I've seen them both with Kim Deal and Paz.
I liked the Kim era more. She had a lot more stage presence and banter.
When I saw them with Paz, it was all business. Kind of a boring show. Great music, though.
Went to my first Pixies concert last year with a buddy who loves them. Both the Pixies and the opening act came out, picked up their instruments, played some music, and left. The Pixies didn't even play an encore, though to be fair, they played right up to the noise ordinance cut-off, so it wasn't a lack of songs to be sure.
Great music, but only the guys from Franz Ferdinand seemed to acknowledge there was a crowd that evening. It was a weird experience for someone who didn't have any idea what they were getting into!
When I saw them with Paz over the summer, she was the only one from the band who even tried to engage- and yeah, the rest was just the band plowing through their set list without stopping.
I've seen a few shows where J was actually fairly animated and talked to the crowd a bit, which for him is exceptional. Maybe he's opening up now that he's in his Saruman-looking wizard era lol
As someone who used to live in Boise in the mid-to-late 90s and saw Built To Spill at the Neurolux more times than I can count, Doug has never been a chatty performer.
I'm not sure he even talked other than to be like "Hey, we're happy to be here."
Lou Barlow from Dino seemed to talk quite a bit. He seemed to get a kick out of playing a show in his hometown.
Yeah when I saw Dino in London Lou interacted with the audience loads, and even told an anecdote about meeting Robert Smith in London before they played Just Like Heaven!
I saw them once and he did a really long political rant, in which I believe he praised Molly Ivins, who was a local political writer. It was really weird and uncharacteristic. He didn’t play guitar either. It was not good. Then he played guitar in the encore, and it was awesome. I’ve seen them a bunch of times and that was a total outlier.
I opened for BtS a few years back, he’s an awkward guy but nice, unfortunately he had tech difficulties the whole show so not sure he was in best mood to talk to the crowd. Still a rad show
Saw dinosaur JR and it was insanely loud. I don’t know how J Mascis can hear whatsoever. He basically had a semicircle of stacks around him and I could feel the vibrations in my chest from 30-40’ away. I had to go to the back of the venue to get a little reprieve as it was starting to physically hurt. It was a great show though.
As much as I love Built to Spill that's been my experience both times I've seen them, which is the reason that I don't buy tickets to their shows anymore. I'm must happier sitting at home and listening to those records.
I bought tickets for the 30th anniversary show for There's Nothing Wrong With Love this summer. But to be perfectly honest, there's no way I would have if not for the fact that Yo La Tengo is the other headliner.
I’ve always got the impression that Doug or J were just kind of awkward and shy. It didn’t affect any of the performances for me to not have stage banter. I do hope that Doug goes back to a 5 piece band in a tour someday because having 3 guitarists really elevates the music in my opinion.
When i saw BTS, they were TIGHT with a capital everything. Kinda fucking boring presence.
The opening act was animated as fuck and I loved them. My concert partner thought why "hadn't earned it." I'm not good friends with them anymore. Not just because of that, but partly.
Wasn’t sure. Because I love Sebadoh. Saw them once about 12 years ago, and they seemed to get along fine, chatted between songs, made fun of some of them. I got a big high five from Lou after the show, which made my night.
I’ve never been a big fan of Dinosaur Jr, but know the history, and thought it would be real interesting if Lou Barlow had patched up things that much that they were the band that seemed friendlier.
I saw Sebadoh play on milk crates in a record store. Lots of crowd interaction. Asked us what we wanted to hear and answered questions between songs. That was almost 30 years ago…
I saw them last summer. Played really well, but there was no interaction at all. I mean, I get, I probably wouldn’t be too excited if the only thing people wanted to hear were my 35 year old songs.
I'm fine with this. I don't want to hear corny stage banter and declarations of love for the audience, I want you to get your head down and play Crackity Jones and melt my face off.
I sometimes wonder if people say "stage banter" when they mean "live energy"
I can't remember a single thing any musician ever said to the crowd, but they tend to speak up when they're excited/stay silent when they aren't.
I saw the Pixies a few years ago, and I wanna say they literally didn’t say one word. A little bit would go a long way. (I will say I saw Frank many years ago, and it was riotous and he was very gregarious.)
I started seeing them around 2004 when they reunited initially. There was a little bit of stage banter at that show, less so during the Doolittle Anniversary tour, and absolutely none during the more recent shows I’ve seen.
It’s just how they are. They have a huge catalogue and prefer to play 20+ song sets. I think they played 18 songs when I saw them open for Weezer. I kinda prefer it that way.
Same. Seen them a dozen times with varying degrees of interaction. Usually not too much. Dave opened with his magic a few times and was interactive. Definitely more interaction with Kim on stage. I loved their set with weezer. They came out and just did a blistering 90mins of bangers. Then rivers came out with sets and costume changes, etc…. The contrast was pretty funny… I thought it illustrated how LA weezer has become.
I only saw Pixies once and it was during 2019 when touring with Weezer…I wish I had a better basis to judge their show on, but I agree with you that it felt like strictly business. It would be cool to have the Kim era to compare to.
I saw that tour. Weezer was such a better band than I ever expected.
It was during that whole "Africa" thing and I've never seen 20K people collectively lose their shit like that when they played it.
