10-17-97

AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST
currently run by Pat. Wary

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TOUR DATES: (NEW DATES MARKED WITH A **)

October 29-The Forum, London, ENGLAND (O)
October 31-Sports Hall at Coimbra University, Coimbra, PORTUGAL (O)
November 8-House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL (T,O)
November 9-Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, FL (T) SEE FIRST TOPIC
November 10-Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL (O,P,T)
(With Goldfinger, according to T)
November 11-Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (O)

NOTA BENE: ‘O’ stands for the Official homepage
‘P’ stands for Pollstar
‘T’ stands for Ticketmaster
‘I’ stands for Insider Info
All other references are subscribers

Also:

Brian Ritchie will be playing shakuhachi: solo, with others, and
led by James Nyorako Schlefer, on October 18 and 19 from 1-3 p.m.
at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Tickets are $3.00.
Be aware that this is NOT the Femmes.

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The Quote Of The Day:

“nothin’ i can say when i’m in your thighs”
-From Add It Up
-Submitted by

Hey, just because a quote is extremely familiar doesn’t mean it’s not
worthy of being here, so you have nothing to apologize for, Soma16.

send your VF quotes to
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WHO/WHERE
Going to a VF concert? Want to know if anyone
else on the list also going? Check here first!

OOH the poor poor section. Nobody wants to admit to going to any
upcoming shows. WHO/WHERE is SOOOO lonely.

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ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO

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WEB PAGES:

Official: http://www.vfemmes.com
Unofficial: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/femmes.html
Guitar: http://www.bucknell.edu/~wtorres/violent_femmes/
TAB DIGEST:

The tab digest is give and take; remember to share what
you have.

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In Today’s Issue:

Errata
RE: Bad, Rejoice..New Topics
ROCK! Offer..RE: Call for Topics
Pro Set List
Review, Was RE: Hard to Find ROCK!
RE: Tribute Album
RE: Tribute Album
RE: Top 5 Faves
RE: Top 5 Faves
RE: Top 5 Faves
RE: Top 5 Faves
RE: Top 5 Faves
RE: Musical Tastes
RE: Musical Tastes
RE: Musical Tastes
RE: Musical Tastes
RE: High as a Kite
RE: High as a Kite
RE: High as a Kite
RE: Unknown CD
RE: That Down the Aisle Thing
Boot Wanted..RE: Opening Acts
Wanted: Film Noir
Various and Sundry

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Errata
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OK, a few corrections are in order here.
1.The Violent Femmes are indeed playing at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg
on Nov. 9. It pains me to have to admit that the Official Homepage is
wrong, and Ticketmaster is (choke) right. Yeah, well, they still gouge
ya for tix. What IS it with the Official Homepage and Florida dates?
If anyone finds out about an actual date for the Chili Pepper in Ft.
Lauderdale, you’ll be a dear and let me know about it, right? But as
of now, they’re not playing there.
2.That Tribute album? Sorry folks, that isn’t what that album is
about. It is in truth a soundtrack for a movie called ‘Hitting the
Ground’. Check letter from Bec,Clarksville,MD in the Official Homepage.
But, hey, I like that thread about that dream tribute album. Y’all
can keep on writing about it if you want.
3.DO NOT write to the Official Homepage for bookings. If any of you are
able to influence who plays at your college or other favorite venue,
you’ll need to contact Monterrey Peninsula Artists. I suppose I could
surf for email and snailmail addys and phone number, but I won’t. If
you are really serious about booking, look it up yourself. I don’t
mean to be snotty, but I just had a vision of 900 people emailing
that place, and it wasn’t too pretty.

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RE:Bad,Rejoice..New Topics
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First I wanted to post this – I tried to send this response privately
but the address was undeliverable. I wanted to thank whover this was…
wrote:
<>

That was me. Thank you for the insight. I had gotten the reference
from Rejoice but did not know it was an original Gano. And I had been
…. well haunted (for lack of a better word) by Bad’s lyrics since the
first time I heard them. Rejoice is a wonderful celebration, much like
Jesus Walking on the Water; but Bad is a standout in my opinion!

Secondly – the detail this person supplied and the questions this e-mail
answered for me are EXACTLY the reasons I’m interested and excited to be
a part of this newsletter. Not every post peaks my interest but I’ve
learned more about the music and the band in the last 2 years from this
list than I had in the previous 10 years of listening to VF! How dare
anyone suggest we censor for content what is posted here?!!?

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ROCK! Offer..RE: Call for Topics
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i was just at the local record store and they have 2 copys of “rock”
and i would be more than happy to send them to anyone who is interested.

humdrum

ps.

1. i think one way to make this letter a little more interesting would
be to limit each person’s letter length!! these long entrys are just a
lot of the same thing said different ways, boring.

