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For over twenty years, Violent Femmes have defined alternative rock. On a rainy night in Indianapolis on March 12, a sold out Vogue Theater in Indianapolis caught a glimpse of one the most musically talented goups in rock and roll. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 80’s, the band combines vocals with a wide-range of instrumentation and trademark percussion alternatives. Lead guitarist and vocalist Gordon Gano seemed relaxed and confident and his unique sound and phrasing hasn't changed a bit. Percussionist Victor DeLornzo, front and center gave a very aninimated performance and was the visual lightning rod between the band and the audience. Bassist Brian Ritchie displayed his musical mastery of several multiple instruments… a few of which included the shakuhachi and iwadue (stone flutes), and countless variations of basses. A shakuhachi is a simple piece of bamboo with five holes. Ritchie achieved the rank of Jun Shihan (teaching license) as well as the professional name “Tairaku” which means “Big Music.” Ritchie is also a master with iwabue which are simple stone flutes used by the Japanese since prehistoric times.

The Violent Femmes give a new definition to classic rock. Some veteran bands started out as "groovy" and are still "groovy" to those that think "groovy" is groovy. Some bands are "rad" to those that are stuck in the '80's. But few if any bands are cool enough to inspire and maintain their relevance. The Violent Femmes are just as unique today as they were while starting out. That indeed is a unique feat in the music industry.

The Femmes Gordon Gano (singer/guitarist), Brian Ritchie (bassist), and Victor DeLorenzo (percussionist) founded the group and were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (The Pretenders) when the band was playing outside of a Milwaukee venue. The band signed to Slash Records and released a self-titled album in 1982. The Femmes’ music is an innovative combination of American folk music and indie rock as their lyrics speak of the common themes of yearning for love, desire for sex and need for affection. The group gathered a small cult-like group of fans but they never gained a widespread popularity. A few songs from the first release got some notice, "Add It Up", "Blister in the Sun", and "Kiss Off". Their debut album went platinum ten years after its release without charting on Billboard.

Live Concert Photos

The Violent Femmes followed with the release of Hallowed Ground, which took on a country vibe and combined spiritual themes. The Blind Leading the Naked, their third album, produced by fellow Milwaukee native Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, was more mainstream and pop-oriented, which produced a minor hit with Children of the Revolution, originally released by T. Rex. The group then disbanded, but came back together in 1989, releasing 3 and then Why Do Birds Sing? after signing to Reprise.

In 1993 DeLorenzo left the group to make an acting debut and solo records. Guy Hoffman (formerly of the Oil Tasters and BoDeans) replaced him on was apart of one of their biggest selling records, the Add It Up (1981-1993) collection (1993). Over the next nine years, Hoffman recorded five projects and a few motion picture soundtracks and other compilation projects. New Times (1994, Elektra Records), and Rock!!!!! (1995, Mushroom Records) were released in 1995 in Australia only. Viva Wisconsin, a live album, was released in the United States in 1999 on the independent label Beyond followed by Freak Magnet in 2000. 2001’s Something's Wrong, a potpourri of unreleased studio tracks, covers, demos, and acoustic live performances released as an MP3-only album through emusic.com. In 2002, Rhino Records asked Ritchie and DeLorenzo to repackage their debut 1983 album along with demos and live tracks to coincide with a 20th anniversary reissue. DeLorenzo rejoined for what was to be a farewell tour, and the old lineup returned. 2005 saw the release of two collections of past work. A CD called Permanent Record - The Very Best Of Violent Femmes (Slash/Rhino) and a DVD, Permanent Record - Live & Otherwise (Rhino), which showcases a concert performance from 1991 and also many of the group's videos. The CD is the first record that recognizes all four musicians and their contributions on the same disc. The Violent Femmes have played in over 40 countries and their accomplishments include sold out performances at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Woodstock ’94 and the northernmost rock concert in history at the North Pole. They have numerous gold and platinum records to their credit.

Brian Ritchie was gracious enough to agree to an interview with Musicpix....here you go:

Musicpix: The Violent Femmes are often referred to as a "cult" band. I find that interesting in that "cult" has a somewhat negative connotation. I look at the Violent Femmes as a great band that when music lovers are exposed to you, they become fans for life. How do you view yourselves?

Brian: If we are a cult band we are one of the most famous cult bands ever. I saw Ray Davies play the other night and he said, "If you don't have commercial success, just hang around long enough and you'll become a cult." He considers the Kinks a cult band although they had many huge hits. He's probably comparing himself to the Beatles and Stones. We can compare ourselves to our peers like U2 and REM. But the main reason we are not as big as them is due to our own stupidity, same as the Kinks. Long live loser bands!

Musicpix: You're known as one of the greatest bassists in rock and roll history. To what do you attribute the unique development of your style?

