Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Kelley Deal 6000 - Boom! Boom! Boom!


I first met Kelley Deal in 1995. I was in my final few months of living in Christchurch, New Zealand, when I read in the local music paper that the Breeders were headed to town on the Asia/Pacific leg of their world tour in support of their blockbuster album Last Splash. Being a Pixies fan, I idolized Kim Deal, so I was fully into the Breeders at that time. In fact, I went to their show (for the Pod tour) at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC just before I left for NZ. New records were always slow to get to New Zealand, so I had a friend mail me a copy of Last Splash the moment it came
out in the States. So I was practically the only person in town who had fully absorbed their new album by the time they made their swing through Christchurch. I was so jazzed about seeing them, that I took the morning off of work to rush down to the box office (in a converted theater in Cathedral Square, around the corner from Lochinvar's Irish Pub), arriving early for what I just KNEW would be a huge line for tickets to the show. However, when I arrived early that morning, there wasn't another soul in sight, and in the couple of hours that passed as I stood there, not a single other person joined the ticket line behind me. When the window opened, I quietly paid for tickets #0001 and #0002 (don't know why I bought two - my girlfriend at the time was not a fan, and I couldn't think of anyone else who might have wanted to go - I guess I wanted a souvenir) and left.

On the day of the show, a week or so later, I arrived extra-early, in order to get a good place in front of the stage, and (hopefully) to meet some of the band members and get some autographs, especially Kim's. As I approached the bar in the back of the place, I immediately recognized the Breeders' bassist, Josephine Wiggs, standing with one of the Deal twins, who I assumed to be Kim. I sidled up to them, trying to act all cool and nonchalant, and spouted off a "Hi Josephine! Hi Kim!" greeting. Of course, I was wrong - it wasn't Kim I was talking to, but Kelley. Anyway, she turned out to be as super-cool and nice as could be - I think that she was just happy to be talking to an American in the middle of New Zealand. We spoke for a long time before the show, talking about the tour and life on the road and all. She called her sister Kim over and introduced me to her, and just before they went on, the whole band signed my copy of Last Splash with the pen I brought. I stood in the front row the entire show (which was packed - I guess the line appeared AFTER I bought my tickets), and at the end of it, Kelley leaned over and handed me her guitar pick. Overall, it was a great night.

In the following months, I moved back to the U.S. from New Zealand, and the Breeders imploded, helped along by Kelley's problems with the law, related to her getting busted by the feds after receiving a half-pound of Black Tar heroin in the mail. I entered grad school, but still found time to see bands now and then. Kelley did a drug rehab stint, and started a new band, the Kelley Deal 6000. It seemed that everywhere I went for the next year of so (I traveled a lot during the second semester, interviewing for summer intern work), Kelley and her band were there as well, so I ended up seeing a lot of their early shows. DC: New York: Cambridge, MA - I went to all of those performances, and made a point of trying to say Hi to her at each one.

After grad school, I got a job with a company in Texas, and moved the the Dallas area. Sure enough, a month after I got there, the Kelley Deal 6000 came to town, to play a funky little bar in the Deep Ellum area. Of course, I went to the show, and got there early enough to speak with Kelley. I said hello to her, mentioned that I had first met her in New Zealand, and talked about all the other places I saw her band. She looked hard at me, and said "****** [my name], right? I REMEMBER you!" From then on, we became friends. We exchanged addresses that evening, and every once in a while I would hear from her from her home in Minnesota. She came to Dallas twice more in the first year I was there, and each time we hung out together before and after the show. The last time, I brought my girlfriend along, a big Breeders fan who didn't really believe that I knew Kelley Deal that well. Her doubts were extinguished upon our arrival at the club, where Kelley was standing outside the door. She looked up, shouted my name, and ran over to hug me. Later that night, during the encore of "I Wanna Be Your Dog", Kelley pulled me up on stage to sing backup with the rest of the band. It was a pretty cool night, to say the least, and my girlfriend was most impressed.

At that time, the band was touring on its second (and last) album, Boom! Boom! Boom!, released by New West Records in 1997. I've always considered this album superior to the band's
debut, Go To The Sugar Altar. The song structures and sequencing seem to be a lot more focused here, and the band even experiments with some different sounds and arrangements, as can be heard in songs such as the all-drum "Total War" and the warm but eerie "Scary". I would have loved to have seen what the Kelley Deal 6000 would have done on subsequent albums. But the band went on indefinite hiatus in 1998, and Kelley rejoined the Breeders in late 2002, where she remains.

