FAMILY CIRCUS

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TERRELL'S TUNEUP: FRANK BLACK'S PIXIES TRIBUTE

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
January 7, 2004


When Charles Thompson -- aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black -- left The Pixies back in the early ‘90s, it seemed that he never looked back. He’s remained prolific, releasing a seemingly unending stream of crazy rocking records, in recent years fronting his new band The Catholics. His solo/Catholics output is more than twice that of The Pixies, who released only four full albums and one EP in their brief but influential run.

(In case there are those who somehow missed out on The Pixies -- and unfortunately that applies to far too many people -- this quartet, which also included bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering, was perhaps the greatest indie band of the late 1980s. They were crazier than the Replacements, lighter-hearted than Husker Du and took themselves far less seriously than R.E.M. The Pixies served as inspiration to Nirvana and countless other groups back in those strange days when "alternative rock" truly was an alternative to the mainstream. And I don‘t care what anyone says, The Pixies‘ last album Trump le Monde, was better than Nirvana’s Nevermind, released the same year. And Trump isn’t even The Pixie’s best record. )

The Frank Black albums, for the most part have been full of fun, crazy energy, several good laffs per CD, and occasionally a memorable melody. But always there was the caveat -- this is good, but nothing here matches "Monkey Gone to Heaven" or "Wave of Mutilation" or "Caribou" -- or other masterpieces from the Pixie repertoire.

But last year, for reasons I’m not sure, Black began looking back. He apparently began to come to terms with his Pixiehood.

First there was a Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour -- the first time the four have played together since the breakup. Except for a limited edition live disc from a Minnesota concert, no record came out of the reunion -- though rumors of a pending studio record of new material persist.

In addition to the reunion tour, Black last year released a weird but delightful double CD called Frank Black Francis.

One disc is a collection of demos, recorded by Black and his guitar the day before The Pixies went into the studio to record tunes that eventually would be used on their first EP Come on Pilgrim.

It’s a low-fi affair -- recorded on a Walkman! Although the tunes here definitely would benefit from the full band treatment, Black sings with such wild abandon and raw enthusiasm, it sounds as if he knew he was on the verge of something amazing.

Indeed he plays like he’s about to explode. It’s fast and furious, with about half the songs clocking in under two minutes while only one tops the three-minute mark. Black shrieks and wails, just like he later would become famous for doing as Black Francis. At one point during "Caribou" he makes a note to himself: "There’s supposed to be screaming," he says, then proceeds to do just that.

While Disc One is an essential historic object for Pixies, Disc Two is the more interesting and potentially controversial among Pixies purists. Here Black teams up with Two Pale Boys, Andy Diagram and Keith Moline, a couple of electro-nerds who also have created weird and wonderful soundscapes with Pere Ubu’s David Thomas.

Black and the Pale Boys take 13 Pixies classics and turn them inside out.

Don’t get me wrong. As a long-time Pixies partisan, I prefer the original guitar-based versions of every one of these songs. But the Pale Boys versions are extremely interesting experiments. I love the droning fiddle sound on "Into the White," the regal horns and twangy guitar on "Nimrod’s Son," the lonely Arctic winds on "Carribou," the stuttering trumpet and spooky space sounds on "Is She Weird" and the electronic sounds on "Wave of Mutilation" suggesting seagulls and crashing ocean waves underscores the beauty of the original melody.

The only cut that’s hard to listen to here is the near-15-minute version of "Planet of Sound." It easily could have been cut by two thirds.

I hope all this leads to a proper Pixies reunion album. And I hope Frank Black or Black Francis or whoever he is carries on.

(I just realized that my first Tune-up of last year also featured a review of a Frank Black album. You can find that HERE)

Also Recommended:
*The Real New Fall LP (formerly Country on the Click) by The Fall. Little did I know back in 1981 when I interviewed The Fall’s Mark E. Smith in Evangelos right before a Fall concert across the street at a place called The Gold Bar (formerly El Paseo theater, now the site of Banana Republic) that this band would still be around cranking out records in the 21st Century.

