Grand Duchy @ Siren

GrandDuchy03

Frank Black is easily one of the most influential musicians of the last two decades. From directly influencing grunge (see Kurt Cobain) to setting the stage for the 90s alternative scene and making music many new musicians today grew up spinning, he’s had a hand in making alternative and indie music what is today. On his new project, Grand Duchy, with wife Violet Clark, Black has nothing to prove. And so at Siren Saturday he didn’t try to prove anything.

Black took the back seat through much of the set, giving the mic and the attention to Clark, who played things oh-so-cool with her underwear-matching, polka-dotted upper thigh-high dress and sleek headless bass. The duo went through the motions with just enough high energy to please– without exactly impressing.

This isn’t exactly The Pixies and both Black and Clark know it. But with confidence and cool, they take the stage and work their magic doing what they know and what they love. And yes, Frank Black still looks, as some article once pointed out, like a “portly Mr. Clean.”

More photos after the jump.

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