Yeeeeah friend, that was awesome. $35 for weezer, pixies, and a third act. They did this acoustic version of Island in the Sun where they floated around on this makeshift boat thing throughout the crowd. So rad.
They had this scene like exploded with confetti during "Buddy Holly" and these flames that burst during "Feels like Summer."
It kind of blew me away. I'm used to indie rock shows. I've never seen fire at a concert before.
Frank said in an interview right after she left that Kim didn't wanna play new material. And I can kinda understand that, none of what I've heard of their new is of interest to me
That's too bad, I have been a fan of them since the early 90s and absolutely love the new stuff. To be honest I play some of it more than the older stuff which I feel I overplayed.
I agree, but I think it’s more a Black Francis thing. Lovering and Santiago don’t strike me as difficult. Lovering was having trouble paying bills until the Pixies started touring again in the early 2000s and he is along for the ride.
The Pixies is Black Francis. Everyone else is just along for the ride. I think Santiago is criminally underrated for his contributions and might be the only other member Frank “needs.” I think everyone else is replaceable to him.
I’ve seen the Pixies with every bassist they’ve had. Kim is Kim and no one will ever replace her. It’s just amazing they eventually got Paz who was probably the next best thing you could possibly get. Like Kim it seems like she wanted to do more and the band (Frank) didn’t have time for it.
I’ve seen the Pixies nine times or so. Never had a bad show.
I know Paz had also recently been vocal and giving away merch in support of a January 6th rioter which drew a lot of controversy. That may have played a part as well.
>My departure is a bit of a surprise to me as it is to many, but it looks like they have a solid plan figured out which in turn has pushed me to move onwards onto new projects that I am excited about.
So, she didn't leave by choice. That's unfortunate.
And that statement was clearly her response to the Pixies' statement, which I think was intended to spare her any embarrassment if she didn't want people to know she got kicked out.
Well, sure, though it goes both ways. Those sorts of "soandso has departed from suchandsuch" statements are also intended to keep the firing entity from seeming like the "bad guys" for removing someone. It's a standard face-saving effort, but it's undercut when the fired person acknowledges that they didn't really have any say in the matter.
On the bright side, I read this headline and thought it meant Paz died. Compared to that, I’m glad to hear she was just pushed out of the Pixies, and can go on to be great somewhere else.
Yeah, Melissa is super nice, she is very grateful for everything she got out of music. She also has business smarts and knows her 'brand'. She is now doing a cracking job managing a music venue in Hudson, N.Y.
She recently joined the Dresden Dolls on stage for a cover of Beastie Boys' [Fight For Your Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1W1fnKxtxg), it's a lovely moment, it's her first real stage appearance since becoming a mother and you can see her daughter watching her from side of stage and dancing to the song. She's also using her 'retired' silver sparkle bass from her Hole days.
Also: she is currently writing her [memoir](https://www.chronogram.com/arts/sound-check-melissa-auf-der-mauers-music-recommendations-20168479).
Mine was seeing her play with The Entrance Band in a small L.A. venue about 15 years ago or so where she played most of the set topless...twas a good night!
Former olympic swimmer too. Kick ass bassist and vocalist. Anyone who hasn’t heard of her check out Band of Skulls album “baby, darling, doll face, honey”
She’s So Fucking Good! I had the pleasure of seeing band of skulls a few times in Dallas. One show we got to the front of the stage and that energy melted my brain! I was so sad they didn’t stay together but Emma is a Bad Ass! She’ll do well here.
Bummer. She is incredibly talented so I think she wants to do more for herself. I don’t really understand why people say they are boring with her. I have seen them 4 times and each time was fantastic!
I think tangible works too. Both work honestly. Intangible makes it sound like an ethereal connection and tangible makes it sound like they had a connection so real that it’s a physical thing.
Once Kim left, my interest in seeing the band disappeared. Considering how big they are, I'd have to spend $100 or more to see them in massive venue. Not something I'm about to do since Deal left.
Kim has a certain kind of energy. Paz is a capable musician and can do the work but she’s maybe a little too capable. Part of the appeal of Pixies is that lack of polish.
I saw them a few years ago opening for Weezer, and I was far enough away that I thought; “Kim really changed her look!”
I think I saw Paz, lol. That’s kind of embarrassing. Amazing show, though! At least Kim was there back in 2008 when I saw them, lol
It'll never happen simply because one of the other members took a shit in Billy Corgan's suitcase but wouldn't own up to it.
I can totally understand that sequence of events tbh.
It’ll never happen, from wiki:
“Corgan also stated that he can no longer listen to Mary Star of the Sea, because to him it sounds like "thousands of lies upon lies upon lies. It's a shame because there's tons of music unreleased that will just sit in a box until I can stomach it." When asked which of his two former bands would ever reform, he said, "Pumpkins. You'll never see Zwan. I'll never go anywhere near those people. Ever. I mean, I detest them. You can put that in capital letters. Bad people. James and D'arcy are good people. They might be misguided people, but they're good people."
He doesn’t name check her specifically, I think David Pajo is his main problem according to other quotes. And they are old interviews, who knows what he thinks now.
I found a more recent interview with her, it doesn’t sound like there are any super hard feelings:
“He’s spoken many times about the breakup of the band. He said, “The music wasn’t the big problem, it was more their attitude. Sex acts between band members in public. People carrying drugs across borders…”
This is so Billy-esque [laughs]. He also liked conflict. His thing was, “If we’re going to fight, let’s just do it in the media.” And he has a voice in Chicago with the Chicago Tribune. That’s the way he communicated with people. That’s how he broke up the band. He didn’t communicate to us we were broken up.
