Black Francis at LPR in 2011 (more by Adam Siegel)

Onetime Pixies frontman Black Francis recently went on a tour with collaborator Reid Paley that hit the NYC area back in February for a Maxwell's show. Now Black Francis has more dates scheduled, including one happening in NYC on May 17 at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway) in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, and Reid Paley is opening that one too. He'll be playing "an evening of solo acoustic songs spanning his career." Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Black Francis playing shows (Symphony Space included)"

Frank Black w/ Dinosaur Jr. at Terminal 5 in 2012 (more by Gretchen Robinette)

Black Francis (aka Frank Black of Pixies) and frequent collaborator Reid Paley, who released an album together last year, will be going on a tour together this February for which both artists will be playing solo sets. The tour doesn't hit NYC but there's an area show happening on February 21 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. Tickets for that show are on sale now. The tour also includes two upstate NY shows and another NJ date in Bordentown the night after the Maxwell's show. All dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Black Francis touring with Reid Paley in February (dates)"

Lou Barlow @ Terminal 5 (more by Gretchen Robinette)

Like Dave Hill, Gretchen Robinette and many of us, The Dinosaur Jr. 'you're living all over me' 25 year celebration show at Terminal 5 was a major highlight of 2012 for Dinosaur Jr.'s own Lou Barlow. He told Pitchfork:

people kept saying 'can you believe it's been 25 years since that record was released??' yes, yes i can.. easily.. so much happened since the release of that record..many bands, more band mates, lotsa fights, lotsa love..children! babies were born in the interim, human children ..so , i -can- believe it ..what REALLY surprised me was Frank Black singing one of the new dinosaur jr tunes ( 'almost there' (? , it really is impossible to figure out the names of J's songs) - the one i like to call the 'birkenstock tune' ) AND dinosaur jr playing a pixies song ('tame') with francis on vocals.. yea.. that part blew me away.. after years of fighting it i am ready to be a pixies fan, i will resist no longer.. he's got a serious set of lungs and learned our song like a proper musician.. much respect.. that ridiculous anniversary show was the #2 highlight of my year..or maybe it was number #1 ..i can't really rate events like this , once my mind is blown it's all equal, if you know what i mean..

Continue reading "Dino Jr. Terminal 5 show - one of Lou Barlow's 'Best Moments'"

words by Phillip Pantuso, photos by Gretchen Robinette

J. Mascis / Frank Black

Throughout the 90s and the first half of the 2000s, Dinosaur Jr. was one of the last rock groups you would have expected to get the old band back together, go on tour, and record new music--not to mention new music that's every bit as good as anything the original lineup made in the 80s. When J Mascis unceremoniously kicked out Lou Barlow, his high school friend and longtime bandmate, in 1989, it seemed like a mercy killing of the original lineup, which had devolved into a psychodramatic mess, marred by lack of communication and irreconcilable personality difference between Mascis and Barlow. ("It makes me sick that I spent six or seven years putting my heart and soul into that band," Barlow told Cut zine in 1990. "They're sleazebag snob pigs like no one I have met in my entire life. J's always been an asshole.") Mascis and Murph, and then just Mascis, went on to record a string of major-label records throughout the 90s that, though inconsistent, contain some of Dinosaur Jr.'s best and most well-known songs.

When Mascis killed Dinosaur Jr. in 1997, it seemed inconceivable that, a decade later, Mascis, Barlow and Murph would reunite. Time heals all wounds, I guess. It's perhaps less surprising that the band would be able to ably reprise their sprawling, melodic, blitzkrieg guitar-rock sound. Three records in to the latter-day reign of Dinosaur Jr., the band sounds as good as they ever have.

On Saturday at Terminal 5, Dinosaur Jr. celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of You're Living All Over Me, their second album and the one that made nonchalance cool, made the extended guitar solo cool (again), and wedded melodic tendencies with noise and feedback in a theretofore unheard of fashion in the indie rock underground. The band opened their set with "Thumb," from 1991's Green Mind, with Suzanne Thorp of Mercury Rev guesting on flute, before Mascis matter-of-factly announced that now they'd be playing You're Living All Over Me in full.

