Pixies DVD to me, but hey, this is for the completists out there.

So, lots of Pixies live stuff to enjoy even as FB is about to kick off his fall tour. Lots of live goodness all around.

-Dean

8/7/2006
Frank Black Fall Tour
Cult of Frank (14:18 PST)

We're proud (and extremely excited) to announce that Frank Black will be touring this fall all over Canada and the US. As Frank Black told us in Podcast 12, he will be touring long-time collaborator Eric Drew Feldman as well as more recent Nashville collaborators Billy Block (drums) and Duane Jarvis (guitar). Billy just sent me some more photos of the Nashville sessions, incidentally, which are or soon will be available here. The band will be touring in support of Fastman/Raiderman and will also be playing a few selections from across Frank Black's career, from the Pixies through to the Catholics as well as solo material. It's unknown at this point whether they will preview any of Frank Black's new solo project with Eric Drew Feldman, but it's a possibility given that some songs have already surfaced in a recent live show. Here's the itinerary:

SEPTEMBER
29, 30 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA (w/ Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)

OCTOBER
1 Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
4 Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
6 Jack Daniels (Private), Lynchberg, TN 7 New Daisy Theatre, Memphis, TN
9 Gypsy Tea Ballroom, Dallas, TX
10 La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX
11 Meridian, Houston, TX
13 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL
14 State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL
15 Savannah Smiles, Savannah, GA
16 Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, GA
17 Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
18 Sonar, Baltimore, MD
19 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
20 Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
22 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
23 Irving Plaza, New York, NY
24 Avalon Ballroom, Boston, MA
25 Le National, Montreal, QC
26 Opera House, Toronto, ON
27 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
28 Headliners, Louisville, KY
30 House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
31 Southgate House, Newport, KY

NOVEMBER
1 Metro, Chicago, IL
2 High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI
3 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
5 Pantages Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
6 Conexus Hall, Regina, SK
7 The Odeon, Saskatoon, SK
9 Reds, Edmonton, AB
10 MacEwan Ballroom, Calgary, AB
12 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
13 Showbox, Seattle, WA
14 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
15 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
17 House of Blues, West Hollywood, CA
18 House of Blues, San Diego, CA
19 House of Blues, Anaheim, CA

That's a pretty extensive tour if I may say, from the southeast US all the way up to western Canada (including Saskatoon!). Ticket prices and sale dates vary with city, but we'll keep you posted as they start to become available.

-Dean

8/8/2006
FB.Net eBook Release
Cult of Frank (18:57 PST)

Check out our new eBooks SectionWe're not sure if it's something in the html or what, but somehow we seem to have more than our fair share of talented individuals. Whether it's music, writing, or art in general, this creative bent has long been on display in our forum's wonderful FrankBlack.Net Salon.

However, we readily admit there is no cohesive and easy way to browse, particularly through the writings and ramblings. To this end, Tre and many others have gone all out to create a forum eBook entitled The End of Miles.

The book centres roughly on an 'on the road' theme, taking readers on journies both physical and metaphysical, poetic and metapoetic, exciting and, well, you get the idea.

There are already plans in the works to make this into a series of eBooks, so if you missed out, come join the fun for book 2. In the meantime, thanks to everyone involved in the project for your work and contributions, and I personally look forward to many more of these. The End of Miles is just the beginning!

Check it out!

-Dean

8/8/2006
On Sale Now
Broken Face (13:44 PST)

With great pleasure, we at Frank Black Dot Net can bring you as much up to date information as we can about where to get tickets for the upcoming Fall Tour. A variety of different vendors are selling tickets, but here is what we have so far:

Ticketmaster is currently selling tickets for 14 of the shows, all of which appear to be on sale and available. Those shows are: Houston, St. Petersburg, Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Hollywood, San Diego, Anaheim, Calgary and Edmonton. Information and tickets are available here.

The Orange Peel (North Carolina) and Headliners Music Hall (Kentucky) are selling their tickets through Ticketweb, and both are also on sale and available here.

Tickets for the Memphis show are available here.

And finally, tickets for the Philadelphia show are available here.

If you have any information that could help us, please let us know by posting the information in our FB Autumn ’06 Tour thread on our forum. See you at the shows!

8/24/2006
The Man is Listening
Cult of Frank (11:59 PST)

International Songwriting CompetitionForum member and transient-intransigent GypsyDeath writes to tell us something that may interest aspiring musicians and FB fans. It seems that Frank Black will be a judge in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition.

