Three Imaginary Girls - Pixies

The Pixies slayed me

Imaginary Shrie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:27:38 +0000

I went to the Pixies show last Friday night highly excited, but not knowing exactly what to expect. Accounts of the previous night's performance were nothing but positive, so I let myself look forward to the experience. I hoped to see one of the bands that shaped my outlook on music today, and NOT be disappointed in how they sounded and the show they put on.

This time, my doubtless anticipation was completely appropriate. Kim Deal, Frank Black, Joey Santiago and David Lovering not only looked exactly like they had in promo pics from ten or fifteen years before, they also SOUNDED just like they do on their records. Dare I say, even better!

This isn't a formal live show review, but I couldn't resist throwing my two cents in about the show. I couldn't believe how well Frank Black screeched, how creamy and gorgeous Kim's voice was, how impeccably amazing Santiago's solos were and just how damn precise and punctuating Lovering's drumming was. Frank and Kim may hate each other but they make sweet, sweet music. I shed a tear at that show... a tear of amazement and of awe for a band that helped shape who I am today.

Black Francis at the Triple Door: A bona fide, yet refined, rock show

imaginary liz — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:17:56 +0000

2 Aug 2009

frankblack09aug.jpg

The artist formerly known as Black Francis then Frank Black and now Black Francis recently made a stop at the most gracious venue in all of Seattle. Actually, I was worried that I'd be too comfortable in my cush booth seat and refreshing climate controlled room and therefore, unable to fully bask in all that is dark, confrontational, and sinister in my long beloved Sir Black.

As I sipped on my fancy infused cocktail(s) and admired my table of spiffed up friends around the beautifully (and extremely flatteringly) lit table, I wondered if this could possibly compare to the first time I heard Black Francis (then Frank Black) break into "Wave of Mutilation" two feet from my squashed-up-front self at the Showbox. It turned out to be one of those bliss-filled moments I have cemented in my memory as one of the few times I thought I would faint from delirious euphoria. Tonight, as I looked around, the crowd was all calm, cool and collected (as well as orderly and well-dressed). How could the communal level excitement possibly peak to the level deserving of "Holiday Song" and "Where Is My Mind?".

My fears were quickly squashed within seconds of Black Francis taking his spot front and center on the beautifully (and extremely flatteringly) lit stage. Perhaps it was that my internal ecstatic meter jumped into overload, but I swear the place blew up with overjoyed fervor and a couple people even started to give standing ovations. Black Francis himself remarked how swank the venue was by exclaiming, "I feel like Ricky Ricardo. This place has class up the ass!" confirming that he was equally charmed and surprised by his surroundings.

The stage was minimally appointed so that our full attention was on the object of our adoration: The man and his guitar, with occasional hitting of the harmonica stand (he had four or so differently tuned harmonicas at the ready), and a pedestal to stage right with an unopened bottle of champagne.

We all sat on the edge of our seat as Black Francis made his way through the set. A fellow who has essentially released a new record every year since he started his recoding career has a lot to choose from when putting together a show -- and we all have our pet songs which we hoped made it through the lottery process and onto the set list. Would he pull a song our two as far back as his first solo album, Teenager of the Year? Would he include anything from his newest endeavor (with wife Violet), Grand Duchy? And dear lord, could we even hope for a Pixies song or two?

To the delight of all of us in the room, we got most of the above (see below for complete set list). He started off with a classic Frank Black hit, "Los Angeles" which pulls on both his flourished folk (most evident in his rendition of "I Burn Today") and sinister ("Holiday Song") personas. By the time he reached his eighth selection, "Velouria," we were putty in the palm of his hand, as evidenced by the flood of screams from the cordially seated audience when he hit the first chords of the song. Black Francis obliged us by beefing up the evening's version with a beautiful dramatic refrain of "we will wade in the shine of the ever" enhanced with haunting slight reverb and a singular intensity in the vocals that stunned us into silence and left us haunted to our core.

A few songs later he bestowed "Nimrod's Son" complete with the jarring and pointed "You are the son of a mother fucker" -- a line so effortlessly powerful you can't help but sing along, with pumping fist like you're a grounded teenager seeking a refuge from suburbia. Did it cheapen it when, after the song, he remarked "I am not sure what that song is about, but everyone seems to like it"? I think most of us just felt like we were in on the inside joke.

About two thirds through the set, he admitted that he had gotten all the songs with tougher lyrics out of the way, so he could allow himself to open the relished bottle of champagne. As a gal who has been known to buy Korbel by the case, I can appreciate the special expertise necessary to expertly handle the uncorking of champagne mid-show, on stage without overflow spillage, or head injury.

The evening's 28-song set neatly melded of his id (Pixies), ego (Frank Black / Frank Black and the Catholics) and super ego (Black Francis) into a seamless set pulling from all over his career -- sharpening his solo material and putting his refreshed stamp on Pixies staples. I've often felt that he spent the first part of his life as Frank Black trying to establish that he wasn't just the guy from the Pixies, and to do so he was driven to prove that solid guitar lines and music theory could be just as important as Alfred Hitchcock guitar hooks and sultry cryptic lines about slicing eyeballs and mountains on Mars. He took the stuff that made college DJs name their radio shows after Pixies song titles and transformed his creative efforts to respectable vignettes culled from encyclopedic research.

