Artist

Violent Femmes

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The most popular songs by Violent Femmes.

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Violent Femmes. By Songfacts®.

The Violent Femmes were a folk punk band with a sound that is an eclectic combination of gospel, punk rock, folk music, and the blues. The three-person band originally included Gordon Gano on lead vocals and guitar, and as primary songwriter; Brian Ritchie on bass; and Victor DeLorenzo as percussionist. One of the ways the Violent Femmes created their signature sound was from DeLorenzo's drum kit, which often consisted of no more than a set of steel brushes, a tranceaphone, and a snare drum.

Ritchie and DeLorenzo first met in a Milwaukee bar called Harps. Ritchie thought DeLorenzo's goofy yet punk style was a fresh take on the sullen grunge punk on the scene. The two started playing gigs, and were later introduced to Gano by the owner of the Metropole Theater, Robert Soffian; Soffian called Gano "a pint sized Lou Reed imitator." Guy Hoffman, who was a founding member of the Oil Tasters, replaced DeLorenzo in 1993, when DeLorenzo decided to go solo and record music. However, in 2003, DeLorenzo returned to the group to reinstate the original lineup and perform live as the band released a 20th anniversary album of their self-titled debut album.

The band's name was an impromptu idea. Ritchie came up with the title when a friend asked him to describe his straight-laced insurance salesman brother. Ritchie lied and said, "He's exactly like me, he's a punk and he has his own band!" When asked what the band's name was, Ritchie uttered "Uh….Violent Femmes." After sharing the story with fellow bandmate, DeLorenzo, they elected to use the name for themselves.

Albums

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5.8MArtists
73.6MSongs
12.3MAlbums
6.3KGenres
2.5MLabels
493KPlaylists