photos by Greg Cristman

The Pixies are currently still out on a "Doolittle" tour with Surfer Blood which started at NJ's Wellmont Theater back on 10/27. The bands returned to the NYC-area to play a Saturday night show (11/5) at Long Island's Paramount Theater...

"On stage banter and bassist Kim Deal's interaction with the crowd played a big role, as you couldn't help but feel like you were part of something special. Highlights of the show include performances of "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", and "Where is My Mind?" The night concluded with the band's 1988 single "Gigantic", which had fans singing along and moving to its iconic bass line. Members Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering then took a bow and made their way backstage. Hopefully this was just a preview of what's in store for the Long Island music scene and this fantastic venue." [SpotonLI]

More pictures, including one of of the Pixies' setlist, below...

Continue reading "Pixies & Surfer Blood played Long Island's Paramount Theater (pics & setlist)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

There's a lot young people (at shows) just like the old days," Santiago says. "Sometimes you see a parent with, I don't know, a tween kid. You could just see that, you know, it wasn't lack of babysitter. The kid really wanted to be there. It was probably his idea."

The Pixies kicked off another round of "Doolittle" tour dates at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ last night (10/27). Here are some pictures, including one of the setlist. They continue below...

Continue reading "Pixies & Surfer Blood began a tour @ Wellmont Theater (pics & the Doolittle 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."

The full 7/19 setlist is below.

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)"

Paramount Theater and Convention Hall

Bob Dylan has added even more dates to his previously announced summer tour. The new dates include Asbury Park Convention Hall on August 14 in NJ. Leon Russell opens the show like he does on many other dates of the tour. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/8) at 10 AM and currently available for bobdylan.com pre-sale with the password "clarence."

Other upcoming shows at Asbury Park Convention Hall include ATP NJ on Sep 30-Oct 2 and Pixies playing 'Doolittle' on October 28 with Surfer Blood. We're giving away tickets to that Pixies show which you can win by following the directions below. Pixies play Wellmont Theater in Montclair on the same tour.

Updated Bob Dylan dates and the Pixies contest below...

Continue reading "Bob Dylan adds Asbury Park show (on presale), Pixies playing NJ too (win tix)"

"The thing about 'Doolittle,'" said Santiago, the band's guitarist, "is that it's still as fresh today as it was when we recorded it. I loved it then and I love it now."

Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Pixies celebrated the 20th anniversary of Doolittle on a 2009 tour that included 4 NYC dates. They've since continued touring the album and are now embarking on another Doolittle run that they're dubbing the "Lost Cities" US tour. The tour will hit smaller cities in the US that the initial tour didn't stop in. Surfer Blood open most of the tour and Imaginary Cities open the last few dates.

"Two years and counting in this celebration of Doolittle's 20th anniversary," laughed drummer Lovering. "But people keep asking us to bring 'Doolittle' to their city, and we're really happy to do it."

The tour will start in Montclair, NJ, where the band will play on October 27 at Wellmont Theatre with Surfer Blood. The tour moves to Asbury Park the next day and then to CT before continuing to NH, ME, Rochester. It then hits Easton, PA and then Huntington, NY. No NYC dates, but lots of options for those willing to take a short trip. Tickets for all shows go on sale on July 15th.

Speaking of Surfer Blood and the Pixies, Surfer Blood recently covered "Gigantic" for A/V Undercover with Sarah Baldwin from The Girls at Dawn on lead vocals. Watch that below.

"We are all big fans of Surfer Blood," said Pixies' Black Francis. "They're a young and energetic band and write great songs. And it will be terrific to have Imaginary Cities back on the road with us. They were a big success on our Canadian tour earlier this year."

Black Francis has shows coming up too including July 24 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are still available.

All Pixies tour dates with more info on what to expect at the shows, and that video, below...

Continue reading "Pixies announce more Doolittle dates, many with Surfer Blood"

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.

Black Francis tour dates and tracklist below...

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"

Black Keys fan @ Bonnaroo 2010 (by Laura Fedele for WFUV)

Tickets go on sale at 11am for all five of SPIN's 25th Anniversary shows.

7/26 - Smashing Pumpkins @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/27 - The Flaming Lips @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/28 - The Black Keys @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/29 - The National @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/30 - Spiritualized playing Ladies and Gentlemen (TICKETS)

Check out what the Flaming Lips just did at Bonnaroo (a festival The National and The Black Keys also played).

