Pitchfork

Cory D. Byrom and Will Bryant report:
So you may have noticed that the recently reunited Pixies now have their own webspace, PixiesMusic.com. The site promises a wealth of up-to-date information regarding the band's plans, but don't call them the "official" website for the band just yet-- despite the air of authority the site projects, webmaster Sean T. Rayburn tells Pitchfork the spec project is "under negotiation" with the band's management for official status and that no such agreement as yet been made. "We will still continue to provide up-to-the-minute information on the band as well as tour information and an ever-growing message board community for free and open discussion. We will continue to be the #1 source for all things Pixies," Rayburn told Pitchfork. "An 'official' title is something we are working towards, and has been talked about with band management, but we aren't there yet."

While the O-word is not used anywhere on PixiesMusic.com, the site hosts publicity stills of the group, current tourdates, links to purchase tickets, an updated biography and offers an e-mail newsletter. Rayburn and his design team, Ray Dolber and VP Holleran (who have worked on sites for clients as diverse as Interpol and L'Oréal) call the site a "labor of love" and a space for Pixies fans to "get together, talk about the band, and build friendships." The message board currently requires users to register before gaining access to the already quite-active topics (the forums have already attracted more than 2300 posts since their February 4th debut).

As for the rest of the site, currently you can find information about the Pixies' upcoming tour of the West Coast, Canada, and parts of the UK and Europe. Included is the tidbit that the show in Winnipeg sold out in four minutes, which is especially fascinating given the high Yeti-to-human ratio the city is known for. I guess the Pixies can expect to play their first show in ten-plus years to a horde of Chewbacca-like bigfoots swaying to and fro to the tune of "Wave of Mutilation," "Where Is My Mind?," and "U-Mass." I just hope the Sasquatches have the decency to stand in the back. They're tall, you know.

In addition, there is a wee bit of information about the set list for the tour-- i.e. they have one. There's not much other than that, except a quick mention that new songs will be played. Rest assured that the band will be playing mostly Pixies songs along with, and I quote, "a Latvian lullaby, a Czech dirge, and a Bulgarian ballad." Besides being a failed attempt at alliteration (c'mon, a Czech concerto! a Dutch dirge! you can do better!), this snide little comment is surely tongue-in-cheek.

The Pixies have also been confirmed at several festivals other than Coachella, all of which are inconveniently not in the U.S. Among the fests the band has been tapped for areAustria's Aerodrome Festival (June 10th and 11th, featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Korn, Slayer, and German punk old-schoolers Die Toten Hosen); Sweden's Hultsfred Festival (June 18th-20th, featuring Sahara Hotnights, the Roots, and more); Germany's Hurricane/Southside Festival (June 26th-28th, with the Hives, David Bowie, the Mars Volta and more); Belgium's Rock Werchter festival (July 2nd-4th, alongside an eclectic list of groups including Metallica, the Darkness, Korn, Lenny Kravitz, and David Bowie); and other festivals in Norway, Scotland, and Denmark. There's something about the fact that two of these festivals have the Pixies playing alongside Metallica and Korn that makes me a little uneasy.

Of course, by now there is a good chance you've heard rumors of a co-headlining tour with another massively popular, massively influential early-alternative act who also happens to be playing at Coachella. Well, we've heard those rumors too, and that's about all we've got to report about that. Rest assured, however, that if those rumors become more than just speculation, you'll hear it from us first.