Mon 12/16 @ 8:30PM
With the ’90s known as the grunge era, it’s easier to forget how diverse the bands were that made their mark during that time.
The Breeders, for instance, were formed as a side project by members of a couple of college radio favorites — Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses — and cultivated a sharper, more accessible version of the scrappy pop/rock their other bands were known for.
It paid off big time with their 1993 album Last Splash, which produced a hit single “Cannonball.” Donelly was forming her own band Belly during this time, so Deal drafted her twin sister Kelley. That heralded a period of instability in the band — member changes, drug issues, hiatuses, new side projects for both Deal sisters.
Early this year, the Last Splash-era Breeders reassembled, with the Deal sisters, original bassist Josephine Wiggs, and drummer Jim Macpherson, formerly of Guided by Voices (That line-up did not have a permanent drummer). That makes the current Breeders 3/4ths Ohioans, with the Deals and Macpherson all hailing from the Dayton area. Wiggs is British.
The group hit the road last spring to promote the 20th anniversary reissue of Last Splash. They kicked off the tour in Oberlin last May.
They finally arrive in Cleveland with a show at the Beachland Ballroom. Massachusetts indie rockers Speedy Ortiz open.
Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door.