The My Morning Jacket five-night pass goes on sale at noon. Those five nights all happen at Terminal 5 and each feature a different MMJ album live.

A lot of Pixies tickets go/went on sale today. That includes the September 7th PA show which is on sale now. Still no NYC date on the band's upcoming tour.

Tickets are on sale for Iggy & The Stooges in Atlantic City.

Tickets for Arcade Fire/Spoon @ MSG went on sale Saturday morning.

...and those new dates are now on presale

"JERUSALEM (JTA) -- In more apparent fallout from Israel's interception of a Gaza-bond flotilla, the American alternative rock band the Pixies canceled a scheduled concert in Israel.

The band was scheduled to perform Wednesday in Tel Aviv in its first concert in Israel.

"The decision was not reached easily, and we all know well the Israeli fans have been waiting for this visit for far too long," read a message received Sunday by the concert's producers in Israel from the band's management, according to reports.

"We'd like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans, but events beyond all our control have conspired against us. We can only hope for better days, in which we will finally present the long awaited visit of the Pixies in Israel."

Two other groups, Klaxons and the Gorillaz, canceled their scheduled performances in Israel following the deaths of nine activists during clashes with Israeli Navy commandos during the boarding of one of the flotilla's ships early on May 31.

The cancellations come less than a month following the cancellation of British rocker Elvis Costello, who was making a political protest. Costello called the cancellation of his scheduled June 30 and 31 concerts "a matter of instinct and conscience."" [JTA]

Pixies won't be heading to Israel, but they will continue touring in 2010 with more "Doolittle" shows now scheduled through the end of September. There were four NYC Doolittle shows in November of 2009. The closest show to NYC at the moment is Philly in September of 2010, and those tickets, like all the new dates, are on presale now ("All pre-sale ticket purchases include a download of the live recording from the show, delivered to the purchasing fan via email the day after the show*. Pre-sale prices are all-in, and are less than total cost of tickets at public outlets. This fan-only presale ends at 11:59 pm on Friday, June 11. All tickets can be claimed at WILL CALL, unless otherwise noted.). All dates and a widget that will get you a free live EP right now, below...

Continue reading "Pixies cancel Israel shows, add more Doolittle dates in the US "

"Lovering just DESTROYED the triangle part on the slow version on WAVE OF MUTILATION." - John Hodgman

Pixies @ Hammerstein - 11/24/2009 (photo by John Hodgman)

"The Pixies are a strange story, getting stranger. Perfecting the circuitry between punk and a lusher kind of art-rock, they existed for seven years, until 1993. Since first gathering for reunion shows in 2004, they've been in a lucrative post-history for five years. When five reaches seven, if they have still not made any new music (besides one song, "Bam Thwok") and are still playing phantasmagorically hot songs with a scientifically cool affect, they may come to seem out of balance." [NY Times]

The Pixies played their second of four shows at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on Tuesday night (11/24). Jay Reatard opened. A few hours later they played "Debaser" and "Hey" on the Jimmy Fallon show (taped earlier in the day). Video from both, and the setlist (b-sides + Doolittle + two encores again) from Hammerstein, below...

Continue reading "Pixies played Fallon & Hammerstein again (video & setlist) "

Julian Plenti @ Guggenheim in September (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Paul Banks has been covering the Pixies song "Into the White" since his official "Julian Plenti" debut show at the Guggenheim on September 25th. Now coincidentally his current tour coincides with the Pixies' Doolittle tour. They both played the song in Chicago on November 21st. The Pixies played it again last night at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Both acts will share a town again for the next two nights (November 24th & 25th) - the Pixies are at Hammerstein Ballroom and Paul Banks/Julian Plenti at Bowery Ballroom then Brooklyn Bowl. I'm In You opens the Plenti shows, as they have all tour.

Videos of both acts playing "Into the White" on their respective tours (plus Plenti with another song he's been covering, "A Horse With No Name") are below...

