A few pop big shots have called Tacoma their home in recent years (or at least one of their homes.) Rickie Lee Jones kicked it here for a bit. Ditto with Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and ex-boy bander and Rainiers co-owner Nick Lachey. And could the Pixies Frank Black and wife Violet Clark be next?

The couple made their first Grit City stop Saturday as their first tour with their new pop project Grand Duchy wound through Jazzbones. Clark seemed especially enamored with what they saw before the show. “We’re real estate addicts, and there are some cool houses,” she remarked a few minutes into Duchy’s set.

Hey, they only live a few hours down the road in Eugene, Ore. as it is. I'm thinkin' Mr. and Mrs. Black Francis should pack up their stuff, round up the kids and come on up. It's a buyer's market, right? Just sayin'.

Anyway, the couple recorded all of Grand Duchy's debut album "Petits Four" on their own. But on tour they're joined by Black Francis drummer, Jason Carter, and a keyboard whose name I didn’t catch. (Sorry, keyboard player.) I didn't take down the entire set, but I can tell you the quartet played most of the new album and their remake of the Cure's "A Strange Day," previously recorded for the Cure tribute album "Just Like Heaven."

Sketchy sound plagued the early set, and I was a little bummed that Clark’s vocals were nearly muted during “Lovesick,” one of my favorite pop songs of 2009 so far. But the bugs seemed to get worked out for the most part, and the set was a nice showcase of the Duchy’s eclectic sound, with breezy pop numbers (the aforementioned “Lovesick,” set closer “Fort Wayne”); euphoric new wave cuts ("Seeing Stars"); brooding post-punk (“Black Suit”); and an alt-rock cut or two that more overtly recalled the Pixies (notably set opener “Come On Over.”)

Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis, born Charles Thompson) hung out for a spell after the show, and he told me that he hoped to swing back through Puget Sound with Duchy later this year. Hmmm. I'm thinkin' the One Reel peeps need to give him and his wife a jingle before their Bumbershoot lineup firms up.

Frank Black and Violet Clark brought their new band, Grand Duchy, to Jazzbones Saturday night. Check out cuts from the new CD on their MySpace page or hear clips mixed in sound bites from my interview by clicking here.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

It had been a minute since I caught the Nightgowns (Trevor Dickson and drummer B.J. Robertson in photo, Cody Jones and Kyle Brunette out of frame.) As a matter of fact, they were stilled called the Elephants last time. During their opening slot Saturday, the Tacoma synth-pop outfit previewed cuts from forthcoming collection “Sing Something.” The CD release party is set for May 16 at Tacoma underground venue, the Warehouse (you know, where Kulture Lab was held) followed by a June 2 gig at EMP/SFM’s Skychurch. Cody handed me an advance copy of the disc. And if it’s OK with the fellas I think I’ll stick a track or two in the South Sound Mix Tape player this week. Check back soon.
ERNEST A. JASMIN