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The folk-punk band Violent Femmes began in 1980 in Milwaukee. The group disbanded in 2009, then came back together in 2013. Since 1980, Violent Femmes has released a total of nine studio albums as well as 15 singles. Its self-titled debut album, released in 1983, featured what is the band's best-known song, Blister in the Sun, in addition to its other well-known songs, Kiss Off and Add It Up. The album
Violent Femmes
is the group's best-selling album, having been certified platinum. By 2005, the Violent Femmes had sold more than 9 million albums worldwide. The band went through a short split from 1987 to 1988. The group had two songs in the Top 5 on the
Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart, Nightmares and American Music. The band's brand of punk is unique since it generally uses acoustic instruments instead of the heavy electric guitar sound favored by most punk bands. The Violent Femmes is still rocking the stage with its acoustic guitars to this day.
''Bassist Brian Ritchie and percussionist Victor DeLorenzo were the founders of the Violent Femmes. Later, vocalist Gordon Gani joined them. As the band began to look for gigs and try to get its music out to the world, it adopted acoustic instruments out of necessity. The group even came up with some of its own unique instruments, including John Sparrow using a Weber Kettler barbecue grill and wire brushes as a way to keep time in a song. This was an improvement to its original tranceaphone, which was a metal bushel basket turned upside down over a snare drum. In addition to its unique instrument choices, the Violent Femmes began using acoustic guitars. This is because it was having a hard time finding gigs to play, so it began carrying acoustic guitars and playing in the street. This unorthodox approach to music caused the band to be noticed by James Honeyman-Scott, a member of The Pretenders, when he saw the Violent Femmes busking in front of the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. The Pretenders were playing at the Oriental Theatre later that evening, and Chrissie Hynde invited the Violent Femmes to play an acoustic set after the opening act finished playing. The band has stuck with its acoustic roots ever since.'
'Be sure to go to the world's leading ticketing marketplace, StubHub, to purchase your Violent Femmes tickets.'
'The Violent Femmes usually play for between one and one-and-a-half hours.'
'The Violent Femmes have tour dates all over the world. Go to StubHub to check out when the band will be coming to a city near you.'
'The Violent Femmes does a mix of its classic hits and its newer songs in its setlists. You can expect to hear songs such as This Free Ride, Blister in the Sun, American Music, I'm Not Gonna Cry and Add it Up.'
'The Violent Femmes current lineup includes Gordan Gano on lead vocals and guitar, Brian Ritchie on bass and John Sparrow on drums. Former members include Victor DeLorenzo, Guy Hoffman and Brian Viglione.'
'The Violent Femmes was a pure nonsense name that Brian Ritchie came up with on the spot as a joke. Ritchie's brother was an insurance salesman, and one day Ritchie was talking to one of his brother's friends. When asked what his brother did, Brian Ritchie told the friend that his brother played in a punk band. When asked the name of the band, Ritchie came up with Violent Femmes, and the name stuck.'
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If you love the Violent Femmes, be sure you check out
They Might be Giants
,
The Dead Milkmen
and
The Velvet Underground
.
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