Pixies are an American rock band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986. The band disbanded in 1993 under acrimonious circumstances but reunited in 2004. Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering have been the band's continual members.
The Pixies found only modest success in their home country, but were significantly more successful in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, although never achieving mainstream success with their studio albums. The Pixies' style of alternative rock music is heavily influenced by punk and surf rock, and while highly melodic, is capable of being tremendously abrasive at the same time. Francis is the band's primary songwriter and singer and has a distinctly desperate, yowling delivery. He has typically written cryptic songs about offbeat subjects, such as UFOs and surrealism. References to mental instability, violent Biblical imagery, physical injury, and incest feature in many of the band's songs. The group is seen as the immediate forebearer of the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them. Avowed fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies, along with similar tributes by other alternative bands, ensured that the Pixies' legacy and influence grew substantially in the years following their demise.
Formation
The Pixies' history began when undergraduates Joey Santiago and Black Francis (born Charles Thompson IV) shared a room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Santiago soon introduced Francis to the music of David Bowie and 1970s punk rock, and the pair began to jam together. Francis then embarked on a student exchange trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but upon arriving struggled to grasp the Spanish language. After spending six months in an apartment with a "weirdo, psycho, gay roommate", he returned to Boston and dropped out of the university. The two spent 1984 working in a warehouse, with Francis composing songs on his acoustic guitar and writing lyrics on the subway train. The pair formed a band in January 1986. Bassist Kim Deal joined Santiago and Francis two weeks later after responding to a classified advertisement Francis had placed, seeking a female bassist who liked both folk music icons Peter, Paul and Mary and the hardc... punk band Hüsker Dü. Deal was the only person to respond, but arrived at the audition without a bass guitar as she had never played the instrument before. She claimed her twin sister Kelley Deal had a bass back in Dayton and that she had no money to get it. Francis lent her $50 for the airfare and Deal returned with the bass guitar. The trio started rehearsing in Deal's apartment, "because the old lady upstairs couldn't hear." After recruiting Kim Deal, the band tried to get Kelley to join the band on drums, unsuccessfully. Kim's husband suggested they hire drummer David Lovering, whom Kim had met at her wedding reception. They arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word randomly from a dictionary and took a liking to the definition, "mischievous little elves". The group was originally named "Pixies In Panoply" ("Things on Fire" was considered), but soon shortened it to "Pixies". Once the band had settled on a name and stable line-up, they moved rehearsals to Lovering's parents' garage in the summer of 1986. Their first show named as "possibly the worst gig in the history of rock" by the band took place at the The Rathskeller, Boston, where they performed early versions of "Here Comes Your Man", "Dig for Fire", and "Build High".
Musical style
Although the Pixies' musical style has changed over time, the band is considered to be an alternative rock band alongside similar bands such as the Throwing Muses. The Pixies explored a range of song styles in their songs although many songs were characterized by Francis' distinctive yowling and lead vocals, with Deal's feathery backing vocals (on songs such as "I Bleed" and "Debaser") & Santiago's erratic lead guitar. The band's sound has progressed from an indie rock sound on Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, to a more sci-fi rock sound on Bossanova and Trompe le Monde. However, they have experimented with other genres of music, such as surf rock ("Cecilla Ann" on Bossanova), rock ("U-Mass") and pseudo-metal ("Planet of Sound" and "The Sad Punk", on Trompe le Monde).
Awards and achievements
Although the Pixies never gained mainstream recognition in its original incarnation, the band won several awards from music publications and local music awards. For example, they won the Act of the Year award in the 2004 Boston Music Awards. The Pixies also won acclaim from music publications for their records:
* Sounds – Album of the Year: Surfer Rosa – 1988
* Melody Maker – Album of the Year – Surfer Rosa – 1988
* Sounds – Runner up Album of the Year – Doolittle – 1989
* Melody Maker – Single of the Year – "Monkey Gone to Heaven" – 1989
* Melody Maker – Runner Up Album of the Year – Doolittle – 1989
* Sounds – Album of the Year – Bossanova – 1990
In addition, the albums Surfer Rosa and Doolittle both appeared on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
Discography
* Come On Pilgrim EP (1987)
* Surfer Rosa (1988)
* Doolittle (1989)
* Bossanova (1990)
* Trompe le Monde (1991)
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