Brian: That's a very generous statement of my skills. My style developed out of necessity and also by choice. I chose to play the acoustic bass guitar as my main instrument out of a belief in the value of making a real sound rather than relying on technology to produce a tone. My musical flamboyance comes from playing with Victor DeLorenzo, who doesn't use a bass drum and has a minimal style and Gordon Gano, a guitarist who seldom plays solos. They left a lot of space for me to fill and I developed numerous interesting techniques and melodic concepts to take advantage of it.

Musicpix: In 1982 you (Violent Femmes) borrowed $10,000 to record your first album. Did you believe at that time you would still be together as a band 24 years later?

Brian: Nobody thought any band would be around 24 years later those days. In 1982 even the Stones had not been around for 24 years. As long as the veteran bands make better music than the new bands we will be able to compete. It's sure not because of our looks.

Musicpix: On your website, I read that the Femmes played a concert at the northern most point in rock history. Literally the North Pole. How did this come about? And could you tell us about that experience?

Brian: Molson Beer had a publicity stunt where they gave 200 contest winners a free trip to the North Pole to hear the Femmes and Red Hot Chili Peppers play. We were supposed to play on a Russian icebreaker, but the weather prohibited moving the gear to the ship. Thus we had to convert an aircraft hangar into a makeshift venue. That was actually a stroke of luck because Molson had to invite the local Inuits to the show as a result. It was fun playing rock and roll for them. They never heard anything so loud. And the local newspaper said we blew the Chili Peppers off the stage. If only the rest of the world would catch up with what the Inuits already know.

Musicpix: Usually if you go to a rock and roll show to see a band that's been around for over 20 years, the audience predominantly reflects the age of the band. You sill appeal to young music lovers. Why do you think you've maintained the attraction to the younger generation when other bands don't?

Brian: That's the eternal question which we do not like to investigate too closely. Because if it ever changes we are done for. We rely on regenerating the audience to keep our fan base strong and the shows fresh. Probably something to do with the simple and direct lyrics which represent the kind of narcissism teenagers usually have a monopoly on.

Musicpix: You have become a teaching master of the Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). I understand you began playing this instrument in 1997. How has playing it and its ties to Buddhist philosophy affected your life?

Brian: I was a Buddhist before studying shakuhachi. There is zazen (sitting Zen) walking Zen and the kind of meditation we do is called suizen, which means blowing Zen. Meditation is good for anybody and musical meditation is particularly good for me. Because the music is spiritual in nature it allows me to return to the pure mindset we had in the early days of punk when nobody cared about or expected to make money from this stuff. Sometimes money destroys music. The best music in the world is made by skilled amateurs.

Musicpix: With 10 albums under your collective belts, and 5 under your own, what's on tap next from the studio?

Brian: I recently recorded another album of shakuhachi music, representing Japanese music from 7th to 21st century. It's a lot more fun than it sounds on paper! As far as the Femmes are concerned, if Gordon Gano can pull his head out of his ass long enough to learn a few songs and enter the studio maybe we can make a CD, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Note to aspiring musicians, don't form a band with someone who has the Napoleon complex.

Musicpix: When you first came together as a band in 1980, what was your goal? Do you feel you achieved it?

Brian: We had various goals which spanned from being the next Richard Hell to being the new Beatles. I guess we came somewhere in between. I personally wanted to make some great rock and roll, and we have done that in the studio occasionally and live almost every night. It's the things I didn't care about then which mean a lot to me now. Making people happy, taking their minds off their problems for a few hours. It's a gift to be able to do that. Many people never get a chance to be of service to others.

Musicpix: Add It Up and Kiss Off are two of the greatest alternative songs ever. How is it different performing them today versus 24 years ago?

Brian: We improvise on both of those songs every night, so they don't get boring. They have energy that most rock songs can't match. "Add It Up" in particular is really a joy to play, makes me feel like I'm God for 5 minutes.

Musicpix: In your musical lifetime, you've been interviewed countless times, answered the same questions countless times. What's the one question you wish you were asked, and what's the answer?

Brian: I wish somebody asked me to join the Stones after Bill Wyman left or the Who after Entwistle died, and my answer would be-----YES!

The Band

Gordon Gano - Singer/Guitarist/Songwriter
Brian Ritchie - Bassist/ Multi-Instrumentalist
Victor DeLorenzo (1981-1993, 2002-2006) - Drummer
Guy Hoffman (1993-2002, 2006) - Drummer

Discography

Violent Femmes-1982
Hallowed Ground-1984
The Blind Leading the Naked-1986
3 -1988
Debacle: The First Decade -1990
Why Do Birds Sing?-1991
Add It Up -1981-1993- /1993
New Times-1994
Rock!!!!! -1995
Viva Wisconsin-1999
Freak Magnet-2000
Something's Wrong-2001 (MP3 release)
Violent Femmes (Deluxe Edition)-2002
Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes -2005

The Tour

June 3 Barcelona, Spain
July 28 Del Mar, CA
Aug 5 Sheboygan, WI
Aug 27 Virginia Beach, VA
Sept 14 Kansas City, MO
Sept 15 Council Bluffs, IA

By: Gwyn Tyme and Steve Mitchell