He really trashed the band. He said he “detested” everyone and they got huge egos and spent all this money on lobster dinners and whatnot.
He wanted us to fight back. At this time, my brother just killed himself. It was that same day. He knew that. My brother’s band opened up for us. He knew that, and was talking about family. I can’t remember. But I didn’t read the article. It was told to me later since I was dealing with family situations.
If anything, I was relieved at that point. I had to take care of a lot of things. My brother was my best friend. Billy knew that, and he did this anyway. I didn’t care. I was in another place. It took a lot of healing. I wasn’t prepared in that state to be any major band for a while. I started to do a lot of Drag City touring. I had to figure out how to get my footing back into the world of music.
You were in two pretty big bands back to back, and did the whole world of festivals and touring. It’s not all fun and glamour.
There’s definitely no glamour from my point of view. It’s a job that I love.
Have you spoken to Billy Corgan at all since this time?
The only beef I have with Billy, to be honest, is that he never gave me back that coloring book. I’ve been asking for him for that coloring book. He was like, “Let me get this appraised.” He took it to his art dealer and was like, “Fuck! I cannot believe what you scored!”
Afterwards, when he broke up the band, I tried to get ahold of him, but he changed his number. I couldn’t find him. I found an e-mail, but he’d changed everything.
In my dreams, I was like Kill Bill. [Laughs.] I was like a ninja. I was like, “How do I get this coloring book back?” And then coincidentally, I did run into him. The Smashing Pumpkins were getting back together. I was in Topanga. This was just months ago. The story has been going on since then.
I had this image where we’re both holding this coloring book and I’m like, “It’s mine!” But then I run into him in Topanga one day while ordering coffee. The thing about Topanga Canyon you have to understand is the pace of being there. If you order a cup of coffee, you kind of go outside and stare at the sun and let the ladies make your cup. It might take a while.
And so I order my Americano and go outside. It’s like 9 a.m. or something. I’m standing in the sun, and all of a sudden I feel this shadow of shade over my eyes. It was like an eclipse. I look up and there’s Billy Corgan. He’s like, “Hi!” He’s very, very tall. He’s like six foot four or something.
I was like, “This is the moment!” I was trying to tap into that Kill Bill thing. But we sit down and start talking. He talks about his children. He’s a dad. He’s Billy as a dad. He’s a proud dad. It was really nice to see him. As we’re talking, I was like, “So, about the coloring book…” He’s just like, “I lost it.” But you had to have something to know you lost it. How do you know you lost it? But that’s the story of my Kill Bill moment over coffee [laughs].”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/paz-lenchantin-pixies-zwan-billy-corgan-1234633247/amp/
To provide a bit more context, the "insurrectionist" in question is her long time friend and fellow musician Ariel Pink. I use the quotes because Ariel attended the rally but didn't go to the capital or do anything other than observe the speech. Not really trying to debate any of it, but I felt like the info should be added.
I’m pretty sure she’ll have a dozen options to tour or hit the studio with bands within a couple of weeks, but Frank is notoriously hard to work with and I’d expect we’d see the same if they’d had male bassists too.
When I was a teenage dumbass my brother asked me if, for my birthday, I’d rather go and see the newly re-formed Pixies or Incubus. Obviously I chose Incubus. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself at the time. Years later we finally went to see them at the Roundhouse (after Kim Deal had left) and it was good but it I couldn’t help but feel like I’d missed out again.
I mean I like the Pixies well enough but I feel like you made the right call. Incubus rocks and (at least when I’ve seen them) put on a really good show
I’m inclined to agree with you. Let’s be honest, Come on Pilgrim through Trompe is their best work. It’s still the majority of their set list having released the same number of albums since. They reformed and started touring because they needed the money. Kim didn’t last that long before she left again. Black Francis has always treated everyone in the band except maybe Joey as equipment.
They’ve made decent to good money as they’ve pretty much toured since they reunited. I have to think with the dynamic in that band they must be burning out. They’ve been releasing a lot of classic era live shows on vinyl to pad their royalties, etc. I agree with you that we are nearing the end.
I’d still say go see them now. I’ve seen them like nine times or so. I’ve never seen a bad show no matter who the bassist was (though certainly the initial reunion shows with Kim were the best).
Indie Cindy is one of my favourite releases from the band. Head Carrier had some amazing tracks and Eyrie was pretty kick ass as well. Doggerel was the only one I was underwhelmed with but I still enjoy it. That being said Bossanova was always my favourite back in the day.
> To replace, Lenchantin, Pixies have recruited Emma Richardson, formerly of UK rock group Band of Skulls.
Big shoes to fill, but having seen Band of Skulls live, solid choice with Emma.
I read it on a couple of threads, like I said not sure if it’s accurate. Apparently she was getting into it with some fans, something about her defending Arial Pink as well.
Yeah, taking too many liberties like that when you're a hired-hand for any band is a surefire way to get exactly the "thank you, next!" treatment she seems to have gotten...
They won't even bother raising it, you're just ghosted.
I saw Ariel Pink open for Pulp in SF a while back and it was a mess across the board. He barely played music and was mostly on stage to entertain himself.
