Black Francis is on the road with Reid Paley, heading toward tour-ending show at Symphony Space on May 17 (Twitter photo courtesy Black Francis)
Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Friday, May 17, $15 – $45, 6:00
212-864-5400
www.symphonyspace.org
www.blackfrancis.net
For more than a quarter of a century, Boston-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist Charles Thompson IV has been at the forefront of the indie music scene, performing under a variety of guises and with a series of bands. Better known as Frank Black and Black Francis, Thompson formed the Pixies in 1986 with Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering, releasing a mere four albums (Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde) that helped define alternative rock and influence countless musicians ever since. He is also the leader of Frank Black and the Catholics (Pistolero, Dog in the Sand), is part of a duo with Reid Paley (Paley & Francis), has teamed up with his wife, Violet Clark, in Grand Duchy (Petits Four, Let the People Speak), and has made solo albums as both Frank Black (Teenager of the Year) and Black Francis (Bluefinger, NonStopErotik). An iconoclast who likes to do things his own way — he also is a Stuckist painter, a group that rails against conceptual art and was cofounded by British artist Charles Thomson — Black Francis is currently on the road, playing solo shows featuring songs from throughout his storied career, driving from venue to venue with his opening act, Reid Paley. They’ve already appeared at such spots as the Mint in New Orleans, Underbelly’s in Jacksonville, and the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach, and Francis recently tweeted that the May 15 concert at the Spaceland Ballroom in New Haven would be “an all nude show.” Paley and Francis conclude their brief tour on May 17 with a special show at Symphony Space, although we’ve heard nothing about whether it will be with clothes on or off.