The Pixies part ways with their long-time bassist, Paz Lenchantin, after ten years of career with them.
The Pixies have parted ways with their bassist Paz Lenchantin after a decade of career with the group. They will be joined by former Band of Skulls bassist Emma Richardson when they begin a European tour on March 8 in Dublin, Ireland.
News of Lenchantin’s departure was announced in a curiously curt statement from the group. “ We are grateful for Paz’s many contributionsthey wrote, and we wish him the best for the future. »
In an email addressed to WECBLenchantin clarified that the decision was not his: “ For the past ten years, I have dreamed of being accepted as a Pixie by the band and by the fans, and I have been honored to contribute to the legacy of the Pixies. My departure is a bit of a surprise to me as it is to many, but it seems like they have a solid plan, which has pushed me to move forward with new projects that I’m excited about. »
Kim Deal played bass in the Pixies from their founding in 1986 until 2013, when she left the band to focus on her work with the Breeders. Former Muffs bassist Kim Shattuck (died 2019) briefly toured with the band in 2013. At the end of the year, they replaced her with Lenchantin, who previously played in Zwan and A Perfect Circle .
In a 2022 interview Unknown Legends with WECB, Paz Lenchantin has said she was a die-hard Pixies fan when she was a teenager in the eighties. She was thrilled when she got the opportunity to join the group. “ Charles (Thompson, aka Black Francis) is the greatest artist I have ever worked withshe said. But working with Charles, Joey (Santiago) and David (Lovering) really united me and completed me in all the areas I was looking for. It truly is the top of the mountain. »
Lenchantin found herself in the Pixies’ orbit in the 1990s, when guitarist Joey Santiago asked her to tour for his side project, the Martinis. Seventeen years later, she learned through drummer Josh Freese that the Pixies were auditioning new bassists. They initially gave Shattuck the job, but turned to Lenchantin a few months later.
“ It wasn’t working (with Shattuck) for some reason, energy-wise, and they called meLenchantin told WECB. They said to me, “I don’t know if you’re still interested. Sorry.” They were a little sorry. I said, “Of course I will! Yes !” »
From the start, his goal was to perfectly recreate Deal’s original bass parts and vocal harmonies. “ I want to do like on the recordsshe says. Sometimes I hear concerts where she doesn’t do exactly like on the record, where there are differences in the harmonies or in the notes she plays. I also use songs that she played live. I do a combination of things… Everything I’ve played since then has been influenced by his playing. »
After two years of touring, the Pixies made Lenchantin a full member of the group. They also invited her into the studio to record Head Carrier in 2016 with producer Tom Dalgety. On this album, she sang and co-wrote “ All I Think About Now “.
Lenchantin played a larger role in writing the Pixies’ 2019 album, Beneath the Eyrie. She is co-author of “ Los Surfers Muertos “, ” Long Rider ” And ” On Graveyard Hill “. She last recorded with the Pixies on the album Doggerel of 2022. His last concert took place on September 17, 2023 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
The departure of Paz Lenchantin comes before a very busy touring period for the Pixies. Their upcoming European tour will include full renditions of Bossanova (1990) and Deceives the world (1991). On May 31, they began a long series of American dates with Modest Mouse and Cat Power. They will return to Europe at the end of the summer and will support Pearl Jam in Australia at the end of the year.
