Pixies Information Continued
Black Francis a.k.a. Frank Black (vocals, guitar), Joey Santiago (lead
guitar), Kim Deal (bass guitar, vocals) and David Lovering (drums) have
been the group's continual members.
Francis was the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer; with a
distinctly desperate, yowling delivery, he typically wrote cryptic songs
about offbeat subjects, such as unidentified flying objects and
surrealism. Violent Biblical imagery and references to mental
instability, physical injury and incest also feature highly in much of
his work. Deal contributed songs as well, and her often feathery voice
acted as an oddly effective counterbalance to Francis.
Musically, it has been argued that the Pixies were ahead of their
time. Right at the moment they were imploding, Nirvana was recording
Nevermind, the album that would break alternative rock into the
mainstream. There are substantial parallels between the two groups'
sounds and Kurt Cobain was known to have been a fan - in fact, in a
Rolling Stone interview he claimed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his
failed attempt to write a Pixies song. This comment, allied with similar
tributes by other alternative bands, generated a retrospective interest
in the Pixies from the mainstream music-buying public.
In late 2005, the Pixies embarked on tour with Weezer across North America. They are currently planning to release a new
album and have a number of concert dates scheduled.
