Violent Femmes

Early years and first album (1981–1983) 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. 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. In 1983, the band released their self-titled debut album, Violent Femmes. Later years and brief split (1984–1992) 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, 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. 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. Many speculated this would lead to the band's breakup. On June 17, 2008, however, the band released a cover of "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, who had previously covered "Gone Daddy Gone". In 2009, the band disbanded as a result of Ritchie's lawsuit against Gano. Reunion (since 2013) In April 2013, Violent Femmes reunited to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They performed next at the Bottlerock Napa Valley in May, then Milwaukee's Summerfest in June. In March 2013, drummer Victor DeLorenzo said that he would be open to recording new material with the Violent Femmes, but on July 15, 2013, it was announced that Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione would replace DeLorenzo as the band's drummer. 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." In September 2013, the band was on the bill for Riot Fest, which took place in Chicago. As part of the 2013/2014 Falls Festival, the band played three shows in Australia performing at Marion Bay on December 30, Lorne on December 31, and Byron Bay on January 2. On May 11, 2014, the band performed at the Shaky Knees music festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Around the start of 2015, the band played several shows in Australia, 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. The band then joined Barenaked Ladies and Colin Hay on a two-month tour in the summer of 2015. 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". 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. Viglione is credited as the drummer on the album. On April 30, 2019, the band announced a new studio album, Hotel Last Resort, released on July 26, 2019. 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". The Violent Femmes are featured on the song "Gotta Get to Peekskill" by Dropkick Murphys that appears on the band's album Okemah Rising (2023). ==Band members==

Current • 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 (2005–2009, 2013–present) • Blaise Garza  – saxophones, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (2004–2009, 2013–present) Former • 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 – cajón (2005–present) • Peter Balestrieri – saxophones (1983–1991) Timeline Horns of Dilemma In their shows, the Femmes employ a horn section called the Horns of Dilemma as their backing band. For many years, it consisted of Peter Balestrieri, Steve MacKay on saxophones, and Sigmund Snopek III on keyboards and other instruments. The backing band was augmented by various musicians who the band invited to play with them, now using local acquaintances (famous or otherwise), friends, relatives, or other 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. Before becoming the drummer for the main band, Femmes, John Sparrow played cajón for the backing band, Dilemma, starting in 2005. 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. ==Discography==

Studio albums • Violent Femmes (1983) • Hallowed Ground (1984) • The Blind Leading the Naked (1986) • 3 (1989) • Why Do Birds Sing? (1991) • New Times (1994) • Rock!!!!! (1995) • Freak Magnet (2000) • We Can Do Anything (2016) • Hotel Last Resort (2019) ==References==