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The Breeders' Kim Deal Says It’s 'a Big Deal' Olivia Rodrigo Tapped Her '90s Alt-Rock Band for the Guts Tour (Exclusive)

The iconic '90s group will play four nights of the pop-rock superstar's tour as it comes to New York City's Madison Square Garden on April 5, 6, 8 and 9

Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagic; Lionel Hahn/Getty

Olivia Rodrigo once said that she thinks of her life before hearing “Cannonball” by The Breeders and after.

Flash forward to 2024 when the pop-rock star, 21, is out on her first-ever arena tour in support of her sophomore album GUTS — and now the ‘90s alt-rock group fronted by Kim Deal is joining her for four sold-out shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on April 5, 6, 8 and 9.  

One can imagine that it’s exciting for the three-time Grammy winner to be playing alongside one of her favorite bands — but as for Deal herself, she’s simply in disbelief that it’s happening at all. 

“We’re just from Dayton, Ohio!” jokes Deal, 62, of herself and her bandmates. “We’re really excited. It’s a big deal.” 

The Breeders frontwoman explains that it was sometime last fall that the band’s management team revealed that the “vampire” singer wanted them to join her at MSG. “I was just like, ‘ What ?’ It was odd!” she recalls. 

“Then she began doing more stuff for this album, and you find out she knows Annie Clark [of St. Vincent ] and she listens to all sorts of different music from Billy Joel to Sheryl Crow and it's like, ‘Oh, she's just really into music,’” Deal continued. “Knowing that, it made more sense. She just really liked us!” 

While notes of the Last Splash band’s alternative sound is all over GUTS , Deal is also known for being a source of inspiration to young women in rock. After all, she launched the group (also featuring her twin sister Kelley, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson) as a creative outlet when she felt underused as the bassist in her former band The Pixies. 

Still — despite being an indie music legend who was hand-picked to open for Nirvana in 1992 — the rocker admits the scale of Rodrigo’s live show and MSG has been a bit intimidating as she and the band rehearsed for the upcoming shows. 

“I have played Madison Square Garden before. It was in 1992 [with The Pixies] and we opened for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour,” the singer/guitarist reflects. “I don’t remember it. I remember the shows that weren't good — those burn into my mind — and it must've been a good show since I can't remember.” 

Kevin Westenberg

While The Breeders joined Foo Fighters out on the road last year where they largely played outdoor amphitheaters, MSG’s capacity of nearly 20,000 and the “get him back!” singer’s production feel “huge” to her. “I told my friend, ‘I just don't know how to get that big,’” Deal says. “He goes, ‘Act like you're yelling at a cop!’ Like, I don't think so. No. He goes, ‘I know! You're Mel Gibson in Braveheart , just stand there and yell, ‘Freedom!’’ and then you'll be that big.”

While Deal says that she also became somewhat concerned about how the younger contingent of Rodrigo’s audience might react to their “loud guitars,” she admits that she thinks it’s “thrilling” they’ll be playing for their most junior crowd to date. 

“There are very young girls there, so we’re excited about [that],” she says, mentioning that she thinks it’s pretty special how Rodrigo is imparting her taste and the cult-loved indie band onto a “new generation.” 

“When you tell your friend, ‘You should listen to this band,’ I think she's just like that,” Deal says of the pop-rock superstar. “‘You girls and guys need to hear this! This is a good band, and I'm going to have them play for you, so you can see what a good band is.’” 

“Maybe that's what she's doing,” the “Divine Hammer” singer adds. “She didn't have to have us!”

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

Deal also notes that she has loved to see how the Sour artist has been distributing contraceptives at her shows , advocating for abortion access and donating proceeds of her ticket sales to her non-profit Fund For Good . “The announcement about her giving out condoms? Yes. I loved it. Plan B? I loved it. I was like, ‘Oh, f--- yes, you go girl!’” she explains.

It’s been fulfilling to see in part because “she doesn’t have to do that,” but also because Deal remembers how the alt-rock and riot grrrl scenes that have inspired Rodrigo were using their platforms similarly in the ‘90s. “When we were playing [ Lollapalooza in ‘94], there were get out the vote booths, Right to Choose booths … gay rights. There has been a lot of activism for voting and for women's rights and women's health and reproductive rights for decades within [the scene].” 

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Deal describes The Breeder’s appearance on The GUTS Tour — which revels in Rodrigo’s feminine take on teenage rebellion and emotion — as especially exciting, since the group came out of a music landscape when women in rock were really beginning to carve out their own lane. 

“I do remember there was a loneliness back in the day when I was out with The Pixies and I was the only girl on tour,” Deal recalls, sharing that there were times where “oppressive, menacing” encounters out on the road made her feel unwelcome. 

Jason Squires/FilmMagic

Bands like Sonic Youth , Bikini Kill, post-punk outfit L-Seven, alt-rockers Throwing Muses, the British group Th' Faith Healers and Dutch band Bettie Serveert, as well as hip-hop stars like Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa , were sources of inspiration for Deal and The Breeders. 

“I can be told so many times that there just weren’t a lot of women back in the day. And that's not true. There were tons of women back in the day,” she says.

Deal also reminisces about the riot grrrl movement and scene leaders like Kathleen Hanna who were advocating for women to feel seen in and outside of music. “She was out there up in the Northwest saying things like, ‘Make room for us in the front!’” the musician says of the Bikini Kill frontwoman, now 55. 

“It was really a good way of looking at things that nobody was looking at before. And they were cool bands, cool people saying, ‘Give us some room. This is ridiculous,’” she adds, recalling queues of people waiting to crowd surf and stage dive, and countless Doc Martens being thrown on stage and hitting concert-goers in the head. 

While Deal might be rather humble when she’s been called an inspiration herself, it all but makes sense the alt-rock icon is taking the stage with Gen Z’s own riot grrrl-inspired rockstar. Even months ago, Rodrigo expressed how much wisdom she hopes to absorb from the Pod group when they cross paths at MSG. 

“It really is exciting that I think it's just Olivia,” The Breeders vocalist reiterates of how the hitmaker tapped The Breeders for The GUTS Tour bill. “I think everybody will be cool about it, obviously, because we're the act that she chose.”

Related Articles

Black Francis on Pixies’ New LP, Making Peace With Kim Deal

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Near the end of the Pixies ‘ upcoming album, Head Carrier , new bassist Paz Lenchantin steps up to the microphone and directly addresses Kim Deal , the woman she ultimately replaced in the band. “Remember when we were happy?” she sings on “All I Think About Now.” “That’s all I think about now/If you have any doubt/I want to thank you anyhow.” Those lyrics were penned by Charles “ Black Francis ” Thompson, who phoned up Rolling Stone to chat about Head Carrier (in stores September 30th), where his relationship with Kim stands at the moment, the group’s exclusion from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, upcoming touring plans and why he’s done making solo albums.

Tell me the backstory of this album. Last time around you started by releasing a series of EPs. You obviously took a different approach this time. When we made [2014’s] Indie Cindy , we were aware that it was going to be broken up into EPs. I think maybe even Kim [Deal], when she was still involved, it felt like there was just going to be an EP and I think that probably appealed to her given the amount of time we had booked and the kind of tour that was being proposed to us.

But I think that Joey [Santiago] and David [Lovering] felt like we needed an LP’s worth of material. We went to a studio, hung out for a couple of months, and had a pile of songs this high. The EP thing was something the manager came up with. At the end of the day, we just want to make music. We don’t get involved with the other things.

You’ve worked with producer Gil Norton on every album going back to Doolittle in 1989. Why did you switch to Tom Dalgety this time? We had a new bass player. This was feeling very much like our comeback record as opposed to Indie Cindy , which felt like a transitional moment even when we were making it. This time, we felt like we wanted to get out of our comfort zone. I think working with a different producer certainly ticked a lot of boxes in terms of getting out of our comfort zone.

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How long did the process take? The actual tracking was only about three weeks, but the whole thing was about three months. The tracking of the record would have been in spring, around March. But we spent some time rehearsing on our own in Toronto for about three weeks. We spent some time rehearsing with Tom for about two weeks in November. I guess we spent a week or two back in L.A. over a year ago just meeting in our rehearsal space and bashing out some new chord progressions.

