Melissa Auf der Maur, a prominent figure in '90s rock known for her work with bands like Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, is re-entering the public eye with new music and a photography exhibition. This marks a significant return 33 years after she co-founded her first band, Tinker.
Last week, Auf der Maur reunited with The Smashing Pumpkins for a 17-song set at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Frontman Billy Corgan introduced her as a "former bandmate" before they performed "Heavy Metal Machine." "Floating and grateful," Auf der Maur shared on Instagram, reflecting on the performance and expressing her longing for her bass and fellow musicians.
Auf der Maur's musical journey began when Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love to join Hole following the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff. This pivotal moment, as Auf der Maur noted, became "the radical gateway to the rest of my music mania life."
After leaving Hole in 1999, Auf der Maur launched a solo career in 2004, releasing two studio albums, "Auf der Maur" and "Out of Our Minds." On July 20, she announced the upcoming release of "Bass Womb Room: My '90s 4-Track Demos X Field Recordings," her first new music in over 15 years, set for release on September 4. The collection features eight new interludes and seven demo tracks recorded in the '90s.
"These songs are the sound of my internal experimentation and a way of keeping the Montreal art girl alive inside," Auf der Maur stated. "These sounds are the quiet and private side of the girl who joined the big American major label rock band."
In addition to her music, Auf der Maur is preparing for an exhibition titled "My '90s Rock Photographs," running from September 2-10. An accompanying 240-page photobook will be released on September 8.
"It is a sound and visual installation, an ode to the force of the bass that has moved me onstage and offstage," she told Bass Magazine in May. "While I've been in the studio doing that, I've decided that I also want to have fun, so I'm working on a very carefully curated cover album, which is also an ode to my bass in the form of electronic, industrial, new wave music that uses synth bass covered by me on electric with real drums. That will probably come out next year."
Her literary debut, the 432-page autobiography "Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A '90s Rock Memoir," was published on March 17. In the book, she discusses her past romance with Dave Grohl, calling their time together "joyous" and "musically enriching."
Auf der Maur is also the co-owner of Basilica Hudson, a multi-disciplinary art center in New York, with her ex-husband, filmmaker Tony Stone. The couple has a 14-year-old daughter, River.