By: Shannon Sweet

Band Lineup • Black Francis- Lead vocals/Rhythm

guitar

• David Lovering- Drums

• Joey Santiago- Lead guitarist

• Kim Deal- Backup vocals/Bass

Black Francis • Born: April 6, 1965 in Boston,

Massachusetts.• Birth name: Charles Michael Kittridge

Thompson IV• Performed at David Bowies birthday

party, at Bowie’s request.

Kim Deal • Born: 10 June 1961 in Dayton, Ohio.• She formed a solo band called the

Breeders in 1990.• Instruments: vocals, bass, guitar, and

drums.

Joey Santiago

• June 10, 1965 in Manila, Philippines.• Instruments: lead guitar, keyboards,

and vocals.• After the Pixies broke up, Santiago

composed scores and songs for movies and television shows.

David Lovering• Born: December 6, 1961 in

Burlington, Massachusetts.• Also know as The Scientific

Phenomenalist, (his magician name.)• Instruments: Drums, guitar, bass

guitar, and vocals.

Humble Beginnings• Black Francis met Joey Santiago at the

University of Massachusetts.• They both dropped out of college and started

the Pixies• The pixies found Kim Deal through a classified

ad seeking a female bass player who loved Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul, and Mary.

• The drummer, Dave Lovering, was recruited after kim Deal remembered meeting him at her wedding reception.

Albums• Come On Pilgrim EP (1987)• Surfer Rosa (1988)•Doolittle (1989)• Bossanova (1990)• Tromp Le Monde (1991)

Come On Pilgrim (1987)

• The title of the album is a reference to Christian rock singer Larry Norman’s catchphrase, "Come on pilgrim, you know He loves you“.

• Contains lyrics about incest/voyeurism, reincarnation, and the rock’n’roll lifestyle.

• Like the other albums, Come On Pilgrim was more popular in the UK than in the US.

Surfer Rosa (1988)

• This album is often considered one of the most influential alternative rock albums ever according to music journalist and fellow musicians.

• The most famous song from the album, “Where is My Mind?”, was featured in the cult classic film, fight club. Also, the song is about snorkeling.

• Peaked at number 2 on the UK indie charts, and was certified gold in 2005.

Doolittle (1989)

• As a surprise hit, Doolittle reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart.

• Accolades were high for the album, NME ranked it the second best album of all time.

• Lyrics range from surreal films to several songs about biblical violence to global warming.

Bossanova (1990)

• Sound was inspired by surf and space rock, and with lyrics about extraterrestrial life and “bad talking heads rip-offs”.

• Although often considered the weak link of the pixies discography, it is still regarded as one of the best alternative rock albums of the decade.

• Reached number three on the UK charts.• Reached number seventy on the US charts.

Trompe le Monde (1991)

• Title translates into “Fool the World”.• Album contains no Kim Deal songs, which turned away

some fans.• Contains more lyrics about aliens and UFOs.• Many welcomed it as a return to the Pixies punk rock roots.

Breakup• Black Francis and Kim Deal did not necessary get along.• Tension rose during the ill fated tour with U2. • Black Francis broke up the band during a interview with BBC

radio 5.• He sent a fax to his band mates announcing his decision.

Influence on the music scene • Kurt Cobain of Nirvana idolized the Pixies. He famously

admitted to ripping them off in a Rolling Stone interview. "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band - or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.“- Kurt Cobain

• The Pixies are often credited with creating a quiet-loud-quiet dynamic and combining abrasive punk rock with melodic pop hooks.

• David Bowie called them “just about the most compelling band of the 80’s”, and even covered a song of theirs.

• Artist such as Tom Yorke of Radio Head, Bono of U2 and Weezer swear by the pixies and credit them as their ultimate influence.

The Breeders• As the most successful solo

band after the Pixies broke up, Kim Deal and the Breeders also had a great impact on the music scene.

• Released the extremely successful album, Last Splash (1993), that contained hits like “Cannonball”. ‘

• Kurt Cobain listed POD (1990) as the third most influential album of his life, describing it as "an epic that will never let you forget your ex-girlfriend."

Audio Samples • http://youtu.be/3BLtLRTFimA

(“Tame”) An example of the Pixies’ abrasive nature.

• http://youtu.be/XycBLF6kWuY (“Monkey Gone to Heaven” An example of the Pixies’ melodic pop side.

Citations • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Pixies#Bossanova.2C_Trompe_le_Monde.2C_and_break-up_.281990.E2.80.932002.29