Do you write differently for a Pixies album than you would for something solo? Uh … no. Although I’ve become aware, over time, that there’s kind of this notion that other people have about what sounds more like a Pixies song versus something from a Frank Black solo record. But I can’t set out on my journey on each song and say, “OK, I’m going to do this kind of song.” Just at some point I can kind of determine, at least based on other people’s comments, “OK, this is sort of not feeling so Pixies and maybe not worth pursuing.”

But we don’t want to get locked into that because that means you’ve got all these rules you’re clinging to. “Well, it’s not a Pixies song of it doesn’t blabbity-blah-blah.” We don’t want to get too locked into that because we might wanna make our own reggae record or something.

How has Paz joining the band changed the dynamic? A lot. We just really love her and get along great. She’s very excited to be in our midsts. We kinda, especially me, had to lose any kind of tired cynicism we might have about the whole thing. You don’t want to project that onto some new person that’s all excited to be in our band. We gotta be like, “Oh, yes! All right! Here we go!” It’s been nice to be like, “This is an exciting time and we’ve got something positive going on here.”

She’s the third woman in a row to play bass in the band. I imagine having a woman is just part of the DNA of the band. It provides a real balance. Yes. Exactly. I mean that was the plan from the very beginning. It wasn’t defined, but I had some flaky notion about why that should be and because there’s a female bassist in the Talking Heads. I don’t know exactly where it came from, but it was a good instinct. I don’t know. I didn’t analyze it at the time. It was just the thing we did, but in hindsight it meant that all this male energy was balanced out. If it was just my energy leading the charge it would have been kind of exhausting. Having a woman there just kind of smooths it out, and it just makes it more pleasant and a little more lighthearted and more romantic-sounding. There’s just so much that happens having that male/female dynamic.

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Tell me about the song “All I Think About Now.” I know you’ve said it’s about Kim Deal. Paz sings that one, of course. She misinterpreted some demo that I had done very quickly with Joey because the quality of the recording was poor; it was just done on an iPhone at the apartment at the studio. I think she was out that night and Joey and I were really excited about it. I emailed it to her and she wrote this whole passage of music thinking she was coming up with the bass line for a song, but she misheard the music and when we went to do it, it was like, “Oh, no, this is not it at all. But this bass stuff works.” She said, “I think it’s good. Maybe it can just be another song.” I said, “Of course. And you will sing it.” She said, “Of course, but you will write the words.” I said, “OK, what should it be about?” She said, “I want you to write a song about Kim, kind of like a thank-you letter. That kind of tone.” That’s what I did. She sang it great and I’m very proud of our collaboration.

It’s not an apology, but more like looking back fondly at the good times, right? Sure. When you look back fondly in a poignant kind of way, you have a lot of ups and downs mixed together. I guess that’s what it’s about. It’s about regret. It’s about good memories. It’s about bad memories. It’s about if … if …

Are you still in contact with her at all? We’ve all got each other’s numbers.

I take that to mean you aren’t speaking with her. I mean, you know … It’s … you know … It’s kind of like she’s one step removed from being in the band. And even the people I’m in the band with, we don’t sit around and call each other all the time, like hardly ever. We get back for a tour or a recording session and I don’t speak with them until the next time we’re together. We don’t live in the same town and we’ve all got lives and wives and families and everything. The only person I occasionally talk to is Joey, and even that is just an out-of-the-blue conversation and it’s usually strange and not anything to do with anything.

I feel like a certain segment of your fan base has an intense emotional attachment to the older albums and little interest in anything new, regardless of how good it is. I mean if you’re that much of a fan of anything you’re going to be closed off to change. I’ve experienced that with other artists that I like. If certain changes are afoot, I sort of go, “Oh, I can’t listen to that anymore. It’s over for me.”

Does that frustrate you? Not really. There’s a lot of people in the world. I don’t take it personally. It’s sort of like everybody has to make their own decision about what they’re gonna play out of their stereo.

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Are you done making solo albums? It’s been a few years since you’ve done one. Feels like. Feel like it. I can’t really justify it. It takes a lot of energy, ultimately, to put out a record. Then people want you to go on tour to promote it. The Pixies are pretty successful in the touring realm. I can’t really say, “OK, kids, I’m going on tour again, bye. But this time I’m not going to make any money. I’m just doing it because I’m an artist.” It just doesn’t feel right. It kind of goes up against my more blue-collar outlook. And I paint. If I have extra creative energy, I try to direct it there. And that doesn’t interfere with my musical career.

The Pixies are touring Europe in November and December. Are you going to come to America at any point? I suppose so. I don’t know what the dates are yet. But I guess we’ve played a lot around the States in the last couple of years, so I guess we’re naturally avoiding it at the moment just because that’s what you do in showbiz.

Do you ever think about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? You guys have been eligible for a few years now but haven’t even appeared on the ballot. It’s so easy to get riled about that. I mean, look at the all the people who haven’t been nominated. I mean, I don’t quite have the Ozzy Osbourne take. I loved his response about why he wouldn’t go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to accept an award. I believe his answer was, “Because it’s stupid.” But I’m not against it or anything. I guess I probably would go because it would be good for business and I wouldn’t want to let other people down that were going to get something out of it. But I don’t know. The whole battle-of-the-bands thing, you get a little of that playing festivals. It’s just in the air at festivals and that’s as far as I can go with those kinds of feelings.

Do you see this as the start of a new era of the band? The Pixies 3.0? I don’t see it any particular way. It just feels like we’re the Pixies. It just feels nice because Paz is very motivated to be there. If someone isn’t motivated to be there and is not enjoying it or just wants to be doing something else with their life, it gets difficult. I can imagine if Kim wanted to do other things with her life and here we are, the phone’s ringing again, another tour, another thing to do, it starts to feel like a drag. I get it. I don’t have a problem with it. I totally understand. 

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Helping to establish the alt-rock sound of the late '80s and '90s, the Pixies have become an iconic act, influencing everyone from Nirvana, to Radiohead, to Weezer with their jagged-edged indie-rock.

Formed in Boston, US in 1986, the band was formed by Charles Thompson (vocals, guitar), later changing his name to Black Francis, alongside Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Kim Deal (bass). After playing at various local venues, the Pixies gained a support slot for Throwing Muses, which attracted the attention of producer Gary Smith. Offering to record the band, the result was an 18-song demo, "The Purple Tape," which impressed Ivo Watts of the UK label, 4AD, with Pixies soon joining their roster.

Their debut album, "Surfer Rosa," was released in 1988, featuring the engineering talents of Steve Albini, who had helped pioneer the abrasive sound which set the standard for alternative rock subsequently in his band, Big Black. The Pixies' debut found critical acclaim across the board, gaining significant airplay and soon resulting in a record deal with Elektra Records.

Retunring to the studio, this time with Gil Norton as producer, the band created what was to be their classic album. Released in 1989, Doolittle favored a cleaner, pop-tinged sound, finding several Top Ten hits in the process, particularly finding success in Britain. After extensive touring, the band decided to take a break in 1990, hoping to replenish the band's enthusiasm.

Following solo escapades by Black Francis, they returned to the studio in 1991 for their third release, "Bossanova," which garnered mixed reviews, favoring a surf rock sound. Nonetheless, the album faired well in the charts, prompting further successful tours and festival appearances. Returning to a loud rock sound as to their earlier efforts, their fourth record, "Trompe le Monde" again found praise, resulting in further international tours before another hiatus ensued.

Black Francis, just as he was about to release his solo debut, announced that the band had disbanded, prior to his band member's knowledge of this. The members of the Pixies continued with their various other projects to moderate success, whilst still being big names in the indie rock scene. Several re-issues and archival recordings were released during the late '90s and early '00s, continuing to maintain the band's reputation and popularity, despite the hiatus.

It was not until 2003 that hopes for a Pixies reunion surfaced, reuniting in a series of tours in the US in 2004. A live DVD soon followed to much anticipation, with the band continuing to tour intermittently throughout the rest of the decade. Yet in 2013, new music arrived, self-releasing "EP1" in July that year. Two further EPs were released, with these new recordings later compiled as the album, "Indie Cindy," in April 2014.

Live reviews

Wednesday 31st October, the Roundhouse, London, Pixies. So its thirty years since Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa were released and its night two of a six night residency at the Roundhouse celebrating this anniversary. Obviously, there’s no Kim Deal but Paz Lenchantin is an able replacement and has been part of the band for the past four years.