Continue reading "Maybe Julian Plenti will cover the Pixies again tonight & tomorrow in NYC (dates & video) "

photos by Tim Griffin

the "Chien Andalou" film started at 9, band started 9:07, done by 10:30. if you're driving in, note that some streets near venue seem closed for upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Parade" [Anonymous]

The Pixies played their first of four NYC shows in a row on Monday night at an extremely packed Hammerstein Ballroom (11/23). The mostly-predictable setlist started out with four Doolittle b-sides followed all of Doolittle which was followed by two encores that ended with two of their biggest hits back to back (Where is My Mind into Gigantic).

"the mood was really friendly (Kim kept cracking jokes like "we're halfway through side one" and Frank cracked up at the "God is 7" line) but the big surprise was they had more of Joey Santiago's guitar sound than the slick studio versions, so it was revelatory to hear how raw and loud these songs could get." [Anonymous]

The screens on the back of the stage provided visuals, and most of the movement - you don't go to see the Pixies for a crazy stage show. You go because you love the songs that they wrote (and because you can afford it), and the band do a pretty decent job at it. Like in 2004 at the same venue when they first reunited, I definitely felt a disconnect from the performers, but that's also because of the large venue size.

Black Gold opened the show (instead of Bad Lieutenant). Tuesday night Jay Reatard gets that honor. On Wednesday (at the early show) it's Rain Machine. No opener at the late and final show that same night.

Pixies will also appear on the Jimmy Fallon show on Tuesday night (11/24).

The Hammerstein setlist and the rest of the pictures, below....

Continue reading "Pixies @ Hammerstein Ballroom 2009 (night 1) - pics, setlist"

Pixies @ Aragon Ballroom - Nov 20, 2009 (jjohnson1120)

When a group of revered and influential rockers come back together after a decade of acrimonious separation and/or inactivity, all but the most hard-hearted punks can grant them one lap around the reunion circuit playing the old should-have-been-hits, if only to collect the accolades and the cash that probably eluded them the first time.

Boston's proto-alternative quartet the Pixies took that victory lap in 2004. Now, while they remain popular enough to play three nights at the Aragon Ballroom [in Chicago]--Friday and Saturday sold out, though Thursday only was about half full--it's hard to consider them anything but a cynical corporation cashing in on blatant nostalgia--a hipper version of Creedence Clearwater Revisited or Journey and whoever is singing with that group these days.

Bandleader Black Francis, bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering have had nearly five years during their second act to prove that they are once again a vital, vibrant and forward-moving creative unit. Instead, absent even the whiff of a new album, the twist they've put on their latest tour is that it's the 20th anniversary celebration of "Doolittle," their second and best studio album, and an epic of free-associated weirdness, twisted sexual imagery and religious symbolism.
[Jim DeRogatis @ Chicago Sun Times] (via)

The Pixies are popular enough to play FOUR shows in NYC (actual capacity comparisons aside), though like in Chicago one show (the LATE one) is not sold out (yet?). That run begins tonight (Monday, 11/23). Black Gold opens the show (instead of Bad Lieutenant).

In related news, Jim DeRogatis just released a book on the Velvet Underground.

"It is with frustration and regret that Bad Lieutenant reluctantly announces the cancellation of the band's four U.S. dates set to commence next week. The more stringent immigration laws and changing visa parameters resulted in an inability to process the necessary paperwork.

"We were all so very excited about coming to the States to play our new music for our American fans," said Bad Lieutenant's Bernard Sumner, "and are extremely disappointed that on this occasion, we won't have the opportunity to do so. We plan to reschedule the Chicago and New York shows along with some additional U.S. dates in Spring.""

Black Gold, whose credits include touring with Panic at the Disco, are replacing Bad Lieutenant as the opener for the Pixies at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on November 19th and at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 23rd.

Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. Bad Lieutenant, scheduled at Webster Hall on Saturday, November 21, 2009, at doors 7:00 pm, has been cancelled.
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Though nothing official has been announced by the band yet, I'm told it was due to visa issues which means their whole tour (aka 4 shows) must be cancelled. They were supposed to be opening for the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom and in Chicago.

This news comes exactly a week after we found out that fellow UK band Echo & The Bunnymen were cancelling their upcoming trip to the United States, though visas weren't blamed like they were for Speech Debelle and First Aid Kit in October. The Rakes cancelled their tour because they broke up. Charlatans blamed an injury.

All dates BL were supposed to play, below...

