Oregon daily emerald., October 25, 2001, Image 7

Features Editor:
Lisa Toth
lisatoth@dailyemerald.com
Eugene’s new ‘speakeasy’
The Lord Leebrick Theatre Company’s new
program offers experimental pieces in a
variety of mediums. Page 9
■An all-star line-up of Calvin Johnson, Mirah, Dear
Nora and The Dimes comes to Agate Hall Friday
By Mason West
Oregon Daily Emerald
When Nathan Hazard, regional music coordinator for the
EMU Cultural Forum, was trying to set a date for his
Agate Hall show featuring singer/songwriter Mirah,
Dear Nora, Calvin Johnson and The Dimes, Oct. 26 was
the only date that all four musicians could make it together.
“I’ve been tossing dates around with all the bands for over a
month, and this was the only date,” he said.
The problem with Oct. 26, though Hazard didn’t realize it at
the time, was that The Breeders are playing the same night at *1
WOW Hall.
“I’ve already had a few people say, ‘I really like Mirah, but
I’m already going to The Breeders,”’ he said.
Mirah was casual about the coincidence and said that cer
tain performing overlaps are inevitable.
“Almost every tour I’ve been on, I’ve been haunted by a
band,” she said.
Mirah recounted a tour with Phil Elvrum of the Micro
phones where they played shows in at least four cities at the
same time that another band, Le Tigre, was playing.
“If I could, I would have gone to see Le Tigre,” Mirah said.
Hazard said he doesn’t want any competitive ill will be
tween his show and The Breeders’ performance. At the time
this was published, he was working on providing discounted
entry to the show with a Breeders ticket stub. But Katy David
son, AKA Dear Nora, wasn’t afraid to plug the show.
“It’s going to kick ass because I’m going to play, then Calvin’s
going to play, then Mirah’s going to play and then we’ll end
with a riotous orgy,” Davidson said.
Hazard said he was unsure whether to give the closing spot
of the show to Johnson or Mirah, but said he was leaning to
ward Johnson as the headliner. The founder of K Records,
Johnson has been in many bands, including Dub Narcotic
Sound System and Beat Happening, aside from doing his own
solo work. Hazard said Johnson was a coincidental addition to
the show, but he gladly accepted. The only down side, he said,
is that performance times will be “squeezed. ”
Openers The Dimes, according to Hazard, play “cat< hy,
heartfelt pop.” He lacked musical definition for Dear Nora. .
Turn to Agate Hal, page 10
Breeders return to music
scene with Wow Hall performanc
■The band’s new album still
awaits release, but fans can hear
the group, including its newest
members, this weekend
By Jen West
Oregon Daily Emerald
After seven years away from the
limelight, the Breeders are back to
touring. Longtime indie-rock fix
tures the Deal sisters and their band
will play WOW Hall on Friday, ac
companied by local band Chevron.
The Breeders were formed in
1988 as a creative collaboration be
tween bassist Kim Deal of the Pix
ies and guitarist Tanya Donelly of
Throwing Muses. Then Perfect Dis
aster’s Josephine Wiggs joined the
band on bass.
Their debut album, “Pod,” was re
leased in 1990 and earned critical
acclaim. Two years later, the band
followed with a four-song EP, “Sa
fari,” and an opening spot on Nir
vana’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 concen
trate 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 sound
track for “Mod Squad,” an updated
movie version of the ’60s TV show.
Then in December 2000, the Deal
sisters appeared at an unan
nounced 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 oppor
tunity to meet Kelley Deal when she
was with the band Kelley Deal 6000.
He was very impressed by her.
“She was very funny — very per
sonable,” 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 ma
jor 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 mem
bers 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 in
formation, call 687-2746.
Jen West is a Pulse reporter for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. She can be reached at
jenwest@dailyemerald.com.