It’s a reasonably mixed audience but oldies like me who saw Pixies first time around probably edge it. These type of shows where a band perform the whole of an album are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand you are hearing a classic album (certainly in the case of Surfer Rosa) in its entirety evoking those memories of when it was first released and that point in your life but then you miss the spontaneity of the unknown setlist as you know exactly what song is coming up next. And that is very much the dilemma tonight.

The show starts about thirty minutes before the band arrive on stage with a film about the iconic images associated with both albums followed by an esoteric visual/audio experience utilising the bank of screens around the stage. It probably outstays its welcome by 15 minutes and the crowd are a little impatient by the time band eventually come on stage.

With no fanfare the band launch straight into ‘Caribou’ with the rest of the ‘Come on Pilgrim’ EP quickly following like a grunge juggernaut powering along the rock highway with no brakes, stops or pauses. There is no interaction with the crowd, no fuss, no filler and then it’s the main course of the evening for what was a highly influential album for me and music as a whole in the late eighties, ‘Surfer Rosa’. From the opening riff of ‘Bone Machine’ it’s a note for note, word for word run through of this classic album including the ad libs and chats on the record.

Its breath taking relentless stuff and whilst my memory doesn’t serve me well in terms of what the energy of the band was like thirty years ago they proved tonight they can still rock. Franks voice still has that unique range and the supporting cast provide the necessary licks and drive to transport us back to 1988. A quick break and then its back on stage for a five song encore which given what came before seemed superfluous. (I note on future nights they segmented the two albums with the encore tracks and so ended on the high of ‘Surfer Rosa’.

It would be ridiculous to have a highlight given the material but the obvious ‘hits’ of ‘Gigantic’ and ‘where is my mind’ were excellent along with both versions of ‘Vamos’.

So on the whole I think the evening worked, the oldies enjoyed it and the youngsters experiencing probably their first taste of this iconic band lapped it up too. So ‘Doolittle’ next year anyone?

Until the next time keep on grunge rockin y’all

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The technicians prepare the stage. The pedal set of Joey is really impressive, he needs himself a sheet of paper to remember all the set-ups.

The Pixies come on stage silently, without saying a word. From the first moment they give me the impression of being tired and without much energy to give to the audience.

Black Francis has grown in weight and wears a black dress.

Paz Lenchantin stands on the right side, she has a rose sticked to her bass and she is quite a humble figure. The same can be said of Joey Santiago, who is wearing a coppola cap and hardly interacts with the audience. Probably the most lively character on stage is David Lovering who does a great job in the rythmic part.

In the song Rock Music. It is almost impossible to hear Black Francis’ voice. Maybe there’s something wrong with the microphone and the sound levels. Maybe he just does not have any longer the voice for this type of song.

During this tour the band plays 11 of the songs from the new album Beneath the Eyrie, which are quite tame in my opinion.

Another choice I don’t understand is that they deliver most of their hits in the first part of their set, leading to a boring and empty second part.

They should have spread the hits more evenly throughout the set, to keep the audience awake.

All the classic are amazing and I can't resist from singing together with them.

Vamos is the longest song of the set and Joey finally pulls out some trick and plays a bit with the jack of his guitar waving it around and creating some noise.

At the end we are not even sure we will get an encore. Francis looks exhausted. The group plays a little scene on stage where Paz convinces the other to play one last song. Bone Machine.

Brilliant. I saw them last in 1989 and was so happy when my wife bought me a ticket to this gig for my 47th! The band played for around 2 hours and covered tunes from just about every album although i have to say i have barely listened to that orange one so wouldn't know if they played something from that mistake.

They transported me back to my youth for two hours even if as an auld cnut i just stood there either nodding my head back and forth or tapping my foot or, during more energetic moments, a combination of both. I really enjoying the performance far more than it showed, honest.

I was surprised to see so many what i thought were youngsters in the Tonhalle listening to a band who formed when many of them weren't even twinkles in the eyes of their hopeful padres, but their energy made up for my lack of. Thanks to them. I was even more surprised to see Mosh pit contributions by guys older than me. Respect. You energetic cnuts. Love it.

They played enough off the Surfa Rosa and Come on Pilgrim LPs that i went home a seriously happy man who hasn't stopped talking about and reliving the gig since.

So fucking good. I hope I'm alive when they play again here.

Pixies were a driving force in the alt-rock boom of the early 90's in America and their legacy and influence lives on in contemporary bands to this day. Their latest support act Royal Blood thank the band for the invite and explain that albums such as 'Surfer Rosa' had massive influence on their own sound.

From the grunge introduction of 'Bone Machine', the audience are ready to jump, cheer, sing and mosh with this iconic rock outfit and the band gives it everything on stage in return. A slick performance group, they blaze through a number of fan favourites before the audience even has chance to applaud in earth shaking volume. They thank their british audience profusely before beginning cult classic 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'.

They still inherit the qualities that makes so many young and emerging bands turn to Pixies during the beginnings of their careers. Despite having toured for close on 25 years, the stage show still has a very organic feel where the music is allowed to take centre stage without relying on visuals or pyrotechnics. The finale of 'Where Is My Mind?' remind the audience just how iconic Pixies really are.

Doors opened at 7:30 PM, around 8:30 PM the opening band, Public Access TV, started playing. It's an OK band.

Pixies started playing around 9:45PM. They started with "Where is my mind" and a couple more popular songs, then they went back to not so popular songs (not popular for no-fans) from the first albums, the mixed make-the-crowd-jump loud rock songs to some lets-take-a-break more melodic songs.

A weird thing I noticed was that Paz played two or three songs with his back to the public, at first I thought she was checking something with the sound but then realized she was playing like that on purpose. Nothing bad with, the music was still great.

They never stopped playing from start to finish, it was song after song, no talking to the public. The only interaction with the public was Joey doing a mini-solo on his guitar.

In general a very good concert, nothing like listen to them live.

The Pixies are just as relevant now as they were when they first started.

Black Francis is still the driving force of yesteryear and is supported by Joey Santiago (guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (who replaced Kim Shattuck and in tun Kim Deal). While Black Francis is the focal point of any Pixies concert, the underpinning contributions of the other three are critical. This was always the case in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Black Francis was a solo artist.

Despite some good tunes he was never the same live without Joey and David to drive the sound. They are a powerful quartet with a tremendous back catalogue. The Pixies don't know how to deliver a bad concert. So go and see them and enjoy yourself.

A valuable lesson I learnt last night and that is never to look at a set list from a previous night's gig as you will most probably be disappointed.

Looking through the set list of the Pixies at Brixton on Monday night I was really excited for last night's performance, 32 massive songs played over 2 1/4 hours. Last night however couldn't have been more different with the only big tune the whole night being "Monkey Gone to Heaven".

Being a massive Pixies fan for some 30 years I have to say I was very disappointed indeed.

However, each song was played superbly and in quick fire mode with the only crowd interaction being when Black Francis apologised for messing up the same song twice, embarrassingly moving on to the next song

Charles "Black Francis" Thompson, David Lovering, Paz Lenchantin and Joey Santiago together all brought a great ear candy experience last night! From the moment I heard Thompson's warbling vocals filtering out the open front door as he sang the line "What's that floating in the water?" from 'Mr. Grieves' I knew the night was off to a great start! Together Thompson along with Lovering's backbeat, Lenchantin's furious bass work and call-and-answer style of vocal trade with Thompson, rounded off with Santiago's amazing guitar work, they tore through the perfect set list with many hits as well as rare gems mixed in!

Awful Awful

I have wanted to see Pixies since 1992ish but never had the chance until now. The Opening band Royal Blood was amazing for a 2 piece band! Pixies had some sound issues at first where we could not hear the vocals at all, about halfway through the set the sound improved & also started playing some of their older more recognizable songs. Once that happened the show went on amazingly. I am happy to have seen them. The venue (Shaw center, Edmonton, AB) was nice because you could stand or sit if you preferred.

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Kim Deal: The Breeders frontwoman on their fifth album, Pixies and touring with Nirvana

As The Breeders release their fifth album, frontwoman and estranged Pixies bassist Kim Deal talks Kevin EG Perry through her rock’n’roll life

1. Joining Pixies (because they made her laugh)

In January 1986, a week after moving to Boston from Dayton, Ohio, Kim spotted an ad in the Boston Phoenix placed by future Pixies bandmates Charles Thompson (AKA Black Francis) and Joey Santiago. “Most of those adverts were guys going, ‘Looking for blonde singer aged 19-22. Hair must be between shoulder length and mid-back,’ or, ‘Looking for drummer with a PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE’,” she explains. “So, ‘Looking for someone into Peter, Paul and Mary and Hüsker Dü. No chops’ caught my eye. I thought it was funny.”

