Kim Deal

Deal became the bassist and backing vocalist for the Pixies in January 1986, after answering an advertisement in the Boston Phoenix that read, "Band seeks bassist into Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary. Please – no chops." Deal was the only person to call them, even though her main instrument was guitar. She borrowed her sister Kelley's bass guitar to use in the band.[10] To complete the lineup, she suggested they hire David Lovering as drummer, a friend of her husband, whom she met at her wedding reception.[11] For the release of the band's first recording Come on Pilgrim (1987), Deal used the nom de disque "Mrs. John Murphy" in the liner notes. She chose the name as an ironic feminist joke, after conversing with a lady who wished to be called only by her husband's name as a form of respect.[12]

Deal (right) and Black Francis performing in a 2004 Pixies concert.

For Surfer Rosa (1988), Deal sang lead vocals on the album's only single, "Gigantic", which she co-wrote with Black Francis. Doolittle followed a year later, with Deal contributing the song "Silver" and appearing on slide guitar. By this time, however, tensions began to develop between her and Francis, with bickering and standoffs between the two marring the album's recording sessions. This led to increased stress between the band members.[13] Deal commented that during the sessions, it "went from just all fun to work".[14] Exhaustion from releasing three records in two years and constant touring contributed to the friction, particularly between Francis and Deal.

The tension and exhaustion culminated at the end of the US "Fuck or Fight" tour, where they were too tired to attend the end-of-tour party. The band soon announced a hiatus.[15]

Deal performing with the Breeders, c. 2002

During a 1988 post-Surfer Rosa tour of Europe with Throwing Muses as part of the Pixies, Deal began to write new material. As neither band had plans for the short term, Deal discussed possible side-projects with Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donnelly. After rejecting the idea of creating a dance album together, the pair decided to form a new band.[16] Deal named the band the Breeders, after the folk band she formed with Kelley as a teenager, and they recruited Carrie Bradley, violinist and vocalist in Ed's Redeeming Qualities, to record a short demo tape.[17]

The Breeders' demo was sent to 4AD head Ivo Watts-Russell, who immediately signed them to the label. The Breeders allowed Deal to become more active in songwriting, and their debut album, Pod (1990), containing mostly Deal-written songs, was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland by Steve Albini. Pod, and especially Deal's contribution, was praised by contemporaries; Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain later named the album one of his favorites and remarked: "I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies."[18]

Deal returned to the U.S. after finishing recording Pod in Edinburgh, but was then fired from the Pixies. Regardless, she flew out to Los Angeles to meet with the band and the other members changed their mind and the four of them began recording the band's next album, Bossanova (1990).[10]

The band's final studio album was Trompe le Monde (1991). The recording sessions were fractious, as the band were hardly ever together during the process.[19]

She rarely sang on the band's songs during this time; one of the few tracks she sang on was a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting for You". (sample) However, Deal did sing on Trompe le Monde, on songs such as "Alec Eiffel", but did not write any material for the album.[20]

A year after the Pixies' breakup, Deal's identical twin sister Kelley joined the Breeders on lead guitar and the band released its second album, Last Splash, to critical acclaim and considerable commercial success. The record went platinum within a year of its release.

At the height of the Breeders' popularity in the early-mid 1990s, the band scored a number of hit music videos featured heavily on MTV, including "Cannonball", "Safari", "Divine Hammer", and "Saints." The band also released the vinyl-only "Head to Toe" 10" EP during the summer of 1994, when they appeared on the main stage of Lollapalooza. Although the band went into stasis in 1994 when Kelley Deal entered rehab for a heroin addiction, they never officially split up, and in 2002 released Title TK (TK is a copyediting mark meaning "to come" and is often used when editing drafts to indicate missing information).

During this eight-year hiatus, Deal kept busy by forming, recording, and touring with the Amps.

After a few gigs where Deal went by the moniker Tammy Ampersand, The Amps released their single LP, Pacer. The record had an enthusiastic reception from reviewers, but was commercially unsuccessful.

She also produced music for other groups, most notably fellow Dayton band Guided by Voices (one of the songs on Pacer, "I Am Decided", was written by the band's lead singer, Robert Pollard).

Deal has contributed her voice to numerous projects, including This Mortal Coil's 1991 version of Chris Bell's "You and Your Sister" (a duet with Tanya Donnelly); the 1995 Sonic Youth single "Little Trouble Girl"; and The For Carnation's "Tales (Live from the Crypt)" in 2000.

Deal in concert with the Amps in 1995.

Deal performing in 2009.

In 2004, Deal returned to a newly reunited Pixies and toured North America with them. The song "Bam Thwok" was also released that year. One notable performance included a live taping for the public television program Austin City Limits in October 2004. The Pixies also played the Coachella Festival in 2004 and headlined Lollapalooza in 2005 at Chicago's Grant Park. The Pixies also toured the UK to critical acclaim including a headline appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[21] In 2003, Deal moved back to her hometown of Dayton to care for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In early April 2008, the Breeders released their fourth full-length studio album, Mountain Battles. In April 2009, the Breeders released their third EP, Fate to Fatal. On June 14, 2013, it was announced that Deal had left the Pixies.[2] She has since posted new solo music on her website.