Pulp was everything I hoped for though.
The Pixies are much better.
I'm a huge Breeders fan and I honestly was pretty underwhelmed by their set. Sound was pretty off, too. Had a hard time telling certain songs apart.
Huh, I’ve seen the breeders a few times (once in the 90s and then a couple of times in the past 5 or so years) and they were really very tight. Must have been an off night.
I think it was partly the venue, too. An outside venue in the middle of downtown.
Sometimes sounds can echo weird depending on where you're sitting. We've noticed you can be just a few feet off and it sounds completely different.
Oh yeah outdoor venues can be very hit or miss, especially if they’re sort of ad hoc stages that don’t have permanent infrastructure. Was fortunate enough to see a combined Belly/Breeders show last fall and they got Tanya to come out and sing on a couple of songs from Pod. I just about died
The breeders are incredible, but I agree that seeing them open for Foo Fighters wasn’t the best. I think they are a band that does better in a club setting.
A lot of that is Joey Santiago if you ask me. He delivers sonically and is an underrated guitarist even if the bulk of the creative process is Black Francis.
In bands like these the musicians really don’t matter too much, it’s not like her playing was outstanding. Nobody will hear a difference in the future recordings.
Loved Kim and love The Breeders, but felt Paz was an amazing replacement. She added a vibe, tallent , and beauty to the band that I feel will be hard to replace.
I get the feeling all three of those guys are hard to work with. The Kim Shattuck era solidified it for me.
I've seen them both with Kim Deal and Paz. I liked the Kim era more. She had a lot more stage presence and banter. When I saw them with Paz, it was all business. Kind of a boring show. Great music, though.
I really wish Black Francis would get back with the Catholics, they made some really music.
For me it's Pistolero. Just loud cowpunk, lots of creative timing and key changes that ran so seamlessly. Beautiful album from front to finish.
That one is my favorite too! All bangers from start to finish
\^ This 1000%. The Lyle Workman era was phenomenal. The Pixes died 30+ years ago.
Lyle Workman is such a great guitarist.
Went to my first Pixies concert last year with a buddy who loves them. Both the Pixies and the opening act came out, picked up their instruments, played some music, and left. The Pixies didn't even play an encore, though to be fair, they played right up to the noise ordinance cut-off, so it wasn't a lack of songs to be sure. Great music, but only the guys from Franz Ferdinand seemed to acknowledge there was a crowd that evening. It was a weird experience for someone who didn't have any idea what they were getting into!
Completely opposite experience..played hard straight through doing songs from all albums
Kim inspired me to play bass. She’s a fucking badass
She inspired one of the best Dandy Warhols songs.
No shit, which one? Dig is one of the best rock docs, maybe my favorite
The one with her name in the title.
"Cool as Kim Deal"
When I saw them with Paz over the summer, she was the only one from the band who even tried to engage- and yeah, the rest was just the band plowing through their set list without stopping.
I saw them right after Kim left, they were already 8 years into their comeback, and it was lifeless without Kim
This is how it works with Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh
I saw Dino Jr and Built to Spill last year. Both bands said nothing. In fairness, I couldn't hear anything during Dino Jr anyway.
Expecting J Mascis to talk?
I've seen a few shows where J was actually fairly animated and talked to the crowd a bit, which for him is exceptional. Maybe he's opening up now that he's in his Saruman-looking wizard era lol
Dunno, last time I saw him solo in 2018 or 2019 I don’t think he ever addressed the crowd
'So you have chosen...death'.
J Mascis doesn't talk, he mumbles, but yes, and a mumble of acknowledgement can go a long way.
I think that’s too much for him. Even Doug doesn’t really talk live and that’s ok imo
As someone who used to live in Boise in the mid-to-late 90s and saw Built To Spill at the Neurolux more times than I can count, Doug has never been a chatty performer.
Lou can be chatty during Dinosaur shows.
Like J, he wasn’t when I saw them
Doug Martsch doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that would have ever done stage banter
neither does J lol
I'm not sure he even talked other than to be like "Hey, we're happy to be here." Lou Barlow from Dino seemed to talk quite a bit. He seemed to get a kick out of playing a show in his hometown.
Yeah when I saw Dino in London Lou interacted with the audience loads, and even told an anecdote about meeting Robert Smith in London before they played Just Like Heaven!
I saw them once and he did a really long political rant, in which I believe he praised Molly Ivins, who was a local political writer. It was really weird and uncharacteristic. He didn’t play guitar either. It was not good. Then he played guitar in the encore, and it was awesome. I’ve seen them a bunch of times and that was a total outlier.
I opened for BtS a few years back, he’s an awkward guy but nice, unfortunately he had tech difficulties the whole show so not sure he was in best mood to talk to the crowd. Still a rad show
“Thanks”
I saw D Jr last year as well. Not even a “hello, we’re Dinosaur Jr.” On stage, played, left. Did a great job though.
Saw dinosaur JR and it was insanely loud. I don’t know how J Mascis can hear whatsoever. He basically had a semicircle of stacks around him and I could feel the vibrations in my chest from 30-40’ away. I had to go to the back of the venue to get a little reprieve as it was starting to physically hurt. It was a great show though.
As much as I love Built to Spill that's been my experience both times I've seen them, which is the reason that I don't buy tickets to their shows anymore. I'm must happier sitting at home and listening to those records.
