Melissa Auf der Maur Announces 90s Demos and Photography Exhibition
Former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur will release BASS WOMB ROOM: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings on September 4 via Envision Records. The project pairs seven home-recorded demos with eight new soundscapes, accompanying a photography exhibition opening September 2 at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Business of Archival Intellectual Property
From Lo-Fi Tape to Museum Installation
The recordings, captured on a Tascam four-track in a Los Angeles living room, serve as a stark contrast to the high-gloss aesthetic of 1990s alternative rock. According to the official announcement, the audio remains untouched by modern processing, save for mastering. This commitment to the “raw” aesthetic is mirrored in the companion museum exhibition, Melissa Auf der Maur: My ’90s Rock Photographs, which features a 240-page book published by DelMonico Books/D.A.P. and the AGO.
The project extends beyond a standard audio release into a multi-sensory environment. Co-produced with Alex Crow, the installation utilizes Handycam footage Auf der Maur captured while touring with Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins. The audio-visual integration functions as a narrative bridge between her life as a touring musician and her internal creative process.
Managing Narrative and Reputation
That release inadvertently fueled public speculation regarding a potential Hole reunion, a narrative quickly dismantled by Courtney Love.
Auf der Maur’s decision to focus on her “internal experimentation” rather than the commercial catalog of her past bands acts as a safeguard for her creative legacy. By framing BASS WOMB ROOM as the “quiet and private side” of the bassist who played on the 1998 album Celebrity Skin, she effectively pivots the conversation from industry gossip to artistic contribution.