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07-13-2006, 07:43 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Wausau, WI | | | Violent Femmes
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My wife and I finally got a chance to go out on a date (first time in about six months...you know typical family life issues that keep us from doing that more often). Last night we went to a concert and saw the Violent Femmes at our local fairgrounds.
What a great way to spend a Wednesday night in my little town. The opening acts were "Carbon Leaf" and "Better than Ezra". Both of those bands were very good as well, and "Better than Ezra" was very humorous and entertaining.
I knew of the Violent Femmes, though I don't recall ever really hearing their music before.
All I can say is "Wow!" Very impressive. They have such a full sound for the drummer only using a floor tom, snare and one cymbal. Brian Ritchie is one kick-ass bass player. He plays awesome solos and fills, yet he lays a very solid foundation for the music as well.
I had read the article on him in my latest Bass Player mag and then seeing them live was quite a treat. I was right in front of the stage and his jumbo acoustic has a very bright, yet deep sound. Once he jumped on his Music Man Stingray he started doing more soloing. He seemed to have very low action on his basses, and it appears that "fret buzz" is a part of his sound. He hammers on the strings with such authority, yet it's very clean sounding. Very interesting music that is hard to categorize (not that it's necessary to). It's a blend of country, rock, jazz, polka, punk, folk, etc... sometimes even within the same song.
Very, very entertaining band and watching Brian play was very enlightening. Made me want to go home and practice!
I know they are from Milwaukee, and have been around for a long time, but I'd just never heard them before. Anyone else here ever check out this eclectic band live? What are your thoughts?
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fEARful...that's about as good as it gets.
Last edited by Sundogue : 07-13-2006 at 07:47 AM.
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07-13-2006, 07:46 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vernon, B.C. Canada | | | whicked band whicked bass player. |
07-13-2006, 08:27 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: footballscannotbekickediguess | | | Cool band.
Legend is they were "discovered" by Chrissy Hynde busking in front of the Landmark Theater in Milwaukee. The first album is a classic, I still enjoy listening to the first 3 records, but I kind of lost interest with their direction after "Blind Leading The Naked."
Brian plays around town once in a while with his project- he used my rig for a show!
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07-13-2006, 08:51 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Wausau, WI | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy Cool band.
Legend is they were "discovered" by Chrissy Hynde busking in front of the Landmark Theater in Milwaukee. The first album is a classic, I still enjoy listening to the first 3 records, but I kind of lost interest with their direction after "Blind Leading The Naked."
Brian plays around town once in a while with his project- he used my rig for a show! | I had never listened to their records, though the guitar player/songwriter in an originals band I was in a long time ago was heavily influenced by them, so he says.
Very eclectic mix of music, and Brian Ritchie does some damn amazing things with the bass. Yeah, he kind of wanks a bit...but since there is no "lead guitarist" he takes over fabulously. And he plays some very interesting lines using a pick and his fingers simultaneously.
He has a very interesting setup. He hits his strings quite hard and the action is pretty low, and you can definitely hear fret buzz, but it seems to fit the music. I noticed he was playing his acoustic and Stingray through two GK heads and two SWR 410's. I was so close I could hear the tone straight through his amp, as well as the PA.
It was a fun evening...and certainly one we don't have very often in Central Wisconsin...much less on a Wednesday night.
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fEARful...that's about as good as it gets.
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07-13-2006, 09:48 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Montreal, Canada | | | the only violent femme song I ever heard is blister in the sun.
I would love to see them live though!
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"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski
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07-13-2006, 10:22 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Leander, Texas | | I saw the Femmes at Liberty Lunch. I LOVE THEM!!! I turned my son and his friends onto them. Gawd...acoustic punk with WICKED bass playing. What's not to like?
Cherie  |
07-13-2006, 10:33 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Wausau, WI | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by txbasschik I saw the Femmes at Liberty Lunch. I LOVE THEM!!! I turned my son and his friends onto them. Gawd...acoustic punk with WICKED bass playing. What's not to like?
Cherie | Yeah, they call it acoustic punk, but there are so many influences in their music, it's really hard to pidgeon-hole them.
They did a tribute to Sid Barrett. Brian thanked him for influencing him and then he took some weird, one string bamboo pole bass, cranked up the effects and played a few of Sid's tunes.