With him will be a bevy of other greats, including Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, Isaac Brock, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Smith, and others. Not bad, eh? And the grand prize is $25,000 and lots of press.

While we're not really for music as competitive sport, it is a chance to have your stuff heard by the man and many other people deserving of the title also. And wouldn't it be great to have an FB fan come out of this?

More from Pitchfork

-Dean

8/25/2006
Solo Tour Sunset
Cult of Frank (11:43 PST)

As Frank Black's summer solo acoustic tour comes to a close, those waiting for the fall tour with a full band (Eric Drew Feldman, Duane Jarvis, Billy Block) are getting excited. And if you're not (or even if you are), make sure you check out the latest Frank Black podcast released today. On it you'll find songs performed at various shows on this tour and a chat with Frank Black about technology and the internet!

To say the least, the setlists for his solo tour have been a bit of a surprise. Sure, he told us on the podcast it wouldn't be all about playing the new album, but even so, I don't know that anyone expected him to dust off some of the gems he has.

In addition to some Pixies standards (Holiday Song, Nimrod's Son, Where Is My Mind?, Cactus, Mr. Grieves, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Wave of Mutilation) and the usual rotation of Frank Black classics (Los Angeles, Headache, Calistan, All My Ghosts, Bullet, Nadine) there have been a bevy of rarer live tracks. For example, several unreleased tracks (some purportedly from his new project with Eric Drew Feldman) including Dead Man's Curve, Rabbit Hole, and The Water. Or tracks that we've not heard live in quite some time like Living on Soul, Kicked in the Taco, Suffering, Old Black Dawning, Adda Lee, Two Reelers, Czar, Big Red, and Space is Gonna Do Me Good.

From Honeycomb, which he didn't tour on, we've heard I Burn Today, Sing for Joy, Song of the Shrimp, and My Life Is In Storage. And finally, from the recently released Fastman Raiderman, only I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh), Raider Man, Fitzgerald, My Terrible Ways, and Another Velvet Nightmare.

A very interesting and exciting mix of old and new, and what it means is essentially, anything goes. What a great time to catch the man on tour! Austrian/German fans despair not, you can catch him on Einsfestival tonight just after midnight. They will be broadcasting a Frank Black solo show from Alabamahalle in Munich performed in 1996. Thanks to gapu for the heads up.

-Dean

9/1/2006
The Great Broszkowski
Cult of Frank (14:25 PST)

Many of our regular forum members will know Matt Broszkowski (mattb) as the man who brought Pixies videos to the internet masses back when people thought YouTube was some sort of chocoloate-flavoured drink. He still has plenty of rare Pixies videos to share, but now he's giving away DVDs, too!

In fact, he's giving away 10 copies of the controversial DVD, loudQUIETloud. Which, despite the name, appears to be more about a skewed sense of drama and colouring various Pixies members in a certain light than about the music, but hey - getting it free is every completist's dream, no? You (Canadians/Americans over 17) have until October 15th to send an email to contest@broszkowski.com with your full name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, and an answer to the following question:

What is the name of the venue where the Pixies played the first show on their reunion tour?

So go on and enter today, and thanks Matt for organizing/hosting this giveaway. Check out the contest here with full rules, links to the trailer and Matt's Pixies videos/photos, and much more.

We'll hopefully have something more to announce in the coming weeks with regard to this. Until then!

Dean

9/1/2006
FB in Olympia
Cult of Frank (15:09 PST)

Thanks to Nate for alerting us to what appears to be a bit of a surprise show for Olympians, or at least residents of Olympia, Washington. FB will playing a solo show at The Clipper Saturday Sept. 9. Which is to say the show is at 9/9:9pm. Tickets are already on sale, grab 'em quickly here.

-Dean

9/16/2006
This Month in News
Cult of Frank (15:18 PST)

Greetings all. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are on the cusp of autumn, and like leaves from the trees, exciting Frank Black relating news keeps falling into our laps. And now we're going to take the pile and unceremoniously dump it onto you...

What was at one time thought to be a UK-only release is about to become available to those across the pond. Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston is set to be released in North America on October 3. Amazon has a presale already set up here, and for less than $14, the price can't be beat. Eagle Rock, the production company behind Club Date also brought the similarly well-shot and affordably priced Pixies: Acoustic - Live in Newport DVD.

