For frontman Frank Black, figuring out how to reunite the members of the seminal alternative group the Pixies was a cinch compared to operating his family's new minivan. "We bought a new van yesterday," Black says loudly and apologetically via cell, talking in advance of the Pixies' concert Sunday at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston. "It's a conversion van, and it's like a mini tour bus. It comes with all the extras. Right now, we've got 'Pokemon' on full volume, and my son's trying to get the volume down." Things sure have changed since the Pixies' first time around.
IT WAS 1986, and Charles Thompson decided to quit the college he was attending in Boston. He convinced his roommate, guitarist Joey Santiago, to join him, and they recruited bassist Kim Deal and drummer David Lovering. Thompson changed his name to Black Francis (and later to Frank Black). His group the Pixies gained a huge cult following. They sold out festivals and released five albums. Bono and David Bowie were among their fans. The Pixies were on top of the world. In 1993, it all came to a sudden end. After announcing the breakup on British radio, rumor has it Black informed the band by fax. Deal, who went on to gain success with the Breeders, said band members were never informed of the split; Black simply stopped speaking to them. Even breaking up couldn't stifle the group's success. The fan base got a serious posthumous boost when Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain admitted to Rolling Stone that, in his attempt to write the "perfect pop song," he turned to the Pixies and, in his words, ripped them off to write "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
"I guess bands achieve some sort of status after you break up, but I guess the same goes for bands who have been together for a long time," Black says.
EITHER WAY, THE PIXIES had what it took to make a permanent mark. The fact that they disbanded, well, it turns out to be all for the best. "We're older and more sober. We buried little hatchets," Black says now that he's had time to reflect on the last two years. During a radio interview in 2003, Black nonchalantly mentioned that he'd like to see the band together again. He even told the interviewer that the group had engaged in secret jam sessions. An article appeared in the New York Post the next day. Black spoke with Santiago, who relayed his wish to Deal and Lovering. "We were expecting some sort of hoopla," Black says, but they couldn't have expected what happened next. A seemingly innocent comment quickly grew into a pop-cultural coup. Longtime fans rejoiced. New fans were made. By 2004, the band's reconnection was being called "The Comeback of the Year" and concert dates were selling out as fast as they could be added. When the dust settled, the band had sold out an eight-night stand at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. The band knew it wasn't worth pursuing a reunion, financially speaking, if the tour was shorter than a year. Now at a year and a half, it's proven well worth it. "It had a lot to do with us selling out venues. Word-of-mouth is still wildfire," Black says. And the advance of technology hasn't hurt, either. "It's not like we're on lunar base zero, but it is helpful," Black says.
THE INTERNET PROVIDED more than just a forum by which to spread the word of the band's resurfacing. The first new Pixies song recorded in nearly 13 years, "Bam Thwok," was released exclusively for download at iTunes. The final 12 shows of the reunion tour, including all eight Hammerstein shows, were recorded for limited-edition sales through CD Baby. And the Pixies documented their triumphant return for a DVD release that finds the group in California, Austin, New Orleans, Japan, Scotland and other places. The "Pixies Sell Out" DVD hits stores on Tuesday. This all begs the obvious question: When can fans expect a new album? The possibility is there. The songs are not. "I don't know. I don't know. That's a tough one," Black laughs, casually exasperated by the question that seems to be on every interviewer's lips. "It would definitely keep the gravy train moving along. "We're proud of the records we've made. If we deemed it was exciting, we would definitely proceed with caution. So far, there's nothing to talk about until there's songs on the table," Black says. "People will get all wound up: How? When? What about a tour? What will it be like? What will it sound like? There's so much stress. I say let's just forget about it until there's 12 songs." One down.
If you Go! ...
What: The Pixies Where: Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston When: 7 p.m. Oct. 2 Tickets: $35 Call: Bardavon box office at 473-2072 or Ticketmaster at 454-3388