In December 2012, Kim Deal played a solo set at the All Tomorrow's Parties "Nightmare Before Christmas" festival in the UK, debuting several new songs. At the same time, she released her first solo single, "Walking with a Killer", and continued to issue further solo releases throughout 2013 and 2014.[22]

In April 2013, 4AD released LSXX, a 20th anniversary edition of the Breeders album Last Splash. Deal reunited with Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs, and Jim Macpherson for a Last Splash anniversary tour of North America, Europe, and Australia.[23] In August 2014, it was reported that the same line up were working on new material.[24]

A new single, "Wait in the Car", was released on October 3, 2017. On March 2, 2018, the reunited lineup released All Nerve, their first studio album in ten years, to widespread critical acclaim.[25] In the following months, the Breeders also collaborated on multiple tracks of Courtney Barnett's May 2018 album Tell Me How You Really Feel, with Kim and Kelley singing backing vocals on the singles "Nameless, Faceless" and "Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence".

• Come on Pilgrim (EP, 1987)
• Surfer Rosa (1988)
• Doolittle (1989)
• Bossanova (1990)
• Trompe le Monde (1991)

• Pod (1990)
• Safari (EP, 1992)
• Last Splash (1993)
• Live in Stockholm 1994 (Live album, 1994)
• Head to Toe (EP, 1994)
• Title TK (2002)
• Mountain Battles (2008)
• Fate to Fatal (EP, 2009)
• All Nerve (2018)

• Pacer (1995)

• "Walking with a Killer" b/w "Dirty Hessians" (2012)
• "Hot Shot" b/w "Likkle More" (2013)
• "Are You Mine?" b/w "Wish I Was" (2013)
• "The Root" b/w "Range On Castle" (2014)
• "Biker Gone" b/w "Beautiful Moon Clear" (2014)

Kim Deal generally plays four-string solid-body bass guitars and always uses a pick,[26] particularly the "green Dunlops with the little turtle on them",[27] although since the Pixies' reunion she has also been using custom green Dunlops with "KIM" written on them. She prefers having old strings on a bass.[27]

• Aria Pro II Cardinal Series – The Pixies' first bass belonged to Kelley,[27] and is heard on Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and seen on the Town & Country live video. It later reappeared in the Kelley Deal 6000.
• 1962 Fender Precision Reissue[26] – Acquired for use on Doolittle on Gil Norton's insistence.[27] It appears in the video for "Here Comes Your Man". On the Bossanova album, the Precision was used on "Dig for Fire" for its "lazier, growlier sound" that was "not as boingy-boingy-sproingy".[26]
• Music Man StingRay – Added in time for Bossanova "because it was active and had a different sound" and became her main live bass "because it was a little less country-sounding than the Fender".[27] The instrument was afterwards played by Josephine Wiggs in the Breeders, and by Luis Lerma in the Amps.
• Steinberger headless (but full-bodied, two-cutaway) bass – Bought during the recording of Trompe Le Monde because the other basses were out of tune on the higher frets. Deal described it as having a "weird, organ-y sound".[27]
• Gibson Thunderbird – more recently, her favorite bass that she did not use on the Pixies' reunion, feeling she had to "sound like the records".[27] It is seen played upside-down (left-handed) by Mando Lopez in the Breeders, and by Kim Deal herself in the video for "Biker Gone" (2014).

When playing acoustic guitars for rhythm, Kim Deal prefers distorting their sound through Marshall amps, particularly liking the resulting low end.[28] She also pointed out that it almost does not depend on the acoustic guitar used.[29]

• Seagull acoustic[30]
• 1958 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue – Also played by Joey Santiago up through Surfer Rosa (before he acquired his own) and then by Kelley Deal in the Breeders.[29]
• Fender Stratocaster[30] – The particular model Deal plays is a 1991 Strat Ultra. Kelley Deal also has the same model, which she received as a Christmas present from her sister in 1991.[28]
• Fender Telecaster has occasionally been played by Kim in the Breeders' live performances since at least the Last Splash era. She was also shown using the guitar on the tourbus in the Pixies documentary film loudQUIETloud (2006).
• Gibson hollowbody – Borrowed for use on Last Splash.[29]

• Peavey 300 Combo, 1×15" speaker[31]
• Trace Elliot bass head[31] – Deal said of the amp: "It's the new series and I don't know what the number is or if there even is a number on there."[32]
• Trace Elliot 1048H bass cabinet, 4×10" speakers[31]
• SWR heads[26]
• Marshall JCM 900 head[29][30]
• Marshall cabinets
• Gallien-Krueger cabinet, 4×10" speakers[26]
• "Joe's Light" cabinet, 1×18" speaker – Of this and the Gallien-Krueger she commented: "I hate my cabinets."[26]
• Sears Tremolo amp with the word 'Marshall' pasted on it.[30]

• dbx 160X Compressor – "I use a compressor live, but only because sound guys seem to like it when I have one onstage, even if it's on bypass."[26]
• Boss DS-1 Distortion pedals – Used by both Kim and Kelley.[28]

• Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn (2005). Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-312-34007-9.
• Sisario, Ben (2006). Doolittle. 33⅓. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1774-4.