Moving on to the world of solo Frank Black, a very cool opportunity has arived for UK FB fans. Remember the Jack Daniels private club show we told you about? Well, War Child, a UK-based charity, has started up The Big Swap, which is loosely based on Kyle MacDonald's One Red Paperclip campaign, where he eventually wound up with a new home, without spending a dime. The Big Swap is looking for something to swap for 4 passes, with hotel and flight accomodations, to this special Frank Black show. For more information, please visit this thread on our forum.

Speaking of charity, the lovely Violet (Frank Black's wife) just swung by the forum to let us know that she's listing a few items autographed by Frank Black to help out a family in their community with sick triplets. Check out the charity auctions here or if you'd prefer to just make a donation, please send it to:

THE STEWART TRIPLETS FUND
PO Box 50310
Eugene, OR 97405

In case you haven't checked out our most recent FrankBlack.Net Podcast, we are pleased to tell you that we had the chance to sit down with Mr. Eric Drew Feldman for a great conversation about all thing EDF. Aside from some great insights from one of the most respected Frank Black collaborators, Eric chatted about his band, kNIFE and fORK. He was also kind enough to send us an advance demo from his next album, exclusive to the podcast. And if you still haven't tracked down Miserycord, the debut from kNIFE and fORK, which is a pretty difficult one to find, eMusic has it here and Amazon here.

Also newly available from eMusic are the 2 recently release Frank Black & The Catholics B-Sides compilations, Snake Oil and One More Road for the Hit . Previously only available via iTunes, finally you can grab the albums as non-DRM'ed MP3s (and I'm sure this will be a relief to those living in countries where iTunes is unavailable). The wait is over!

Finally, for all those North American Frank Black fans out there, don't forget to get your tickets to the fall tour, on sale now!

-Brian and Dean

9/25/2006
The Real P-FB-Sloan
Cult of Frank (15:05 PST)

And in yet more user submitted news, Frank Black stopped by to let us know that he will be at the increasingly legendary Cafe du Nord as a guest of P.F. Sloan. You may remember that Frank Black makes an appearance on the recently released PF Sloan album, Sailover (click to listen at Amazon). Here's what FB had to say:

Hello frankblack.net folk!

I wanted to let you all know that I WILL BE AT THE P.F. SLOAN GIG on 9/28 at the Café du Nord in San Francisco, CA (this Thursday night). I wanted to clarify that this IS NOT A FRANK BLACK SHOW. But I will be there, as will be Eric Drew Feldman, Duane Jarvis, and Billy Block (my band). Music will be played. I imagine I will be coaxed to the stage. What may happen I do not know. I may perform a set; I might get drunk and do a striptease; I really don't know. So please don't come if you're expecting a Frank Black concert. Come and hear P.F. Sloan concert, and come and see what else happens, too. Who knows, maybe Kim Deal will fly in and we'll do 3 hours of Foghat covers...

Sounds like a great time, if only I could get there. In other news, we've been working with the folks over at Real Media/Rhapsody to bring instant listening to our Discopedia without the registration nags. Now, if you're browsing the disco (yes, I know, great song title) and you want to hear a track, you should be able to just click the link and hear it at Rhapsody without the nag to register. For example, click here to listen to Frank Black performing Run on Gordon Gano's Hitting the Ground.

Everybody gets 25 free listens/month without registration or anything (you just have to download the browser plugin) and of course, for those registered, you can listen anytime, anywhere, to as many songs as you want (they're basically licensing an internet jukebox). Obviously, this isn't limited to FB stuff, so have some fun. We hope this feature is useful to some of you; we think it's handy to be able to have the FB catalogue a click away as you read up on lyrics, meanings, quotes, and notes.

Happy listening!

-Dean

9/25/2006
Warm Up the Tube
Paul Bernays (09:51 PST)

Paul Bernays from Artisan pictures stopped by to share the following with us:

Frank features in a documentary about Mose Allison on BBC2 this Friday 29th September at 11.35pm.

Not everyone here might know that the Pixies' song Allison is actually about Mose Allison, one of Frank's all time musical and personal heroes. In this portrait of the now 80 year old Jazz and Blues legend, Frank talks about him and explains why he wrote the song.

And Frank's not alone in his admiration, also featured are Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Loudon Wainwright, Bonnie Raitt and Pete Townsend, who says quite simply 'Without Mose I wouldn't have written My Generation.'

Hope you enjoy!

