Artist bio

See also: Pixies

Frank Black, nee Charles Thompson, is one of the most accomplished rock songwriters of his era, basically the 20th century's final 15 years and beyond. He earned his stripes with five albums in six years as the frontman for underground icons the Pixies, but after disbanding the group via press release in 1993, he embarked on an even bolder mission: to outlive the legacy he created.

1993's Frank Black and 1994's Teenager Of The Year proved Black's creativity to have even more range than he displayed with his critically acclaimed former band. Both find him reaching past his well-known surf-punk motifs to create pop-rock vistas that distilled dozens of influences into tunes about UFOs, architects, obscure towns, facial hair, and the Three Stooges.

But lo, Black was not completely happy on his own. He missed having a trusty band behind him that he could tour long and hard with and not worry about collaborating with dozens of people on each album. Enter the Catholics, basically the former Miracle Legion rhythm section of Scott Boutier and David McCaffrey. With a string of guitarists including Lyle Workman, Rich Gilbert, and Dave Philips, Frank and the Catholics turned into an old-school band of rock troubadors, punching out albums like Frank Black And The Catholics, Pistolero, Dog In The Sand, and Devil's Workshop with impressive regularity.

Black adopted the new m.o. of recording live to two-track, which gave his albums an immediate feel and gave his band a reason to really learn their shit and get air-tight in time for the performances. The former indie icon is currently living out his dream as a rock and roller with a band in a van, criss-crossing the country to play ear-crushing shows at a smoky club near you.

Albums by this artist

Bluefinger (2007)

Fastman Raiderman (2006)

Honeycomb (2005)

Show Me Your Tears (2003)

Black Letter Days (2002)

Devil's Workshop (2002)

Oddballs (2001)

Dog In The Sand (Recommended) (2001)

Pistolero (1999)

Frank Black And The Catholics (1998)

The Cult Of Ray (1996)

Teenager Of The Year (Recommended) (1994)

Frank Black (1993)

Concerts

February 5, 2001
Mercury Lounge, New York

July 6, 1999
The Metro, Chicago

Interviews

The Devil's Workshops
July 15, 2002

Frank Black and the Catholics

Show Me Your Tears

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» BEN FRENCH | CO-DIRECTOR

Frank Black Show Me Your Tears spinART, 2003 RiYL: Wilco's Being There, Neil Young's Zuma, The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street

I’m no Frank Black expert, but I know what I like. I like the sound of a band properly aping classic rock song structures, the vibe of an album recorded live, in the moment, and the scream of a grown man gone wild. Conveniently, Monsieur Noir and his merry band of papists meet all of the above prerequisites and then some on Show Me Your Tears, Frank’s sixth album with the Catholics and his fifth release this century.

Those of you wise enough to purchase this record should make sure to turn it up loud for the first listen so as to fully appreciate the bad-bitch theme song of an opener. That “Nadine” is a real hooker, I tell you, a song where you get to see a bald grown man go truly insane. Frank takes an otherwise straight-up blues-based rock song and turns it on its head before he finishes. He screams like a fool and whacks away at his guitar like a madman for no other damn reason than just because that’s the way this song is supposed to be done.

As a point of reference, I request all readers pull out The Clash’s London Calling and turn on “Brand New Cadillac,” the mad finish of which is not unlike the closing of “Nadine." Listen to the energy in Joe Strummer’s voice when he screams, “Jesus Christ! Where’d yuh ged thah Cadillaaaah!” and you can get a sense of what Frank sounds like as he screams, “Ner go Nadine! Nadine! Neen! Neen! Ning!” No car or woman can drive a man to this point. Only the love of rock, my friends. And that’s why this shit rules.

Naturally many of the songs on Show Me Your Tears bring to life the glory days of other rock illuminati. At various points, Frank sounds like he’s covering vintage Tom Waits (“This Old Heartache”), Lou Reed (“The Snake”), and Exile-era Stones (“Jaina Blues”). “Horrible Day” and “Goodbye Lorraine” sound like sorely missed outtakes from Neil Young’s Zuma. “Everything Is New” reminds me why I liked Tom Petty before he went and spoiled my perception of him by starring alongside Kevin Costner in “The Postman.” And the glorious “Massif Centrale” takes me back to the Frank’s heyday as a Pixie, when I still felt comfortable using the word “alternative.”

Not unlike Wilco’s Being There, Show Me Your Tears gives classic rock lovers a new album to celebrate -- an album to drink by while mourning the fact that most aging rock icons rarely supply anything this raucous anymore (no offense, Lou! I am sure your interpretations of Poe’s “The Raven” are very raucous!). These Catholics are a hard-charging bunch and I tip my cap to their fearless, unrelenting leader for bringing the band together, writing so many damn good songs to play, and not stopping the rock.

BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.