| AMERICAN MUSIC - October 12, 2003 THE VIOLENT FEMMES Email List List archive online at http://www.oocities.org/violentfemmeslist ************************************************************************* TOUR DATES (*=New Dates) Thursday 10/30/03 Spokane WA Spokane Center Friday 10/31/03 Boise ID Big Easy Concert House Saturday 11/01/03 Missoula MT Wilma Theater Friday 11/07/03 Indiana PA Indiana University of Pennsylvania PRIVATE Show - Students ONLY Saturday 11/8/03 Pittsburgh PA Metropol Theater http://www.emstage.com/ *************************************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE: Violent Femmes on UPN's ROCK ME BABY!!! Recent Events West Coast Swing RE: Oracle Event KROQ Inland Invasion **************************************************************************** Move over Sabrina ... here comes VF on UPN's Rock Me Baby! I've been told that this episode will make the Sabrina episode look like a Samuel Beckett play! Hmmm... Tune in to UPN, Tuesday, October 14, 9PM ET/PT You can get a video preview here (you need RealPlayer) http://www.upn.com/shows/rock_me_baby/ PS - The Femmes perform their rendition of the classic Cash tune "Ring of Fire" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recent Events ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry for the delay in reporting, but I unfortunately have a life that keeps getting in the way of my fun. I've noticed that no one has written about any of the more recent shows, so I thought I would give a brief recap. I took my family (kids first show) to see the femmes for the 91x 20th Anniversary Show. It was such a low key event, I was able to walk right over to the side of the back stage area and meet the band. Gordon was still limping at the time and using a cane. Brian said hello to my kids and Victor was the most talkative of the three. It was my first chance to talk with them in about 12 years, so it was great just to spend a few brief minutes and thank them for the years of enjoyment. The show was similar to the shows of last year focusing mostly on the first three albums, but like Brian said in his email correspondence to the group, the have added a couple of newer songs. They played All I Want and Freak Magnet. I was happy to see them play those newer songs and I got some great pictures of the band. My kids (age 3 & 5) know a lot of the words to the songs from repeated hearings (please no one call the authorities). It was funny to see a group of 20 year old kids looking at my wife with our three year old on her shoulders singing along to "Look Like That". They asked her if she was a band members wife, because there was no way a little guy like that could no the words to songs. We saw the Femmes again a few weeks later at the KROQ 25th Anniversary Flashback to the Future show and were please to find our seats in the audience right in front of Gordon. I had the opportunity to chat with him briefly, but did not have the nerve to ask him to please record some new music with the original lineup. The coolest thing was that he just hung out with the crowd, posing for pictures and whatnot. He also stayed and checked out the other bands that played even after their brief set that included AM, Prove My Love, Out the Window, BITS, Gimme the Car, Kiss Off, Gone Daddy Gone and Add it Up, Gordon, his lady friend and their little group came back out and rocked to Echo and the Bunnymen, Hot, Hot Heat, Duran Duran and The Cure. Really just a cool day to be able to hang so close to one of your musical heros. I was hoping that they might throw a cover song at the crowd since it was kinda a nostalgia show except for the handful of new bands that played. Thanks again to Deanna (I think it was you) who set up the Q & A with Brian. That was outstanding and I hope that we might be able to do that again in the future. Brian was such a stud for jumping in there and really taking the time to thoughtfully answer all those questions. It was appreciated by the handful of fans left out there. Greg SCPGAMEDIA@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ West Coast Shows ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My husband and I had an opportunity to visit California the other week and that meant that I got the opportunity to experience 4 fantastic Femmes shows in 4 days. It was Femmes overload and I loved it. The Mystic Theater in Petaluma is well named. There was this distinctly '40's-'50's feel to the place. It had a wide open stage, a large floor area in front of the stage, seats and tables in the back and a really cool balcony. The not-sold-out, but decent sized crowd was composed of 20's, 30's and a few 40 something folks. I overheard the people around me commenting on what a nostalgic thing it was to see the Femmes play again. They talked about how the Femmes were all that they listened to in college and there was real affection for them when they took to the stage.. I was happy to hear them play Freak Magnet and Girl Trouble along with their regular set and Gordon had the crown singing along at the top of their lungs to Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire. I was thinking how interesting it was that everyone knew that song well enough to sing along. I must say, that musically, the night belonged