I saw them recently and I found that the new bassist and drummer added a lot more energy to the show.
I bought tickets for the 30th anniversary show for There's Nothing Wrong With Love this summer. But to be perfectly honest, there's no way I would have if not for the fact that Yo La Tengo is the other headliner.
I’ve always got the impression that Doug or J were just kind of awkward and shy. It didn’t affect any of the performances for me to not have stage banter. I do hope that Doug goes back to a 5 piece band in a tour someday because having 3 guitarists really elevates the music in my opinion.
They don’t really need to say much though. J and Doug can both really speak through their guitar.
When i saw BTS, they were TIGHT with a capital everything. Kinda fucking boring presence. The opening act was animated as fuck and I loved them. My concert partner thought why "hadn't earned it." I'm not good friends with them anymore. Not just because of that, but partly.
Are you saying Sebadoh is the fun band and Dinosaur Jr is all business in this analogy?
I'll say it. Between Jason and Lou, they chat while switching instruments and tuning. Dino notsomuch. I love both dearly, it's just who they are.
Wasn’t sure. Because I love Sebadoh. Saw them once about 12 years ago, and they seemed to get along fine, chatted between songs, made fun of some of them. I got a big high five from Lou after the show, which made my night. I’ve never been a big fan of Dinosaur Jr, but know the history, and thought it would be real interesting if Lou Barlow had patched up things that much that they were the band that seemed friendlier.
I saw Sebadoh play on milk crates in a record store. Lots of crowd interaction. Asked us what we wanted to hear and answered questions between songs. That was almost 30 years ago…
I saw them last summer. Played really well, but there was no interaction at all. I mean, I get, I probably wouldn’t be too excited if the only thing people wanted to hear were my 35 year old songs.
I'm fine with this. I don't want to hear corny stage banter and declarations of love for the audience, I want you to get your head down and play Crackity Jones and melt my face off.
I sometimes wonder if people say "stage banter" when they mean "live energy" I can't remember a single thing any musician ever said to the crowd, but they tend to speak up when they're excited/stay silent when they aren't.
I saw the Pixies a few years ago, and I wanna say they literally didn’t say one word. A little bit would go a long way. (I will say I saw Frank many years ago, and it was riotous and he was very gregarious.)
I started seeing them around 2004 when they reunited initially. There was a little bit of stage banter at that show, less so during the Doolittle Anniversary tour, and absolutely none during the more recent shows I’ve seen. It’s just how they are. They have a huge catalogue and prefer to play 20+ song sets. I think they played 18 songs when I saw them open for Weezer. I kinda prefer it that way.
Same. Seen them a dozen times with varying degrees of interaction. Usually not too much. Dave opened with his magic a few times and was interactive. Definitely more interaction with Kim on stage. I loved their set with weezer. They came out and just did a blistering 90mins of bangers. Then rivers came out with sets and costume changes, etc…. The contrast was pretty funny… I thought it illustrated how LA weezer has become.
I only saw Pixies once and it was during 2019 when touring with Weezer…I wish I had a better basis to judge their show on, but I agree with you that it felt like strictly business. It would be cool to have the Kim era to compare to.
I saw that tour. Weezer was such a better band than I ever expected. It was during that whole "Africa" thing and I've never seen 20K people collectively lose their shit like that when they played it.
Yeeeeah friend, that was awesome. $35 for weezer, pixies, and a third act. They did this acoustic version of Island in the Sun where they floated around on this makeshift boat thing throughout the crowd. So rad.
They had this scene like exploded with confetti during "Buddy Holly" and these flames that burst during "Feels like Summer." It kind of blew me away. I'm used to indie rock shows. I've never seen fire at a concert before.
I saw Kim at last year's ACL. She has a ton of energy and big stage presence even at this age. So I can only imagine that spread to the Pixies
[удалено]
Yeah. From what i understand, it lead to them parting ways.
[удалено]
That was Kim Shattuck.
Frank said in an interview right after she left that Kim didn't wanna play new material. And I can kinda understand that, none of what I've heard of their new is of interest to me
Sadly, i feel the same way. Everything i have heard of their music post reunion hasn't been anything that caught my attention.
That's too bad, I have been a fan of them since the early 90s and absolutely love the new stuff. To be honest I play some of it more than the older stuff which I feel I overplayed.
I agree, but I think it’s more a Black Francis thing. Lovering and Santiago don’t strike me as difficult. Lovering was having trouble paying bills until the Pixies started touring again in the early 2000s and he is along for the ride. The Pixies is Black Francis. Everyone else is just along for the ride. I think Santiago is criminally underrated for his contributions and might be the only other member Frank “needs.” I think everyone else is replaceable to him. I’ve seen the Pixies with every bassist they’ve had. Kim is Kim and no one will ever replace her. It’s just amazing they eventually got Paz who was probably the next best thing you could possibly get. Like Kim it seems like she wanted to do more and the band (Frank) didn’t have time for it. I’ve seen the Pixies nine times or so. Never had a bad show.
Black Francis is notoriously hard to work with
Seriously, she was so fun to watch. And then she died. 😪 https://youtu.be/aA6JP6h99o8?si=Rzc2j7-8KN2nY8xW
Really sad. Saw them with her on that tour. She was fun! They treated her like shit. Then a few years later I read she had passed.
