For lover's of awesome '90s alt-rock, it doesn't get much better than the Breeders. Everyone knows about the awesomeness of the Deal sisters and the group's smash '93 single 'Cannonball,' but there's more to this recently reunited group than sisterly love and killer bass lines. If you're new to the group, read this list of 10 Things You Didn't Know about the Breeders and get up to speed on some true originals.

  • National Archive, Newsmakers
    National Archive, Newsmakers
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    1

    Their hometown doesn't just fly -- it rocks

    Dayton, Ohio, is known as the birthplace of aviation -- one of the Wright brothers was born there, and today, it's home to a major Air Force base -- but the city has also produced two legendary alt-rock bands: Guided By Voices and the Breeders. In fact, Kelley and Kim Deal still reside in the small city.

  • Graeme Robertson, Getty Images
    Graeme Robertson, Getty Images
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    2

    They make knitting cool

    Kelley Deal is an accomplished knitter, and she's even published several books on the topic. Unlike your grandma (we're guessing), she picked up the extracurricular as a way to stay sober after years of drug problems, and her prowess with the needles and yarn proves there's more to this rocker than musical genius.

  • Jason Kempin,Getty Images, for CBGB Festival
    Jason Kempin,Getty Images, for CBGB Festival
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    3

    They share more than a hometown with GBV

    Jim Macphereson, the drummer that played on 'Last Splash' and is now touring with the Breeders to commemorate that album's 20th anniversary, also did a stint with Guided By Voices.

  • Jason Merritt,Getty Images
    Jason Merritt,Getty Images
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    4

    They got a spike from Spike

    The Breeders' iconic 'Cannonball' video, which features the group rocking out in a garage, was co-directed by Kim Deal and Spike Jonez, who would later find fame with films such as 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation.'

  • Gaye Gerard,Getty Images
    Gaye Gerard,Getty Images
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    5

    GBV were guided by Deal

    Jim Macphereson isn't the only connection between the Breeders and GBV. Kim Deal did some production work for her Dayton brethren in the mid-'90s, when the Breeders were put on hold due to Kelley's drug bust. Alongside Steve Albini, Kim co-produced 1996's 'Under the Bushes Under the Stars,' considered by man to be one of GBV's finer full-lengths.

  • Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images
    Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images
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    6

    They weren't always a double-dose of Deal

    Kim Deal founded the Breeders with Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses while still a member of the Pixies. Kelley didn't join up until 1992's 'Safari' EP, and while she admits she didn't know how to play, the band soon scored a gig opening for Nirvana in Europe.

  • Trixie Textor/Getty Images
    Trixie Textor/Getty Images
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    7

    The Deals have been "Breeders" since the '80s

    The Deal sisters used the name the Breeders during the early '80s when performing around Dayton. But then Kim joined the Pixies in 1986, and the Breeders became a  thing of the past. It wasn't until Kim decided to record music with Tanya Donelly and Josephine Wiggs in the early '90's that the name was resurrected.

  • Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
    Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
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    8

    They're vampire slayers

    It is a well- known fact that the Breeders have made the pop-cultural rounds over the last two decades. However, one unsuspecting outlet was that of the hit T.V show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' The show, which starred Sarah Michelle Geller, approached the band after discovering they played the shows theme regularly during their concert sets, and the band made an appearance in a 2002 episode.

  • Jeff J Mitchell,Getty Images
    Jeff J Mitchell,Getty Images
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    9

    The Brits dig 'em more

    The Breeders most popular album, 'Last Spalsh,' only made it to No. 33 on the Billboards 200 chart in 1993. They really made a splash in the U.K., though, where the disc reached No. 5.

  • Trixie Textor/Getty Images
    Trixie Textor/Getty Images
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    10

    Is this their Last Splash?

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of 'Last Splash,' and to celebrate, the band embarked on a world tour earlier this year. Fortunately, they've added even more dates to the tour! Splashing through the States, they're hitting up the Big Apple, Boston, Madison, Minneapolis and ending on New Years Eve in Austin. If you missed 'em earlier this year, now is your time to catch this iconic Indie band before it's too late!

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