While you're marking your calendars, you may want to add that, according to VH1, Frank Black is scheduled to appear on Late Night with Conan O'Brien Oct. 21. as the musical guest. As well, Frank Black also appeared on VH1 recently to host The Alternative, where he picked out some favourite tracks (15 to be exact) and described what likes about them. Check out the list here.

-Dean

9/28/2006
Meet Frank Black in Saskatoon
Cult of Frank (13:04 PST)

Attention Frank Black fans, we have an exciting contest for you! In our 16th FrankBlack.Net Podcast, coming October 1st, we'll be offering a chance for you and a friend to meet Frank Black this fall and quite possibly hear him sing a few songs on his acoustic guitar.

The show where this meet-up is happening is in Saskatoon, SK, Canada on Nov 7. As well, for any fans attending the show, independant of the contest, we'll be having an international meeting of our own. Brian is flying all the way from New York and you'll want to find your way here too. And maybe a place to spend the night (we will help arrange accomodation on our forum as needed) to attend this momentous event.

So, to enter the contest, all you have to do is listen to Podcast 16 and send us an email. Those eager to enter should note that it will help to have listened to other Frank Black podcasts as well. So now you have something to do in the meantime.

Several winners will be drawn randomly from all correct entries, so there will be a small group of fans actually meeting the man. One of them could be you.

Podcast 16 airs Oct. 1 and the deadline for entry is Monday Oct 9 at midnight CST. The draw will be made and winners privately notified very shortly after. You (and your friend) must be older than 18 to enter.

Good luck to all entrants, and both Brian and myself are looking forward to meeting everyone here in Saskatoon.

-Brian and Dean

10/5/2006
FB on The Road, on Mog, on TV
Cult of Frank/Broken Face (10:35 PST)

It's something that hasn't happened before - Frank Black has two bands at the same time. While most fans are happy enough that the Pixies songs not be played with both, among a few there has been some controversy that he has not been playing any Pixies songs on this fall tour.

However, it turns out they were incorrect. While the full band has yet to tackle any Pixies tunes in their regular set, you'll still catch a few Pixies tunes during FB's acoustic sets at record stores, radio stations and, at a few shows, opening the set.

Moreover, a few new songs have been creeping their way into the nightly setlists, including one song that has been rumored to be a potential future Pixies track (or perhaps one on the upcoming Eric Drew Feldman produced FB album...), "(Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar." The setlists appear to be growing as the tour goes on, so who knows what FB + co. might play in your town?

As well, forum member Apesy alerted us to Frank Black's MOG page. And what is this? If you look in "My Digital Music Collection" under "Frank Black" you see a folder called "Demos for Pixies". Along with "Gyaneshwar", there's a song called "El Rey De Hawaii" and one called "Storm". It's clear these are tentative titles, but still very exciting. Plus, Frank Black has a MOG (aka a music 'blog'). How cool is that?

And finally, for those who won't be able to make it out to the tour this fall, fret not, for you will have a chance to witness the man and his new band play. How you ask? By tuning into Late Night With Conan O'Brien this coming Friday Night/Saturday Morning (to be technical!). As always, check your local listings for the time and channel near you.

-Dean and Brian

11/3/2006
FB Tricks and Treats
Cult_of_Frank (02:59 PST)

Frank Black had a busy Halloween appearing on no less than three internet radio shows. First of course was the FrankBlack.Net Podcast, where we play a bunch of Frank Black/Pixies covers and chat with the man about songwriting sandwiches. Listen here.

Equally thrilling, he was in the studio at WOXY for what is probably one of the better interviews we have on record with the man. It includes some terrific acoustic performances including a few of the new numbers he's been playing live like The Water and a cover of a rare song called That Burnt Out Rock and Roll. Listen here.

Last but not least, he took some time while on the tour bus to chat with Mac and Slater on Fearless Radio (thanks for the mention, guys) about sports, sex, and politics. Listen here.

So while Halloween is long gone, there is still plenty or candy left over at the old Frank Black house. As well as what you might classify as a trick, or at least some unexplained phenomenon. It appears that the Frank Black MOG is gone as quickly as it appeared. No word on why or if it will be reinstated, but it's worth mentioning that a few days ago he had gotten annoyed with MOG for appending "of the Pixies" to his site title, as though he has had no career otherwise (you know, for the past 15 years or so).