And yes, wicked is a good word to decribe Ritchie's playing. He is quite awesome...especially in person. I was right in front of him and could see how he was playing everything. Very cool to see live.
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fEARful...that's about as good as it gets.
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07-13-2006, 02:42 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Towson, MD/Seattle, WA | | | As a teenager, I feel I can always relate to all 10 songs on their self-titled review. It's like acoustic folk-punk– stripped down, honest, and full of raw emotion.
Brian is one of my biggest inspirations. I hope to meet him some day and I'm going to try and book the Femmes when I go to Goucher College this fall in Baltimore. |
07-13-2006, 07:54 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Glendale & La Jolla, CA | | | Blister in the Sun is one helluva catchy song. |
07-14-2006, 08:50 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Leander, Texas | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Sundogue Yeah, they call it acoustic punk, but there are so many influences in their music, it's really hard to pidgeon-hole them.
They did a tribute to Sid Barrett. Brian thanked him for influencing him and then he took some weird, one string bamboo pole bass, cranked up the effects and played a few of Sid's tunes.
And yes, wicked is a good word to decribe Ritchie's playing. He is quite awesome...especially in person. I was right in front of him and could see how he was playing everything. Very cool to see live. | Yeah, they do show a variety of influences. "Acoustic punk" is the sound they make me...feel.
You are so lucky to have seen them do a Syd Barrett tribute!!! I'd have loved to seen that bamboo pole bass.
Cherie  |
07-14-2006, 09:06 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Wausau, WI | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by txbasschik Yeah, they do show a variety of influences. "Acoustic punk" is the sound they make me...feel.
You are so lucky to have seen them do a Syd Barrett tribute!!! I'd have loved to seen that bamboo pole bass.
Cherie | I just re-read his interview in Bass player magazine and that one-string wonder-bass, is actually a hunk of maple with one string. Damned if he didn't play that one string better than a lot of bass players use four!!!
It is a very interesting article in Bass Player...and after reading it, seeing him, and reading it again I have quite a bit of respect for him.
Oh, and he does own a Wishbass. He makes the comment that the construction is lousy, but it works for him. He said years ago, he quit shopping for new basses all the time and he just went into a music store and tried them all out until one just felt "right", regardless of what brand it was. Turned out to be a beat up old Stingray. You can see it's still beat up, but it sure sounds damn good.
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fEARful...that's about as good as it gets.
Last edited by Sundogue : 07-14-2006 at 09:08 AM.
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07-14-2006, 09:19 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Leander, Texas | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Sundogue I just re-read his interview in Bass player magazine and that one-string wonder-bass, is actually a hunk of maple with one string. Damned if he didn't play that one string better than a lot of bass players use four!!!
It is a very interesting article in Bass Player...and after reading it, seeing him, and reading it again I have quite a bit of respect for him.
Oh, and he does own a Wishbass. He makes the comment that the construction is lousy, but it works for him. He said years ago, he quit shopping for new basses all the time and he just went into a music store and tried them all out until one just felt "right", regardless of what brand it was. Turned out to be a beat up old Stingray. You can see it's still beat up, but it sure sounds damn good. | I like that approach to buying a bass. I do the same thing...play 'em all and let God and good tone sort 'em out! 
Cherie |
07-14-2006, 06:01 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York | | | I haven't really given their music a good listen, but they are doing a free show in downtown in about two weeks, so given your review, and all the positive comments, I think it'll be worth the gas money and parking hassle to see 'em. Thanks! |
07-15-2006, 07:23 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Western PA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Yvon the only violent femme song I ever heard is blister in the sun.
I would love to see them live though! | Take a listen to the bass line in Add It Up.
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07-15-2006, 12:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: San Francisco, CA (finally!) | | | 'Kiss Off' is a great one too! |
07-15-2006, 02:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Towson, MD/Seattle, WA | | | Can we be serious? The entire album doesn't possess a song that DOESN't have a great bassline. |
07-15-2006, 04:27 PM
|  | *******er Emeritus(does anyone remember that? No?) | | Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Houston, Texas | | | I didn't even realize they were still together...haven't heard anything about them in a long long time.
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