2. Her ironic pseudonym

On the first two Pixies releases, ‘Come On Pilgrim’ and ‘Surfer Rosa’, Kim was credited as Mrs John Murphy, taking her then husband’s name as an arch feminist joke. “Somebody said that when I worked in a doctor’s office,” she explains. “‘My name is not Ethel. My name is Mrs Howard Rosenstein.’ Holy s**t! I need to show her respect by calling her by somebody else’s name!”

3. Writing the best Pixies song (at least according to Kurt) 

‘Surfer Rosa’ only featured one song with lyrics by Kim – ‘Gigantic’, a voyeuristic ode to a well-endowed man – but it made such an impression on Kurt Cobain that in 1992 he said, “I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies, because ‘Gigantic’ is the best Pixies song and Kim wrote it.” Kim reacts modestly, “Well, it’s better than somebody saying, ‘Oh God, you suck.’”

4. Forming The Breeders

Kim formed The Breeders with Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly, and their debut 1990 album ‘Pod’ was hugely influential – not least on Nirvana. “I think they got Steve Albini to record ‘In Utero’ because they really liked ‘Pod’,” says Kim. “I remember Dave Grohl saying he really liked the drum sound, but I always felt bad for Dave because the drum sound for ‘Pod’ sounds huge because there’s so much empty space for the drums to ring out. Poor Dave had all these guitars and bass playing all the way through.”

5. Touring with Nirvana

In 1992, following the success of ‘Nevermind’, Nirvana invited The Breeders to join their tour. It was eye-opening for Kim’s twin sister Kelley, who had joined on guitar, and new drummer Jim Macpherson. “The first show with Nirvana was one of Macpherson’s first shows out of Dayton, Ohio ever,” laughs Kim. “He asked Dave Grohl, ‘What are those big black boxes?’ Dave is like, ‘You idiot, they’re monitors. You listen to the band through them!’ I think that’s why Nirvana enjoyed touring with us so much: to see it through other people’s eyes.”

6. Recording ‘Cannonball’ the moment Pixies split 

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Black Francis unilaterally disbanded Pixies in 1993, but Kim had the perfect riposte. “I was in the studio literally recording ‘Cannonball’ when Kelley came down the hallway and said, ‘Pixies broke up’. I said, ‘OK, get out of my way,’” remembers Kim. The song was NME’s Single of the Year and 25 years on remains an indie rock staple. “I don’t think anyone thought it would get played on the radio,” says Kim. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘This is it! This is my ticket!’”

7. Becoming an indie icon

The success of second Breeders album ‘Last Splash’ helped seal Kim’s image as the embodiment of rock-star cool. During the ’90s she was the subject of tribute songs from the Dandy Warhols (‘Cool As Kim Deal’) and Japanese rockers The Pillows (‘Kim Deal’). “I loved it but was kind of horrified at the same time,” says Kim. “I’ve never heard the Dandy Warhols one. Are they actually saying I’m cool or are they being facetious? I’ve listened to The Pillows because I can’t understand what they’re saying. They’re probably singing about their cat called Kim Deal.”

8. Getting the band back together

In 2013, Kim reunited with Kelley, Jim and bassist Josephine Wiggs to play shows marking the 20th anniversary of ‘Last Splash’. At the end of the year, they were offered more gigs. “That’s when my OCD kicked in: ‘Wait, that’s not the 20th anniversary anymore,’” says Kim. “Our friends told us we should release another album. We kept adding stuff to our setlist and that started the recording of the album.”

9. Teaming up with the generation she inspired

The result is ‘All Nerve’ – a strange and visceral rock album which features, among many other things, a Courtney Barnett guest spot on ‘Howl At The Summit’. For Kim, it was a chance to collaborate with someone she’d first heard of as a fan. “She’d covered ‘Cannonball’,” explains Kim. “They did a pretty good version: shambolic and kind of casual.”

10. Never stopping

While it’s been 10 years since last Breeders album ‘Mountain Battles’, Kim says she hopes there’ll be another sooner and bristles against the suggestion she’s not prolific – pointing to her solo seven-inch series and busy touring schedule. “I want to defend myself. I do music constantly but sure, I’m ‘not prolific’,” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Let’s go with that.”

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The Pixies Announce Fall 'Doolittle' World Tour Dates

The Pixies -- Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering -- have announced a fall tour in continued celebration of the 20th anniversary of their 1989 album, Doolittle . The tour kicks off Thursday, October 27, at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, N.J.

"Two years and counting in this celebration of Doolittle's 20th anniversary," laughed drummer Lovering. "But people keep asking us to bring 'Doolittle' to their city, and we're really happy to do it."

A Pixies fan pre-sale will begin Friday, July 8, offering the best seats at every venue to those who are on the band's email list. Pre-sale purchases will include a limited-edition Pixies T-shirt. The public on-sale kicks off Friday, July 15. Ticket prices, where to purchase tickets, and all other details can be accessed at www.pixiesmusic.com

For these tour dates, the Pixies have invited the West Palm Beach indie rock band Surfer Blood to open the shows from the tour's kick off in Montclair through to the North Charleston date on November 11. Imaginary Cities, who toured with the Pixies this past spring, will join the band in Memphis on November 14 and stay through to the tour's conclusion.

"We are all big fans of Surfer Blood," said Pixies Black Francis. "They're a young and energetic band and write great songs. And it will be terrific to have Imaginary Cities back on the road with us. They were a big success on our Canadian tour earlier this year."

On the "Doolittle Tour," the band will perform all of the songs from their 1989 classic Doolittle and its related B-sides. "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Manta Ray," and "Bailey's Walk" among them. Doolittle, rated the second-best album of all-time by the NME, was the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard's album charts, and includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey" (video below) and "Gouge Away."

Dates for the Pixies' Fall 2011 leg of the "Doolittle World Tour":

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• 27 Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
• 28 Asbury Park Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas , was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron , a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums . He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

“Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt worldwide”: Dickey Betts, legendary co-founding guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band, has died aged 80

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Published: 2024/01/22

Pixies and Modest Mouse Reunite for 2024 Tour with Special Guest Cat Power

This year, three of the biggest names in indie rock will come together as the Pixies and Modest Mouse announce a month-long North American tour with Cat Power. Following a successful 20-show series at the end of last summer, the new tour begins on May 31 and continues through the end of June for a total of 23 new dates. This run from the titans of alternative will bring their music to some areas missed by the original tour, notably including seven shows in the South and seven new venues in the Midwest.

The 2024 run will start in Charleston, S.C., with a performance at Firefly Distillery on May 3 commencing the trio’s first Southeast series. In the region, the tour will pass through PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C on June 1, Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tenn., on June 2 and Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park in Atlanta–Cat Power’s hometown–on June 4. Next, the bands trek north to Cincinnati to play The Andrew J Brady Music Center on June 5, followed by gigs at Toronto, Ontario’s Budweiser Stage and Laval, Quebec’s Place Bell on June 8 and 9. The tour returns to the states on June 11 with a show at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, N.H., preceding engagements at Philadelphia’s TD Pavilion at the Mann on June 12 and the iconic Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., on June 14.

The tour hits the Big Apple on June 5 by way of Queens, N.Y.’s Forest Hills Stadium. Next, the groups progress to Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass. on June 16 before a Midwest run of Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, Mich., Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, Surly Brewing Company in Minneapolis, Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wis., Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee, Iowa and Starlight Theatre in Kansas City on June 18-24. The trio of acts will then jump down to Texas for appearances at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin, Texas and The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, on June 26-27, followed by Walmart AMP in Rogers, Ark. on June 28. Finally, a performance at Fiddler’s Green in Denver on June 30 will bring the tour to a close.

All of the featured acts join this tour with new momentum as veterans in the indie scene. This year, Modest Mouse will celebrate the 20th anniversary of fan-favorite album Good News for People Who Love Bad News , as well as three decades of live performance. Cat Power is currently riding renown for her 2022 full-length album covering Bob Dylan’s 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert, the third covers album in the artist’s discography. Meanwhile, the Pixies continue to reorient following the addition of bassist Paz Lenchantin, who officially replaced Kim Deal in 2016; Doggerel , the third studio album from the band’s current iteration, leans towards rough punk-inspired sounds.

