Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano on the Influence of the Band's 1983 Debut

"I made up songs as soon as I could speak," says Gordon Gano, the jovial singer and guitarist of Violent Femmes, a band that seemed fully formed when Gano was still a teenager. The band's self-titled 1983 debut record still sounds effortlessly cool, bursting with alienation, lust, and catchy riffs.

Violent Femmes began in Milwaukee with Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie, and percussionist Victor DeLorenzo. "The plan in 1981 was just to play together that summer. The other guys were going to move, but that didn't work out," Gano says.

The trio bonded over their love of punk bands like the Ramones and Johnny Thunders, New York art rock like Velvet Underground and Television, and even the jazz of Sun Ra. Still, they were unable to find anyone else in their hometown who shared their love of eclectic sounds.

"There was one club in Milwaukee that had punk, but they wouldn't have us. We'd play on the street because no one would let us play," he says.

Luckily, one fateful night, the Pretenders were in town. They caught a set by the band and liked what they heard. The band impulsively invited Violent Femmes to open for them. "We figured if no one liked us, at least the Pretenders liked us," Gano adds.
Over the years, Violent Femmes slowly developed a devoted following, especially after the release of their debut album. "We already were playing a lot of the songs we recorded on the second album, but someone, I think it was Brian, said, let's play all our rock songs on the first record," Gano says. "Then, on the second album, we can play our folk songs and country and gospel and jazz. What a great idea that was. There was an energy to that first album we wouldn't have had if we mixed it all together."

For a while, Violent Femmes' debut album was the first record to sell a million copies without ever appearing on the Billboard 200, finally charting eight years after its release. "I've had fans tell me they love the record so much but had no idea what the cover looked like since they only heard it on copied cassettes. A lot of people who love it never bought the record," Gano explains.

I can certainly relate. I got to know the band's debut album intimately while working a menial job cleaning fish tanks in a room with a boom box and only two cassette tapes a previous employee left behind. One was Led Zeppelin, and the other was the Violent Femmes' debut. Gano laughs and says he has heard similar stories. One fan told him she drove cross-country armed with only two albums, the band's debut and the Les Miz Broadway soundtrack, playing them over and over again.
Violent Femmes fans will have a chance to hear those beloved tunes when the band plays two nights at Pompano Beach Amphitheater March 28 and 29.

"We'll play the first album in the exact order it is on the record. Then, we take a break and play Hallowed Ground all the way through. For most of our career, we didn't have a setlist. We'd just go on stage and play songs. People like this format so much, but we'll move on from it. We don't play the songs the exact same every night. So if someone wants to come both nights, great. I'll be there."

This format began two years ago to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 album. Channelingtar songs he wrote before he was old enough to vote hasn't been much of a challenge for Gano.

"I don't have to feel how I remember feeling as a teenager to sing the songs," he says. "I trust in the material, that it's good, and I'll be able to deliver it. I still connect with it."

Violent Femmes. 8 p.m. Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, at Pompano Beach Amphitheater, 1806 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach; pompanobeacharts.org/amp. Tickets cost $39.50 to $69.50 via axs.com.