Now here’s a show that will be music to the ears of local alternative-rock fans. The Pixies are headed out soon on a global tour, and the band is playing a handful of California club dates to gear up for it. Lucky enough for Sacramento, one of those four shows will be held at Ace of Spades on Oct. 26.
The show marks the Pixies’ first local appearance in more than a decade. The seminal alt-rock back last played around these parts in 2004 at UC Davis’ Freeborn Hall, with a concert that was a warm-up of sorts for the band’s appearance a few days later at the Coachella festival in southern California.
Forming in 1986 in Boston, the band’s whisper-to-a-scream dynamics were a key influence on Nirvana, and its discordant melodies and surrealist lyrics helped set a template for such groups as Radiohead, Blur and countless others that explored rock music that was at once heady and at sonically powerful.
The upcoming tour will be in support of the band’s latest album, “Head Carrier,” which was released Sept. 30. The Pixies continue with a variation on its classic lineup, with Paz Lenchantin (known for her stints in A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age and others) replacing founding member Kim Deal on bass. The upcoming set is said to include a mix of its most time-honored tunes and new material.
“We haven’t been on the road for about a year and a half, so doing these warmup dates will be a lot of fun,” said Pixies frontman Black Francis in a statement. “We’re all very proud of the new album and are looking forward to playing some of the new songs live. … Having Paz in the band has been great, she’s brought a whole new energy and made things fun again, and we’re excited about continuing to make more new music.”
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at www.pixiesmusic.com.
Chris Macias: 916-321-1253, @chris_macias
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