After seven years away from the limelight, the Breeders are back to touring. Longtime indie-rock fixtures the Deal sisters and their band will play WOW Hall on Friday, accompanied by local band Chevron.
The Breeders were formed in 1988 as a creative collaboration between bassist Kim Deal of the Pixies and guitarist Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. Then Perfect Disaster’s Josephine Wiggs joined the band on bass.
Their debut album, “Pod,” was released in 1990 and earned critical acclaim. Two years later, the band followed with a four-song EP, “Safari,” and an opening spot on Nirvana’s 1992 European tour. But soon after, the band lost Donelly, who had split from the Breeders to form her own band, Belly. Deal recruited her twin sister, Kelley, to fill Donelly’s shoes. Jim MacPherson, known as Mike Hunt on “Safari,” signed on as their permanent drummer.
When the Pixies split early in 1993, Deal was able to fully concentrate on her work with the Breeders, according to Yahoo! Music. Later that year, the band released its third album, “Last Splash.” The album, featuring the widely popular crossover hit, “Cannonball,” struck a chord with audiences. The album turned platinum within a year, earning the Breeders a spot on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour.
During the Breeders’ seven-year hiatus, members branched out to pursue other projects. Kim Deal put together another band, The Amps, in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio. The Breeders came together briefly in early 1999, when their track, “Collage,” appeared on the soundtrack for “Mod Squad,” an updated movie version of the ’60s TV show.
Then in December 2000, the Deal sisters appeared at an unannounced performance at a club called Mr. T’s Bowl in Highland Park, Calif., accompanied by new band members.
Now, after a year of rehearsing, the Breeders will soon release their first album since “Last Splash” and have just begun their tour.
“I like the edgy quality they have and the combo of noise jamming, songwriting and quirky lyrics, ” said Marty Schwarzbauer, a fan and WOW Hall volunteer.
Schwarzbauer said he has been a fan of the Breeders since the early ’90s and, several years ago, had the opportunity to meet Kelley Deal when she was with the band Kelley Deal 6000. He was very impressed by her.
“She was very funny — very personable,” he said.
Brian Mumford, 22, has handled guitar and singing duties for opener Chevron since its inception two years ago, though the band was originally named Collectivo. Chevron has had some notoriety of its own, reaching the No. 1 spot on the campus radio station, KWVA, during the summer of 2001.
“I really like (the Breeders),” Mumford said. “Kim Deal is a major player in the underground, garage pop scene.”
Kesha Rose Lyn, also a Breeders fan since the early ’90s, said she has a great deal of respect for the Deal sisters.
“Kim and Kelley were the first of a really powerful, female pop band,” she said. “Just because it’s a girl band doesn’t mean they have to be frilly.”
Because the band has new members and has taken such a long break between tours, fans said they were unsure of how the Breeders would be received in Eugene, but they remained optimistic.
Advance tickets are available at WOW Hall and FASTIXX outlets for $13 and at the door for $15. The show starts at 8 p.m. For more information, call 687-2746.