A sleepy-looking Lee Ranaldo came out to share vocals with J on "Little Fury Things." Guests, some announced ahead of time, would be a recurring theme throughout the night, but not until later. Dinosaur Jr. ripped through the songs on their best album as if it were 1987 all over again. "Sludgefeast" was a punishing onslaught of guitar and staccato, gunfire drums, with Mascis's high lonesome whine cutting through the gain and distortion. "Tarpit" set off joyous dancing, propelled by Barlow's chunky bass chords and a deafening roar from Mascis's Jazzmaster that threatened to draw blood from the ears.

Watching Barlow and Mascis play on stage, it's not hard to extrapolate the personality differences that created their rift. Barlow, with his black Rickenbacker slung low, literally bounces from one foot to the other when playing, the joy at doing just this very thing--playing to an audience--so evident. He smiles, he cracks jokes, he acts as if he's living through the music. Mascis, on the other hand, with his laconic, slowhands style and deadpan announcements ("All right. Thanks a lot. That was side one."), plays as if the music lives through him. He's the hermetic savant tuned in to a frequency no one else can hear.

Barlow brought out a ukulele for "Poledo," the "awkward end to the amazing record," in his words. The cavernous space of Terminal 5 made the strident desolation of the song even more acute.

The second half of the show is the stuff legendary bootlegs are made of. A succession of guests filed onstage to help Dinosaur Jr. play their songs, or to transform them into other bands entirely. The first was Frank Black, who sang and played guitar on "Almost Fare," from this year's I Bet On Sky. Next, the band plus Black covered one of Black's songs--"Tame," from The Pixies' Doolittle. Black roared the chorus, tossed a painting into the first rows of the crowd, and exited. Kurt Vile, whose band opened the show, and Al Cisneros from Sleep were next. Cisneros took over bass duties from Barlow for a couple of songs, including the doom metal glazer "Alone" from 1997's Hand It Over. Harvey Milk's Kyle Spence took the drums for that one.

Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr and Broken Social Scene guru Kevin Drew emerged to play "The Wagon" with J, Lou and Murph. Then they covered Smiths track "The Boy With the Thorn In His Side," the words to which J was, uh, a little unsure of. Melvins drummer Dale Crover relieved Murph behind the kit for a skin-searing rendition of "Training Ground," a song by Mascis and Barlow's pre-Dinosaur hardcore band, Deep Wound. Don Fleming of Gumball and Dante Ferrando of Iron Cross helped the band cover "Crucified," and Kim Gordon gave a tempestuous performance on "Don't", Barlow's song from Bug that directly addresses the fractured relationship between him and Mascis. Gordon screamed, bellowed and cooed the song's one lyric ("Why don't you like me?") over and over again, dropping to her knees and falling to the stage like she was having an exorcism. It was intense. If Sonic Youth is over, she should start a hardcore band.

The encore began with a cover of the Stooges classic, "T.V. Eye," with Tommy Stinson on bass and Fred Armisen (whose show, Portlandia, will feature an appearance from J Mascis in its upcoming third season) on drums. Dinosaur Jr. closed with two classics: "Start Choppin" and "Freak Scene," the song that invented the slacker generation. It was a poignant, circle-closing moment. "Because when I need a friend," J sang, "it's still you," we all responded. The night was an amazing tribute to a great band, 25 years removed from their (so-far) signature achievement and, improbably, still going strong.

More pictures, some videos, and the setlist from the show (which also counted John Petkovic of Death of Samantha as a guest), below...

Continue reading "Dinosaur Jr. and many guests celebrated 'You're Living All Over Me' at Terminal 5 (pics, videos, setlist)"

photos by Adam Siegel

Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge

Black Francis played Le Poisson Rouge last night (7/24). Eric Drew Feldman accompanied him like he's done in the past. Reid Paley, who Frank is releasing an album with, opened the show. Pictures are in this post.

