American rock band
Violent Femmes
are an American
folk punk
band from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. The band consists of founding members
Gordon Gano
(guitar, lead vocals) and
Brian Ritchie
(bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist
Blaise Garza
(joined 2004), and drummer John Sparrow (joined 2005).
[2]
Former members of the band include drummers
Victor DeLorenzo
(1980?1993, 2002?2013),
Guy Hoffman
(1993?2002), and
Brian Viglione
(2013?2016). Violent Femmes are considered to be an integral part of the then-underground folk punk and
alternative rock
scenes of the 1980s,
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
and remain influential or inspirational to the subsequent movements, particularly on
folk rock
,
indie rock
,
grunge
,
pop punk
,
emo
, and the late 1980s and 1990s alternative rock scene.
[3]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
Violent Femmes have released 10 studio albums and 19 singles during the course of their career. The band found critical acclaim with the release of their
self-titled debut album
in early 1983. Featuring many of their best-known songs, including "
Blister in the Sun
", "Kiss Off", "
Add It Up
" and "
Gone Daddy Gone
",
Violent Femmes
became the band's biggest-selling album and was eventually certified
platinum
by the
RIAA
.
[12]
After releasing two more albums,
Hallowed Ground
(1984) and
The Blind Leading the Naked
(1986), the band's future was uncertain and they split up in 1987 when Gano and Ritchie went solo. However, they regrouped a year later, releasing their fourth album
3
(1989). The follow-up album,
Why Do Birds Sing?
(1991), contains the fan favorite and concert staple "American Music".
In 1993, founding member Victor DeLorenzo (percussion, snare drum) left Violent Femmes and was replaced by Guy Hoffman, who debuted on the band's sixth album
New Times
(1994). Two more albums ?
Rock!!!!!
(1995) and
Freak Magnet
(2000) ? were released with this lineup before DeLorenzo rejoined the band in 2002 for what was to be a farewell tour. Following the commercial failure of
Freak Magnet
, Violent Femmes did not release any more studio albums for almost two decades, although a number of compilation albums were released in the early 2000s, along with a few one-off songs. Some controversy over the licensing of the band's songs for commercial use led to an official break-up in 2009, though they re-formed in 2013 (shortly before DeLorenzo left Violent Femmes again), and have since released two more studio albums of new material:
We Can Do Anything
(2016) and
Hotel Last Resort
(2019).
History
[
edit
]
Early years and first album (1981?1983)
[
edit
]
Violent Femmes were founded by bassist
Brian Ritchie
and percussionist
Victor DeLorenzo
in 1981, joined shortly thereafter by lead vocalist and guitarist
Gordon Gano
. According to Ritchie, he came up with the name of the group as a fake band name when one of his bandmates questioned his assertion that his brother was also in a band. He and DeLorenzo liked the name, so they used it for the rhythm duo in which they played prior to Gano joining the group.
[13]
In its early days, the band frequently played coffee houses and street corners. They were discovered by
James Honeyman-Scott
(of
the Pretenders
) on August 23, 1981, when the band was
busking
on a street corner in front of the
Oriental Theatre
, the Milwaukee venue that The Pretenders would be playing later that night.
Chrissie Hynde
invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act.
[14]
The band released their
self-titled debut album
in 1983.
Later years and brief split (1984?1992)
[
edit
]
After their debut album
Violent Femmes
, the band released
Hallowed Ground
, which moved the group toward a
country music
sound and introduced Christian themes. Mark Van Hecke produced the band's first two efforts,
[15]
but their third album,
The Blind Leading the Naked
, saw a change in the studio. This time, another fellow Milwaukee native,
Jerry Harrison
of
Talking Heads
, did the producing. It was more mainstream and pop-oriented, resulting in a minor hit with "
Children of the Revolution
", originally by
T. Rex
.
[16]
In 1985, Van Hecke ended his collaboration with the group and became a composer and producer in the rapidly growing video game industry. He would return later to produce two more albums for the group.
[15]
The Femmes briefly disbanded, with Gano releasing an album in 1987, the result of a
gospel
side project Mercy Seat. Ritchie also released several solo LPs. The group came back together in late 1988, releasing
3
, a return to the band's earlier, stripped-down sound.