But they are. The personnel has changed, but Smith is still the main Fall guy.

The title of this album is a clever jab at the seemingly endless recycling of old Fall material that inflates and clog’s the group’s discography. But don’t worry. It’s new. It’s real.

And like The Fall’s best work, this new album is full of songs built around raunchy guitar riffs, some subtle synth action and Smith’s incomprehensible vocals. "Singing" isn’t an accurate verb. Smith doesn’t sing as much as rant like some over-excited wino pontificating madness on some grimy street corner.

How could anyone not love someone spitting out lyrics like "I hate the countryside so much/I hate the country folks so much," as Smith does on "Cowtraflow" ?

Rex on the Opry: Bloodshot recording artist Rex Hobart, leader of The Misery Boys, who moved to Santa Fe last year, will appear live to sing his saddest country songs on The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR 90.7 FM.

Hobart will be playing solo Tuesday night at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, 319 S. Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, and Jan. 21 at Santa Fe Brewing Company. 18 SR 14 E. Frontage Road. By the way, Rex is playing solo here because The Misery Boys don’t live in Santa Fe. That’s why they’re so miserable.

BACK TO THE '70s

No, these aren't stunt doubles for Welcome Back Kotter. This picture is from the March 27, 1976 wedding of my old pal Steve Severtson. He's the geek in the Navy uniform on the far right.

I'm playing Napoleon on the left. I was best man. Still a pretty good man.

The guys in the middle are John Ramirez and Bruce Bolinger.

Severtson found this old shot just recently when he was playing around with his new scanner/printer. It's probably a good argument for tighter federal regulations on the sale and possession of scanners.

Unfortunately the camera didn't pick up the brilliance and intensity of my green suit that day. But Bruce's jacket sure looks snazzy, doesn't it?

By the way, Steve and his wife Deb are still married. They live in Virginia and have two grown sons.

Time fries ...

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: THE NEW MEXICO MUSIC COMMISSION

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
January 5, 2005

They're whistling a new tune in the governor's office these days. And it's a tune that might be appreciated by fans of ranchero, rock 'n' roll, country-western, opera, pow-wow, hip-hop or blues.

Gov. Bill Richardson will ask the Legislature to pass a bill establishing a New Mexico Music Commission, "to protect, promote and archive music in New Mexico," said Billy Sparks, Richardson's deputy chief of staff.

"Music is a longtime New Mexico tradition," he said. "Hopefully a music commission would provide New Mexico musicians opportunities for performing and recording."

"It would be under the Department of Cultural Affairs," Sparks said. The commission would be fashioned after similar music agencies in Texas and Louisiana, he said.

Sparks himself earned a living as a guitar picker and songwriter in Austin, Texas in the early '80s. "The state Music Office has really helped there," he said, noting that Austin is now known as the Live Music Capitol of the World.

Other state governments are picking up on the idea of having music offices. They're in Hawaii and Tennessee, (where it's part of the state Film, Entertainment and Music Commission). The cities of Austin, Memphis and San Francisco also have similar agencies to promote the music biz.

Sparks noted that the film industry is spending $164 million a year shooting movies in New Mexico. "And every film has music," he said.

"There's a new Grammy Award category, Native American music, which has been won by New Mexico musicians," he said. "There's the mariachi festival in Las Cruces. But there's no central place for information about all these activities."

Sparks said the commission would provide a clearing house for information regarding New Mexico singers and bands, as well as musical businesses such as recording studios and record companies.

"It's like the Film Office directory," he said. "It would be a directory of where the studios are and who's doing what."

The Texas Music Office's website has a talent register of more than 6,000 musical acts, as well as directories for live music venues, radio stations (broken down by musical styles), record stores, record distributors, musical instrument businesses, music publishers and distributors, CD manufacturers, college music programs, entertainment lawyers, and even music journalists.