Over time, as he has progressed from Frank Black back to his inner Black Francis, he offered tracks like the evening's jagged and seductive screamer "Tight Black Rubber" to remind us just who we're dealing with. By the time we made it to the last song, "Where Is My Mind?", the audience was joined in an echo of "Wa...ohhhhs" and I saw more than one group of guys scrambling for their lighters to confirm we had just experienced a bona fide (yet refined), rock show.

No matter what his name, one thing that has never been in doubt is that he is the mastermind behind one of the most important bands of our generation; no matter how many Pixies songs he plays, he's a force to be reckoned with.

The set list:
1. Los Angeles (FB)
2. California Bound (FBatC)
3. Holiday Song (Pixies)
4. I Burn Today (FB)
5. I'll Be Blue (FBatC)
6. Masif Centrale (FBatC)
7. Horrible Day (FBatC)
8. Velouria (Pixies)
9. That Burnt Out Rock and Roll (FB, cover of Gary Green)
10. Nimrod’s Son (Pixies)
11. Sing For Joy (FB)
12. Angels Come to Comfort You (BF)
13. Lolita (BF)
14. Calistan (FB)
15. Robert Onion (FBatC)
16. Wave of Mutilation (Pixies)
17. When They Come to Murder Me (BF)
18. Crackity Jones (Pixies)*
19. The Water (FB)
20. Bullet (FBatC)
21. The Shrimp Song (FB)

{At this time someone yelled a request for "Bailey's Walk" (a Doolittle-era b-side) to which he responded, "Thanks for reminding me I have to relearn that" and then mumbled a quick sidenote that his old band will be touring to commemorate the 20th anniversary for the album Doolittle and so he'll need to relearn it for that. Seattle will get two Doolittle Anniversary shows -- November 12 and 13, 2009}

22. Dead Man's Curve (FB)
23. Headache (FB)
24. Gouge Away (Pixies)
25. She Took All the Money (BF)
26. Tight Black Rubber (BF)
27. All Around the World (FB)
28. Where Is My Mind? (Pixies)

*I don't remember hearing this song - this might have been when I had to run to restroom {see aforementioned fancy infused cocktail(s)} -- but when I checked my set list notes against the internet, I found this web-ster's recap of the show which included this song. Well done!

More photos of the night with Black Francis are on the Hot Avocados Flickr.

Recommended show: Black Francis at the Triple Door this Sunday

imaginary liz — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:43:48 +0000

I am sure I'm not the only one who has set every alarm clock in her home to go off at 10a on Saturday, which is when tickets go on sale for the two Pixies dates at the Paramount (the all ages shows take place November 12 and 13).

But the nice thing about being in Seattle this weekend (besides the temperatures in the 90s), is that we get a shot of Black Francis live and in person this Sunday night (August 2) in the lovely AIR CONDITIONED Triple Door.

Since finding out that Mr. Francis is playing Boise, ID with Doug Martsch, I'm wondering if there will be any surprise Seattle friends taking the stage with him for a song? Hmm... I bet Kurt Bloch would be a great side kick for "Where Is My Mind." What other pairings would float your cruise boat?

This isn't a duet, but it is the video for the wonderful (easy to sing along to) song "I Sent Away" from SVN FNGRS. He's so cute in a hoodie!

This monkey's gone to heaven: Tickets to see the Pixies go on sale this Saturday

imaginary liz — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:19:03 +0000

As ChrisB announced a couple weeks ago, the Pixies are coming to Seattle and will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album Doolittle by playing it in its entirety.

We now have a date... more than that, Seattle gets two nights of Pixies and Doolittle-ness! We should feel pretty honored because the Pixies are only going to stop in nine cities on this brief, but monumentous tour.

Mark your calendar in pen for the nights of November 12 and 13, 2009 as that's when Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering will take the stage of the Paramount Theatre (it's even an all ages show!).

Here's one song from the album I'm definitely looking forward to:

Pixies to play Doolittle in its entirety in Seattle

ChrisB — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:39:40 +0000

I know I'm not the only imaginary that is getting excited for Black Francis' show at the Triple Door next month and I'm trying to fit in time to see Grand Duchy (Frank Black's project with his wife) during my upcoming weekend trip to Chicago in less than two weeks, but now I have another item to add to the calendar. Pixies are playing their brilliant album Doolittle from beginning to end on a tour, and that tour will include a stop in Seattle.

Spin reports:

Frontman Frank Black tells SPIN.com that the Boston-born quartet will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking release, Doolittle, by playing the album in its entirety in Oakland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, New York City, and "maybe Montreal" this fall.

There are no dates/places set yet, but I'll post it here when there are.

Enter to win Pixies Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde on vinyl

imaginary liz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:22:17 +0000

After a while out of print on vinyl, 4AD has re-released both Pixies' Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde albums on 180 gram vinyl (they hit the racks back on Oct 13).

"No Deal!" says Kim Deal about a new Pixies album deal

Erik Gonzalez — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:19:35 +0000

NME is reporting that there will be NO new Pixies album. Kim Deal apparently sees no need for new recorded Pixies material, and Black Francis/Frank Black says that's that.

Greatest Indie Anthems

imaginary liz — Thu, 03 May 2007 20:04:09 +0000

Just because it is now officially NME Thursday, how about we talk about the Greatest Indie Anthems ever... and what NME / Xfm and the general UK public think they are.