Presale tickets for the 2024 tour will be available for Citi cardmembers on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. local time. General onsale begins Friday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. local time at ticketmaster .

Pixies and Modest Mouse 2024 Tour Dates with Special Guest Cat Power : May 31 – Firefly Distillery – Charleston, S.C. June 01 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, N.C. June 02 – Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville June 04 – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park –  Atlanta June 05 – The Andrew J Brady Music Center – Cincinnati June 07 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh* June 08 – Budweiser Stage –  Toronto, Ontario June 09 – Place Bell – Laval, Quebec June 11 – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion  – Gilford, N.H. June 12 – TD Pavilion at The Mann – Philadelphia June 14 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, Md. June 15 – Forest Hills Stadium – Queens, NY June 16 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, Mass.  June 18 – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill – Sterling Heights, Mich. June 19 – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island – Chicago June 20 – Surly Brewing Company – Minneapolis June 22 – Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wis. June 23 – Vibrant Music Hall – Waukee, Iowa June 24 – Starlight Theatre – Kansas City June 26 – Germania Insurance Amphitheater – Austin, Texas June 27 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, Texas June 28 – Walmart AMP – Rogers, Ark.  June 30 – Fiddler’s Green –  Denver, CO * without Pixies.

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Pixies Announce European Tour, Kim Deal’s Replacement

For a band that’s mostly been a nostalgia-circuit touring concern for the past decade, the Pixies have been in the news an awful lot lately. First, longtime bassist (and Breeders leader) Kim Deal left the band . Then, they came out with “ Bagboy ,” their first new song in nine years. And now they’ve got a bunch of new European tour dates (with more coming, around the world), as well as a new bassist. Oddly enough, this one is also a woman named Kim with a heavy ’90s alt-rock pedigree — and no, it’s not Kim Gordon. Kim Shattuck, former frontwoman of the great bubble-fuzz band the Muffs (pictured above), will be taking over. Check the European dates below.

09/29 – Paris, France @ Olympia 10/02 – Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique 10/05 – Amsterdam, Holland @ Paradiso 10/08 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys 10/10 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Music Hall 11/01 – Vienna, Austria @ Gasometer 11/02 – Geneva, Switzerland @ Thonex 11/04 – Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz 11/07 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera 11/09 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Coliseum 11/13 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Falkoner 11/13 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene 11/15 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Munchen Brewery 11/18 – Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia 11/21 – Manchester, UK @ Apollo 11/22 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands 11/24 = London, UK @ Hammersmith Apollo

Frank Black has also promised that the band will play “songs that we haven’t played in ages or never played live before,” as Pitchfork reports .

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Why Kim Deal Really Left The Pixies

There are few original indie rock bands that inspire as much fandom, nostalgia, and adoration as the Pixies. Part of their mystique is of course the reportedly deep, jealousy-fueled rivalry between frontman and guitarist Charles Thompson IV aka Black Francis aka Frank Black and bassist and vocalist Kim Deal. Pixies broke up in 1993 when, per Time ,  Black announced that the band was done on BBC Radio before he had informed the rest of the band. To add insult to injury, Deal and drummer David Lovering allegedly received the news via fax. 

When NME asked about his relationship with Deal in 2016, Black replied that "Kim and I just didn't get along well after a time. She always had her own ambitions and became comfortable in a leadership role in her other band. It must have been hard for her to be in a band where some other guy was always pulling at the reins." Indeed, upon Pixies' breakup Deal turned all of her creative attention to her other band, The Breeders, which had been a side project since 1989. 

The weirdest album to ever go platinum

The Breeders went on to be much more commercially successful than Pixies or any of Frank Black's solo projects, with the 1993 album Last Splash becoming, according to Salon , "the weirdest album to ever go platinum" and Deal's iconic and instantly recognizable opening bass riff to the song "Cannonball" immediately evoking strong early 1990s Golden Age of Alt Rock vibes whenever it plays. In fact, in 2019 Deal told NME that she had been recording "Cannonball" when she got the news about Pixies: 

"[Deal's twin sister and fellow Breeder] Kelley came down the hallway and said, ' Pixies broke up '. I said, 'OK, get out of my way,'" remembers Kim.""

Pixies reunited in 2004 at Coachella because, per  Rolling Stone , " none of them were doing that well financially at the time and their legend had grown to a point where a reunion tour was going to be highly lucrative." They toured off and on until 2011 but  Deal quit in 2013  amid celebrating  Last Splash 's 20th anniversary. Black Francis told  The Guardian   "She's been reticent for a very long time to make a new [Pixies] record. She was unhappy with the situation, or unhappy with her life or whatever, just not happy." Both Deal and Pixies continue making music and touring, with Paz Lenchantin taking Deal's place as bassist and vocalist since late 2013 . 

Behind the revolving door: Pixies' unique female bassist saga continues

P ixies, the iconic alt-rock band, has seen a revolving door of bassists since Kim Deal's departure in 2013. Back then, Pixies stated on their Facebook page : "We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies..." After a brief stint by the late Kim Shattuck of The Muffs, Paz Lenchantin, renowned for her tenure with A Perfect Circle, assumed bass duties in 2014, solidifying her role as a full-fledged member for a decade.

However, the band recently revealed Lenchantin's exit alongside news of an upcoming European tour, with Emma Richardson of Band Of Skulls stepping in. The band revealed that Lenchantin is leaving "to concentrate on her own projects."

However, Lenchantin expressed surprise at the decision, albeit emphasizing her gratitude for her time with Pixies while also hinting at new ventures ahead. In fact, the band has sometimes framed itself in an almost business-like manner during interviews; For example: "Music moves forward. It was the right combination of people to make that kind of music with different influences," Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago said back in 2018 . Pixies have always walked the fine line between alternative rock and something more experimental , and were influential for that reason — but a female bassist/contributing vocaist has also been a long-term part of their unique story.

Pixies' history with personnel changes isn't without its dramatic twists

From Black Francis' notorious fax breakup with Kim Deal and David Lovering in 1993 to the dismissal of Kim Shattuck in 2013, the band has had its share of abrupt transitions.

While Lenchantin's departure appears more amicable, it echoes the band's past dynamics.

Specifically, Paz Lenchantin had this to say about the band's decision: "It has been a dream of dreams these past 10 years to have been accepted as a Pixie by the band and by fans and an honor to have contributed to the Pixies legacy. 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."

Band reunions are also quite common, and they had previously reunited with Kim Deal. However. it's not yet clear how amicable this breakup truly was, or if Paz and the rest were just trying to be nice in front of the press. Either way, all musicians involved are likely to continue making music that fans return to, and that's obviously one of the big things that matter.

This article was originally published on stairwayto11.com as Behind the revolving door: Pixies' unique female bassist saga continues .

• Sat. Apr 20th, 2024

The Pixies are Touring!

By Nikkie Marie

Since the Summer of ’86, The Pixies have been leading the American alt-rock wave that went global overseas with original members David Lovering holding down the drums, Black Francis on leading vocals and rhythm guitar, lead guitarist Joey Santiago, and long time member bassist Paz Lenchantin!

The original lineup with Kim Deal (The Breeders) on bass blew America and Europe out of the water with incredible dark, honest inspiration that leads the band’s current lineup today.

The Pixies influenced countless acts such as Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and Radiohead; just to name a few. Since their reunion in 2004, they’ve sold out numerous world tours and have continued to chart with their records.

This summer we will have the pleasure of seeing The Pixies take the stage with supporting act Modest Mouse, who formed in 1993 and gained massive fame with their 2004 hit “Float On”.

The tour starts May 4th in Oakland, CA and ends in San Diego, CA on September 16th with festival dates happening May 5th at the Beach Life Festival in Redondo Beach, CA. Modest Mouse joins the tour on August 20th in Ashbury Park!

This is the first time we will be seeing Modest Mouse take the stage since the passing of co-founder and drummer Jeremiah Green.

Both acts are loved by multiple generations, and have done it all. Don’t forget to catch your chance to see decades of music wrapped in one epic night.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live shot of The Pixies by Stephy Hayward (Muzio) for ZRockR Magazine in 2019 – All Rights Reserved

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‘Is She Sure?’ How the Breeders Joined Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour.