Finally, in the spirit of leaving you with something a little more positive, we've started a YouTube page for Frank Black videos. It is still in progress at this point, but it's worth mentioning that thanks to forum member Sam, we have a fairly rare copy of an FB and the C's gig at the Rockpalast in Germany online for your perusal. Check it out and send us links to your favourite FB-related videos here.

Oh, and there are rumblings about a new FB release slated for this holiday season (perhaps as early as US Thanksgiving?). Nothing official or confirmed, but exciting and, let's face it, amazing rumours given the double album we all know and love (Fast Man Raider Man) released earlier this year. A friendly competition with Robert Pollard, perhaps?

-Dean

11/6/2006
New FB Album this ChRISTMASS
Cult of Frank (09:43 PST)

As pumpkin fire sales melt into memory and shops the world over trade orange and black for red and green, Frank Black is also getting into the spirit early with an item sure to be on every music fan's wishlist - a new album. Or rather, a compilation of sorts with some new tracks recorded in the studio and stand-out live recordings from this most recent tour.

The next Frank Black album (Fastman Raiderman was released just shy of five months ago!) is in the final stages and should be finished in a matter of weeks. Myles Mangino, who has been with FB since the early Pixies days and more recently spent time with Frank as Tour Manager/Soundman, is producing the album. Which, according to Myles, is a mix of live (and not retouched) recordings, hotel room sessions, and studio tracks. There are seven new songs on the album as well as an accompanying DVD - the first non-Pixies DVD we have of Frank Black.

The tracklist is as follows:

  1. (Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar - Hotel Room on the ocean in Santa Cruz
  2. Bullet - live in Brooklyn
  3. I Burn Today - live from a 'secret' show in Bellingham, WA
  4. Wave of Mutilation - live
  5. Living on Soul - live
  6. She's My Way - "the best song Charles has written - maybe ever"
  7. Massif Central - live
  8. Where Is My Mind - live
  9. Raiderman - live
  10. Demon Girl - studio, "a really fun (and goofy) story"
  11. Dead Man's Curve - live
  12. Cactus - live and very unusual version
  13. 666 - accapello (no guitar)
  14. Radio Lizards of Whoring - studio, accapello, and bizarre
  15. Headache - live (with Rami Jaffre of The Wallflowers)
  16. Nadine - live (with Rami on accordion) in Chicago
  17. Manitoba - live
  18. All Around The World - live
  19. Los Angeles - live
  20. The Water - live
  21. Outtakes - live, bits from Washington shows pieced together
  22. Don't Get Me Wrong - studio, newest FB track

Myles posted some very interesting descriptions of the album in our forum. Read it here.

Also, apparently The Water was named by fans on this forum, but I'm not sure FB is happy with the name. Check out the lyrics here and let us know what you think it should be called here.

Finally, we're not sure if ChRISTMASS is the final name for the album or some sort of ultra-secret codename, but it's worth mentioning that it has been around for a while.

Oh, and those at the Regina and Saskatoon shows, be sure to say hello to Brian and myself if you see us there.

-Dean

11/13/2006
So MOG Gone
Cult of Frank (14:14 PST)

DeBased writes in to let us know that Frank Black will be doing a live performance on Seattle's KEXP TODAY at 2PM Pacific. Those not on the coast can tune in online, be sure to check it out. Seattlites should also check out his show tonight at the Showbox.

In other various FB news, the recent backstage pass in Saskatoon was a great time. Thanks to FB and the band (particularly Billy Block) for really going out of their way to accomodate us and making for a great evening. FB performed an acoustic version of The Water for us, which, along with other highlights from the Saskatoon show, will be aired on FB.Net Podcast 20 for all those who couldn't attend.

From this meeting, we have a few tidbits of news to offer. One is that yes, FB's MOG site is officially gone. The reason for this appears to be that he left his email on, thinking he'd be a regular net "citizen". We may see it again in the future.

Regarding ChRISTMASS (which is in reference to the traditional spelling of the word), he asked that we clarify that it was not a full studio album, but a collection of tracks for fans to chew on with their Christmass turkey. The DVD, it turns out, was recorded in Sacramento earlier this year. Whether you will see this in stores or as an internet-only offering remains to be seen, but we will keep you posted.

And finally, the tour is going very well. There are only a few days left, so if you're lucky enough to be on the coast, be sure to check out a show before it all unravels in California. In the meantime, you can check out photos in our photo gallery (please, if you have some good photos from ANY show at any time, we'd love to have a definitive collection of them here FB.Net, so take a few seconds and upload away!), check out reviews in our forum, and, hey, you may even find a few recordings and videos.