Continue reading "Bad Lieutenant cancel US dates (Webster Hall, Pixies shows)"

Bernard Sumner told Rolling Stone that his band Bad Lieutentant would be opening for the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom this year. That is true, but they're only opening the first one. Those with tickets to that sold out November 23rd show win the opener contest...

Pixies @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Nov 23 w/ Bad Lieutenant
Nov 24 w/ Jay Reatard
Nov 25 w/ Rain Machine
Nov 25 (late show) w/ no opener?

Tickets are still available to the last show (too bad they're over $60 each). Tickets are also still on sale to the Bad Lieutenant show happening at Webster Hall on November 21st (which is three days after they play Park West in Chicago).

Rain Machine is currently on tour and will play a CMJ show at Bowery Ballroom.

Jay Reatard is currently looking for a new band.

by Bill Pearis

Bad Lieutenant, the band Bernard Sumner formed after New Order officially split three years ago, will make their New York debut at Webster Hall on November 21 -- tickets are on American Express pre-sale Wednesday, with general sale starting Friday (10/9). And according to Sumner in a Rolling Stone interview, Bad Lieutenant will also open for all four of Pixies' Doolittle shows at Hammerstein Ballroom that same week, though there has yet to be any official confirmation.

The band's debut album, Never Cry Another Tear, is out this week digitally and will be available in physical form next week. The line-up includes guitarists Phil Cunningham, who replaced founding member Gillian Gilbert in 2001, and Jake Evans who sings lead on a few of Never Cry Another Tear's songs. Live, Bad Lieutenant also features New Order drummer Stephen Morris, with Thom Chapman on bass. Sumner talked to Pitchfork about the new group:

Continue reading "Bad Lieutenant (Bernard Sumner) playing Joy Division, New Order & other songs @ Webster Hall & at all 4 Pixies shows?"

One of the four Pavement shows (the Thursday night) is on sale at the moment.

I don't know if the other three are completely sold out yet, but TICKETS for the fourth Pixies show at Hammerstein Ballroom (a 1am show) are on sale (@ 10am).

Goodie Mob (Big Gipp, Khujo, T-Mo, and Cee-Lo of recent Gnarls Barkley fame) recently reunited and are playing a headlining show at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 13th. Scarface, TECH N9NE and Slaughterhouse are also on the bill. Tickets are on sale.

Other upcoming shows at Hammerstein Ballroom that are on sale or going on sale soon include the Dalai Lama, 311, Kylie Minogue, Mastodon, Red Bull BC One (breakdancing), Echo and the Bunnymen, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Rob Zombie, and Further (members of the Grateful Dead).

Continue reading "Pixies, Pavement, Goodie Mob & other tickets "

"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]

That's part of a review by one of the musicians involved in the September 20th benefit show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. It's the same show that the new Thom Yorke video debuted at, and as henning points out, included Frank Blank of the reunited-again Pixies. Videos from from that are below, and a similar show will happen at Toad's Place in CT on November 13th.

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"

Franz Ferdinand @ the Virgin Fest in Canada - Aug 29, 2009 (Chromewaves)

"Somehow, in its fourth year on Hogtown soil, the Virgin Festival has pulled off the impossible: Amalgamating endlessly changing variables into a cohesive, enjoyable affair. It pleases with just the right ratio of talent to timing and music to distractions. Packed with everything from singer-songwriters and hip-hop to indie gods and blues freaks, the 2009 edition of Virgin Festival was an endless onslaught of sensory overload. Yet despite a stream of diversions such as Thai massage, autograph tents and burlesque pole dancing, music was still the focus.

Starting off modestly, the first day was a slow burner. Not until early-evening did the ample audience show enthusiasm as Scottish outfit Franz Ferdinand revved 'em up. Garnering the most praise, no doubt due to their influencing virtually every other band on the bill, The Pixies nailed a set full of favourites...

...it was the double finale of 25-year-old electronic duo Pet Shop Boys and sinister cult hero(es) Nine Inch Nails that ensured the festival was a raucous success. With PSB boasting the only full-fledged multimedia extravaganza via video, lights, iconic '80s imagery and, er, shoulder pads, their spirited commingling of past and present was as engaging as it was fun.