The ’90s alt-rock icons hit the Madison Square Garden stage for the first time Friday night, after the 21-year-old pop star invited them to join her on the road.

By Jenn Pelly

Olivia Rodrigo remembers her life in two parts: before she heard the Breeders’ “Cannonball,” and after, she told the crowd at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, when her Guts World Tour arrived in New York.

And that is how the ’90s alt-rock idols came to play the New York arena for the first time last week, 31 years after that song from their platinum 1993 album, “Last Splash,” charted on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Rodrigo’s camp initially approached the Breeders in September about opening some dates on the tour supporting her second album, “Guts .” “My first reaction was, Wow, that seems kind of odd,” the band’s bassist, Josephine Wiggs, said in an interview. “But after I’d thought about it for a while, I thought, ‘That’s actually really genius.’”

Kim Deal, the singer-guitarist who leads the band with her twin sister, Kelley, said she was surprised when they got the invite. “I’d heard ‘Drivers License,’ and I liked that a lot,” she said, referring to Rodrigo’s breakout 2021 smash.

Kelley wondered if it might be a mistake. “I thought, ‘Is she sure? Do they really mean us?’”

But Rodrigo made her enthusiasm clear when the shows were confirmed, reaching out personally to share her excitement. “She texted each one of us individually,” Kelley recalled.

“And said, ‘Really happy to hear that you’re going to do this,’” Wiggs added. “Very classy.”

Aside from Kim, who played Madison Square Garden in 1992 when her earlier band, Pixies, opened for U2, no one in the group had ever performed at the venue before. Kim hadn’t been back since, and said she had no memory of that previous gig: “I usually remember the bad shows, so it’s a good thing that I really don’t remember that one.”

With the first date in the books, the Breeders spent part of Saturday afternoon glimpsing Rodrigo’s soundcheck — she was belting “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” to an empty arena — and then briefly chatting with her. “So easy to talk to!” Kim reported as the Breeders headed up to the stage to adjust their own amps and pedals. The lights were up; two men vacuumed the previous night’s pink and purple star-shaped confetti.

“How about we do a piece of ‘Cannonball,’ like when everything comes in?” Kim asked the band, which also includes the drummer Jim Macpherson. They had already tested the distorted ahh-ooohh-ahh vocalizations that open the song. Kim blew a whistle to emulate the record’s microphone feedback.

Rodrigo was born a decade after the release of “Cannonball,” but the 21-year-old heard it as a teenager and remembers “instantly falling in love with the Breeders,” she wrote in an email. “I thought Kim was the coolest girl in the world,” Rodrigo said. “I’m very inspired by them and everything they stand for. They are absolutely iconic, and playing these shows with them has been a surreal honor.” (The Breeders have joined the tour for four shows at the Garden that wrap on Tuesday, and four more at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles later this summer.)

Mischief, wryness, confidence and camaraderie feel encoded into the poised riffs and bass line of “Cannonball,” and it’s easy to imagine girls gently headbanging along to it for eternity. Rodrigo went louder and crunchier on “Guts,” long inspired by artists who are “not trying to recreate a version of rock music that guys make,” as she told The New York Times last year.

Soundcheck proceeded like a supercut. “Should we do half of ‘Do You Love Me Now’?” Kim asked before crashing the song open and letting its twin harmonies ring out. “A little piece of ‘Drivin’ on 9’?” signaling the aching country tune. “Should we throw in ‘Gigantic’?” Kim asked before unleashing the titanic anthem she co-wrote and sang as a member of Pixies. (She dedicated its “big, big love” to Rodrigo during the show.)

Earlier, the band sat in a green room processing its Guts experience so far. Kelley had been impressed by the emotional arc of Rodrigo’s songs the previous night. “I was texting somebody, ‘I’m so empowered right now!’” She later reached out to praise Rodrigo’s voice as “really special,” observing, “Her tone and control are spectacular!”

“She performs with a really good sense of humor,” Kim added.

Wiggs said she could hear some Breeders commonalties in a Rodrigo chord progression, while Macpherson detected a bit of the band in “Jealousy, Jealousy,” from her first album, “Sour.” “The bass riff was almost like a ‘Hag,’ ‘Hellbound’ -ish kind of thing,” he said.

The Breeders expressed shock at how young Rodrigo’s fans were, and the collective decibel of their screams on Friday night. “You’re going to be surprised by how loud it was,” Kelley said. Weren’t their own amps loud, too? “Not louder than 30,000 tweens,” she said.

Kim roasted her bandmates for withholding stage banter the night before. “Looking out at the sea of 7- and 8-year-olds, I had no idea what to say,” Wiggs said, deadpan. “I could just about manage to say something to people who are obviously teenagers. I was like, OK, maybe I’ll try to make eye contact with the dads.”

The Deal sisters are no strangers to parental accompaniment at gigs. “My dad used to have Ray Charles in his headphones, watching us play, when he drove us around in the r.v. with Nirvana,” Kim said, referring to the band’s 1992 tour with what was then the biggest band on Earth. “He’d have his cassette Walkman,” Kelley added. “He was a big supporter, but he’d heard us a million times.”

In Kurt Cobain’s liner notes to Nirvana’s 1992 compilation “Incesticide,” he detailed the recent life experiences that had meant the most to him since “becoming an untouchable boy genius,” including “playing with the Breeders” on the list. “Nirvana and Foo Fighters would really curate their opening bands, which is I think what Olivia is doing in a way, curating new music that she wants fans to get to know,” Kelley said.

Most of the young people watching from the front rows on Saturday were not familiar with the Breeders — who are all in their 50s and 60s — though there were exceptions. “My parents know who they are!” exclaimed an 18-year-old fan named Mack. “My dad said they had some jams back when he was younger. He didn’t know if I would like them, but I trust Olivia.”

Another fan, Elle, 16, was with her father, who saw the Breeders at Lollapalooza alongside Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys. “For me, this was really cool,” he said. “I don’t know the tour’s other openers as well, but I’ve loved the Breeders since ’94 when I saw them last.”

Rodrigo’s fans were decked out in sparkling skirts, purple bows and platform boots in honor of their heroine, who took the stage in a series of short, glittering skirts. The Breeders are known for more understated sartorial choices. Had they given any thought about to what to wear?

“I sent out a ‘help’ text to a friend of mine,” Kelley admitted. “I said, I’m trying to upgrade my look from my T-shirt and jeans that I typically wear, but staying in my comfort zone. He said, ‘I find glitter or sequins to always be the answer.’ I just waited for him to laugh or something. That was no help to me at all. So I went with a T-shirt and jeans.”

“Like she’s been dressing since seventh grade,” Kim said.

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Moscow International Business Center (Moscow City)

• Guide to Russia

What can you do at Moscow City?

• Dine in style: Moscow City is home to 100+ cafes and restaurants, including Europe’s highest restaurant and ice-cream shop
• See Moscow like never before: Ascend to one of Moscow City’s observation decks for an unparalleled panorama of Moscow
• Admire world-class architecture: Each of Moscow City’s skyscrapers has distinctive architecture and design
• Learn something new: Visit the Museum of High-Rise Architecture in Moscow or the Metro Museum

Moscow City is a multifunctional complex in the west of Moscow, which has come to represent the booming business of Russia’s capital. Its skyscrapers enrich Moscow’s skyline, contrasting the medieval cupolas and Stalinist high-rises. Visitors to Moscow City can enjoy entertainment high in the sky, as the complex is home not just to offices, but to restaurants, cinemas, viewing platforms, and museums.

Photo by Alex Zarubi on Unsplash

History of Moscow City

Moscow City was first conceived in 1991 by honoured Soviet architect Boris Tkhor, who proposed to construct a business center in Moscow. It would be complete with gleaming skyscrapers rivalling those of New York and London, to reflect the new life and growing ambitions of post-Soviet Russia.

The chosen site was a stone quarry and disused industrial zone in western Moscow, in between the Third Ring Road and Moskva River. Initially, the territory was divided into 20 sections arranged in a horseshoe shape around a central zone. The skyscrapers would increase in height as they spiralled around the central section, with shorter structures built on the waterfront to give the taller buildings behind a view of the river. 

Architect Gennady Sirota, who contributed to iconic projects such as the Olympic Sports Complex on Prospekt Mira, was selected as the chief architect, and many other world-famous architects were attracted to Moscow to realise their visions in Moscow City.

