Violent Femmes

Artist's Website

The Grandfathers of Folk-Punk. Rock’s dadaist improvisors. Calcified fossils of teen angst. American roots minimalists. The sonic personification of anxiety. Blues cubists. Spokesmen for misfits. These are just a few of the phrases that come to mind upon thinking of the Femmes.

Founded in Milwaukee in 1980 by Brian Ritchie and Victor DeLorenzo after an epiphany whereupon various deities showed Ritchie the name “Violent Femmes” written in the sky (or at least in Ritchie’s head). The lads needed a band worthy of the name. They never got it, but they did eventually find teenage singer-songwriter-tennis player Gordon Gano and added him in 1981. Gano’s original dowry of songs still forms the basis of the VF setlist.

Currently Violent Femmes are playing the role of international troubadours, playing songs from all of their albums, and bringing the rock to every nook and cranny of the globe.