July 6 - Edmonton, Alberta - Starlight (Black Francis only)
July 7 - Calgary, Alberta The Grand (Black Francis only)
July 8 - Regina, Saskatchewan - The Exchange (Black Francis only)
July 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock (Black Francis only)
July 11 - Madison, WI - High Noon (early show) (Black Francis only)
July 14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe (Black Francis only)
July 15 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre (Black Francis only)
July 16 - Washington, DC - Black Cat (Grand Duchy)
July 17 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Grand Duchy)
July 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Siren Festival (Grand Duchy)
July 19 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Grand Duchy)
July 20 - Wellfleet, MA - Beachcomber (Black Francis only)
July 23 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop (Black Francis only)
July 24 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean (Grand Duchy)
July 25 - Chicago, IL - Wicker Park Festival
July 29 - Denver, CO - Walnut Room (Black Francis only)

Now, for all those across the pond who feel left out, the Pixies will be touring Doolittle in its entirety, along with its appropriate b-sides, throughout Europe in October. The tour is celebrating the record's 20th anniversary.

October 1 - Olympia, Dublin
October 2 - Olympia, Dublin
October 4 - SECC, Glasgow
October 6 - Brixton Academy, London
October 7 - Brixton Academy, London
October 8 - Brixton Academy, London
October 9 - Brixton Academy, London
October 11 - Jahrhunderhalle, Frankfurt
October 13 - Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
October 14 - Forest National, Brussels
October 15 - Zenith, Paris

In addition to all the live dates, we have a bit of additional Pixies news. It seems that Mr. Black Francis has offered a challenge to Hollywood directors - let the Pixies score your film! “The band needs to work with a film director. Quentin Tarantino or someone like that. It’d be like, ‘Make some music for our film, you guys be the sound of the film’.” Will anyone take them up on this task? Do you see them working with someone like the aforementioned Tarantino, or someone like David Fincher? Or maybe even Judd Apatow!

And finally, we have some sad news from a friend of our website and of FBF, Mark Mulcahy. Some of you might recognize the name as the singer/songwriter behind Miracle Legion and Polaris, both of which featured Catholics David McCafferey and Scott Boutier, or perhaps you recognize the name from the liner notes of Christmass, as Mark provided backing vocals for both "Radio Lizards" and "Don't Get Me Wrong." Or maybe, like me, you saw Mark open for the Pixies in Atlantic City in 2005. Regardless, Mark's wife recently passed away, leaving him as a single dad to two small children. Some friends and admirers, including our Frank Black Francis, have recorded some of Mark's songs for a tribute record called Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy. Check out this AMAZING group of artists contributing:

01 Thom Yorke: "All for the Best"
02 The National: "Ashamed of the Story I Told"
03 Michael Stipe: "Everything’s Coming Undone"
04 David Berkeley: "Love's the Only Thing That Shuts Me Up"
05 Dinosaur Jr.: "The Backyard"
06 Chris Harford and Mr. Ray Neal: "Micon the Icon"
07 Frank Black: "Bill Jocko"
08 Vic Chesnutt: "Little Man"
09 Unbelievable Truth: "Ciao My Shining Star"
10 Butterflies of Love: "I Have Patience"
11 Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne: "Cookie Jar"
12 Frank Turner: "The Quiet One"
13 Rocket From the Tombs: "In Pursuit of Your Happiness"
14 Ben Kweller: "Wake Up Whispering"
15 Josh Rouse: "I Woke Up in the Mayflower"
16 Autumn Defense: "Paradise"
17 Hayden: "Happy Birthday Yesterday"
18 Juliana Hatfield: "We're Not in Charleston Anymore"
19 Mercury Rev: "Sailors and Animals"
20 Elvis Perkins: "She Watches Over Me"
21 Sean Watkins: "A World Away From This One"

The record comes out September 29th (my wedding anniversary!) on Shout! Factory records and was put together by friend of the site, Myles Mangino (who we hope to have on a podcast soon to further talk up the record).

And finally, the writers over at Magnet, one of the best music magazines still standing, have asked a question that has plagued our forum members for years now: Frank Black Vs. the Pixies. Read the funny (and controversial!) article here.

And, keep your ears peeled for new podcasts on the 15th of the month, every month, for the foreseeable future.

-Brian]]>http://www.frankblack.net/news/#699http://www.frankblack.net/news/#699Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:37:00 PSTToday in the news, Good news for us East Coast fans who haven't had an FBF sighting in our timezone since 2006! Grand Duchy will be joining Built to Spill, the Raveonettes, Frightened Rabbit, Monotonix, Micachu and The Shapes at the 2009 Village Voice Siren Music Festival, held at Coney Island in the hipster capital of the world, Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, July 18 from Noon to 9pm. Details are slowly being released, but one thing is for sure - as in years past, this festival will be FREE! So even if you're not from the area, who can pass up a free festival, surrounded by the legendary Cyclone roller coaster, the beach, the boardwalk, AND Grand Duchy? Look for me there! -Brian]]>http://www.frankblack.net/news/#701http://www.frankblack.net/news/#701Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:18:00 PSTToday in the news, As promised, here is a recap of the twelve "Cultural Positions" taken by the Duke and Duchess of Grand Duchy over at Magnet Magazine Online this past week. Things started off with a Q&A wit the band, followed by a look at the films of Woody Allen, a discussion of Pink Champagne, the genius of Tommy Wiseau, The Cars, Atomic Ranch Magazine, the Pompidou, the comedy stylings of Tim and Eric and Zach Galifianakis, a post on happenings, the Italian crooner Paolo Conte, 21st century heath and healing remedies, the punk rock trailblazers Mick Jones and Tony James, a.k.a. Carbon/Silicon and finally, hotels.

It was quite a varied dozen - and although we are sad their week as guest editors is over, we are excited that in the morning we will officially be treated to the North American release of Petits Four. And, it appears that we will be treated to three iTunes exclusives - "Donnes Moi," "Ma Carrefour" and "Beg" - and the best part is, they are available as individual downloads (unlike so many iTunes exclusives which are only available as part of an album) - so if you would prefer a physical copy of the record, make sure to pick up the three bonus tracks on their own.

-Brian]]>http://www.frankblack.net/news/#700http://www.frankblack.net/news/#700Tue, 7 Apr 2009 20:34:00 PSTToday in the news, This week, Grand Duchy is guest editing Magnet Magazine's website - this means that twice a day, we get mini-posts, called "Grand Duchy Cultural Positions," from the band about things they dig. The first such article, about Woody Allen, can be found here.

Also, Magnet did a Q&A with the duo, which touches on the Starland Vocal Band, Larry of the Three Stooges, and being "heavily into Google Translating."

Keep checking the site for more updates throughout the week, as well as a full recap from us this weekend!

-Brian and Dean]]>http://www.frankblack.net/news/#696http://www.frankblack.net/news/#696Thu, 2 Apr 2009 08:28:00 PSTToday in the news, It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of occasional Frank Black Francis collaborator, and all around great guy Duane Jarvis.

According to the L.A. Times, Duane passed away Wednesday morning, surrounded by family. He was 51.

Duane has played with FBF on the Fall 2006 North American tour, and his playing appears on Fastman Raiderman, as well as on the forthcoming Der Golem.

Duane was a true gentleman, and was amazingly kind to me the few times our paths crossed.

Rest in Peace, Duane. We miss you already.

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