[16]
Why Do Birds Sing?
was released in 1991 after the band signed to
Reprise
[16]
and featured another minor hit, "American Music," which became a concert staple.
Post-DeLorenzo years (1993?1998)
[
edit
]
In 1993, DeLorenzo departed the group to act and make solo records.
Guy Hoffman
, formerly of the
Oil Tasters
and
BoDeans
, was brought in to tour what was to become one of the Violent Femmes' biggest-selling records, the
Add It Up (1981?1993)
collection. Over the next nine years, the band, with Hoffman, recorded five full-length CDs and a handful of one-offs for motion picture soundtracks, such as "I Swear It (I Can Change)" from the
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
soundtrack
, "Color Me Once" for the
soundtrack
to
The Crow
and other compilation projects. The first full studio album with Hoffman on drums,
New Times
(
Elektra Records
), was released in 1994, and the band scored another minor hit with the song "Breakin' Up".
Rock!!!!!
(
Mushroom Records
) was released in 1995 in Australia only, though it has since become available in the United States.
Later years and reunion with DeLorenzo (1999?2006)
[
edit
]
Viva Wisconsin
, a live album, was released in the United States in 1999 through
Beyond Music
and was followed by
Freak Magnet
in 2000.
Something's Wrong
(2001), an album of unreleased studio tracks, covers, demos, and acoustic live performances, was released as an MP3-only album through
eMusic
. In 2002, Rhino Records repackaged the band's 1983 debut album, along with
demos
and live tracks, to coincide with a 20th-anniversary reissue. DeLorenzo asked to rejoin for what was to be a farewell tour, thus reinstating the original lineup.
In 2001, they recorded a cover of the
SpongeBob SquarePants
theme song for
Nickelodeon
as a promotion for the show moving to prime time. In 2003, it was featured in the Complete 1st Season DVD as a special feature.
2005 saw the release of two collections of past work?a CD called
Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes
on
Slash
/
Rhino
and a DVD,
Permanent Record ? Live & Otherwise
from
Rhino
, which showcases a concert performance from 1991, along with many of the group's
videos
. The CD is the first release that recognizes all four musicians and their contributions on the same disc.
After touring in promotion of
Freak Magnet
, primary songwriter Gano decided that the band would no longer make new music, but would continue to play shows when booked. On New Year's Eve of 2005, and for one show in January 2006, all four Violent Femmes members played together.
Lawsuit and disbanding (2007?2009)
[
edit
]
In 2007, Gano angered Ritchie by selling advertising rights for the classic "
Blister in the Sun
" to
Wendy's
.
Although nearly all of the band's songs, including "Blister in the Sun," credit Gano as the sole songwriter, Ritchie responded to the use of the song in the commercial by saying:
"For the fans who rightfully are complaining about the Wendy's burger advertisement featuring "Blister in the Sun," Gordon Gano is the publisher of the song and Warners is the record company. When they agree to use it there's nothing the rest of the band can do about it, because we don't own the song or the recording. That's showbiz. Therefore when you see dubious or in this case disgusting uses of our music you can thank the greed, insensitivity, and poor taste of Gordon Gano, it is his karma that he lost his songwriting ability many years ago, probably due to his own lack of self-respect as his willingness to prostitute our songs demonstrates. Neither Gordon (vegetarian) nor me (gourmet) eat garbage like Wendy's burgers. I can't endorse them because I disagree with corporate food on culinary, political, health, economic, and environmental grounds. However, I see my life's work trivialized at the hands of my business partner over and over again, although I have raised my objections numerous times. As disgusted as you are I am more so."
[17]
Ritchie filed a lawsuit against Gano in August 2007, seeking half ownership of Violent Femmes' music and access to royalty accounting.
[18]
Many speculated this would lead to the band's breakup. However, on June 17, 2008, the band released a cover of "
Crazy
" by
Gnarls Barkley
, who had previously covered "
Gone Daddy Gone
".
The band disbanded in 2009 as a result of Ritchie's lawsuit against Gano.
[19]
Reunion (since 2013)
[
edit
]
Violent Femmes reunited to perform at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
in April 2013. They performed there, the Bottlerock Napa Valley in May, and Milwaukee's
Summerfest
in June.
