As if we weren’t already majorly excited about the upcoming Pixies Doolittle tour: now it’s been revealed that in addition to mind-blowingly amazing tunes, the Pixies will be treating audiences to a multimedia extravaganza, blowing eyes, ears, and possibly mouths and noses away.

To properly celebrate the 20th anniversary of Doolittle, the band enlisted long-time lighting designer Myles Mangino and designer Paul Normandale, who partnered with filmmakers Judy Jacobs, Tom Winkler, Brent Felix, and Melinda Tupling to create 11 films especially for the tour. The films will be projected onto a massive screen as visual accompaniments to 12 of the 21 songs in the Doolittle set. Additionally, “four huge, undulating, eyeball-like spheres are flown just below the lighting rig and become part of the concert’s light show.”

A few examples of what to expect were detailed in the press release:
“Visuals accompanying the song “Debaser” are from a compilation titled “Forbidden Images.” The hauntingly beautiful black and white footage from the 1920s depicts the beginning of the women’s rights moment, showing women’s exuberant playfulness, femininity and sensuality. The footage, a little too progressive for that time period, was originally banned from theatres.”

“For “Here Comes Your Man,” a four-way split screen displays close up images of the band members dancing along to the song; “I Bleed” sees blood dripping down the screen in time to the music; “Hey” features hand-drawn animation of the song’s lyrics by Hollywood animator Tom Winkler; clouds, black holes, and Mankind’s arrogance destroying the Earth are the focus for “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” while “La La Love You” is a humorous animated piece starring hearts with legs.”

Holy guacamole. Tour dates are as follows:

11.04.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
11.05.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
11.06.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
11.08.09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11.09.09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11.10.09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
11.12.09 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11.13.09 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11.14.09 Eugene, OR @ Hult Center
11.16.09 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
11.17.09 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
11.19.09 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
11.20.09 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
11.21.09 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
11.23.09 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11.24.09 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11.25.09 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11.27.09 Boston, MA @ Wang Center
11.28.09 Boston, MA @ Wang Center
11.30.09 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall
12.01.09 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall

Pick L.A.: you win No Age. D.C.? Jay Reatard or Mew. Oakland? Rain Machine. New York City? Could be Jay, Kyp or Bad Lieutenant. It’s like a new unique experimental rock act at every corner. Jay even found a new rhythm section for the occasion.

Black Francis and Co. are embarking on a nine-city U.S. jaunt (right after their European dates that kick off the Doolittle Tour) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic album Doolittle, and apparently thought it would be a worthwhile notion to spread the celebration around. Below are the dates and a confusing system of asterisks to differentiate opening bands.

11.04 Los Angeles, CA  @ Hollywood Palladium ^
11.05 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium %
11.06 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium *
11.08 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater *
11.09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater ^
11.10 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater %
11.12 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre *
11.13 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre ^
11.14 Eugene, OR @ Hult Center *
11.16 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore ^
11.17 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
11.19 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom #
11.20 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom ^
11.21 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom ~
11.23 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom #
11.24 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom ~
11.25 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom *
11.25 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (late show)
11.27 Boston, MA @ Wang Center ~
11.28 Boston, MA @ Wang Center *
11.30 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall ~
12.01 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall @

^ with No Age
% with Black Gold
* with Rain Machine
# with Bad Lieutenant
~ with Jay Reatard
@ with Mew

(Via: P4K)

On their first tour as an ensemble since 2005’s reunion, the Pixies are hitting the road once again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1989 opus Doolittle. As Black Francis puts it, “We wanted to do something special for Doolittle’s 20th anniversary, and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don’t normally do at a regular gig.” The tour kicks off in Europe, where most dates have already sold out, but the U.S. leg begins on November 4th in L.A., and includes three dates in New York City. Some tickets go on sale as early as this Saturday, August 1st, so be sure to check out your venue of choice’s website in the near future for details. The tour also coincides with the release of the limited edition box set, Minotaur, allowing you to indulge all of your Pixies related desires this fall.

Pixies Tour Dates

8.29.09: V Festival – Burl’s Creek Park, Ontario, Canada
9.30.09: Olympia – Dublin, Ireland
10.1.09: Olympia – Dublin, Ireland
10.2.09: Olympia, Dublin, Ireland
10.4.09: SECC – Hall 4 – Glasgow, Scotland
10.6.09: Brixton Academy – London, England
10.7.09: Brixton Academy – London, England
10.8.09: Brixton Academy – London, England
10.9.09: Brixton Academy – London, England
10.11.09: Jahrhunderhalle – Frankfurt, Germany
10.13.09: Heineken Music Hall – Amsterdam, Holland
10.14.09: Forest National – Brussels, Belgium
10.15.09: Zenith – Paris, France
10.16.09: Zenith – Paris, France
11.4.09: The Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
11.8.09: Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
11.9.09: Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
11.12.09: Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA
11.13.09: Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA
11.14.09: Hult Center – Eugene, OR
11.16.09: The Fillmore – Denver, CO
11.20.09: Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
11.21.09: Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
11.23.09: Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
11.24.09: Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
11.25.09: Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
11.27.09: Wang Center – Boston, MA
11.30.09: Constitution Hall – Washington, D.C.

Ever found yourself thinking, “Hmmm, I wonder what the hell Black Francis meant in, oh, every single Pixies song…”? You’re not alone. And lucky for you, in this interview with Minnesota Public Radio’s Mary Lucia, he takes the time to explain some of his songwriting ideas, concepts and inspirations. And by that, we mean he talks a lot about hangovers and lemurs, but it’s still totally awesome. Additionally, the interview is peppered with acoustic versions of Pixies songs, including this lovely rendition of ‘Velouria,’ featured above.

The Pixies will be touring this fall in honor of the 20th anniversary of their 1989 game-changer Doolittle. Kicking things off at the Olympia in Dublin, Ireland on October 1st and 2nd, the Pixies will be playing the landmark album in its entirety, including some B-Sides. Surprises are reputedly in store, “Debaser” will most certainly scorch.

—Meryl Natow