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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11674 Posts |
 Posted - 04/07/2004 : 07:41:05
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That plan would never work... I stay under an assumed name. :)
One week 'till Winnipeg and the official kick-off, guys! In the words of Dave Noisy, "Woot!"
Alright, alright, Minneapolis is the only secret show I know about and while we were looking at going there too, I couldn't get away from work/Easter plans. If there are more secret shows, they're secret to me too. I'm thinking that there's something cooking on the 16th, but I haven't heard anything yet. Or have I and I'm not saying <dramatic chords>? No I haven't. Or have I? <dramatic chords>
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 09:03:05
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| Don't freak out if there is one because I'll just use my Jedi mind powers on ye, (hand wave) There is no other secret show, Minnieapolis is the only secret show. |
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prozacrat
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1186 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 09:30:13
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How can Minneapolis be a secret show when we're talking about it right now?  That is, unless we're not talking about the 13th.
"And her head has no room." |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 09:31:18
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| First rule of FB forums, there *is* no secret show. |
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prozacrat
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1186 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 10:07:29
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Second rule of FB forums,there *is* no secret show?
"And her head has no room." |
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porkbone1
= Cult of Ray =
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 14:17:20
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All this talk about secret shows makes me wonder if there will be a secret show. I have never believed that Minneapolis was actually going to be the first date. That having been said, the date approaches.
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The joke has come upon me |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 14:24:21
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| The date approaches, Frank is supposedly in Tennessee right now (Cult_Of_Frank: How long is he supposed to be recording for?), and the Pixies are supposedly rehearsing at the Fine Line on April 11. Hmm. There might be a secret show, but if so, I'd think one at the most. |
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porkbone1
= Cult of Ray =
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 04/07/2004 : 14:34:02
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That reminds me, the secret show in my garage has been cancelled. Couldn't get the necessary insurance.
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The joke has come upon me |
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gunner
- FB Fan -
Canada
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 07:51:32
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Article from today's Winnipeg Free Press
Cover / The Pixies
Thu Apr 8 2004
Bartley Kives
THIS week, there are two kinds of music fans in Winnipeg: A cadre of indie-rock types obsessing about Wednesday's reunion gig by the Pixies, and a much larger body of music lovers wondering what the heck the big deal is about.
Don't worry if you belong to the second camp. The Boston band was easy to miss during its original incarnation.
Formed in 1986, the Pixies had a short but remarkable career that concluded in April 1992, when the quartet played its final concert at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom.
The killer was a long and unrewarding stint as U2's warm-up band at a time when the rise of so-called alternative rock catapulted less inventive bands to stardom.
It was an ignominious swan song for such an influential group.
But the story of the Pixies didn't end there. Like the Velvet Underground and The Sex Pistols before it, this is one of those rare bands whose stature only increased after its demise. Cited as a major influence on Nirvana and every other modern rock band to utilize a quiet verse/loud chorus song structure, the Pixies are now regarded as one the most influential rock bands of the late 1980s.
This isn't revisionist history: The quartet's mix of absurdist humour, punkish recklessness and surf-rock-inspired college-pop melodies was unique to the point of being revelatory.
Five studio albums, released between 1987 and 1991, were largely ignored in North America when they first came out, but now occupy their rightful place as indispensable components of the essential rock 'n' roll discography.
As new generations of listeners discover the band, Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, Trompe le Monde and several posthumously released compilations continue to sell respectably, years after the band's official breakup on New Year's Day 1993.
Yet the Pixies remain a so-called cult band, with little public profile to match their considerable influence.
The reason for this is simple: Commercial radio stations, music video networks and the increasingly irrelevant music-retail sector never celebrated the band, whose musical achievements arrived before the Nirvana-led alterna-rock revolution. But this cult status is about to change, as the original Pixies put aside their differences and prepare to reconquer the world.