to Brian Ritchie. His solos were intense, passionate and definitely crowd favorites. Every time he stepped up to the front of the stage, the crowd reaction was pure excitement.. There was a great deal of playfulness on stage that night. Victor was all over the stage and they all shared some playful banter. The two shows at the Great American Music Hall were my favorites. First of all, the place is just so opulent and colorful. I read somewhere that is used to be a brothel. The walls and ceiling were this maroonish scarlet color and very intricately textured. The lighting was darkish and when I walked around the place I was amazed to see how big it was. It had a huge wrap around balcony with railing space and then rows of tables and chairs beyond the railings. The floor area seemed to go on forever with lots of great little nooks and crannies. The first night it was crowded, the second night , packed. Lots of returnees from the first night. And what an enthusiastic crowd! I should mention here that for all the shows, the Femmes had perhaps the most impressive HOD section I've ever seen. They told me later it featured some people who have played in HOD for the past 20 years. Steve McCay on tenor sax was by far the most colorful member of the group and he was totally enjoying himself at each show. He looked so happy to be there and was having the time of his life. Besides playing with HOD he also sat in for a few other songs and. he was joined by Drake Scott on trumpet for I Held Her In MY Arms. The combination of sax and trumpet on that fantastic song was breathtaking. Brian introduced him by saying that he used to say, "Steve McCay, formerly of the Stooges. But since the Stooges are reunited, he's Steve McCay of the Stooges" He was so comfortable up there. Besides Steve and Drake, HOD consisted of Jerry Harrison on xylophone, Hani Naser on arabic percussion (what a great percussionist!), Roger Rocha on guitar, Ken LaCosse on shakuhachi, Jared Olman on alto sax and Darren Brown on trumpet. Johnny Biz, the opener for all 4 shows played accordion with HOD. He was a pleasant, young, funny singer songwriter who had such a good onstage demeanor. And on violin was this wonderful young woman named Yoon Ki Chai. One of my favorite Femmes moments at every show is Brian's solo on Good Feelings. For these shows, Yoon Ki played the solo on violin and the audience was not disappointed. She was so good. She also played the violin solo on Jesus Walking On The Water. The Femmes seemed so happy to be playing with people they know, like and admire. There was such a playful camaraderie on the stage. When Brian was introducing the band during Black Girls, and he got to introducing Gordon, instead of Gordon taking a bow it was this smiling Asian man with Gordon's guitar who took a bow instead. Later, Gordon said that for a while there, he felt like an Asian man, but that it was probably just his imagination. The Santa Cruz show was at the Catalyst, which is kind of rough, factory like place with a wrap-around balcony. They played their regular songs with the audience singing and dancing along. By the time the Femmes and all of the Horns of Dilemma got on stage it was like one big jamfest. The sound was incredible and the audience loved them. One guy, who was standing next to me told me it was one of the best shows he'd ever seen there. I had such a great time but I had to get back to the East Coast by Saturday so I had to miss the Saturday show in Devore. Four Days in SanFrancisco, 4 fantastic Femmes shows. I can't wait to do it again. Marylee Rubaiyat@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello, I once submitted an email asking you if you would like to get together and possibly get this website updated. I have a violent femmes site I did for a school project and was wondering if there were some way we can use both of our existing sites to create something more up to date. I am a big fan of the band and have been for some time. I just want to help. Thanks, Chris Partida www.chrispartida.com to get an idea of my version of your site, click the link below: http://www.chrispartida.com/violent%20femmes/index.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Oracle Event ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey! I went to that Oracle show too! The Femmes were great and the party was insanity! Petey pideara@staffardsolutions.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KROQ Inland Invasion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello...I'm assuming that this e-mail address is where I can request to be added to the Violent Femmes mailing list (current news, updated tour dates, etc.)??? Hopefully I guessed right! I would also like to be able to e-mail the members with some thoughts (and mostly gratitude) on their music, recently attended concert, and on and on and on and on.....if I e-mail them here, will they see it? Any info, help, or whatever you can provide me will be greatly appreciated...later skater R/ Cherie GrlStarInLove@aol.com ******************************************************************* To POST, SUBSCRIBE, or UNSUBSCRIBE send email to: violentfemmeslist@yahoo.com or violentfemmeslist@ameritech.net ******************************************************************* |