Five days earlier, Frank's tour brought him to St Louis where kdhx had this to say:

"Once he was tuned up and ready to go, Frank howled out a fantastic cover of Tom Waits' "The Black Rider" and his own tune "Six-Sixty-Six" over Eric's gorgeous organ accompaniment. The rest of the set found Frank playing whatever came to mind, picking out some fantastic guitar lines and delivering his lyrics in a wailing tenor while Eric switched between electric piano, organ and bass depending on the song. The set mostly consisted of songs from Frank's solo albums, but did include a handful of Pixies tunes, covers of the aforementioned Tom Waits tune and the Gary Green penned "That Burnt Out Rock and Roll" along with the fan suggested "Song of the Shrimp" from his 2005 album Honeycomb."

Frank's got a couple more dates left before the Pixies go on a tour that hits Wellmont Theatre on October 27 (sold out), Asbury Park Convention Hall on October 28 (tickets) and The Paramount in Huntington on November 5th (tickets).

More pictures and videos of Black Francis from the 7/24 LPR show, and the 7/19 setlist below...

Continue reading "Black Francis played LPR (pics, video & the St. Louis setlist)"

Black Francis at Joe's Pub in September (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Black Francis and frequent collaborator Reid Paley recently recorded some material together in Nashville which they'll release as Paley & Francis on September 13 via Sonic Unyonl. Frank Black will head out on a tour this summer, with Reid Paley opening some of the shows. Only nine July dates have been announced at this point, but according to Frank Black's website more dates are coming soon. They'll bring their tour to NYC on July 24 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now.

In related news, the Pixies recently spoke to Spinner about a possible new album:

You released a single a while back, but there's been no follow-up album. Kim made another Breeders album. Is there a reason Pixies haven't put out fresh stuff?

David: We were happy to just tour, and it's been non-stop because people want to see us. We've talked about it for years, but nothing's come to fruition.

Joey: I'm gonna answer this honestly, for once. In the back of our minds I think we're afraid that it might cause friction. Right? Don't you think? It might, and that "might" is gonna be an "Uh oh, what the f--- are we doing now?"

David: The thing is, we want to protect the legacy. If we do something, it better be good. And as we go along -- it's been seven years now -- it gets more difficult to make that decision.

Continue reading "Black Francis releasing album w/ Reid Paley, touring (dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Patricia Scull

"For the first time in my life, I just don't care," Frank Black sang Friday night (9/3), opening his solo acoustic show at Joe's Pub (his first of three sold out Labor Day Weekend shows at the intimate venue). While the song containing these lyrics ("Horrible Day") was released in 2003, it seems that Black has taken them and run. From his wearing sunglasses through the entire performance in the dimly lit Joe's Pub, to a mocking reference to his guitar skills ("And on guitar, we have Jack Shit,") Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. the frontman of influential 90's alt-rock band the Pixies, seems numb to the hoopla. Black's billing at the club is promoted as a "solo acoustic show," however it should be noted that the stage setup contained a Baldwin grand piano, a pump organ, a bass guitar, drum set, and yes, featured Black on electric guitar.

Starting the show with some warm-ups and donning a variation of an outfit some might refer to as the "Canadian tuxedo" (loose fitting blue jean button up shirt, untucked, and blue jean pants), Black immediately mezmerizes as soon as he opens his mouth to sing. Black's powerful timbre consistently leads the crescendo, with electric instruments following behind, sometimes singing melodically, sometimes screeching madly.

Despite promoting his latest solo release Non Stop Erotik, Black pulls some of his Pixies repertoire off the shelf, performing "Nimrod's Son," Cactus," and "Planet of Sound." His solo material is more solemn and less experimental than his work with the Pixies, often using the catharsis of the pump organ as a backdrop for his grainy vocals. His solo material (including that billed as Frank Black and the Catholics) seems as if age and experience has cast a new light over his work, with introspection and flashes of wisdom. "If your heart is sad," Black laments, "this is your new home." At times, Black reverts back to his signature Pixies vocal style, proving that he's no "Burnt Out Rock And Roll" star, a song he included in the set, along with "Manitoba," Ten Percenter," "Los Angeles," and "I Heard Ramona Sing." Black closed the show with a brief and somber encore, reminding the audience to "Sing for joy/Sing for laughs/ If nothing else/Sing for joy."

