10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Breeders

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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!