Violent Femmes在1980年时成立于美国威斯康辛州的Milwaukee，由吉他手兼主唱Gordon Gano、贝斯手Brian Ritchie与鼓手Victor De Lorenzo三人所组成，一如许多刚组成的乐队，咖啡馆与酒馆也是Violent Femmes发表自己创作的地方，然而却在一次于街头的表演中，被Pretenders的吉他手James Honeyman-Scott发掘，甚至主唱Chrissie Hynde还主动邀请Violent Femmes担任他们演唱会的暖场嘉宾，这对一个没没无名的新进乐队来说绝对是一个莫大的鼓励，因为如此，Violent Femmes也获得一纸唱片合约。从1983年开始，Violent Femmes陆续推出多张专辑，有些甚至只以MP3的形式在网路上发行，到了2009年，Violent Femmes宣布解散。
by Jason Ankeny
The textbook American cult band of the 1980s, the Violent Femmes captured the essence of teen angst with remarkable precision; raw and jittery, the trios music found little commercial success but nonetheless emerged as the soundtrack for the lives of troubled adolescents the world over. The group formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 80s, and comprised singer/guitarist Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie and percussionist Victor DeLorenzo; Ritchie originated the bands oxymoronic name, adopting the word femme from the Milwaukee areas slang for wimps. After being discovered by the Pretenders James Honeyman-Scott, the Violent Femmes signed to Slash and issued their self-titled 1983 debut, a melodic folk-punk collection which struck an obvious chord with young listeners who felt a strong connection to bitter, frustrated songs like Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off and Add It Up. Though never a chart hit, the album remained a rite of passage for succeeding generations of teen outsiders, and after close to a decade in release, it finally achieved platinum status.
With 1984s Hallowed Ground, Ganos lyrics began to reflect his devout Baptist upbringing, while the Femmes music approached more traditional folk and country structures. Produced by Talking Heads Jerry Harrison, 1986s The Blind Leading the Naked advanced towards a more mainstream sound; a cover of the T. Rex chestnut Children of the Revolution even became a minor hit. After the records release, the Femmes temporarily disbanded: Gano recorded a self-titled 1987 album with his gospel side project the Mercy Seat, while Ritchie issued a series of solo LPs including 1987s The Blend and 1989s Sonic Temple & Court of Babylon for SST. (I See a Noise appeared on Dali Records in 1990.) In 1989, the group resurfaced with 3, and followed in 1991 with Why Do Birds Sing?, which featured the Femmes deconstructionist cover of Culture Clubs Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
Following the release of the 1993 compilation Add It Up (1981-1993), DeLorenzo exited the Violent Femmes to resume the solo career he began two years prior with the release of Peter Corey Sent Me; his sophomore effort, Pancake Day, appeared in 1996. Former Oil Tasters and BoDeans drummer Guy Hoffman was tapped as DeLorenzos replacement in time to record 1994s New Times for Elektra Records which proved their sole release for the label. Rock!!!!! was released in 1995 on Mushroom Records only in Australia; the live Viva Wisconsin followed on the American indie label Beyond in 1999, trailed early the next year by a new studio effort, Freak Magnet. In the spring of 2001, the Femmes released their first MP3-only album, Somethings Wrong, through the website EMusic.com; it collected an assortment of rarities, including covers, acoustic live tracks, alternate versions, demos, and the like. In 2002, Rhino/Slash reissued their debut as a two-disc Deluxe Edition that featured twenty-two previously unreleased tracks, followed by Permanent Record: The Very Best Of in 2005.