More pictures from Friday's show, below...

Continue reading "Black Francis played 3 shows @ Joe's Pub (night 1 pics)"

Frank Black is going solo acoustic at Joe's Pub in NYC on September 3rd and 4th. Tickets just went on sale. All dates below.

You can also catch Frank at some upcoming Pixies shows.

And stop by Joe's Pub tonight (6/23) to catch Villagers.

The Breeders are playing two shows around their appearance at ATP NY this year. Those dates are below too...

Continue reading "Black Francis playing acoustic shows @ Joe's Pub & other dates, the Breeders playing gigs too"

"Free Fallin" @ MHOW - Sept 20, 2009

"I was on a stage with a mess of other musicians. Bright lights were shining all around. I was standing in the center in front of the drum riser at The Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn. Between me and upturned faces of the audience was a wall of people. Some were old friends and some were new friends. Directly in front of me was Mark Mulcahy, to my right on the far side of the stage was Lesa Bezo with Philip and Flora from the Winterpills and Naomi Hamby from Spouse. They were circled around a microphone singing through smiles. Behind them was Jason Bourgeois in front of a Nord Keyboard, next to him was Ray Neal from Miracle Legion with a guitar, on my left was Dan Greene of Butterflies of Love and Kevin O'Rourke of Lo Fine and Jose Ayerve of Spouse. Next to Mark was Pat Sansone of Autumn Defense and Wilco. Strewn all around me were members of Gravel Pitt, David Berkeley, Chris Harford, BP Helium, The Parkway Charlies, Senator, Spouse, Lofine, The Mericans, Jeff Ginsburg, Biet and Gryphon, The Autumn Defense, Winterpills, Butterflies of Love, and The Gravel Pit. Directly behind me was the smiling face of Brian at the drums. He was surrounded by people shaking and banging on whatever they could find. Sitting on the drum riser behind him with a guitar was Frank Black and we were all singing, "I'm freeeee. Free fallin'!"

What the?....

It was the finale of a long, night of music. It was an "all-star" jam, folks. The only things missing were Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Paul Shaffer.

The day before, I spoke to Mark on the phone and he asked me if Brian and I could be in charge of the encore finale thing. "What song?" I asked. "Free Fallin'" He replied. Then we laughed.

The event was called Ciao My Shining Star and was a concert in memorial of Melissa Mulcahy and in tribute to Mark Mulcahy's music. Over seventeen acts were lined up to perform in a three and a half hour show. Everyone got about ten minutes. It was remarkably organized and on time. This was due in large part to the tireless effort put in by Richard Murray and Myles Mangino and also to the camaraderie of all those involved..." [Henning]

Pixies have added a fourth LATE NYC show at Hammerstein Ballroom to their November touring itinerary. The new date, Thanksgiving - November 26th @ 1:00am (actually a 2nd, later show Wednesday night?), goes on sale Friday @ 10am.

Continue reading "Pixies add 4th NYC show at Hammerstein Ballroom ++ Frank Black & many others played Mulcahy tribute show @ MHOW"

DOWNLOAD: Black Francis - All in My Mind (Love & Rockets) (MP3)

I would like to apologize to the Breeders for saying they would not sell out. I was a jerk about it and am truly sorry. I also apologize to their fans I may have offended with my stupid insensitive comments. Hope you liked the show.-Anonymous

The Breeders @ The Paradise in Boston 8/17 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

"Come one come all-I'm work shopping new introductions bare with me-Welcome to the 18th installment of the Jay Porks Never Ending concert series. Tonight brings us to the 'Sold Out' Bowery Ballroom at 6 Delancey St. in New York City. The Bowery is a venue that's been on my radar for a while, considering that the Bowery owns(or at least sponsors) most of the venues I attend for concerts in the city. Tonight the headliner, the band I'm here to see is the one, the only, THE BREEDERS." [The Jay Porks Blog]

On the horizon, Kim & Kelley Deal will be singing as part of The Long Count at BAM this fall, and Kim will be playing with her other band the Pixies, when they play NYC on their Doolittle tour this November.

