The Houston, Texas-based Catastrophic Theatre is working with Pixies frontman Black Francis to adapt his 2007 solo album Bluefinger — a concept record about the life and death of drug-addled Dutch rocker and painter Herman Brood — into a rock opera set to debut this fall.
That news comes as the artist formerly known as Frank Black also announces plans for Abbabubba, a new compilation of B-sides and “other oddball tracks which have never been formally released,” which will be available via BlackFrancis.net in a few weeks (the tracklist hasn’t yet been revealed). He’s also mapped out intermittent North American solo concerts in between his touring commitments with the Pixies (see dates below).
As for the upcoming “Bluefinger” musical, Catastrophic Theatre’s Jason Nodler won’t run into the same rights issues that recently derailed a planned Depeche Mode stage production — Nodler, the rock opera’s director, doesn’t just have permission to use Francis’ music, he’s working directly with the head Pixie on the project.
Set to debut Nov. 12 at Houston’s DiverseWorks Artspace and run through Dec. 18, the “Bluefinger” production will feature songs from Francis’ album alongside Brood’s own compositions. Unable to kick a long-running drug habit, the Dutch musician and artist — considered the Netherlands’ greatest (and, really, only) rock ‘n’ roll star — took his own life in 2001 by jumping off the roof of an Amsterdam hotel.
See Black Francis’ tour dates after the jump…
Black Francis tour dates:
July 8: McNear’s Mystic Theatre & Music Hall, Petaluma, CA
Aug. 15: Henry Miller Library, Big Sur, CA
Aug. 18: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Aug. 19: Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
Aug. 20: Portland Zoo Amphitheatre, Portland, OR (with Swell Season)
Aug. 21: Triple Door, Seattle, WA (two shows)
Aug. 22: The Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC (with Swell Season)
Sept. 2: Beachcomber, Wellfleet, MA
Sept. 3: Joe’s Pub, New York, NY
Sept. 4: Joe’s Pub, New York, NY
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Pixies cancel first-ever Israel concert after last week’s deadly Gaza flotilla raid
- Pixies bringing ‘Doolittle’ 20th anniversary tour back to U.S. in September
- Pixies announce special ‘fan exclusive’ shows in London this summer, live download
- Vintage Video: Pixies play ‘Doolittle’ tracks ‘Dead,’ ‘I Bleed’ for ‘Snub TV’ in 1989
- Simon Larbalestier’s iconic Pixies album-cover photos to receive U.K. retrospective
- Activists to Pixies: Boycott Israel, cancel Tel Aviv concert in support of Palestinans
