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
Fastman Raiderman
» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR
|
Frank Black
Fastman Raiderman
Back Porch Records, 2006
RiYL: The Band, Willie Nelson, Neil Young |
As a long-time Pixies and Frank Black fan, I have to admit that I would probably be disappointed by the release of
Fastman Raiderman if I thought that it was a sign that this man would henceforth be making only this kind of music – straightforward Americana that tells small-town stories and tear-in-your-beer breakup tales. Of course, having followed Black through his many musical adventures, I review this with the grain of salt telling that it’s just another stop in a unique career that can’t keep still.
This new double-album (27 songs in all) is more or less parts II and III of a country/Americana trilogy begun with last year’s
Honeycomb. While that record was more of a straight-up divorce album, complete with mournful numbers performed by crack Nashville session musicians and a rock legend or two (as well as a duet with Black’s ex-wife),
Fastman Raiderman is a sprawling collection of odds and ends.
The record includes leftovers from the
Honeycomb sessions (“Highway To Lowdown,” “Sad Man’s Song”) and stuff recorded at later marathon Nashville workouts in between Pixies tours (“Wanderlust,” “Dog Sleep”) as well as bare, bluesy solo numbers (“Raider Man”) and covers (Ewan McColl’s “Dirty Old Town” reimagined as a honky-tonk duet with Marty Brown).
There’s something for everyone, provided you dig this kind of rootsy … let’s just say it: “country” – sound. Less than 20 years ago, this guy was screaming about surrealism over fractured punkish epics that more or less invented alternative rock, and now he’s calmly crooning “You’d better / hang on / ‘cause it’s a sad old world” and soft-speaking over pedal steel guitar laments.
But Frank is still the man, and he has the ability to make it work. Songs like “In The Time Of My Ruin” echo his solo heyday, and could have been at home in the
Dog In The Sand era. The crescendoing epic, which opens Disc Two, starts off with the sly, so-Frank couplet: “In the time of my ruin / At the museum, I met a curator / She was so nice, I thought I would date her / I was a hawk, and I just flew in” and ends with a minute and a half of a swampy coda section.
Fastman Raiderman, then, is a lot to drink in, and its rewards aren’t always easy to reap for the steady listener. But it’s just another stop on the long highway of Frank Black’s career, and what can an honest music fan do but to stick out his thumb, hop in and enjoy the ride.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves. 