Co-Pixie Frank Black recently contributed a track to New Tales To Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets, which came out Tuesday (Aug 18th) on Justice Records. Frank's track from that, "All in My Mind", off L&R's 1986 album Express, is posted above for your downloading pleasure.

He didn't appear at the release party/show on August 18th at the Ben Sherman store in Soho, but he will be at the show for, another tribute comp, Ciao My Shining Star - The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, which happens Sunday, September 20th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Also appearing at the concert will be Joseph Arthur, David Berkeley and more. Non-musical guests (of sorts) include the premiere of the Thom Yorke video "All For The Best" and a reading by graphic novelist Ben Katchor. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 21st at noon.

Joseph Arthur also has a series of shows coming up at City Winery.

That Mulcahy comp also has a slightly more personal story, via FrankBlack.net...

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 [of the soundtrack to Pete & Pete among other things], 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.

Radiohead has a new song out now (two actually).

The tracklist and art work for both tribute albums are posted below...

Continue reading "Breeders played Bowery, Frank Black playing Mark Mulcahy show @ MHOW (tix), on Love & Rockets tribute comp (MP3) "

photos by Tim Griffin

Village Voice: When's the last time you were at Coney Island?

Frank Black: The only time I was at Coney Island, I was filming an Electronic Press Kit. Remember those?

VV: Yeah.

FB: The record companies used to spend a few bucks on those. They hired a film director and everything. They had already begun to buy into the myth-well, it's not really a myth- it's the truth of my driving around in large automobiles. They rented us a van to drive around Coney Island. And that was my introduction. I don't think I've been back since.

VV: When was this?

FB: That would've been around 1993 or 1994.

The Grand Duchy setlists have included the Black Francis song "Threshold Apprehension". The full Maxwell's setlist and more pics, below...

Continue reading "Grand Duchy (Frank Black) @ Maxwells (setlist) & Siren (pics)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Thee Oh Sees

"Largely unfamiliar with the bands on the roster, my husband and I went to Coney Island on Saturday to see Built to Spill headlining on the main stage of the annual Siren Music Festival. Normally, I love free shows. I like the freedom to walk away from a disappointing or uninteresting performance-as we did from Monotonix-without feeling guilty. And ticketless shows tend to draw all types, which appeals to the voyeur in me. Neither of us had been to Coney Island before, so it was mildly amusing to see the confluence of century old kitsch and aggressive marketing tactics by softdrink companies. (We tried a sample of something called Vio, "the world's first vibrancy drink," and it tasted vaguely like flourescent lighting and perfume.)

Anticipating the rush toward the stage as Built to Spill began, we found a decent spot where we'd be able to hear the band, if not see their faces. It was as close as we could get without my cheeks grazing across sweaty pectorals while trying to squeeze through. This is the point at any show when the fan in me starts to grin and breathe faster, to feel like I'd rather be right here than anywhere else in the world. To our horror, not only were the people around us talking so loud that we could barely hear the music, they weren't even facing the stage. The crowd was mingling as though at a singles mixer, drink in hand, shouting over the din, completely oblivious to the band on stage.

Now, while I've been known to complain about NYC hipsters at opportune times (like when I'm on the downtown L train), I generally think people are too hard on them. They're pretty benign as far as contrived fashion/music subcultures go. But when they prevent me from hearing and seeing a live performance by one of my favorite bands, simply because they can't stop yakking and flirting for a single minute, I feel, well, displeased.

Next show is hopefully Trail of Dead at All Points East. I'm bringing pepper-spray and my slapping hand." [Home on the Fringe]

Chris's Built to Spill pics are HERE, Raveonettes pics HERE, and the rest below...

