Following the end of the punk movement in the 1970’s, a band called the Violent Femmes was formed into one of the only bands to still be genuinely channeling what audiences deemed “punk.”
Last year in early 2013, the Violent Femmes announced a revival tour in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of their self-titled debut album.
Since then, the band consists of original members Gordan Gano, Brian Ritchie and new member since 2013, Brian Viglione. Viglione is known in his own right as a member of the band The Dresden Dolls.
On the third and last day of Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Music Festival, the Femmes played one of the second to last shows before headliners Alabama Shakes.
Before they went on stage, the Violent Femmes were reached for an interview.
Q: What is your favorite song to play, all individually?
VIGLIONE: Add It Up is sort of a personal favorite of mine.
GANO: Not particularly, but in this moment in time, I’ll pick Good Feeling. It’s a ballad. It’s different than a lot of the other songs.
Q: Do you prefer to perform at concert halls or music festivals like Shaky Knees?
VIGLIONE: Well with concert halls you get more of a focused connection with the audience. At the festivals you basically run in and run out. There’s never a sign to how connected the audience will be at any given time. Summer festivals are great though. You get to see a lot of great people in almost a flash of energy.
Q: So you (Viglione) are the newest addition to the band. How has joining been and did it go very smoothly for everyone?
VIGLIONE: It was very natural because I grew up listening to the music so it was already basically printed on my DNA. It was a natural fit and everything has been beyond great.
Q: For a band that’s been around as long as you guys have, has there been a main motivation that’s kept you guys to continue to play?
GANO: I think the main motivation comes from the fact that people want to hear us play.
RITCHIE: I think we’re all very dedicated to music. It’s our lifestyle. It’s in the essence of our beings. I think we realize it’s a very good format for each of us as individuals and as a group and in relationship to an audience. You know it’s really easy to make good music. Any good musician can make good music but it’s hard to create the attraction we have with the audience.
GANO: Have you ever tried playing the violin? You think it’s easy to make good music. That one’s kind of difficult! But anyway, I think it’s a very good point because we all play music all the time. It’s just when we come together as the Violent Femmes is when we have all these people want to hear us play.
Q: It might be hard to think of but do any of you have a most memorable show whether it be the best one or one that just sticks out for you?
VIGLIONE: Well one of the most exciting ones was one of the first full shows I did with you guys which was Riot Fest in Chicago. That’s probably a tie with the Roseland Ballroom in New York. It’s a beautiful venue. It’s not closing down. The Femmes played one of the last shows at the club venue. All my friends and family were there to see one of the first performances with me in the band.
GANO: I just thought of one. I believe it was our first tour across the whole country in Corvallis, OR. I remember playing at a little place where people were singing along to all our songs and my first thought was, “How do these people in Oregon know our songs? We’ve never played them here before.” It was the college radio station there that was playing our first album. It was the first place I remember people singing the songs that I had written. The college radio down there had been playing not just one of the songs but all of the songs off that first album.
RITCHIE: I like doing weird things, so I remember playing at the North Pole. It was very weird, all the Eskimos. It was our first year and very bizarre. It was pretty cool.
Q: What do each of you love about playing music?
GANO: I’m just gonna jump in and say I don’t think it can be put into words. It’s music. It’s a different language. It doesn’t translate when attempted to be put into words.
VIGLIONE: Words don’t touch the complexity of the profound feeling you have during the moment of creation, especially combined with other people and then shared with an audience. It transcends so many of the other things in life that might bog you down. It’s such a fulfilling path in life if you manage to maintain it.
RITCHIE: It’s like a calling. I mean it’s something that you’re compelled to do. It’s not even that you want to do it. You just can’t live without it. It’s like breathing or walking or any basic function. For a musician, I know I get really itchy when i don’t play music for a day or two. It’s not even about performing whether there are zero people there or thirty people there, you still do it.
Money quote, given what’s happening to WRAS and many other college stations across the country.
Q: It might be hard to think of but do any of you have a most memorable show whether it be the best one or one that just sticks out for you?
GANO: I just thought of one. I believe it was our first tour across the whole country in Corvallis, OR. I remember playing at a little place where people were singing along to all our songs and my first thought was, “How do these people in Oregon know our songs? We’ve never played them here before.” It was the college radio station there that was playing our first album. It was the first place I remember people singing the songs that I had written. The college radio down there had been playing not just one of the songs but all of the songs off that first album.