-Dean

12/7/2006
Christmass Moved Up One Week
Cult of Frank (23:52 PST)

If you were expecting Christmass to fall on December 25th as it usually does, The Black Francis Detective Agency has uncovered some startling news. The new Frank Black compilation, yes, called Christmass, is now available for pre-order on Cooking Vinyl only. Don't worry if you live in North America, you can still purchase it from CV (there are no North American distributors) for a pretty decent price. In case you've missed the excitement, it features live cuts from this year's tour, some brand new songs (some recorded in the Planet of Sound Studio and others live and in hotel rooms), and a DVD!

And speaking of a DVD, we have another exciting newsflash for you. There are now two (count 'em) new music videos for the new album available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube.

Gyaneshwar features some terrific acoustic guitars and is more fun than a whoopee cushion and a megaphone. Don't Get Me Wrong is definitely the most arty video to come from Frank Black since - ever. We love it!

Of course, it's worth mentioning that you can get more information about the new songs and album here in our Discopedia.

It's also worth mentioning that you can experience a bit of live Frank Black from his latest tour on the FrankBlack.Net Podcast. Episode 20 includes an exclusive acoustic performance of The Water (another song that will be featured on Christmass) and several high-quality recordings from his stop over in Saskatoon that you definitely won't want to miss.

And speaking of the podcasts, for non-regular listeners, we will be putting out some stocking stuffer podcasts every Sunday of this month until Christmas Eve. This Sunday, Julian Clark (son of Violet and FB) co-hosts the podcast with us and it's more fun than three monkeys and a banana on a string.

With so many gifts for Frank Black fans this Christmas, it's a miracle that we're getting a new mail-order exclusive album on top of it. Be sure to order your copy today!

-Dean

12/9/2006
Search N Store
Cult of Frank (10:54 PST)

Hopefully by now you've all added the new Frank Black album, Christmass to your "gifts from myself" list, but we have something else you may want to add on there: a FrankBlack.Net Search for your browser. Yep, that's right. Now you can instantly search Frank Black songs, albums, lyrics, quotes, notes, and anything in the Discopedia from anywhere on the web using that little search box in the top right of your browser! Go ahead, try it by clicking on your search bar (shown in the photo) and select "Add FrankBlack.Net Search". It takes three seconds and can be removed just as quickly. Thanks to Jared Ravitch for helping us with this new feature. And in case you missed it, be sure to subscribe to our RSS News Feed - keep yourself in the know!

If browser add-ons aren't your idea of a Christmas gift, well, feel free to look around in our newly minted FrankBlack.Net Store. There you'll find everything and anything remotely FB-related available from Amazon, including FB and Pixies albums, b-sides, and singles, books and movies that FB has drawn inspiration from, other artists that have worked with or are friendly with FB, and even the odd item of clothing. It has now been added to the main index of our site for future reference.

As with everything else on the site, a reminder that this is not an official store, but it is our way of making it easier for you to find and buy FB stuff on the web. We only list things that we think are worth it, so - for example - you won't find a certain Pixies book by a certain author whose name starts with Mendel and ends with ssohn. And of course, a little bit goes to keeping our site up and running too - even if you just use the store as a link to go to Amazon (who helped us set this up).

So, it's our Christmas present to ourselves too. And really, isn't that what this season is all about? No. But enjoy these new features anyway and all the best this holiday season.

-Dean

12/19/2006
Open Your Gifts Early
Cult of Frank (09:54 PST)

By now, if you've ordered yourself a copy of Christmass from Cooking Vinyl, you've moved from pending to processed and anxious to desperate.

Should you find yourself at the extreme end of deperation, despair no more. Christmass is now available on eMusic everywhere in the world except, sadly, North America, where Cooking Vinyl does not have the rights. You can also grab it in DRM'd glory from iTunes UK here. Even if you have a copy of the album coming, you can still stave off the insanity with some 30-second rations (yes, even those here in North America). Those new to eMusic also, we remind you, get their first 25 downloads free courtesy of eMusic, so it's a great time to try them out.

That said, you'll still want to order a physical copy from Cooking Vinyl, of course - how else will you get this first of Frank Black DVDs? But in the meantime, this is handy for taking a peek or even wildly unwrapping your Christmass gifts early.

-Dean




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