[19]
[20]
[21]
The band was also on the bill for
Riot Fest
, which took place in Chicago in September 2013.
[22]
Drummer
Victor DeLorenzo
said in March 2013 that he would be open to recording new material with the Violent Femmes,
[23]
but on July 15, 2013, it was announced that
Dresden Dolls
drummer
Brian Viglione
would replace DeLorenzo as the band's drummer.
[24]
[25]
In a statement, DeLorenzo said "It's always hard to write a eulogy for a lost loved one. In this case, I sadly lament the loss of a dream and an ideal that was once Violent Femmes."
[26]
The Violent Femmes played three shows in Australia as part of the 2013/2014
Falls Festival
, performing at Marion Bay on December 30, Lorne on December 31, and Byron Bay on January 2.
[27]
On May 11, 2014, they performed at the Shaky Knees music festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
[28]
The band played several shows in Australia around the start of 2015, including the
Woodford Folk Festival
, the
Sydney Opera House
, and
MONA FOMA
festival. In the midst of these performances, they recorded their first new material in 15 years on New Year's Eve 2014 in Hobart, Tasmania. These four songs were released on an exclusive four-song EP on clear 180-gram vinyl on April 18, 2015, for
Record Store Day
.
[29]
The band then joined
Barenaked Ladies
and
Colin Hay
on a two-month tour in the summer of 2015.
[30]
In January 2016, Viglione announced via his Facebook page that he had "handed in his resignation" to the band, adding that he was "grateful to have had the experience."
[31]
Later that month, the band announced that its first full album in 16 years,
We Can Do Anything
,
would be released on March 22, 2016.
[32]
Viglione is credited as the drummer on the album.
[32]
Drummer John Sparrow, who began playing
cajon
in the Femmes' backing band, the Horns of Dilemma, in August 2005, joined the band as its new drummer after Viglione's exit. On February 23, 2016, he appeared with the band on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
to promote
We Can Do Anything.
[33]
On April 30, 2019, the band announced a new studio album,
Hotel Last Resort
, released on July 26, 2019.
[34]
In July 2019, the band returned to the East Side neighborhood of Milwaukee, in and around the street art destination Black Cat Alley, to film the music video for the single "I'm Nothing".
[35]
The Violent Femmes are featured on the song "Gotta Get to Peekskill" by
Dropkick Murphys
that appears on the band's 2023 album
Okemah Rising
.
[36]
Band members
[
edit
]
Current members
- Gordon Gano ? lead vocals, guitars, violin, banjo (1980?1987, 1988?2009, 2013?present)
- Brian Ritchie ? bass, backing vocals, guitars, shakuhachi, xylophone, keyboards (1980?1987, 1988?2009, 2013?present)
- John Sparrow ? drums, percussion, backing vocals (2005?present)
- Blaise Garza ? saxophones, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (2004?present)
|
Former members
- Victor DeLorenzo ? drums, percussion, backing vocals (1980?1987, 1988?1993, 2002?2009, 2013)
- Guy Hoffman ? drums, percussion, backing vocals (1993?2002)
- Brian Viglione ? drums, percussion, backing vocals (2013?2016)
Horns of Dilemma
- Blaise Garza ? saxophones, percussion, backing vocals (2004?present)
- John Sparrow ? cajon (2005?present)
- Peter Balestrieri ? saxophones (1983?1991)
[37]
|
Timeline
[
edit
]
Horns of Dilemma
[
edit
]
In their shows, the Femmes employ a horn section called the Horns of Dilemma. For many years, it consisted of Peter Balestrieri,
Steve MacKay
on saxophones and
Sigmund Snopek III
[38]
on keyboards and other instruments.
[39]
It was augmented by various musicians who the band invited to play with them. The band now uses local acquaintances, famous or otherwise, friends, relatives or associates of the band, particularly their
road crew
. Instrumentation varies widely and includes saxophones, trumpets, trombones,
sousaphone
, flute, clarinet, antique hunting horn, kazoo, and percussion. The group doesn't back up the band in the way that a traditional horn section would; instead, they provide a free-form noise jam. When the band plays "Black Girls" or "Confessions", the only direction given to the players is to play freely and as wildly as possible during certain sections. Currently, the leader of the Horns of Dilemma is
Blaise Garza
, who plays saxophone. Famous members have included
John Zorn
,
Dick Parry
, and
the Dresden Dolls
. Longtime band associates and employees who have played with the Horns include soundman Caleb Alexander and manager Darren Brown.
