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Former HOLE And SMASHING PUMPKINS Bassist MELISSA AUF DER MAUR Announces First Solo Performances in 15 Years
Melissa Auf Der Maur has announced her first solo performances in 15 years, following a year that has brought a memoir, a museum exhibition and her first new music in more than 15 years. The former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist will perform at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and Le Gesù in Montreal in January, bringing her archive-based project to the stage.
Her digital release, *Bass Womb Room*, combines seven unreleased demos she recorded at home on a four-track machine in the 1990s with eight new interludes made for her exhibition; the album’s vinyl edition is due on 4 December. The January performances will feature musicians Alex Crow and Betsy Wright, with artist Jessica Moss joining the Montreal show. Auf Der Maur also played on Hole’s *Celebrity Skin* and joined the Smashing Pumpkins for their 1999–2000 farewell tour.
In short
- Melissa Auf Der Maur will return to solo performance in January.
- Her project pairs seven 1990s demos with eight new interludes.
- Vinyl for *Bass Womb Room* is due on 4 December.
Explained simply
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian musician best known for playing bass with the alternative rock bands Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins. She joined Hole in the mid-1990s and later played with the Smashing Pumpkins during their 1999–2000 farewell tour.
Her solo work brings together older recordings and newer material, alongside photographs, objects and other pieces from her personal archive. The project offers a way to revisit her career and the music scene she was part of, while showing how artists can develop new work from material made years earlier.
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