In February, following several years of speculation, lead singer Black Francis, guitarist Joey Santiago, bassist Kim Deal and drummer David Lovering announced a reunion tour. It was slated initially to begin next Wednesday at Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg, the city the band never played during its original run. But days later, a Tuesday concert in Minneapolis was added to the schedule.
Many of the 12 concerts -- a prelude to a more extensive tour of Europe and North America -- sold out in minutes, proving the Pixies finally have a North American fanbase to match the European audience that made it a top-selling act in the U.K. a decade ago.
In retrospect, lead singer Francis -- or Frank Black, as he's been calling himself since the Pixies' breakup -- has few regrets about the band's status as a highly influential act that wasn't widely celebrated in its time.
"There's nothing to say but, 'Ah, the ancient, old cycle of inspiration continues,'" Black told the Free Press prior to a solo appearance at Le Rendez-Vous last spring. Currently, the band's management has declined all interview requests.
The Pixies' inventive sound grew out of unlikely origins. In 1986, California-born University of Massachusetts student Charles Michael Kitteridge Thompson IV got tired of studying Spanish in Puerto Rico and decided to fly to New Zealand to see Halley's Comet -- or maybe start a band.
Boston was closer than Auckland, so Thompson moved back to Massachusetts and looked up his former college roommate, Joey Santiago, a wealthy immigrant from the Philippines.
In a now-famous move, the duo placed a newspaper ad looking for a bass player who was into the exceptionally heavy Hüsker Du and folkies Peter, Paul and Mary.
Only one person responded: Kim Deal, an Ohio native with no musical experience. She knew a drummer named David Lovering, and the band was off and writing songs: Loud, raw but very wacky, thanks to Thompson's twin obsessions with astronomy and Spanish. Within a year, Thompson became Black Francis and debut EP Come On Pilgrim was a hit in the U.K., where listeners were astounded by an American band that sounded like it came from a different planet. A big factor was the sense of the absurd, a rare quality among the typically earnest indie-rock and hardcore bands in the U.S. at the time.
"That sort of humour was something I always heard in great music when I was growing up, so I just assumed it was part of the whole vibe of rock music. Not every song, but it's there," says Black. "If you listen to The Beatles or even Bob Dylan, there are a lot of absurdist things going on."
The Pixies' second album, produced by Chicago heavyweight Steve Albini, would launch the band into the hearts and minds of indie-rock geeks around the world. The menacing-wacky genius that was Surfer Rosa was followed up by Doolittle, a slightly more polished masterpiece of nihilistic weirdness melded to an unerring sense of what makes a great pop song.
Frank Black says the secret to these first three releases was not having any preconceived ideas about music.
"Being successful early in your career is good because you just do what comes out naturally. It's not too contrived.
"It has a lot to do with naiveté. You just do it because that's what people are demanding. You don't have time to (second-guess) yourself. It's just an explosion of music."
The Pixies' final two studio albums, Trompe le Monde and Bossanova have moments of brilliance, but sound more heavily produced and pre-planned. Reviews from fans and critics alike were mixed, but that likely played no part in the band's impending demise.
The Breeders, Kim Deal's side project with her sister Kelly and Tanya Donelly from Throwing Muses, was selling better than the Pixies in the U.S.
Nirvana exploded on the scene, and all the attention was on them and the other hairy men of Seattle, particularly Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. "They were virtually ousted from having a competitive shot once everyone went Nirvana-crazy," says David Bowie, a big Pixies fan, who would later cover the group's Cactus on his album Heathen.
"Nirvana, God bless them, but they lifted so much of the Pixies, in terms of how you control your sound -- from very soft to very loud, basically.
"It was a Pixies concept nobody else had exploited in any way. Nirvana kind of did Pixies-lite. It was a more obvious, more straight-ahead kind of writing, and the themes of the songs were the usual teenage angst, whereas the Pixies were writing from an extraordinary stance.
"Some of the things going through Charles's mind were quite impressive. Lyrically, he was way ahead of anything that was happening."
Bowie says he was baffled by how successful the Pixies were in Europe and how poorly they drew at home in North America. He also couldn't understand why radio ignored the band.