2. i am glad that someone was kind enough to remember the last GOOD
topic was about victor de lorenzo’s superiority as a drummer (brusher)

–

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Pro Set List
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I love reading about set lists…………cause I can never remember what
songs were played at concerts I attend, it’s usually a nice blur of good
music.
So, I vote keep the set lists rolling and…………it’s interesting to
see how different some set lists are then others.

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Review, Was RE: Hard to Find ROCK!
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> To go along with that fact, I’ve
> never saw any press coverage of ROCK! i.e. Rolling Stone or Alternative
> Press. If there ever was a review and I missed it, please let me know.
>

I dont know if this will help but when it was released in Australia it
got reviewed but i didnt see it in any magazines but i saw it in a
newspaper where on a thursday there is a weekly music review with news
and stuff and there was a short review for ROCK!!!! and well i cut it out
and kept it and have reproduced it here for everyone to read. Its only
pretty short. Here it is:

THE thing about the Violent Femmes is they are not passive listening.
From the first opening chords of ROCK!!!!!, you know this is a jump
around, thrash the head and yell loudly record. You will have the words
to the current single Tonight, down pat in a matter of seconds-just
think Blister in the Sun Part 2. Stripped back rock ‘n’ roll, which
sounds like The Ramones, BUT with lyrics, ROCK!!!! is the must have
album for 1995.

*** Please note that this is someone elses review and not mine and if you
dont agree with any of it or even a little bit of it, dont castrate me,
im only reproducing what it is written.*****

Hope you enjoyed reading the review.

Frank –

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RE: Tribute Album
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I strongly suggest that the people putting together the Femmes tribute
album get The Refreshments to cover Kiss Off.I have seen them do this
song in concert(Refreshments) and they did it EXTREMELY well. Plus,they
cite the Violent Femmes as one of their major influences.Also,I think
Sonic Youth could do a great cover of Add It Up,and I would love to see
The Meat Puppets do Country Death Song.

-Barry

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RE: Tribute Album
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I think Pat overlooked the greatest influence on VF music for the
Tribute Album. If anyone has ever heard the Modern Lovers or anything
with Jonathan Richman, you can’t help but notice the direct influence on
the Violent Femmes, right down to the occaisional nasal vocals and the
fact that Jonathan Richman was a punk because he did nothing anyone else
did. Sound familiar?
As opening bands go the best I’ve seen open up for the VF was
Drunken Boat. Those guys were nutty. As for the worst band I’ve seen
open up for them was Dishwalla and Matchbox20. Those two stole the title
from Almost Noah, a horrible cover band from Louisville. I’m sure you
Phish fans will have something to say about this.

ROCK!!
Jason

1. Soul Coughing- Soft Serve
2. The Beatles- For No One
3. Grateful Dead- New Speedway Boogie
4. Kula Shaker- Govinda
5. Chemical Brothers- Lost In The K-Hole

(I, BTW, thought this was an interesting point of discussion- Who
listens to a variety of music? How do our musical tastes tie in with the
Femmes? Who doesn’t have a Femmes song on their top 5, and why?)
—
Paul

Last issue rob wrote in and posted his 6 favourite songs ever. I was
pleasantly surprised to see mother of a girl is his favourite femmes
song, because it also happens to me. I just love the way it starts off
really soft and then the song really kicks in. An awesome song indeed.

Frank

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RE: Top 5 Faves
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in response to rob’s post my top 5 songs are:
1. “new race” radio birdman
2. “country death song” femmes
3. “the hiv song” ween (see note below)
4. “safari” breeders
5. “french fries with pepper” morphine
6. “wail” jon spencer blues explosion
i saw ween last week and they were fantastic. you may think of them as
a joke band after hearing stuff like push the little daisies but they
are actually a really good band and they played for 2 1/2 hours for
$15AUD (about $10US). anyway any news on plans for the femmes to tour
australia any time soon?
keep on chasing the rainbow
craig

1) Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran
2) Lovesong – The Cure
3) Country Death Song ++++ – VF
4) Anything by the Smiths/Morrisey
5) Tainted Love – Soft Cell

Farrah

1. Long Tall Sally-Little Richard (Inside joke: no, not Mustang Sally!)
2. Listen People-Herman’s Hermits
3. Wave of Mutilation-Pixies
4. Green Mind-Dink
5. Black Girls-VF
6. O Fortuna-Orff:Carmina Burana

5 is so hard, had to make it 6.

