(NEW YORK) -- He might be the godfather of alt.rock, but former Pixies frontman Frank Black can't get arrested in America these days. Or at least, in his view, he can't swing a record deal "that he deserves." |

Strangely enough, the record he has to offer, Frank Black and the Catholics, has already been snapped up in Europe (by Play It Again Sam), Australia (Shock Records) and South America (Natasha Records), so it's not short of interested buyers.

Black, on the phone from the West Coast, is a little mystified by the reluctance of U.S. record companies to sign him up. "I just don't understand why record companies have such a problem with me. My records have always recouped; I'm not in the red with any of them."

His manager, Ken Goes, told JAMTV he and Black have adopted a "wait and see" approach. "It's not a normal record deal that we're arranging -- we try to retain more rights than normal. But we have a record that's done, a finished product -- we feel we should call some of the shots.

"Frank hasn't had the best luck with record companies," Goes continued. "Elektra (home for Black's first two post-Pixies efforts) went through big personnel changes and we felt that wasn't a good home anymore. Then American Records imploded before our eyes. We're now free agents. It's quite an adventure." At this stage, according to Goes, Black's new album won't be released in the United States "anytime soon."

Mind you, his Catholics album is some kind of departure, as Black strips away the excesses of his most recent Cult Of Ray and gets back to the garage. Recorded direct to two-track, Black mixes a punkish edge with typically cryptic themes, the occasional killer riff, and a sincere tribute to Jonathan Richman (see "The Man Who Was Too Loud"). He even pulls off a reverential cover of rocker-for-Jesus Larry Norman's "Six Sixty Six."

"In fact," Black admits, "[the album] was only supposed to be a demo, but the more we put down the more excited everyone got. We decided it was a worthwhile record."

When not sizing up record deals, Black has been breaking in new guitarist Rich Gilbert as he and the Catholics prepare for some eastern U.S. dates. Consider the shows to be a premiere, of sorts, for the primal Frank Black and the Catholics, the album you may not get to hear for some time yet. (Jeff Apter)

Dates for Frank Black and The Catholics:

• May 4 - The Asylum, Portland, Maine
• May 5 - Club Toast, Burlington, Va.
• May 7 - The Cabaret, Montreal
• May 8 - Barrymore's, Ottawa, Ontario
• May 9 - Hungry Charlie's, Syracuse, N.Y.
• May 10 - Pearl Street, Northampton, Mass.
• May 11 - Toad's Place, New Haven, Conn.
• May 12 - Tuxedo Junction, Danbury, Conn.
• May 14 - Tramps, New York
• May 15 - Century Lounge, Providence, R.I.
• May 16 - Karma, Boston
• May 18 - Birch Hill Nite Club, Old Bridge, N.J.
• May 19 - The Trocadero, Philadelphia
• May 20 - Fletcher's, Baltimore
• May 21 - Chameleon, Lancaster, Pa.
• May 22 - Alley Katz, Richmond, Va.
• May 23 - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.