[40]
Before becoming the band's drummer, John Sparrow played
cajon
, starting in 2005.
[41]
Various bassists stand in for Ritchie during "Gone Daddy Gone," when he plays xylophone. These musicians are all considered members of the Horns of Dilemma.
[40]
Discography
[
edit
]
- Studio albums
References
[
edit
]
- ^
2 Mics & The Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America
(Media notes). 2017.
- ^
"Violent Femmes: Hotel Last Resort"
.
American Songwriter
. July 25, 2019.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2019
. Retrieved
November 9,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Violent Femmes Announce US Tour in Celebration of First Album's 40th Anniversary"
.
Ultimate-guitar.com
.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes Celebrate Anniversary of Landmark Album Norwalk's Wall Street Theater"
.
Ctexaminer.com
. October 17, 2022.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"When Violent Femmes pulled from a classic Muddy Waters track"
.
Faroutmagazine.com
. November 9, 2022.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Folk Punk Music Guide: 6 Notable Folk Punk Bands - 2023"
.
Masterclass.com
.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
October 27,
2023
.
- ^
"How a Wendy's Commercial Split up the Violent Femmes"
.
Grunge.com
. July 16, 2020.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes"
.
Masoniccleveland.com
.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
Tomlin, Edward (March 17, 2023).
"10 Best Violent Femmes Songs of All Time"
.
Singersroom.com
.
Archived
from the original on April 2, 2023
. Retrieved
October 27,
2023
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes Why do Birds Sing?"
.
Chipperbirds.com
. June 11, 2023.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes | Violent Femmes"
.
Inreviewonline.com
. March 17, 2019.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2023
. Retrieved
July 29,
2023
.
- ^
"RIAA Gold & Platinum Database"
.
Recording Industry Association of America
. February 1, 1991.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2015
. Retrieved
February 20,
2011
.
- ^
Barker, Rayanna.
"A Conversation With Brian Ritchie"
.
Rockzone.com
. Archived from
the original
on August 15, 2013
. Retrieved
July 17,
2013
.
- ^
Milwaukee Journal
August 24, 1981
- ^
a
b
Mark VanHecke.
"Mark Van Hecke | Credits"
.
AllMusic
.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2016
. Retrieved
September 12,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
Colin Larkin
, ed. (2003).
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music
(Third ed.).
Virgin Books
. p. 484.
ISBN
1-85227-969-9
.
- ^
"Femmes' Ritchie reacts to Wendy's chili commerical [
sic
] controversy"
.
Onmilwaukee.com
. March 6, 2007.
Archived
from the original on July 6, 2008
. Retrieved
November 9,
2019
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes Embroiled In Inter-Band Lawsuit"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on September 10, 2016
. Retrieved
July 10,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Grinderman reform for Coachella"
.
Themusic.com.au
. January 25, 2013.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2013
. Retrieved
January 26,
2013
.
- ^
"Blisters healed? Violent Femmes announce Coachella reunion"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
. January 25, 2013.
Archived
from the original on January 28, 2013
. Retrieved
January 26,
2013
.
- ^
"Violent Femmes kick off Summerfest 2013"
.
OnMilwaukee
. March 26, 2013.
Archived
from the original on March 29, 2013
. Retrieved
March 26,
2013
.
- ^
"Riot Fest 2013 Lineup: Fall Out Boy, Public Enemy, Violent Femmes, Blondie And More To Headline"
.
The Huffington Post
. May 15, 2013.
Archived
from the original on June 9, 2013
. Retrieved
July 13,
2013
.
- ^
Levy, Piet (March 26, 2013).
"Reunited Violent Femmes to kick off Summerfest with homecoming show"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
.
Archived
from the original on June 2, 2013
. Retrieved
July 13,
2013
.
- ^
Levy, Piet (July 15, 2013).
"Recently reunited Violent Femmes replaces founding drummer"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
.
Archived
from the original on December 2, 2013
. Retrieved
July 15,
2013
.