Continue reading "the 2009 Siren Music Festival in Coney Island - pics (part 1) "

The Breeders @ McCarren Park Pool, July 13 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

Pixies played their first high-profile UK gig in nearly four years tonight (June 14), performing before Neil Young at the Isle Of Wight Festival.

Opening their Main Stage set with 'U-Mass', the band treated fans to an 80-minute greatest hits set.

Early on in the set, bassist Kim Deal remarked that she found the island "very pretty", before giggling into the microphone. [NME]

Doubtless you know/saw enough of the last reunion tour to be well aware the Pixies are still very, very good at playing Pixies songs, and a full review would be kind of gratuitous: they were frickin' awesome.

There's no word on any additional Pixies dates yet, though Frank Black has announced some solo Black Francis shows, and is touring with his Grand Duchy project this summer. That group plays NYC's Siren Fest on July 18th, with a show the night before in Hoboken. Updated tour dates (FB and GD) are below.

The Pixies' Kim Deal has shows this summer too, with The Breeders. They'll be at Sled Island Fest in Calgary this weekend (June 26th). The band's also announced several August tour dates. Those include NYC shows on August 18th and 19th at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for both nights go on presale Wednesday, June 24th at noon. General sale starts Friday at 11am.

Kim and Kelley Deal of the Breeders will lso be performing as part of The Long Count, a BAM commissioned project by the National's Bryce and Aaron Dessner. That premieres in Brooklyn in October.

Pixies set lists, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Breeders playing 2 NYC shows, Deals playing BAM, Pixies played 2 shows (setlist), Frank Black announced more dates"

"Frank Black is an unassuming monster. In between songs at Harlow's last Monday, he affectionately listened to his wife, Grand Duchy singer/bassist Violet Clark, as she recounted unfunny anecdotes. But Black nursed his red wine, eyes peering from behind neon-lens black sunglasses, and let her jaw. Nice husband.

When Black's took his turn on the mic, he first soothed up to it, coiling his portly build like a chunky cobra about to strike. And then he did, ripping into songs with that gentle, inimitable Frank Black baritone that pretty much every 16-year-old teenage poseur wanted to hear emerge from their pubescent throat back in 1989." [Sacramento News & Review]

Like Frightened Rabbit, Grand Duchy will be playing the Siren Festival in Coney Island on July 18th, and Maxwell's in Hoboken one day earlier. Frightened Rabbit's show is early. Frank Black's show is late. Tickets are on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "Grand Duchy playing NJ before Brooklyn (and Chicago) "

Art Brut @ Mercury Lounge - 11/10/05 (more photos)

Art Brut Five night NYC run @ Mercury Lounge is coming...

Mon 6/1 (Tickets)
Art Brut 10:00
Demander 9:00
The Picture 8:00

Tue 6/2 (Tickets)
Art Brut 10:00
Murder Mystery 9:00
Les Sans Culottes 8:00

Wed 6/3 (Tickets)
Art Brut 10:00
Tiny Masters Of Today 9:00
U.S. Royalty 8:00

Thu 6/4 (SOLD OUT)
Art Brut 10:00
Cymbals Eat Guitars 9:00
Phil & The Osophers 8:00

Fri 6/5 (SOLD OUT)
Art Brut 11:00
Special Guest 10:00
Keith TOTP & his Minor US Indie Celebrity All Star Backing Band 9:00 - DJ Eamon Hamilton (BrakesBrakesBrakes) 8:00

As you can see above, tickets are still available for three of the five NYC shows. All dates HERE.

As you can also see above, the final night, now unfortunately sold out, seems to be the most special. Not only will it be the final night, but Keith TOTP means they're keeping it in the family ("Minor US Indie Celebrity All Star Backing Band" included), and "special guest" means, well... "Special Guest". If I could take one guess, my guess would be Art Brut 47 (aka We are Scientists), but that is just a guess.

A video diary of the recording of the new Art Brut album, with producer Frank Black (who by the way is playing the Siren Festival this year), is posted below...

