The Amps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Amps
Origin	Dayton, Ohio
Genres	Indie rock
Years active	1995-1996
Labels	4AD Records Elektra
Associated acts	Pixies Throwing Muses The Breeders Guided By Voices

The Amps were an indie-rock band from Dayton, Ohio. Formed by Kim Deal in 1995 after The Breeders went on hiatus, they first began touring as "Tammy Ampersand and the Amps" (a name inspired by friend Robert Pollard) but it was later shortened to "The Amps."

Their album Pacer was released on Halloween of 1995. It is widely believed to consist mostly of songs intended for The Breeders' follow-up album to the platinum Last Splash.^{[citation needed]}

Kim Deal originally intended to play all of the instruments herself, even going so far to learn the drums (she knew guitar and bass already, having played guitar in The Breeders and bass in The Pixies), but in the end she recruited Jim Macpherson, the drummer from The Breeders, and Luis Lerma and Nate Farley, two friends from Dayton, to play on the album and tour.

Pacer sold poorly, despite generally good reviews. Perhaps anticipating a hit along the lines of Last Splash, Elektra had ordered a huge first pressing, leading to the widespread availability of discounted copies of Pacer in used-record and dollar stores.

The Amps continued to tour until mid-1996, including a lucrative gig opening for the first Foo Fighters tour, when Kim called off a series of shows and festivals to reform the Breeders. Guitarist Nate Farley and drummer Jim Macpherson went on to join Guided by Voices, although everyone else was temporarily folded into a new (but short-lived) lineup of The Breeders.

Contents [hide] 1 Members 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 2.3 Promos 3 Legacy 3.1 Musical tributes 4 References in pop culture 5 External links

[edit] Members

• Kim Deal: Vocals, Guitars
• Jim Macpherson: Drums
• Luis Lerma: Bass
• Nate Farley: Guitars

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Title	Release date	Label
Pacer	1995	4AD/Elektra

[edit] Singles

Year	Title	Album	Label
1995	"Tipp City"	Pacer	4AD/Elektra

[edit] Promos

Year	Title	Album	Label
1995	"Bragging Party"	Pacer	4AD/Elektra
1995	"Tipp City"	Pacer	4AD/Elektra
1996	"Pacer"	Pacer	Elektra