| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * AMERICAN MUSIC - June 9, 2002 * * * THE VIOLENT FEMMES Email List * * * * * * * * * * List archive online at http://www.oocities.org/violentfemmeslist ******************************************************************* TOUR DATES: Friday, June 14, 2002 - THE PALACE THEATRE Hollywood, CA Sunday, July 7, 2002 - SUMMERFEST Milwaukee, Wisconsin 10pm Miller Oasis Stage ******************************************************************* Who's Going Where: Jesse - jesse@bastardrecords.com - Summerfest/Milwaukee ******************************************************************* IN THIS ISSUE: *Update* Advance Order the Re-Issue at CDNOW re:Victor Before the Hurricanes RE: Victor RE:Guy & Femmes Invade Wabash Femmes Video ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Update* Advance Order Violent Femmes (Deluxe) at CDNOW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ www.cdnow.com CD Now still has the 2 Disc Re Issue available for Advance Ordering but they now list the "expected release date" as the correct official release date of JUNE 18, 2002. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Victor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the question posted about Victor needing more than a snare and Tranceophone... well yes he may. He knows very well how to play a full kit, and did it many times on Violent Femmes tours in the past. I hope they don't play anything off of Freak Magnet as that was the worst album ever made. I am hoping he stays with them, and they re-create the kind of magic they once had. For those of you who don't know much about Victor, go to www.victordelorenzo.com, order one of his cd's - I just ordered the latest one, and he sent it to me with a personalized note and everything.... great guy! Mike Galante Drumgalante@hotmaIL.COM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before the Hurricanes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE FEMMES ARE COMING TO FLORIDA??? IS GUY OUT??? WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON????? I'M SO EXCITED??????? BUT I DO LIKE GUY, AS LONG AS THE FEMMES COME TO FLORIDA I'LL BE OKAY. HURRY GORDON AND BRIAN BEFORE THE HURRICANES COME. Robert M. Wilson rmw17@tampabay.rr.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Victor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As far as Victor learning the new drum parts, the stuff that Guy was playing wasn't the hardest drumming in the world to play. So Victor being a professional drummer shouldn't have a hard time picking up on the new stuff. Mark Mpdrum95@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE:Guy & Femmes Invade Wabash ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've only been a VF fan for about 8 years. I saw the band in concert 3 times, always with Guy of course. Once when I hung around after the show to try to meet the band Guy came out and talked to me for a long time. He was very nice and funny and I thought he was really cool. Gordon came straight out and got into a van and left... no hello or anything. I like the early Femmes stuff ok but I'm really into New Times and I like Rock a lot. So I'm sort of sad that it looks like Guy's out. BUt I am really happy their touring again. Anwyay I'm going to work for the newspaper at my college next fall and I've been doing some archiving work here to learn how the computer and filing systems work. I found this transcript from an interview some guys did when the VF played here a while back. I thought I would post it so everyone could read it. It's not veyr often you find interviews with Guy and what he says about Victor is pretty intersting too I think. Milwaukee's Best: The Violent Femmes Invade Wabash Mark Elrod & Kevin Reynolds Writers The following is an interview conducted previous to the show with, at first, Guy Hoffman (drummer), and later, Gordon Gano (lead guitar and vocals) of the Violent Femmes. The interview offers insight into band history and the journey through the club scene of Milwaukee to their modern day cult status. We hope you enjoy! Kevin: I realize that this may be a touchy subject, but could you tell us the circumstances behind Victor De Lorenzo's (the Femmes' old drummer) dismissal? Hoffman: ...It was...philosophical...I think that Victor lost his interest along the way and for many years he was just kind of hanging in...and after a while when you're not a hundred percent involved in something it starts to show in ways...and he had a long lasting relationship with Brian and Gordon It wasn't just something he could just turn his back on and say that's it,good-bye. It takes a lot. It's like divorce for example...it takes a long time to say o.k. this is not going to work...let's split up. Sometimes people need a push. Sometimes people need to be kicked out of the house for a while. I think basically Victor wanted to do other things. It finally came to that point. Kevin: Who would you personally quote as your influences? Hoffman: For drumming, I have so many. I would say that the spirit of my style and playing comes from the British Invasion...the original British Invasion. And I guess on other levels, after that kind of simmered down...end of the Sixties...actually when the Beatles split up, I kind of followed each of them along their paths. And in doing so, I came upon the drummers that they employed, and one of them was Jim Keltner. And I find that his drumming really attracts me a lot and the music he's done. You know, I just got attracted to the projects he was doing. I think he did a lot with Rod Cudder in the Seventies. I just happened to be in a situation where if I didn't get involved with some kind of music, I died in the water. So on a local level in Milwaukee, I got involved with punk bands and new wave bands, and I kind of just zeroed in on the song writing that those bands encompassed and tried to apply my style and ideas into those bands without trying to be like the Ramones or The Talking Heads. It's kind of the way I am today. I'm not really all that influenced by alternative music. Kevin: How did you get involved with the band personally... friends...from the Milwaukee area? Obviously you're accomplished. Hoffman: In 1980 and 81 our sound man Caleb and I were in a band called "The Oil Tasters." It was a bass drum/sax thing...not too dissimilar to Morphine. We put a record out, we did some regional work...Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, Debuke, Davenport. And at the same time I was trying to get that band off the ground with a record contract. The Femmes kind of clicked together, and they were playing in the same neighborhoods that I was in, but just different bands, different bars, different locations. So, we were just kind of mutual friends trying to make a break from the same little town. Kevin: Well, obviously I know that you cannot answer for the other guys, but what do you see your music accomplishing, or where do you see the band going in the future? Hoffman: We've collaborated recently with a Frenchman who probably may not be alive for more than ten more years. He's like seventy or so. He's like the grandfather of musical collage; people like John Cage have been influenced by him, and everything else that has come after that. He's like the innovator of that kind of music. And Brian was initially attracted to...and turned Gordan on to his music. Then, when I came into the band, they kind of showed me this guy's catalog and history. So, it was our intention to collaborate with the guy in such a way that we have a couple of tracks now. One of them is an instrumental...the guy's name is Pierre Henry...and one of the songs is like a narrative song. It has a base line and a drum beat, and Gordon does just a narrative without melody. Brian and I play different parts; it's kind of like different characters, so Brian and I handle certain lines and phrases. And what we did was send it to Pierre in Paris. And what Pierre ends up doing is putting all these strange sound effects and musical...just his own way of interpreting music...he kind of puts his own thing into it. It's not very accessible music...it's not something that you would want to listen to. I enjoy it because it's very weird and bizarre. Kevin: But it's not something that's going to pack people in. Hoffman: It's not intended to be popular. It's like a complete art form. So I think maybe in the future people will say, 'Pierre Henry was the innovator of that,' and maybe they'll realize that we admired the guy and was able to work with him before he passed on. Kevin: So you don't have any preset notions as to what you want to accomplish with your music? I mean, is it grand aspirations or a personal outlet? Gano: There was a time where I might have had better answers for you or ones that would be more interesting. Right now I feel that this is what I do, and it pretty much shuts down at that point, rather than that I believe personal statement. I'm feeling right now that this is what I do and that's enough. Kevin: I think that is just as insightful. Gano: Maybe...maybe so. But it doesn't make for as good of an interview. Kevin: Who do you sight as your major influences? Gano: Well, there was a show that we had that was cancelled. I'm not even sure of the reason why it was cancelled, but it was cancelled last month. I was excited about it because it was in Las Vegas...I think at one of the casinos, but I'm not sure. It was with Bob Dylan. And I was looking forward to that very much... certainly Bob Dylan would be somebody who comes to mind. I think he's one of the greatest song writers...and performers also. I've seen him a couple of times. I thought he was fantastic. So that's just one...there are so many. Kevin: Quite a number of your songs have religious undertones, or just refer to religious figures. We were wondering if this was a personal reflection on you... Gano: It's not a band thing. If it's a song that I've written, it's not a band point of view. I know our band on certain rare occasions has been referred to as the 'born-again rock band' Violent Femmes, which got at least one particular bass pretty upset about that. I've written a variety of songs. Some are gospel songs...pretty straight forward gospel songs, and then some others mix as some of the different imagery or references that get mixed up in other things that would be considered more secular or of the world. And I guess that just comes from me and different experiences. I grew up in the church and am still very much involved with stuff like that. Kevin: You write about what you know. Gano: Yeeeaaaa, hopefully. Although, maybe I haven't got to that point yet. Maybe it's like this has all been...preparatory work. Elrod: Basically, as a band, your set-up is somewhat simple. A stripped-down drum set... Gano: Right now two set-up, one that's sit down and one that's stand-up. It's extremely stripped-out as far as what is up there... basically just snare and whatever...and played with brushes. But, we've recorded with both the sit-down and stand-up stripped-down approach...and depending on the song our drummer will go from one to the other. Elrod: A lot of the earlier sound was the stripped-down. Gano: Right...right...right. Elrod: But what I wanted to know was, why exactly do you focus on a lot of odd instruments in the percussion area? Is this personal (for Brian)? Gano: Well, we have a ... well, you heard at some point Brian Richie, our bass player, but he plays so many different instruments...walking through playing a...horn...I believe would be the correct term for it ...from Sri Lanka. He just came back from Sri Lanka and he bought a lot a various instruments, both percussion and horns and all kinds of things that are Sri Lankan. So it' just a love of music and a love of instruments and different sounds...how they sound. That's how it found its way into our music. Probably, mostly ...or...probably, that's Brian Richie that has brought the most of that, because he has a passion for all of these different instruments and different sounds and he can just pick something up and work with it. We were touring Australia, and I think the second time we were in Australia he got a digerido. Within a couple of days he had taught himself how to circular breath do all this stuff, and now he's been playing digerido ever since. So he's an amazing musician who can just say...'I like this, so I'm just going to pick it up and learn it.' Kevin: Do you feel that the crowds are actually in touch with your music, because some of your albums don't get the respect that they deserve, like Hallowed Ground, Blind Leading the Naked, and Three? These albums got very little credit. Gano: Yeah. Most people are familiar with the first album, and then a lot of people form the Add It Up compilation album, so maybe it will have a song from some of these other records that you are talking about." Kevin: Well, this is what I am hinting at...does it bother you? Gano: I tend to look at is as the cup half full opposed to half empty. Looking at the positive...that it's amazing that we've had one record in particular that keeps speaking, to basically to now we've gotten to where going to a generational thing, which is a wonderful thing. Yea, there's been disappointment with each new record that got put out and reached a smaller number. But, it's for myself, personally, if I hear from somebody or I know that something really connected even just with one person, then that really is worthwhile. And that makes it...for some of the records that have sold the fewest...the people that have sometimes come up to me and spoken to me about it...I feel like somehow that mattered a lot to that person, and that's great." Jason barrajp@wabash.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Femmes Video ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi, I have been the European distributer of the VF video, unfortunately I can no longer make copies due to equiptment problems at work. Could you please remove me from the list. 1 person is on the waiting list and has actually paid me but I can no longer do this either, unfortunately due to a computer crash I have lost he details, could you make a post on next femmes list. many thanx Harry Bull hazza30@btinternet.com ******************************************************************* To POST, SUBSCRIBE, or UNSUBSCRIBE send any kind of an email to: violentfemmeslist@yahoo.com ******************************************************************* |
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