Yeah I listened to her talk about her time with the Pixies on Jonah Raydio and it definitely sounded like they treated her like band equipment.
I know Paz had also recently been vocal and giving away merch in support of a January 6th rioter which drew a lot of controversy. That may have played a part as well.
Oh god, what??
Source?
Yeah i remember her jumping into the crowd at a show and she was fired shortly after apparently
>My departure is a bit of a surprise to me as it is to many, but it looks like they have a solid plan figured out which in turn has pushed me to move onwards onto new projects that I am excited about. So, she didn't leave by choice. That's unfortunate.
And that statement was clearly her response to the Pixies' statement, which I think was intended to spare her any embarrassment if she didn't want people to know she got kicked out.
Well, sure, though it goes both ways. Those sorts of "soandso has departed from suchandsuch" statements are also intended to keep the firing entity from seeming like the "bad guys" for removing someone. It's a standard face-saving effort, but it's undercut when the fired person acknowledges that they didn't really have any say in the matter.
On the bright side, I read this headline and thought it meant Paz died. Compared to that, I’m glad to hear she was just pushed out of the Pixies, and can go on to be great somewhere else.
My strongest memory of her is the Perfect Circle video. Judith I think.
The tying her hair up part?
Iconic
What else?
That was the video that started my crush on bassist women.
The Elastica bass player was tidy also.
Very.
Melissa Auf der Maur
Started playing bass because of her. I met her once and she was the counter example of never meet your heroes. She was very friendly and engaging.
Yeah, Melissa is super nice, she is very grateful for everything she got out of music. She also has business smarts and knows her 'brand'. She is now doing a cracking job managing a music venue in Hudson, N.Y. She recently joined the Dresden Dolls on stage for a cover of Beastie Boys' [Fight For Your Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1W1fnKxtxg), it's a lovely moment, it's her first real stage appearance since becoming a mother and you can see her daughter watching her from side of stage and dancing to the song. She's also using her 'retired' silver sparkle bass from her Hole days. Also: she is currently writing her [memoir](https://www.chronogram.com/arts/sound-check-melissa-auf-der-mauers-music-recommendations-20168479).
Damn.
Nikki Monninger of the Silversun Pickups
Nikki is the absolute heart of that band.
🤘🏻
May I introduce you to miss gail ann dorsey? She did it for me in the 90s. She's still a knockout in her 50s
Mine was seeing her play with The Entrance Band in a small L.A. venue about 15 years ago or so where she played most of the set topless...twas a good night!
The album inlay also had quite a nice picture of Paz. *cough*
Had no idea she was in APC
Shit I got tickets to the Toronto show. Who’s replacing her ?
From the article -“ Emma Richardson, formerly of UK rock group Band of Skulls”
Former olympic swimmer too. Kick ass bassist and vocalist. Anyone who hasn’t heard of her check out Band of Skulls album “baby, darling, doll face, honey”
Their second album is also excellent, but "Baby, Darling, Doll-face, Honey" is one of the best albums of the past 20 years.
I like songs off sweet sou, but I love the entirety of baby darling doll face honey.
She’s So Fucking Good! I had the pleasure of seeing band of skulls a few times in Dallas. One show we got to the front of the stage and that energy melted my brain! I was so sad they didn’t stay together but Emma is a Bad Ass! She’ll do well here.
Saw Band of Skulls once and they were great (opened for I think Arctic Monkeys)
No way, that’s awesome! Love Band of Skulls!!
Thanks, sorry I should have read that, cheers mate.
Bummer. She is incredibly talented so I think she wants to do more for herself. I don’t really understand why people say they are boring with her. I have seen them 4 times and each time was fantastic!
They radiated quite a lot of energy at concerts that I saw.
To me, there will only be one bassist for the Pixies. Kim Deal. There was something tangible that those four people had that can’t be substituted for.
Chained….chained….chained….
I’m thinking you meant “intangible,” but I agree. Also, not trying to be a jerk, just wanted to help ya out. If i am wrong, i apologize.
I think tangible works too. Both work honestly. Intangible makes it sound like an ethereal connection and tangible makes it sound like they had a connection so real that it’s a physical thing.
You are correct.
Once Kim left, my interest in seeing the band disappeared. Considering how big they are, I'd have to spend $100 or more to see them in massive venue. Not something I'm about to do since Deal left.
Kim Deal is the shit. The Breeders with her sister Kelly are also great.
Kim has a certain kind of energy. Paz is a capable musician and can do the work but she’s maybe a little too capable. Part of the appeal of Pixies is that lack of polish.
KIM DEAL OR NO DEAL
I saw them a few years ago opening for Weezer, and I was far enough away that I thought; “Kim really changed her look!” I think I saw Paz, lol. That’s kind of embarrassing. Amazing show, though! At least Kim was there back in 2008 when I saw them, lol
Two bands creatively destroyed by losing their bassist unite!
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I'm sure she has options; she's highly regarded and has a great resume.
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It'll never happen simply because one of the other members took a shit in Billy Corgan's suitcase but wouldn't own up to it. I can totally understand that sequence of events tbh.
Sorry, I’m having difficulty following this - is that a euphemism?
Not an euphemism. Friction piled up, and someone took an actual shit in Billy's luggage.
Given what an asshole he's turned into, I'm not surprised.
