Breeders Amoeba in-store May 1, 2008

Rocked by Breeders

The fine people of San Francisco were blessed not once but twice by The Breeders.  Wednesday night they rocked a sold-out Slim’s to a super jazzed crowd.  And what a better way to spend May Day than rocking out with the coolest chicks in the business at the only magical in-store scheduled on their tour.  Super fans staked their claim to stage front property for the 6pm show well before 5, mountains of Breeder branded equipment cases piled up neatly around the Reggae Island.  The stage was set, all we needed were some Breeders, namely Kim and Kelly Deal, Cheryl (from Florida), José Medeles and Mando Lopez.

Kelly came out to test some guitars and before heading back upstairs leaned on a crate and said to me “Now the only question is what do we play?”  I thought it was rhetorical but I answered anyways.  I mean, who wouldn’t?  “Well, I would love to hear ‘900,’ but more importantly what do YOU want to play?” I asked, in hopes that she might divulge some juicy geeked out bits on musical passions.  She smiled and said, “I don’t know!  You know, I thought it would be great for us to do an acoustic set.  Because I thought in-stores were supposed to be more intimate in this smaller space with fewer people.  It’s an opportunity to do something that’s not a show. . .but Kim was like no!  (Laughs) I mean, she freaked out. . .so we’re all plugged in and ready to go.”  Now this was interesting.  An acoustic Breeders set?  Bring it on!  So I encouraged her – “An acoustic set would be GREAT!  Maybe you can change Kim’s mind, I mean you have 5 minutes or so. . .”  She laughed and went to get Kim and the band.

Only moments later they took the stage to legions of hoots and hollering.  They broke in the stage with “No Aloha” from Last Splash starting in with that Hawaiian riff from Kelly on electric guitar.  “Saw it on the wall / Motherhood means mental freeze. . .Freeze head / No Aloha” and then that catapult into head banging mosh territory that they do so well came on like a train.  They are for sure the queens of Indie Rock!

Ever the conversational band, they asked who had been at Silm’s the night before and received lots of yells and screaming and “YESSS!”  Kim said “We’re going to do a new song now. . .You know when we did this song in Europe they were like ‘aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww’ I mean, they just didn’t want to hear it!” she laughed.  Launching into “Bang On” no one in this crowd was complaining – the song rocks.  Mando uses a DIY hand-constructed drum to get that incredible sound you hear on the record. It’s basically a wooden frame taped over many times with packing tape!  He hits it with a mallet and it’s pure magic resulting in that great warm booming that resonates throughout the song.

Apparently Steve Albini had “co-written” the next song from Mountain Battles, “Walk it Off,” or rather, Kim had “threatened to list it as co-written by Kim Deal and Steve Albini on the liner notes – just to make him squirm!”  As Kim tells it, Steve was walking down the hall a few years ago when they were in the studio working on Title TK and she had asked him if he had any genius song lyrics.  She framed the scene for us “He pulled a pad of paper from the front pocket of his little all in one suit like he and drones wear, flipped through its pages and said something about the drummer not liking the band but being in it anyways and walk it around.”  Winding down for a spare yet beautiful ode to 50’s pining rock they followed with “Night of Joy.”  Ever the band of shifting moods in the very best of ways, the crowd was along for the ride and swooned to the heart break and longing of the beautiful tune with plenty of old timey “ooooo” back up vocals.

Bringing the tempo back up the title track of The Amps album “Pacer” boomed. “I like to get loud / I like to go to the other side / Just to think you were just passing by” - all I could see was Kim in that video getting hassled by dudes at the racetrack and being a gracious 2^nd runner up while the guy gets the girl and the trophy and I think he gets handed a jug of milk to drink as well!  Well the kids loved it, a mix of the classic and the newfound folks rocking, head bobbing and jumping around.  Kim shared with us that “Steve Albini’s cat Fluss, may he rest in peace, was credited as a recording engineer on the album recorded in Chicago.”

Taking it back to super-hopeful beautifully crafted outlooks to the future of possibilities and impossibilities, “We’re Gonna Rise” began.  It was simply beautiful like being out past curfew in high school laying on the hood of your car with a good friend watching the airplanes take off and land.  “Feeling the light on my face / Out of rank out of range.”

Launching into the alternative classic “Cannonball” the crowd helped Kim with the “aaaaaaaaooooooooo aaaaaaaaoooooooo’s” and freaked out in general. 

Slowing it down for another new song, Kim and Kelly prefaced it with a story about how the lyrics came about.  Apparently in the 1930s they used to issue “beautiful art deco framed birth certificates to families upon a close relative’s death.  My mom gave Kelly one for our great grand parents and it’s hanging on the wall in her house.  At the top it says ‘not lost but gone before’ and I thought what a great song that would make!  Our mom is from Appalachia (West Virginia) and I asked her what the next line of the song would be, and she said “here no more, here no more!”  A beautiful family collaboration backed up with guitar and bass Kelly and Kim sang as if at a recital – it was quite charming.  Kelly clasped her hands in front and when not singing she would step back from the microphone and step back up when it was her turn to sing.  Precious!

Closing out this great mini-set was “Divine Hammer” and the crowd recalled its earlier excitement exuded for “Cannonball” and sang along.  “I’m just looking for one divine hammer / I’d bang it all day / And the carpenter goes bang / Bang bang.”  Little dance parties filled the aisles and everyone wanted more, but alas The Breeders were on a timeline and there was a signing to do!  Gigantic applause raised the roof and Kim said, “Thanks for coming out!  This was fun! ”

I understand that the official word was that the show was not to be “professionally recorded,” however in true indie spirit the band encouraged folks to take pictures and record at the in-store.  Viva la revolution!  Many many thanks to The Breeders for taking the time from their tireless tour schedule to give a fabulous banter and anecdote filled set and do a meet and greet signing with lots of laughter and pictures.  San Francisco is forever grateful!

d.a. johnston