B L A C K I E Completes Successful French, Canadian Invasions
For the last month, B L A C K I E, Houston's favorite act of musical warfare, roamed around Europe and Canada on tour, performing shows (both scheduled and impromptu) and yanking bolts from the Eiffel Tower. 
Photo courtesy of Jack Twachtman B L A C K I E performing in France
His shows, manic audio attacks blasted through homemade speaker cabinets sometimes as many 20 deep, are nearly folk lore now. (He once told me that he loses several pounds after each performance due to high activity, which sounds completely implausible until you watch him; it's like he's trying to burst into a ball of light). He seems unanimously revered and respected.
Still, fervently a DIY artist, he has mostly lived as an underground icon here in Houston. Until now.
Following the release of his most recent LP, last year's True Spirit And Not Giving a Fuck, he has enjoyed critical acclaim coming from outside HWY 6, his praise running from artsy-cool publications such as Fader to mainstream-media end-all The New York Times.
And now with the backing of tastemaker Matt Sonzala, the man responsible for bringing nearly every major rap star in the galaxy to SXSW last year (Kanye, Jay-Z, etc), he is prepping to grip America's indie culture by the throat.
We spoke with B L A C K I E a few minutes after he returned from Canada. He sounded appropriately frayed, having performed 24 shows on two continents in 30 or so days, but relayed his excitement -- in as much as he has ever relayed excitement, anyway -- for the coming months.
In addition to his new alliance (Sonzala accompanied him on several tour stops), there is a new album (already finished and ready, so fuck yes) and a new venture (a proper record label), all of which will be covered here as it happens.
In the meantime, watch that video up there. It's of B L A C K I E performing at Le Trinitaires in Metz, France, perhaps the most successful invasions of the country since [SOME NERDY STAT REFERENCING A WAR]. Aces.
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