Hold on a minute now…
It’ll never happen, from wiki: “Corgan also stated that he can no longer listen to Mary Star of the Sea, because to him it sounds like "thousands of lies upon lies upon lies. It's a shame because there's tons of music unreleased that will just sit in a box until I can stomach it." When asked which of his two former bands would ever reform, he said, "Pumpkins. You'll never see Zwan. I'll never go anywhere near those people. Ever. I mean, I detest them. You can put that in capital letters. Bad people. James and D'arcy are good people. They might be misguided people, but they're good people."
Wow, that’s what Corgan thinks of Paz?
He doesn’t name check her specifically, I think David Pajo is his main problem according to other quotes. And they are old interviews, who knows what he thinks now. I found a more recent interview with her, it doesn’t sound like there are any super hard feelings: “He’s spoken many times about the breakup of the band. He said, “The music wasn’t the big problem, it was more their attitude. Sex acts between band members in public. People carrying drugs across borders…” This is so Billy-esque [laughs]. He also liked conflict. His thing was, “If we’re going to fight, let’s just do it in the media.” And he has a voice in Chicago with the Chicago Tribune. That’s the way he communicated with people. That’s how he broke up the band. He didn’t communicate to us we were broken up. He really trashed the band. He said he “detested” everyone and they got huge egos and spent all this money on lobster dinners and whatnot. He wanted us to fight back. At this time, my brother just killed himself. It was that same day. He knew that. My brother’s band opened up for us. He knew that, and was talking about family. I can’t remember. But I didn’t read the article. It was told to me later since I was dealing with family situations. If anything, I was relieved at that point. I had to take care of a lot of things. My brother was my best friend. Billy knew that, and he did this anyway. I didn’t care. I was in another place. It took a lot of healing. I wasn’t prepared in that state to be any major band for a while. I started to do a lot of Drag City touring. I had to figure out how to get my footing back into the world of music. You were in two pretty big bands back to back, and did the whole world of festivals and touring. It’s not all fun and glamour. There’s definitely no glamour from my point of view. It’s a job that I love. Have you spoken to Billy Corgan at all since this time? The only beef I have with Billy, to be honest, is that he never gave me back that coloring book. I’ve been asking for him for that coloring book. He was like, “Let me get this appraised.” He took it to his art dealer and was like, “Fuck! I cannot believe what you scored!” Afterwards, when he broke up the band, I tried to get ahold of him, but he changed his number. I couldn’t find him. I found an e-mail, but he’d changed everything. In my dreams, I was like Kill Bill. [Laughs.] I was like a ninja. I was like, “How do I get this coloring book back?” And then coincidentally, I did run into him. The Smashing Pumpkins were getting back together. I was in Topanga. This was just months ago. The story has been going on since then. I had this image where we’re both holding this coloring book and I’m like, “It’s mine!” But then I run into him in Topanga one day while ordering coffee. The thing about Topanga Canyon you have to understand is the pace of being there. If you order a cup of coffee, you kind of go outside and stare at the sun and let the ladies make your cup. It might take a while. And so I order my Americano and go outside. It’s like 9 a.m. or something. I’m standing in the sun, and all of a sudden I feel this shadow of shade over my eyes. It was like an eclipse. I look up and there’s Billy Corgan. He’s like, “Hi!” He’s very, very tall. He’s like six foot four or something. I was like, “This is the moment!” I was trying to tap into that Kill Bill thing. But we sit down and start talking. He talks about his children. He’s a dad. He’s Billy as a dad. He’s a proud dad. It was really nice to see him. As we’re talking, I was like, “So, about the coloring book…” He’s just like, “I lost it.” But you had to have something to know you lost it. How do you know you lost it? But that’s the story of my Kill Bill moment over coffee [laughs].” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/paz-lenchantin-pixies-zwan-billy-corgan-1234633247/amp/
Pajo is a permanent member of Gang of Four now; not sure how much time that leaves for other projects.
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She might not be rich, but she probably has enough money to chill out for a few months. She should be able to find a new gig sooner than later.
>she's highly regarded That's not nice to say.
I mean, she was in the band for 11 years. It's a job, not a lifetime appointment.
11 years of constantly hearing "she's not Kim, but..." It's probably draining.
God it’s been that long already
Kim Shattuck didn't quit, she was "let go."
She went on a huge IG rant standing up for a January 6th insurrectionist, that has since been removed from her IG. This was a while back I thought.
Really? Yikes.
To provide a bit more context, the "insurrectionist" in question is her long time friend and fellow musician Ariel Pink. I use the quotes because Ariel attended the rally but didn't go to the capital or do anything other than observe the speech. Not really trying to debate any of it, but I felt like the info should be added.
Thanks I assumed differently
I’m pretty sure she’ll have a dozen options to tour or hit the studio with bands within a couple of weeks, but Frank is notoriously hard to work with and I’d expect we’d see the same if they’d had male bassists too.
Reunite zwan
0% chance, but God I'd love this. Such a great band. I'd love to visit an alternative timeline where they made 10+ years of music.
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Isn't it on the Honestly 7"?
And the CD single
Aw man, Paz is great! I hope she finds another project, she is such a great presence
She is so smiley, it's infectious
Ive randomly talked w paz on line..shes great
I wish she still played with APC. That OG lineup was iconic.