What can you see and do at Moscow City?

Where Moscow’s cityscape was once dominated by Stalin’s Seven Sisters skyscrapers , this is no more. Moscow City is home to eight of Russia’s ten tallest buildings, six of which exceed 300 metres in height. More buildings are still under construction there today, including the One Tower (which will be Europe’s second-tallest building). Once completed, Moscow City will comprise more than 20 innovative structures.

Each of Moscow City’s skyscrapers was designed by its own architect, lending the cluster of skyscrapers a unique appearance. Aside from being a site of architectural wonder, Moscow City is a place for leisure and entertainment with over 100 cafes and restaurants, exhibition spaces, cinemas, viewing platforms, and more.

Photo by Nikita Karimov on Unsplash

Federation Tower

• East Tower: 374m, 97 floors; West Tower: 243m, 63 floors
• Completed in 2017
• Architects: Sergey Tchoban and Peter Schweger

The East Federation Tower is the tallest building in Moscow, and the second-tallest building in Europe after the Lakhta Centre in St Petersburg. Visitors can enjoy a luxurious meal of seafood, truffles or steak at restaurant ‘Sixty’ on the 62nd floor of the West Tower, or visit Europe’s highest observation deck, ‘Panorama 360’, on the 89th floor of the East Tower.

Did you know? The ice cream and chocolate shop on the 360 observation deck are the highest in the world!

• South Tower: 354m, 85 floors; North Tower: 254m, 49 floors
• Completed in 2015
• Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

The South OKO Tower is the third-tallest building in Russia and Europe. Here, you can visit ‘Ruski’ to dine on hearty Russian cuisine cooked on a real Russian stove, and have a drink in the ice bar. Alternatively, visit restaurant, nightclub and performance space ‘Birds’; the restaurant is the highest in Europe, situated on the 86th floor roof terrace alongside an observation deck. The OKO Towers are also home to karaoke club ‘City Voice’.

Did you know? Underneath OKO Towers is the largest underground parking in Europe, with 16 levels and 3,400 parking spaces.

Mercury Tower

• 339m tall, 75 floors
• Architects : Mikhail Posokhin, Frank Williams, Gennady Sirota

Another multifunctional skyscraper, which was designed as the first truly ‘green’ building in Moscow. The Mercury Tower has a distinct geometric shape and copper-coloured glazing, and was the tallest building in Europe upon completion. Visit ‘More i myaso’ (Sea and meat) on the first floor of the tower to enjoy European and Mediterranean cuisine whilst surrounded by greenery. On the 2nd and 40th floors a modern art gallery, the ‘ILONA-K artspace’, has just opened.

City of Capitals

• Moscow Tower: 302m, 76 floors; St Petersburg Tower: 257m, 65 floors
• Completed in 2009
• Architect: Bureau NBBJ

The unique geometric design of the City of Capitals towers resembles stacks of rotating blocks, and is rooted in Constructivism of the early Soviet period (many Soviet Constructivist buildings can be found in Moscow). Visitors to the Moscow Tower can enjoy a range of cuisines – traditional Italian dishes on the summer terrace of ‘Tutto Bene’, Panasian cuisine in the tropical luxury of the ‘Bamboo Bar’ on the 1st floor’, and poke or smoothie bowls at ‘Soul in the Bowl’ cafe on the 80th floor.

Tower on the Embankment

• Tower A: 84m; Tower B:127m; Tower C: 268m, 61 floors
• Completed in 2007
• Architects: Vehbi Inan and Olcay Erturk

After completion, the Tower on the Embankment was the tallest building in Europe, and is now the 13th tallest. It houses the headquarters of several large Russian and international  companies, including IBM and KPMG. There are two cafes located on the 1st floor of Tower C – self-service café ‘Obed Bufet’ (Lunch Buffet) and Bakery Chain ‘Khleb Nasushchny’ (Daily Bread).

Evolution Tower

• 255m tall, 54 floors
• Architects: Philip Nikandrov and RMJM Scotland Ltd

Evolution is Moscow City’s most recognisable tower, and the 11th tallest building in Russia. Its façade is a true architectural marvel, comprising continuous strips of curved glazing spiralling high into  the sky. According to the architect, Philip Nikandrov, the spiral shape of the tower honours centuries of architectural design in Russia, from the onion domes of St Basil's Cathedral to Vladimir Shukhov’s Tatlin Tower, a masterpiece of Constructivist design. Outside the Evolution tower is a landscaped terrace and pedestrian zone descending to the Presnenskaya Embankment, which was also designed by Nikandrov.

Did you know? Moscow’s largest wedding palace was supposed to be built on the site of the Evolution tower, though the project was abandoned.

• 239m tall, 60 floors
• Completed in 2011

Imperia’s interesting design has a curved roof and an arched glass façade. Inside the tower are various cafes including ‘City Friends’ for all-day breakfasts and light lunches, ‘Mama in the City’ for simple meals of Russian cuisine, and ‘abc kitchen’ for European and Indian-inspired dishes. Alternatively, visit ‘High Bar’ on the 56th floor for cocktails with a view. In Imperia you’ll also find the Museum of High-Rise Construction in Moscow (suitably located on the 56th floor), and the Camera Immersive Theatre.

Did you know? Inside Vystavochnaya metro station is the Metro Museum , dedicated to the history of the beautiful Moscow Metro!

• 130m tall, 26 floors
• Completed in 2001
• Architect: Boris Tkhor

Tower 2000 was Moscow City’s first tower. It stands on the opposite bank of the Moskva River, and houses a viewing platform from which visitors can admire an unparalleled panorama of Moscow City. The Bagration Bridge reaches across the river from the tower to Moscow City, and underneath are piers from where you can take boat trips.

Photo by Alexander Popov on Unsplash

Afimall is Moscow’s largest entertainment and shopping complex, home to 450 shops, cafes and restaurants, a cinema, and a virtual-reality game park. The shopping centre is located in the central section of Moscow City, and a cinema and concert hall are currently under construction there.

What’s nearby?

Sechenov Botanical Gardens: The botanical gardens of the First Moscow State Medical University was created for students’ training and research in 1946. Today it is open for free visits, and is home to a large arboretum.

Park Krasnaya Presnya: This park belonged to the Studenets estate of the Gagarin princes. It is a monument of 18th and 19th century landscaping, with Dutch ponds, ornate bridges, and tree-lined alleys. There are also sports facilities, sports equipment rental, and cafes.

Photo by Akkit  on Wikipedia

Essential information for visitors

Website: https://www.citymoscow.ru/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +7 (495) 730-23-33

Nearest metro: Mezhdunarodnaya (closest to the skyscrapers), Delovoy Tsentr (underneath Afimall), Vystavochnaya (closest to Expocentre)

Related Tours

Moscow - St. Petersburg 3-star cruise by Vodohod

This is our most popular cruise covering Moscow and St. Petersburg and all of the significant towns between these 2 cities. Besides the Two Capitals, you will visit the ancient towns of Uglich, Yaroslavl and Goritsy, the island of Kizhi, and Mandrogui village.

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Two Capitals and the Golden Ring

This tour covers the best sights of Moscow and St. Petersburg along with a trip to the Golden Ring - a group of medieval towns to the northeast of Moscow. Ancient Kremlins, onion-shaped domes and wooden architecture is just a small part of what awaits you on this amazing tour.

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This is our most popular Moscow tour that includes all the most prominent sights. You will become acquainted with ancient Russia in the Kremlin, admire Russian art in the Tretyakov Gallery, listen to street musicians as you stroll along the Old Arbat street, and learn about Soviet times on the Moscow Metro tour.

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Black Francis speaks of bassist Kim Deal's departure from the Pixies

‘I can’t say if she called tomorrow, I wouldn’t be like, “Oh wow, really?”’ says Pixies frontman

Pixies: ‘We were off the planet’ Pixies bassist Kim Shattuck leaves band Pixies’ new release EP-2 oozes Blue-Eyed Hexe appeal

Kim Deal is welcome to rejoin the Pixies , Black Francis has revealed. She just has to pick up the phone.

It has been almost a year since Kim Deal left the Pixies, flying back to America mid-way through a Welsh recording session. In a new interview with Magnet magazine , Francis admitted that he has not spoken Deal since she “was getting on that plane”. Yet the door is open if she ever wants to return. “I can’t say if she called tomorrow, I wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh wow, really?’” he said. And Deal has even been in touch with the band: “She said, ‘Hey, if you need any more bass ...’ But it wasn’t quite ... from out point of view it wasn’t committed enough.”

