Breeders frontwoman Kim Deal will be debuting the band's new lineup at the first "real" Breeders show in five years on July 14th. Although the band has played a few small unannounced shows in Deal's adopted home of Los Angeles, this concert will be at Chicago's 3,000-capacity Congress Theater, an occasional indie rock venue best known for Fugazi and Shellac shows. The opening acts will be announced June 6th.

Deal has been recording with Shellac's Steve Albini at his E.A.R. Studios in Chicago for the first new Breeders album since 1993's Last Splash. Albini also recorded the Pixies' Surfer Rosa (Deal was the Pixies' bassist) and some material for Deal's short-lived band, the Amps. In 1999, Deal did a substantial amount of recording for this album at E.A.R., but is scrapping it all to re-record the songs with her new lineup, which includes sister Kelley Deal (who was in the first incarnation), Richard Presley and Mondo Lopez of the L.A. punk band Fear.

"I wanted this to be a real band, with the same players on the album being the ones touring the songs," Deal explains. "I didn't want the album to be session players."

The Breeders are currently rehearsing in Dayton, Ohio and will return to the studio June 3rd to finish the album. "Kim wanted to make sure they had a lot of time to practice the old Breeders material," says indie promoter Heather Whinna, who staged a smaller acoustic show for Kim and sister Kelley two years ago. "They're definitely reaching into the back catalog as well as playing their new songs." Deal is expected to announce a possible release date by the end of June.

MAUREEN HERMAN
(May 29, 2001)