As for Nine Inch Nails' reportedly final Canadian show, it was a shocking shot of stellar rage delivered with professionalism and gusto, especially when main man Trent Reznor started smashing instruments a mere three songs into the set. While Reznor shows no signs of slowing down, it was still sad to think that such a spotless gig could be the last time we catch him." [Metro Toronto]

Pet Shop Boys are now on a tour of North America that includes two NYC shows at Hammerstein Ballroom this week (Tuesday and Wednesday). Tickets for both shows are still on sale. All dates are below.

For Nine Inch Nails, the Virgin Fest was the seventh, and only Canadian, stop on this final leg of their "Wave Goodbye" tour. Peter Murphy did not join the band in Canada, but he was at both Chicago shows at Aragon Ballroom the two nights prior. After a night off, NIN will play their first LA show at the Hollywood Palladium on 9/2. The setlist for the first Chicago show is HERE. The setlists for Chicago Night Two and Virgin, are below...

Continue reading "Pixies, Pet Shop Boys (in NYC Tuesday) & Nine Inch Nails (only LA shows left) played the Virgin Festival in Toronto"

photos by Bao Nguyen

"Taking the stage were Kim and her sister Kelley along with the newer faces (including the drum and bass tandem of Jose Meledes and Mando Lopez, and guitarist Cheryl "from Florida" Lyndsey). They started off with the trippy "Hoverin'", an Amps song and went newer with Title TK, and then backward with cuts off of Last Splash and Pod. I personally wanted to see them play "Hellbound" and "Fortunately Gone", which tops my favorite Breeders songs, but they did play "I Decided" which I love. All the bigger songs got their turn, "Saints", "Cannonball", their cover of "Happiness is a Warm Gun", "Divine Hammer", "Safari". The sheer thrill of songs like "New Year" with an intense, buzzing guitar section really makes for a powerful set." [Kings County Bop]

So, as I was saying, The Breeders played two shows in NYC this week. The above review snippet is from Tuesday night's show at Bowery Ballroom. The pictures are from Wednesday. More of them below...

Continue reading "The Breeders & Whispertown 2000 @ Bowery Ballroom - pics "

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]

The Breeders completed their two-night run at Bowery Ballroom in NYC last night (8/19). More on that soon.

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.

That record comes out September 29th on Shout! Factory records, and includes contributions from The National, Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr., Vic Chesnutt and Elvis Perkins. In addition to the names on the tracklist, below, 20 additional cuts will be released digitally. Look for a London concert to be announced as well.

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) "

During the recording sessions, Whore was discarded as a potential album title, after Oliver changed the cover artwork idea to a monkey and halo cover. Francis later explained his rationale for the move: "I thought people were going to think I was some kind of anti-Catholic or that I'd been raised Catholic and trying to get into this Catholic naughty-boy stuff. [...] A monkey with a halo, calling it Whore - that would bring all kinds of shit that wouldn't be true. So I said I'd change the title." Francis then named the album Doolittle, from the "Mr. Grieves" lyric "Pray for a man in the middle / One that talks like Doolittle." This was in the tradition of previous Pixies albums; both Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa used song lyrics for the album title. [Wiki]

Tickets for the upcoming Pixies' "Doolittle" shows at Hammerstein Ballroom go on "Internet Presale" and "Live Nation presale" Thursday at 10am. The passwords, and a selection of Doolittle videos, below...

Continue reading "Pixies Hammerstein Ballroom tickets (and presale password)"

Black Francis (Grand Duchy) @ Siren (more by Tim Griffin)

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic 1989 album Doolittle, the band - Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering - will kick off the very special US "Doolittle Tour" at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 4. The U.S. tour will hit a total of nine cities, including three dates in New York City. Ticket prices and on-sale dates will vary city to city, but some tickets go on sale as early as this Saturday, August 1 and can be purchased at the venues' box offices or online at Ticketmaster See below for full itinerary and on-sale information.

On this tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides, "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Manta Ray," and "Bailey's Walk" among them. Doolittle, the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard's album charts, includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away."

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle's 20th anniversary," said Black Francis, "and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig."

The European dates were announced about a month ago. In 2004 the Pixies played eight shows at Hammerstein Ballroom. This time they've announced three 2009 shows at the same venue. Those and all North American dates below...

Continue reading "Pixies announce 2009 US 'Dolittle' Tour Dates"