The Amps

The Amps were an American alternative rock band formed by Kim Deal in 1995, while her band the Breeders went on hiatus. The group consisted of Deal, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macpherson of the Breeders on drums. Kelley Deal, Kim's sister, was also briefly involved, but had to leave the band due to drug problems. The group was named when Kim Deal started calling herself Tammy Ampersand for fun, and the band Tammy and the Amps. They recorded the album '' Pacer'' in the United States and Ireland.

''Pacer'' was released in October 1995. The group toured the United States, Europe, and Australia with bands including the Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, and Guided by Voices. Critics commented on the loose and rough quality of these performances. The Amps continued as a group until 1996, when Deal changed their name back to the Breeders. By 2000, Macpherson, Lerma, and Farley had left the band; they were all at times involved in various projects with Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard. Deal's next album, the Breeders' ''Title TK'', was released seven years after ''Pacer''.

Background and formation

From 1986 to 1992, Deal was a member of the Pixies and from 1989 onwards, the Breeders. In August 1993, the Breeders released their second album, ''Last Splash'' which went platinum in the USA, gold in Canada, and silver in the UK. The other members of the group at that time were Kim's twin sister Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson. By late 1994, after two years of straight touring and recording, and culminating in the Lollapalooza tour, the band members were exhausted; they decided to take some time off from the Breeders, but this hiatus ended up being longer than expected. Kelley was arrested on drug charges in late 1994 and spent time in and out of rehabilitation, while Wiggs became involved in musical projects in New York, including collaborations with members of Luscious Jackson.

Meanwhile, Kim Deal was eager to continue recording and performing. At first she envisioned her next album as a solo record, on which she would play all of the instrument parts. When she was recording initial demos for the project, she asked Kelley to play on some of them, to distract her from her drug difficulties. Since Kelley was now also involved, Deal decided not to go solo, but formed a new group. She recruited Macpherson to play drums, musician Luis Lerma, bass, and Nate Farley, guitar. Later, Kelley dropped out of the project for rehabilitation and moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota. For fun, Deal began calling herself Tammy Ampersand, and the group, Tammy and the Amps. This became simply the Amps.

Recording and touring

The Amps released one album, ''Pacer'' which was recorded at several different studios. The first session, at Easley Studios in Memphis was engineered by Davis McCain and Doug Easley. Deal recorded new songs there including what would become ''Pacer''s single, "Tipp City". While she was producing an upcoming record by Guided by Voices she had a recording opportunity; when the group abandoned work on their album, Deal used the leftover studio time for her own songs. Following the Easley Studios session, recording for ''Pacer'' continued at six other locations in total, including studios in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dublin, and Deal's hometown of Dayton. Engineers Steve Albini, John Agnello, Bryce Goggin, and others each helped record one or more of these sessions. ''Pacer'' came out in October 1995.

The Amps toured throughout 1995 and 1996. Early performances, before releasing ''Pacer'', included June–July 1995 shows in Dayton: one with Guided by Voices at Gilly's and another with Poster Children

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