Friday, July 24, 2009

Grand Duchy


Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV, aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black, has a reputation as one tough band leader, whether in the TNT-volatile Pixies of the late ’80s and early ’90s or the hardworking roots rockers known as the Catholics. We’ve seen him seriously tear into a hapless drummer on one occasion, and berate a would-be stage diver on another. We’ve heard the firing-by-fax story. He scares us a little.

Still, his latest musical collaborator, Victoria Clarke, cannot be pushed around so easily — she is also his love, his wife, and the mother of his five children. And, indeed, she seems to bring out the best in him, eliciting a playful, relaxed side, not to mention a surprisingly pop-oriented musical style. Together they wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, and recorded all the tracks for Petits Fours, the debut album credited to their joint Grand Duchy project.

I'm digging it! Decide for yourself - crank up the first single from Grand Duchy's Petits Fours lp: Love Sick. and read the whole interview over at Flavorwire: Grand Duchy

Make it louder!

Migwell

Thanks to Flavorwire