Continue reading "5 NYC nights worth of Art Brut openers (one 'special guest') "

"When we were over in Oregon recording with Black Francis, Spin magazine asked us to film what we were up to.

We were so quick recording though that by the time they got the camera to us we had finished.

So in the video we made there isn't much going on. Although we did try and recreate some of it. If you want to take a look it is HERE

We actually took the camera to the pub with us but thankfully they edited that out.

There is another documentary about us recording in the studio that Mikey is working on I'll let you know when its finished. I think he is going to call it 'Art Brut VS Salem' [Eddie Argos]

In June, Art Brut will visit the United States for a tour that so far includes FIVE NIGHTS IN A ROW at Mercury Lounge in NYC (June 1-5). Tickets to each show cost $16 adv / $18 doors, or you can get one of the "limited number of 5-day passes" for $50 at Ticketmaster when they go on sale Friday at noon.

We already posted the new video for the song "Alcoholics Unanimous". Below is the making of that video, the cover art for the single, and all currently known tour dates...

Continue reading "Art Brut - 2009 Tour Dates (5 NYC nights at Mercury Lounge)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Pixies are back again - so far with just one UK date: June 14th at the Isle of Wight Festival (featuring Neil Young and more - tickets on sale here). "More [shows] to come", as promised by the band's Myspace.

Meanwhile, Frank Black and Violet Clark (husband+wife) have recorded a full-length as Grand Duchy. The record, Petits Fours, will be out April 14th in the US on Cooking Vinyl (out now in Europe). Track list below. The group's Myspace also asks for "submissions of an artistic nature for the creation of a compendium of Grand Duchy-themed art."

Frank Black's BlackFrancis.net cryptically speculates: "The negotiators continue the discussion about BLACK FRANCIS concerts for this year of the Ox 2009. Acoustic? 3 piece? GRAND DUCHY? PIXIES? Duets with movie stars? Poetry slam? Art exhibition? WHO SHALL KNOW THESE THINGS? Checking the site of blackfrancis.net can be a habit to have!!" Part of that picture is put together above, with certainly more to be announced.

Black also recently produced Art Brut's third LP Art Brut vs. Satan out April 20th (Europe on Cooking Vinyl) and May 12th (US on Downtown Records). The first officially released track "Alcoholics Unanimous" has a video which was posted here on Sunday and can also be watched below.

A book on the Pixies, Pixies: In Print, recently came out on Rock Reader Books. The 1,000-copy first printing "collects all of the revered and influential band's essential press interactions. Focusing on the group's 1987 - 1992 heyday and its subsequent 2004 - 2007 reunion, PIXIES: IN PRINT chronicles the history of the Boston-bred musical icons through essential interviews, essays and articles."

And, as previously mentioned, Kim Deal and The Breeders are curating/playing ATP UK Weekend 2 May 15-17. Full line-up, the Grand Duchy track list, some videos, and more below...

Continue reading "Frank Black back w/ Pixies (date), Grand Duchy & Art Brut "

It seems only fitting that the week after Kim Deal's Breeders released Mountain Battles that her Pixies bandmate Black Francis (aka Frank Black) releases his latest solo effort, sv n f ng rs.

Other new releases I have already heard and can recommend include the Brian Jonestown Massacre's My Bloody Underground, James McMurtry's Just Us Kids, Joseph Arthur's Crazy Rain EP, the US release of Kate Rusby's Awkward Annie, Kris Delmhorst's Shotgun Singer, the Kooks' debut album, M83's Saturdays=Youth, and Tristan Prettyman's Hello.

Two live releases are worth mentioning this week. Jason Isbell releases a five-song live EP, Live at Twist & Shout that showcases both music from his solo album and his Drive-By Truckers songs. Gossip's Live in Liverpool features a cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper."

The most intertesting reissues are Air's three-disc remastered edition of Moon Safari (10th Anniversary 3-disc Deluxe Edition) and a vinyl two-disc edition of Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac.

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"