The revolving door that is the Pixies’ bass player position just took another spin this morning, as Paz Lenchantin officially exited the band, with Band of Skulls bassist Emma Richardson set to join the group prior to their tour kickoff later this week.
The band announced the change in a social media post on March 4, writing:
“Paz Lenchantin, who joined Pixies in 2014, has exited the band to concentrate on her own projects. We’re grateful for Paz’s many contributions, and wish her all the best going forward.
“We are delighted to welcome Emma Richardson on bass,” the message continued. “Emma will make her worldwide touring debut on the first night of the Bossanova x Trompe le Monde European tour, beginning this Friday in Dublin.”
In addition to regularly touring with Pixies, Lenchantin also recorded three albums with them: Head Carrier (2016), Beneath the Eyrie (2019) and Doggerel (2020), on which she cowrote three songs. Lenchantin first came to prominence as a bassist for high-profile side projects in the early 2000s, playing first for A Perfect Circle (with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan), and later with Zwan (featuring Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan). She’s also been a member of the Entrance Band, and contributed string parts to Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf, Jenny Lewis’ Acid Tongue and Silver Jews’ Tanglewood Numbers.
Pixies' Joey Santiago, Black Francis and Paz Lenchantin.
In a statement to Rolling Stone today, Lenchantin noted that her departure came as a surprise:
“It has been a dream of dreams these past 10 years to have been accepted as a Pixie by the band and by fans and an honor to have contributed to the Pixies legacy,” she wrote. “My departure is a bit of a surprise to me as it is to many, but it looks like they have a solid plan figured out which in turn has pushed me to move onwards onto new projects that I am excited about.”
Pixies’ original lineup — Black Francis/Frank Black, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and Kim Deal — first reunited in 2004. Deal, whose tensions with Francis contributed to the band’s initial breakup in 1993, quit the reformed band in 2013, and was subsequently replaced by the Muffs’ frontwoman Kim Shattuck, who was fired from the band less than a year later. Deal has since been active with the Breeders, her other major band, which also features her twin sister Kelley Deal. Shattuck died of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2019 at the age of 56.
The original Pixies lineup, featuring Francis and founding bassist Kim Deal, onstage in 1990.
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As for the newest recruit, Richardson has a busy schedule to look forward to, as Pixies will be on tour for most of the current year, including a co-headlining tour with Modest Mouse and a stint opening for Pearl Jam in Australia and New Zealand. Check out the band’s full tour dates below:
03/08 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
03/09 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
03/10 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
03/12 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
03/13 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hal
03/14 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
03/16 – London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum
03/17 – London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum
03/18 – London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum
03/20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/22 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/25 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
03/26 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
03/27 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
05/31 – Charleston, SC @ Firefly Distillery
06/01 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
06/02 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
06/04 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre
06/05 – Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady Music Center
06/08 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
06/09 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
06/11 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
06/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at the Mann
06/14 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
06/15 – Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
06/16 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
06/18 – Detroit, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
06/19 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion
06/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field
06/22 – Madison, WI @ Breese Stevens Field
06/23 – Waukee, IA @ Vibrant Music Hall
06/24 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
06/26 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheatre
06/27 – Irving, TX @ Toyota Music Factory
06/28 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
06/30 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
07/24 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
07/26 – Benidorm, ES @ Low Festival
07/28 – Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botánico
07/30 – Salon-de-Provence, FR @ Lété Au Chateau
08/01 – Nijmegen, NL @ OpenLucht Theater Goffert
08/02 – Nijmegen, NL @ OpenLucht Theater Goffert
08/04 – Braine-le-Comte, BE @ Ronquieres Festival
08/05 – Festen, BE @ Lokerse Feesten
08/07 – Luxembourg @ den Atelier
08/08 – Schwetzingen, DE @ Musik Im Park
08/10 – Prague, CZ @ Forum Karlin
08/13 – Helsinki, FI @ House of Culture
08/14 – Helsinki, FI @ House of Culture
08/16 – Bodø, NO @ Parkenfestivalen
08/17 – Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo Festival
08/20 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
08/21 – Halifax, UK @ Piece Hall
08/23 – London, UK @ All Points East
08/24 – Portsmouth, UK @ Victorious Festival
08/27 – Galway, IE @ Galway Airport
08/28 – Belfast, IE @ Custom House Square
08/29 – Dublin, IE @ RDS Simmonscourt
11/08 – Auckland, NZ @ Go Media Stadium
11/10 – Auckland, NZ @ Go Media Stadium
11/13 – Gold Coast, AU @ Heritage Bank Stadium
11/16 – Melbourne, AU @ Marvel Stadium
11/18 – Melbourne, AU @ Marvel Stadium
11/21 – Sydney, AU @ Giants Stadium
11/23 – Sydney, AU @ Giants Stadium
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