The Pixies toured with U2 in 1992 in an attempt to gain some of that elusive exposure. But the decision turned out to be the final nail in a coffin, as audiences treated the group like a warm-up band.
After the breakup, Black Francis made the name change to Frank Black and released a series of solo albums, developing a loyal cult following on his own and with his band The Catholics. Kim Deal recorded sporadically with The Breeders and The Amps.
Several posthumous Pixies compilations were released and sold well enough to spark reunion talk. It seemed inevitable last year, when Black incorporated as many as a dozen Pixies songs into his live show and hired Lovering -- performing a sort of standup comedy/magic act -- as his opening act.
The reunion tour coming through Winnipeg next week is not just a warm-up show. It's part of a sophisticated marketing blitz that also includes a new best-of compilation, Wave of Mutilation, and a DVD package entitled simply Pixies. The band is also taking the unusual step of recording its forthcoming live dates and selling the board tapes as freshly burned CDs right at the show. For $22 US, you can pre-order a document of each night's show at www.disclive.com. Up to 500 copies are available for pre-order (these are already sold out for the Winnipeg show), with another 500 available for sale right at the venue 15 minutes after the show. They'll be burned behind the theatre in a truck outfitted specifically for this anti-bootlegging measure.
How the band feels about the hoopla is unknown. The decision to decline interviews suggests the reunion may be sensitive.
Last year, however, it sounded as if Frank Black was ready to be Black Francis again.
"When you're in a band, you play the same songs for five years and you're kind of sick of them. You come around when you're not sick of them any more."
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
http://ca.geocities.com/kpgordon17/ |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11674 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 08:01:38
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Solid article, thanks for posting it... we should probably post it in a new thread so Frank can read it (I'll leave that honour to you).
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 09:11:29
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i just got an email from Bartley Kives. He says,
"The opening act will be a Winnipeg indie band. I think I know which one, but
I have to confirm it first." |
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solace
= Cult of Ray =
USA
278 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 12:52:13
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i know someone mentioned the Weakerthans, which would be cool, but i gotta say Propagandhi opening would OWN. :)
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Manny
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
252 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 13:09:42
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| Are Propagandhi still together? I think I'd prefer the Weakerthans to open. |
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solace
= Cult of Ray =
USA
278 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 13:55:23
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they're putting out a new record here sometime this year i guess, last i heard, which was like last October.
i've never really enjoyed much of the Weakerthans stuff unfortunately, god knows i've tried quite a few times |
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Qris
- FB Fan -
Canada
31 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2004 : 14:01:54
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I hear the warm up act is "Ham". I know nothing of them tho.
www.qris.net |
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Qris
- FB Fan -
Canada
31 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2004 : 14:05:23
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This website says a thing or two about the things that are "Ham" and contains a MP3 link. What are these things called M-P-3s? Do you think they will catch on?
www.qris.net |
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Qris
- FB Fan -
Canada
31 Posts |
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chrischob
- FB Fan -
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2004 : 17:43:53
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It would be cool if 'Inward Eye' were to open for them. They are excellent an I think would fit well with the Pixies.
Chris Choboter
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2004 : 19:19:42
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| Ham is one of my good friends' bands. There is no way Paul or Jim could keep this a secret. NO WAY! |
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mattb
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
474 Posts |
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obijohngordon
- FB Fan -
Canada
34 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2004 : 22:04:53
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Thanks Matt.
BTW, I'm still looking for anyone interested in joining me on-air on my radio show this Tuesday in Winnipeg (details below). I'm doing a Pixies Preshow Tribute; we'll spin our favorite tunes and talk 'bout all things Pixie. If you are interested, let me know at: obijohngordon@hotmail.com.