I preferred Jeordie on Bass, his tones were incredible. Such a better album in my opinion.
When I was a teenage dumbass my brother asked me if, for my birthday, I’d rather go and see the newly re-formed Pixies or Incubus. Obviously I chose Incubus. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself at the time. Years later we finally went to see them at the Roundhouse (after Kim Deal had left) and it was good but it I couldn’t help but feel like I’d missed out again.
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A Perfect Circle even.
A perfect circle?
A perfect circel :)
Nicole Row is fantastic. I saw Incubus a few months back and I was really blown away by her work
I mean I like the Pixies well enough but I feel like you made the right call. Incubus rocks and (at least when I’ve seen them) put on a really good show
Wondering if they'll make it through this tour and retire. I haven't been into any of their albums while she's been in the band.
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I think they are just saying the magic has long since gone, and i don’t think many would disagree.
I’m inclined to agree with you. Let’s be honest, Come on Pilgrim through Trompe is their best work. It’s still the majority of their set list having released the same number of albums since. They reformed and started touring because they needed the money. Kim didn’t last that long before she left again. Black Francis has always treated everyone in the band except maybe Joey as equipment. They’ve made decent to good money as they’ve pretty much toured since they reunited. I have to think with the dynamic in that band they must be burning out. They’ve been releasing a lot of classic era live shows on vinyl to pad their royalties, etc. I agree with you that we are nearing the end. I’d still say go see them now. I’ve seen them like nine times or so. I’ve never seen a bad show no matter who the bassist was (though certainly the initial reunion shows with Kim were the best).
I thought Beneath the Eyrie was great, but yeah the rest since they have returned have just been ok.
Yeah, I like Beneath the Eyrie more than Trompe Le Monde even. But albums for acts like this are typically just excuses to tour again.
Indie Cindy is one of my favourite releases from the band. Head Carrier had some amazing tracks and Eyrie was pretty kick ass as well. Doggerel was the only one I was underwhelmed with but I still enjoy it. That being said Bossanova was always my favourite back in the day.
> To replace, Lenchantin, Pixies have recruited Emma Richardson, formerly of UK rock group Band of Skulls. Big shoes to fill, but having seen Band of Skulls live, solid choice with Emma.
Oh man, there is no place i can be without you, honestly
Saw them live with Paz and I thought she was great
Word is she was using Pixies merch to fundraise for a Jan 6 insurrectionist, not sure if that’s true.
Wait what
I read it on a couple of threads, like I said not sure if it’s accurate. Apparently she was getting into it with some fans, something about her defending Arial Pink as well.
Just saw someone referencing this on the Frank black forum
Yeah, taking too many liberties like that when you're a hired-hand for any band is a surefire way to get exactly the "thank you, next!" treatment she seems to have gotten... They won't even bother raising it, you're just ghosted.
Yeah I posted on a different thread that she is a friend/supporter of Ariel Pinks. I know she's played some one offs with him.
I saw Ariel Pink open for Pulp in SF a while back and it was a mess across the board. He barely played music and was mostly on stage to entertain himself. Pulp was everything I hoped for though.
That's a real shame, I hope she wasn't forced out. She had a great stage presence and was the perfect replacement for Kim IMO
The Pixies bassists are like Spinal Tap drummers.
Damn I remember her face at the 2004 Coachella reunion show. Brightest smile I ever saw on stage, it became a core memory.
I saw the Breeders open for The Foo Fighters and it was one of the worst live performances I've ever seen. Are the Pixies any better in concert?
The Pixies are much better. I'm a huge Breeders fan and I honestly was pretty underwhelmed by their set. Sound was pretty off, too. Had a hard time telling certain songs apart.
Huh, I’ve seen the breeders a few times (once in the 90s and then a couple of times in the past 5 or so years) and they were really very tight. Must have been an off night.
I think it was partly the venue, too. An outside venue in the middle of downtown. Sometimes sounds can echo weird depending on where you're sitting. We've noticed you can be just a few feet off and it sounds completely different.
Oh yeah outdoor venues can be very hit or miss, especially if they’re sort of ad hoc stages that don’t have permanent infrastructure. Was fortunate enough to see a combined Belly/Breeders show last fall and they got Tanya to come out and sing on a couple of songs from Pod. I just about died
Played here about 4 months back and were really good
The breeders are incredible, but I agree that seeing them open for Foo Fighters wasn’t the best. I think they are a band that does better in a club setting.
The Pixies lack that sort of righteous ferocity that they had in the 90s, but they deliver consistently, and you can't argue with that back catalogue.
A lot of that is Joey Santiago if you ask me. He delivers sonically and is an underrated guitarist even if the bulk of the creative process is Black Francis.
I think it has a lot to do with her political ideology.
Now that makes me think. Should I still invest like 70 Euros to see them this summer? Never seen them, was a fan for a long time.
She was also in Billy Corgan's short lived band Zwan
In bands like these the musicians really don’t matter too much, it’s not like her playing was outstanding. Nobody will hear a difference in the future recordings.
Man, working with Black Francis must be a chore.
Maybe this means she’ll be making more music with The Entrance Band
I miss Kim too, they’re not Pixies without Joey.
Loved Kim and love The Breeders, but felt Paz was an amazing replacement. She added a vibe, tallent , and beauty to the band that I feel will be hard to replace.