The governor will ask lawmakers for $100,000 to get the music commission going, Sparks said. A full-time director would be hired.

Casey at the bat: Casey Monahan, a former music writer for the Austin American-Statesman, probably knows more about state music agencies than anyone else. He's been the director of the Texas Music Office since it started in 1990, working for Governors William Clements, Ann Richards, George W. Bush and current Gov. Rick Perry.

Asked in a phone interview Wednesday for his advise to New Mexico in starting a music commission, Monahan said, "I'd advise them to interview as many music-related business owners, bands, and music educators as possible and ask them what the state government could do to make their lives easier.

"You have to develop an agenda based on the needs of the industry after these interviews are conducted," he said.

And what should a New Mexico Music Commission avoid?

"The main thing is to avoid creating expectations that can't be met," Monahan said.

(Note to area musicians: I think that means the state isn't going to guarantee you gigs.)

"The Texas Music Office operates kind of like a chamber of commerce within the governor's office to promote the music business," he said. "It's important that you don't compete. We don't do big events or release our own records. We represent all the music business in Texas."

(That doesn't mean Monahan can't work on records as a private citizen. He was the producer on one of my personal favorite albums of the '90s, All That May Do My Rhyme by psychedelic Texas wildman Roky Erikson.)

Commissioner Randy Travis?: Well, maybe. Sparks said if the Legislature passes the proposed bill, some of New Mexico's best known musicians could be asked to become commissioners. But he stressed that nobody has been approached for the job.

It would be hard to beat the Louisiana Music Commission for star power though. The chairman of that board is Ellis L. Marsalis Jr., father of famed jazzmen Wynton and Branford Marsalis. Other members include Jean Knight, singer of the '70s soul hit "Mr. Big Stuff" and bluesman Ernest "Tabby" Thomas.

NIFTY NEW FEATURES ON THIS BLOG

I was fooling around with the innards of this here blog and discovered some cool little items for your enjoyment.

At the top of the page there's a search feature for finding stuff on this blog. If you're looking for something I've written about Manny Aragon or Prussian Blue or Tammy Faye Starlite or Bill Richardson or The Winking Tikis or whatever, search for it there. Unfortunately it won't take you directly to the correct post, just the archived page where the post you're looking for is stored.

Also you might notice the little envelope with the arrow at the bottom of each post right by the comments link. That's in case you want to e-mail the post to a friend or loved one. It sends the direct link to the post and allows you to write a message. Feel free to e-mail my stuff all over the place.

DOS BLONDIES

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Check out the New York Cool interview with the lovely Miss Tammy Faye Starlite.

CLICK HERE

Looks like Debbie Harry showed up to Tammy's recent gig at Joe's Pub. Could they be collaborating on an obscene Christian version of "Heart of Glass"?

Celebs are starting to flock to Miss Starlite. When I was at Joe's Pub for Tammy's show during the Republican Convention last September, Steve Earle showed up.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, January 2, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Now Webcasting
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Musicology by Prince
Stealin' All Day by C.C. Adcock
I Zimba by Talking Heads
What Makes You Think You're the One by Twilight Singers
I Found Out by Nathaniel Mayer
Hello It's Me by The Isley Brothers
Turn That Chicken Down by Gerraint Watkins

Methamphetamine Blues by Mark Lanegan Band
Shake It by Tom Waits
Picking Up After You by Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle
Patriot's Heart by American Music Club
Shame by P.J. Harvey
Living With the Animals by Mother Earth

$165 Million + Interest (Into) the Roundup by David Holmes
Reprimand by Joe West
Blood of the Ram by The Gourds
Do the Primal Thing/What You Mean to Me by NRBQ
The Fame of Lofty Deeds/Nashville Radio by Jon Langford

Monsters of the Id by Stan Ridgway
Portland, Oregon/Trouble on the Line by Loretta Lynn
Cabin Essence/Wonderful by Brian Wilson
Get Ready For Love by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Daddy's Cup by The Drive-By Truckers