You can check out the details of my show at: http://www.umfm.com/popup_description.shtml?show_id=47
> Check out my show! "Pop Infusion" Tuesdays, 4-5pm CST on 101.5 UMFM, Winnipeg or umfm.com < |
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hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1592 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 01:01:02
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Environment Canada reports, "Wednesday .. A mix of sun and cloud. 60 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 11. High plus 3." Sorry folks, it was nice last week. In Fahrenheit it's, let's see, double it and add 32, that's 10 and 38, miserable anyways. I was hoping to mention all the cheap golf courses.
I have just a few things to add to my mega-post from the first thread, the potholes are huge and plentiful. Musically, outside of the Pixies' concert, the must see gig to me is the UK Subs on Tuesday at the Royal Albert. Many times they have been booked but I have yet to see them. Seminal blues musician Big Dave McLean plays the Windsor on Wednesday. |
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Qris
- FB Fan -
Canada
31 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 08:58:22
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quote:
Originally posted by jackanapes
Ham is one of my good friends' bands. There is no way Paul or Jim could keep this a secret. NO WAY!
I dunno. My sources are pretty good but amount to friend of a friend of the band. If you are friend of the band you outrank me.
They do seem to me to be a pretty good fit... and local.
www.qris.net |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2004 : 09:31:59
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You're right. I haven't spoken to the guys since the last gig I saw when they did a draft night reunion at the Albert. This was well before the Pixies reunion was scheduled. I've lost all my contact info for them but if HAM open it's gonna be killer.
Just found my number for Jim. Left a message. Should have confirmation later today. |
Edited by - jackanapes on 04/11/2004 09:43:06 |
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porkbone1
= Cult of Ray =
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 18:26:19
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Okay I know we are all getting excited for the Minneapolis show, (those of us attending both shows) let's remember where we go in the morning! I can't wait to get to Winnipeg, it is the second show of the tour, and it is going to be unbelievable. Looks like the official gathering place is going to be KINGS HEAD, so if you haven't signed up on the guest list, please do so! I want to see everybody there!
_______________________
The joke has come upon me |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 19:22:00
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| Anyone here know mzajac personally? I'm having the hardest time getting hold of him ... and the funny thing is, I have a ticket for him that he's already paid for. I'm guessing his e-mail might be out of service, or something... |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 19:29:33
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Roomloo, my mails waaay down right now so it might be the same case for him however he could still touch you on this forum as I do. ooh ooh ooh.
BTW, my phonecalls haven't been returned by HAM. This is not unusual however. |
Edited by - jackanapes on 04/12/2004 19:32:11 |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 19:30:38
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| Yeah, but he hasn't posted in two weeks. I've been trying to contact him for about that long. |
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jackanapes
- FB Fan -
237 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 19:33:14
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| Crazy er |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 21:21:29
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| All right, so I might have an extra Winnipeg to give out. I feel weird though, selling the same ticket twice. Hopefully Mike will track me down on Wednesday... |
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roomloo
= Cult of Ray =
USA
710 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2004 : 21:21:59
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| Oh sweet, I have three cats now. |
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JMS
- FB Fan -
Canada
2 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2004 : 01:04:50
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| After all of the heresay on this here "Winnipeg" thread (it will not be the Weakerthans as I just spent the weekend with them in Toronto and they will not even be in town)... does anyone actually know who is opening the Winnipeg show tonight? |
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obijohngordon
- FB Fan -
Canada
34 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2004 : 04:24:48
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Ham is the confirmed opener.
Only 14 hours to go!!!!!!!
> Check out my show! "Pop Infusion" Tuesdays, 4-5pm CST on 101.5 UMFM, Winnipeg or umfm.com < |
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gunner
- FB Fan -
Canada
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2004 : 04:48:40
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Those of you who purchased your cds online, don't forget to take your Disclive proof of purchase receipts with you. Put them in your pocket now!!!
http://ca.geocities.com/kpgordon17/ |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2004 : 12:53:39
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hi'ya!
Just wanted to say have fun at the show... i wish i could be there with you guys!!!
if you have time, post how everything was (not too detailed) in the After Show Chat... I can't wait to read how everything was!!! |
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4/14 Winnipeg Show - Non Ticket Related Thread