Many years have passed now, and Kelley and I have long since been out of touch. It's doubtful that after all these years she even recalls my name or who I am; if she does has any recollection, it's probably just that of another fan getting into her face. Oh well. For a brief moment in my life, I was happy and proud to call someone as cool as Kelley Deal my friend, and I wish her the best in everything she does.

Here's the album:

Please use the email link below to contact me, and I will reply with the download link(s) ASAP:

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36 comments:

  1. Hi ****** (your name)
    I've only just discovered your site ... love the music, love the stories. Kelly Deal! wow!

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  2. Hello Linda -

    Glad you're enjoying my site, and my posts (I'm happy to see that people are actually reading my longwinded screeds before getting to the music!). And thanks for being the first one to actually leave a comment - it makes me happy to know that someone out there likes this blog! Keep coming back - much more music to come!

    HFM

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  3. A million thanks for the album. I've been looking for it desperately !. And congratulations for the blog!

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  4. Thank you so much for uploading this album, I´ve been looking for it, a few years ago I downloaded it, it got erased from my computer and I never found it again. Until now. Thank you!

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  5. YAY! I've been looking for it, too. So thank you thank you so much. And nice blog, keep going.

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  6. You are most welcome. And thank YOU!

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  7. Thank you for the link! I lost all hope of ever finding the album. Very interesting read :) say hello from the rest of us the next time you meet up :)

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  8. I already have this album, looking for their first one though! Also, I met Kim Deal at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. I was wearing an "I Love Kim Deal" t-shirt and on the back it said "and Kelley too!" I had to take off my shirt at the front of the stage for Kim to sign it (she smiled big, must've enjoyed that!) She signed the front, and on the back, scribbled out Kelley's name and wrote "Bitch". I think it's a mock rivalry, or maybe they were having a spat. But they seemed to be getting along just fine on stage. I actually recorded that show, but the recording is not in my possession any more. I'll get it back eventually. It's very low fidelity. My bass player met Kim as well, and she too called her Kelley. It was a great show!

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  9. Hi Andy! Thanks for the comment. Let me know your email address, and I'll send you the album you requested above posthaste! I look forward to hearing from you - thanks again.

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  10. Thank you very much for this beauty, I've been a big Breeders fan and it's nice to see that the 6000s were ahead of their game, as well. I think I'll stay over and explore some more of your sexy candies. cheers

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  11. Amazing stuff. Thanks for posting

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  12. Such a gem!!! Couldn't find it anywhere, thank you very much!

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  13. Really big thanks to you! I love your blog. I can't find this and you have it! :D Gotta leave the Deal sisters!

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  14. Thanks for the great read. Having only heard her Breeders contributions, I'm really looking forward to listening to her other stuff.

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  15. Great read and thanks for the album! Right, I'm off to read some more stuff on here :)

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  16. Thank you, i've been looking for this long time ago and finally i can listen everytime i want, thanks again and nice blog

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  17. Thanks again for the link! I enjoy your blog.

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  18. Thank you very much for this. I really dislike 4shared and you went out of your way to get this to me anyway. Seriously, thanks.

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  19. Thank you so much for this. I greatly appreciate it and can't wait for the next one.

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  20. Hey this is David wanted to say you did made day!!!!!!!

    -David

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  21. Hi! And thank you so much for the album!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

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  22. Awesome Man! Great To Have A Story To Go With The Album, Really Adds That Extra Personal Touch. Thanks A Bunch!

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  23. Thank you so much from making this music available to the next generation!

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  24. Thank you for making my collection complete!!!

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  25. Thank you so much for the albums, dude! I couldn't find it anywhere and now my Deal sisters collection is complete!

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  26. Thank you so much, dude! I couldn't find it anywhere and now my Deal sisters collection is complete!

    Love the story too, looking forward for more stuff!

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  27. Thanks a ton! Been a huge Breeders fan for a long time, so I'm excited to find some Kelley stuff to go with the Kim stuff!

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  28. I'm a huge Breeders fan and been looking for Kelley Deal 6000's discography for ages. Thanks for sharing the records with us ❤️

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    Replies
    1. You are MOST welcome! All the best to you in Finland!

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  29. ¡El mundo nesesita mĂĄs gente como tĂș!
    Gracias por el ĂĄlbum,lo escucharĂ© tantas veces,buen blog 😀

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  30. Wonderful record, stumbled onto it from hearing songs from it in the movie May. You are doing the lords work. Cheers!

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