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"The theatre environment is definitely much better than a nightclub if you don't have a band. In a club, you just can't compete with the volume of conversation. I don't really want to tell people, 'Shhh!'"
(Frank Black - Chart Attack)

 


 

 



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2/22/2011
Pixies Head North
Carl (18:08 PST)

2010 was a typically busy year for (if you will) Frank Black Francis, what with the release of NonStopErotik, The Golem score/rock soundtracks and DVD and B-side/demo comp Abbabubba, the staging of the Bluefinger opera, continuing work on the next Grand Duchy album entitled Let the People Speak and of course plenty of shows. The Pixies' extended Doolittle 20th anniversary tour brought them to Latin America for the first time; as it turned out, the band arrived in Chile the night that those now-famous 33 Chilean miners - who had been trapped underground for two months - were being rescued. At the following night's show in Santiago, the band played 33 songs in tribute to each of the rescued miners, in the process playing their longest set ever.

But the Doolittle tour isn't over just yet! The band are taking it north this time, with shows in Canada during April and May this year! Plus lucky fans in Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Paul, Minneapolis can also look forward to seeing the band... check out the tour dates (in the right panel) for the full itinerary. And staying with Doolittle, over 100 local musicians got together at San Francisco’s Public Works on 22 Feb for a live performance recording of the seminal album... and join the discussion on our forum. Meanwhile, the Pixies finally have an official site, which is offering free live shows to download (see link above). Dave and Joey have been talking to Billboard about the possibility of a new album. And in other Pixies-related news, designer extraordinaire Vaughan Oliver recently received a Grammy nomination for his work on the band’s Minotaur Deluxe Edition box set.

…But let’s not have the Pixies hog all the news! Grand Duchy’s new album Let The People Speak is due for release some time in April while The Golem soundtrack/DVD and rock album will get an official nationwide US release on 15 Mar, but there’s a particularly exciting developments for FB & The Catholics fans: work has officially begun on the long awaited "Red Letter Days" boxset (though the title is still to be decided)! The release will include everything from their eponymous 1998 debut to 2003’s Show Me Your Tears, all remastered from the original reels. B-sides, alternate takes and vinyl versions of all the albums are expected to be included in the set. Check out the newly-refurbished blackfrancis.net for further details!

That’s all for now, but be sure to check back soon for more news!

-Carl

4/16/2011
Happy Birthday, Frank!
Cult of Frank (08:48 PST)

All of us here at FrankBlack.Net would like to wish Frank Black Francis a happy birthday, the Pixies a happy 25th anniversary (breakup? what breakup?), and Lando Calrissian a happy 74th birthday, too. Yes, that's right, Frank Black and the first black in space a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away share a birthday. Coincidence? Our fact-checkers say yes, but consider this: Lando Calrissian sported a nice mustache; Frank Black once sang a song about a mustache. Lando impresses the ladies with eloquent pickup lines; Frank Black impressed his now-wife with eloquent spoken lines. Lando has been known to frequent outer space; Frank Black has many songs on this very topic. Lando went after Solo; after the Pixies, Frank Black went solo.

The parallels are too many to list but it certainly adds a new twist to the long-standing rumour that the fourth track on the legendary Teenager of the Year album was originally titled Calrissian.

Pop by the forum and wish Frank Black, Black Francis, Charles Thompson, Billy Dee Williams, Merle Haggard, and other celebrities that make today great a happy birthday here!

-Dean

5/7/2011
Let They Walk Behind
Cult of Frank (12:28 PST)

Now that the Pixies have wrapped up their Canadian Doolittle tour, you might be asking what's next? 'Might' is probably the wrong word to use here, we've seen the emails. First of all, rumour on the street is that the Pixies are still looking to bring the fantastic Doolittle tour to new locales in the US with what we have affectionately dubbed here in FB.Net land, the "No Cities Left Behind" tour. If the Pixies have never been yo your town, let us know about it on the forum.

Others in far-flung locales across the globe or who just want some new material are not to be disappointed, either. Black Paisley, a collaborative project between "Frank" Black Francis and Reid Paley is slated for release this year. Their first record will be titled "They Walk By Night" and is produced by Jon Tiven. Those not familiar with Reid's work probably are. You may recall previous collaborative efforts in songs like I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburg), Dog Sleep, and Golden Shore just for a few examples. Of course, you can always check Reid's website and hear "Take What You Want" which was also covered by FB. The track listing, according to BlackFrancis.Net follows:

  • 1. Curse On You
  • 2. Last Song
  • 3. Crescent Moon
  • 4. Praise
  • 5. Ugly Life
  • 6. Deconstructed
  • 7. Magic Cup
  • 8. Country Song
  • 9. Seal
  • 10. On the Corner

That album is expected this fall. But that's not all, there's a new Grand Duchy album coming out this year, too, though which will come first is an open question. The new record, Let the People Speak, is the second release from the kingdom and meanders sonically between a Petit Fours and solo Black Francis records with occasional forays into more uncharted territory for the duo. And you heard it here first, we have what appears to be the current tracklist:

  • 1. The Lopsided World of L
  • 2. See Thru You
  • 3. White Out
  • 4. Where is John Frum
  • 5. Annie Bliss
  • 6. Illiterate Lovers
  • 7. Dark Sparkles and the Beat
  • 8. Silver Bosy
  • 9. Two Lies and One Truth
  • 10. Face (If You Could See My)
  • 11. Esther
  • 12. R.O.T.C.
  • 13. Let the People Speak

The Bureau is also rumoured to be releasing an album for a band that is NOT a Frank Black project, which, if true, would really mark a foray into being a (black) label. Who is this band, so blessed? None other than the Bennys, a name many old Frank Black fans will recognize from opening gigs back in the heady days of the Catholics and the reason that there was a Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day session which may well have been one of the first leaks on the internet.

So as you can see, in spite of the fact that FB is finally enjoying a little bit of a breather and some time at home, there is plenty in the pipeline to feed your cravings through to 2012.

-Dean




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