The frontman also said he still isn’t completely clear why she left. “She’s been reticent for a very long time to make a new [Pixies] record,” he said. “She was unhappy with the situation, or unhappy with her life or whatever, just not happy.”

Francis has also made his first public statements about the sacking of Deal’s replacement , Kim Shattuck. The decision was not, as she theorised, due to her impromptu stage-dive at a gig in Los Angeles . Instead it was a combination of clashing personality types and Shattuck’s allegedly less-than-airtight bass-playing. “Personality-wise, [Shattuck’s] very west coast, she’s very extrovert. We’re very east coast, very introvert,” Francis said. More gravely, the group’s drummer, David Lovering, apparently told Francis: “Look, I don’t want to play with some lead singer/guitarist who’s picked up a bass ... I need to have someone who’s in the pocket. I need a real bass player. I worked really hard, I finally got to where I am – now you’re giving me some chick who doesn’t even play the bass.”

For now, the Pixies are moving on without a permanent bassist. Paz Lenchantin is working with them on their current tour-dates, while Simon Archer recorded bass for their two new EPs. The latest, EP2, was released in January.

The Pixies are due to return to the UK this summer, playing concerts including Field Day and T in the Park.

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• Pop and rock
• Frank Black

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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The Red Square and beyond: a guide to Moscow’s neighbourhoods

Apr 23, 2019 • 6 min read

The Red Square, Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow at night © Mordolff / Getty Images

One of the world’s largest cities, Moscow is a true metropolis whose ancient neighbourhoods are interspersed with newly built high-rises, inhabited by people from all over the former Soviet Union.

It’s also the city of rings: the innermost is the Kremlin itself; further away are the former defensive rings, Boulevard Ring and Garden Ring; still further are the Third Ring Road and the MKAD, which delineates the city’s borders. There’s an ongoing joke that Moscow Mayor is the Lord of the Rings. Most sights are contained within the Garden Ring, although for some more authentic neighbourhoods one has to venture further out. To help you explore Moscow’s diversity, we picked our favourite ’hoods – but this list is by no means exhaustive.

The Red Square and around

It can be argued that Moscow, or even the whole of Russia, starts at the  Red Square  – it’s an absolute must-see for any visitor. After standing in line to check out Lenin’s granite  mausoleum , go to GUM , Moscow's oldest department store. Full of luxury shops, it’s famous for the glass roof designed by one of Russia’s most celebrated architects, Vladimir Shukhov. Apart from architectural wonders, GUM has several places to eat including the Soviet-style cafeteria Stolovaya No 57 where you can sample mysterious-sounding delicacies such as the ‘herring in a fur coat’.

On the opposite side of GUM, Kremlin ’s walls and towers rise above the Red Square. Walk through the Alexander Garden  and past the grotto to the Kremlin’s entrance. It’s a treasure trove for any art and history lover: ancient gold-domed churches, icons galore and the resting place of Moscow tsars.

On the other side of the Red Square is Moscow's symbol,  St Basil's Cathedral with its multi-colored domes. Right behind it is the newly built Zaryadye Park , which showcases flora from all over Russia; another attraction is the floating bridge jutting out above the embankment and the Moscow river. A glass pavilion nearby hosts Voskhod , a space-themed restaurant with dishes from all 15 former Soviet Union republics. It’s a perfect spot for a classy evening meal and there’s often live music.

Patriarch’s Ponds

The Patriarch’s Ponds (aka Patriki) is a historical neighbourhood, celebrated in Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel Master and Margarita . Located right off Tverskaya street, Moscow’s main thoroughfare, Patriki recently became the city’s most happening quarter. It has some of the most elegant architecture, including several buildings by art-nouveau genius Fyodor Shekhtel. Narrow streets here have a cozy feel, with recently widened sidewalks and bike lanes. In the summer it becomes party central.

Start by checking out free exhibitions or one of the cutting-edge performances at the experimental theatre Praktika . But make no mistake, the neighbourhood’s main attraction are its bars and restaurants. Patriki’s residents are well-off Russians and expats, so it’s no wonder that  Moscow’s recent culinary revolution started here. Uilliam’s , one of the pioneers of this foodie movement, still rules over the scene with its floor-to-ceiling windows. Also try AQ Chicken  for everything chicken-related, Patara  for a taste of Georgian cuisine, and Cutfish for some great sushi. Finish your gastronomic tour with original cocktails at Pinch or the Moscow outpost of NYC restaurant Saxon+Parole .

Around Kursky train station

For a long time, Kursky train station was surrounded by semi-abandoned factories and the area was best avoided. It all changed in the late 2000s, when a dilapidated wine factory was turned into Winzavod , a mecca for fans of contemporary art. Today these red-brick buildings are occupied by some of Moscow’s leading galleries. After taking in all the art, pop in the small wine bar Barrell  for a glass from burgeoning wineries of Russia’s south or grab a bite at Khitrye Lyudi  cafe.

Right next to Winzavod is Artplay , another refurbished factory full of design and furniture shops and large exhibition spaces.  It’s also home to  Pluton , one of the latest additions to Moscow’s dance scene. Other Pluton residents are the multimedia art gallery Proun  and another lunch option,  Shanhaika , with authentic Chinese cuisine.

A short walk away is Arma, where a cluster of circular gas holders has been turned into offices, restaurants and clubs including Gazgolder  (it belongs to one of Russia’s most famous rappers, Basta). Apart from hip-hop concerts, Gazgolder organises regular techno parties that sometimes go non-stop from Friday to Monday.

If you’re interested in religious architecture, Taganka is the place to go. First of all, see the old Moscow at Krutitskoye Podvorye – one of those places where nothing seems to have changed in centuries. The monastery was founded in the 13th century, but in the 16th century it became the home of Moscow metropolitans and most of the surviving buildings are from that epoch. Take a tour of the grounds, and don’t miss the interior and icons of the Assumption Cathedral.

Your next stop is the Rogozhskoe settlement of ‘old believers’, a branch that split from Russian Orthodoxy in the 17th century. The settlement is dominated by an 80m-tall bell tower. The yellow-coloured Intercession Church, built in neoclassical style with baroque elements, has an important collection of icons. Next to the church grounds is the popular Trapeznaya cafeteria, with Russian food cooked using traditional recipes – a perfect spot for lunch.

A short ride away is Andronikov Monastery, which today houses the Rublyov Museum  in the old monks’ quarters. There’s a great collection of ancient Orthodox icons although none by Andrei Rublyov, who was a monk here in the 15th century. The main attraction at the monastery is the small Saviour’s Cathedral, considered the oldest surviving church in Moscow.

Finish the day at the craft-beer cluster around Taganskaya metro station. Varka offers both Russian and imported labels, with the Burger Heroes stand serving arguably the best burgers in town. Craft & Draft looks more like a respectable old-fashioned pub, with decent food, 20 beers on tap and a hundred types of bottled brews.

Khamovniki is Moscow’s ancient textile district, named after the word kham  (a type of cloth). Two main thoroughfares, Ostozhenka and Prechistenka, cut through the neighbourhood parallel to each other. The former turned into the so-called ‘Golden Mile’ of Moscow in the 1990s, with the highest real-estate prices and some of the best examples of new Russian architecture, while the latter is still mostly lined up with impressive 19th-century mansions.

Khamovniki is somewhat of a literary quarter, as several museums devoted to Russia’s best-known writers – among them  Leo Tolstoy , Alexander Pushkin  and Ivan Turgenev – popped up here during the last century. There’s also plenty to see for an art lover. The  Multimedia Art Museum regularly hosts exhibitions by some of the best photographers from all over the world, as well as contemporary art. Several galleries, including RuArts  and Kournikova Gallery , have also found home in Khamovniki.

When you’ve had your fill of literature and art, stop by Gorod Sad on Ostozhenka, an outpost of a local health-food chain, and order dishes such as pumpkin soup or grilled vegetables salads. Afterwards, head to Dom 12 , which is located just off Ostozhenka street. This restaurant and wine bar is frequented by the city’s intellectuals and its schedule includes lectures, book presentations and film screenings, while in the summer guests migrate to a lovely courtyard.

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