Less than three weeks after the recently reunited alternative folk-rock band co-headlined the Marcus Amphitheater on Summerfest's opening night comes news that the band's lone Milwaukee resident, Victor DeLorenzo, is out of the group. He's been replaced by new drummer Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls, the cabaret rock act that features Amanda Palmer.
- ^
"VVN Music: Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls Joins the Violent Femmes"
.
Vintagevinylnews.com
. July 15, 2013. Archived from
the original
on July 19, 2013
. Retrieved
July 16,
2013
.
Former Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione is the new drummer for The Violent Femmes replacing Victor DeLorenzo who announced his departure today.
- ^
Rytlewski, Evan (July 16, 2013).
"Victor DeLorenzo Has Been Kicked Out of the Violent Femmes (Again)"
.
Shepherd Express
.
Archived
from the original on June 4, 2016
. Retrieved
May 3,
2016
.
- ^
"Artists | Marion Bay"
.
ExpressMilwaukee.com
. July 16, 2013. Archived from
the original
on January 2, 2014
. Retrieved
January 2,
2014
.
- ^
"Home ? Shaky Knees 2014"
.
Shaky Knees Festival 2014
.
Archived
from the original on October 19, 2014
. Retrieved
October 14,
2014
.
- ^
"Hear Violent Femmes' First New Song in 15 Years"
.
Rolling Stone
. March 4, 2015. Archived from
the original
on March 8, 2015
. Retrieved
March 8,
2015
.
- ^
"Barenaked Ladies 2015 "Last Summer On Earth" Tour Includes Violent Femmes and Colin Hay"
.
TiqIQ Blog
. Archived from
the original
on February 17, 2015
. Retrieved
March 8,
2015
.
- ^
Brian Viglione (January 1, 2016).
"Brian Viglione ? Evolution and change are always exciting, and..."
Facebook.com
. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2022
. Retrieved
January 1,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Hilton, Robin (January 13, 2016).
"Hear A Song From Violent Femmes' First Album In 15 Years"
.
All Songs Considered
.
NPR
.
Archived
from the original on January 21, 2016
. Retrieved
January 23,
2016
.
- ^
Levy, Piet.
"Violent Femmes jam with Stephen Colbert, introduce new local drummer"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
.
Archived
from the original on February 27, 2016
. Retrieved
February 27,
2016
.
- ^
Reed, Ryan (April 30, 2019).
"Hear Violent Femmes' New Song With Television's Tom Verlaine, 'Hotel Last Resort'
"
.
Rolling Stone
.
Archived
from the original on April 30, 2019
. Retrieved
April 30,
2019
.
- ^
Levy, Piet.
"Violent Femmes return to their busking roots in new filmed-in-Milwaukee music video"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
.
Archived
from the original on July 26, 2019
. Retrieved
July 25,
2019
.
- ^
Kaufman, Spencer.
"Dropkick Murphys and Violent Femmes Fight the Ku Klux Klan on "Gotta Get to Peekskill": Stream"
.
Consequence of Sound
.
Archived
from the original on March 31, 2023
. Retrieved
March 31,
2023
.
- ^
"The Music Man: Peter Balestrieri's Journey from Punk Rock Band to Special Collections"
.
Mydigitalpublication.com
.
Archived
from the original on February 16, 2024
. Retrieved
July 1,
2019
.
- ^
"SigmundSnopek.com ? Welcome to the Official Web Site of Sigmund Snopek III"
.
SigmundSnopek.com
.
Archived
from the original on October 18, 2014
. Retrieved
October 14,
2014
.
- ^
Cohn, Yale.
"Talking With: Peter Balestrieri of the Violent Femmes"
. Archived from
the original
on March 19, 2016.
- ^
a
b
"Horns of Dilemma"
. Violent Femmes. Archived from
the original
on May 23, 2014
. Retrieved
May 23,
2014
.
- ^
Levy, Piet.
"Setting aside strife, Milwaukee's Violent Femmes reborn"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2017
. Retrieved
July 22,
2017
.
External links
[
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]
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Compilations
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Extended plays
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Video albums
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Singles
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Promotional singles
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Other songs
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Related articles
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International
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National
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Artists
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