The Pixies
When I get the chance, I tune in to AUSTIN CITY LIMITS and SOUNDSTAGE on the local PBS station, as they often have some interesting concert performances. Last night, they re-ran the 2004 appearance of The Pixies, the seminal alt-rock band from the late 80's and early 90's. The Pixies reformed in 2004, and I hear they are still going in 2007, but what this show proved to me that they still had all of the chops of their earlier incarnation.
Lead by singer Frank Black, this band never delivered the expected. They made a point of always staying in the land of the unpredictable.
The Pixies were arguably one of the most interesting bands in alt-rock history. Lead by Black, who is was known as Black Francis, they had their early beginnings at the University of Mass. when Black met guitarist Joey Santiago and began to jam together. In the years to follow, they would meet the amazing Kim Deal, a woman who claimed to play the bass, but had actually never done so. She actually learned on the job, so to speak. Deal is known for also playing with her sister Kelley in the Breeders, a band that the sisters have struggled to keep together because of Kelley's consistent drug problems. The Pixies were completed by adding Dave Lovering on drums when Kim's sister Kelley didn't work out. The quartet combined their punk roots with 60's Beach Boy surf music, and lyrically developed some of the most challenging material recorded in the early 90's. Even Kurt Cobain of Nirvana noted that their band "owed everything to the Pixies."
This recent concert just reminded me how incredible this band was, and frankly, continues to be. Santiago is an amazing guitarist, combining great licks with atmospheric feedback storms that just take your breath away. Deal has this terrific pop voice, which is used amazingly well in backup vocals (as well as some lead work) over her pounding bass. You'd never know that she came into this band with little experience. Lovering is a terrific drummer as well, and always keeps the songs drilling forward through the existential details. Black, whose edgy vocals work amazingly well with Deal's, is just the epitome of a punk. Lyrically, this band is astounding. Songs like "Gigantic," "Wave of Mutilation," "Gouge Away," etc. just drive a stake into your brain while your ears swim to the melodies. "Monkey gone to heaven" is arguably one of the greatest alternative songs in the history of music.
At the heart of it, that's just what was so cool about viewing this concert. Even though these former punks now are overweight, bald, have children at home and look like average middle-age people, they've still got it. If you close your eyes and follow your ears, you can still hear those post-punks of the late 80's blasting out their tunes, fighting on stage about which song to sing one minute, and grinning like banshees through the sonic wail the next.
Rock on, little Pixies.