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RE: Musical Tastes
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<>
My response:
I also enjoy a wide variety of music, including: Tom Petty, Matthew
Sweet, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Janis Joplin,
Beastie Boys, Teenage Fanclub, Superchunk, Count Basie, Miles Davis,
Gigolo Aunts, The Play Trains, Bob Dylan, Wynton Marsalis, Gershwin,
Tchiakovsky, Beck, Elvis Costello, Super 8, Grateful Dead, Buddy Holly,
Los Lobos, Paul Carr, Van Morrison, as well as some occasional country
music, blue-grass, ragtime, reggae, rap, and lots of other stuff too.
The main music I don’t like is: opera, R&B, and easy-listening elevator
crap.
Since this is my first time posting to the group, I thought I’d
introduce myself, eventhough I know many of you out there aren’t
interested in knowing anything about anyone else on the list. I’m 19,
soon to be 20. Been a Femmes fan since I was 14. First heard the Femmes
thanks to a high-school cross-country team-mate who played the tape in
the car on the way to a meet one day, and if it hadn’t been for her, I
probably would never have heard the Femmes. Music is a huge part of my
life, if I’m almost always either listening to music or playing music (on
the trumpet, guitar, or piano). I’ve never heard the Femmes play live,
but hopefully I’ll hear them next time they’re in the D.C. metro area.

Catherine

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RE: Musical Tastes
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In reference to Rebecca youve got some cool bands there I like most all of
them some of my favorites are Sublime, NOFX, Third eye blind,Live,
Sponge….but i like all different music.

Jill

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RE: Musical Tastes
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Hey, i like all those plus Tori Amos, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Radiohead,
The Toasters, Pietasters, Dirty Poodle, Mustard Plug, Janis Joplin, Soul
Coughing, P-Funk, Keoki, Chemical Brothers, Belly, Mozart, U2, The
Beatles, Pink Floyd, Beethovan, Bauhaus, Iggy Pop, Simon and Garfunkle,
and lots more.
But above all, it must be the Violent Femmes, i just can’t help myself.

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RE: Musical Tastes
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Ok, I’ll agree that it’s interesting to find out what other music Femmes
fans listen to, so I’ll name some of my favorite bands also…..The Cure,
Depeche Mode, R.E.M., Jeff Buckley, Blind Melon, Dave Matthews Band,
Phish, Rusted Root, God Street Wine, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Bob
Dylan, Pink Floyd, and Syd Barrett. I hope more of you write in on this
topic!
~Sonia

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RE: High as a Kite
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<>

I sometimes smoke a little weed before attending a show but I have come
to find that the xpierience is much more enjoyable when I know what is
going on around me and I’m not laughing like a moron.

Nick

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RE: High as a Kite
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whats the beer stand for in your e-mail address?
Commenting on what you said about being “high as a kite” for any kind of
show on AM…well, i went the Lilith Fair in Charlotte NC over the summer
and there was an older couple on my row that got OBNIXOUSLY (however you
spell that) drunk in the beginning of the show and spent the entire time
yelling and driving everyone around them nuts until the security had to
ask them to leave…my opinion is that it is your business unless you’re
affecting someone else. I mean, if it’s going to make the show better for
you personally then that’s up to you, as long as it doesn’t put a damper
on the show for somebody else, and as long as you don’t drive drunk
afterwards cause that endangers the life of everyone that you pass- it’s
too easy to wreck your car and die sober. (can you tell i’ve had bad
experiences with this?) But alchol and drugs are two different things…
I dunno, it’s just up to the individual!
Anyways, that’s just my opinion!

Jade

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RE: High as a Kite
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I’m writing in response to the high as a kite question. I’ve never had a
problem with being high as a kite nor will I in the near future. But I
have to say, when I went to the Lisle show (which by the way was
thrillingly good) I was thinking to myself now this would be the absolute
best if I were high. But then I thought wait a minute, would I be able to
truly appreciate the femmes for their asthetic quality if I were high
right now? I could enjoy watching dust float around the room if I were in
that state. I thought even harder then and I was like no way, I need to
be completely clear headed and focused on the femmes right now. I think I
appreciated them more not to mention I remember more and I wasn’t
preoccupied with looking around and being stoney dumb. Besides I was so
very excited to see them I didn’t need anything in my blood to get me
loosened up. I was nuts as it was. Anyway thats what I think. Maybe if I
had been to more shows and this experience weren’t as important to me I
would have felt differently. And if other people feel like that I say go
for it and get stoned! Because its ALL good with the femmes.
CHristy

ohhhhhhhhhhh Johnnnnny…

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RE: Unknown CD
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For Amber and anyone else who may get fished in to the TMBG “Hello Cd”
club, beware. I love They Might Be Giants dearly so when I heard that
Gordon was going to be a selection i plunked down the cash for the club.
Well…the Gordon cd never came. No explanation was given. Instead,
they sent some unreleased Mono Puff tracks (this being the side project
band of TMBG’s John Flansberg). So…beware.

Josh

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RE: That Down the Aisle Thing
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> Pat wrote: “The show started with the band walking down one
> of the aisles, all wearing goofy costumes and playing small
> instruments. I haven’t seen them do that since The Kirby Center in
> Wilkes Barre in 1993.”

they did that at the santa cruz show this past september too, with brian
playing a sopranino saxohone, (for those of you who know your instruments)
a rare treat in itself.. they came from this random back corner of one of
the balconies in the catalyst. very cool, and very unexpected from those
of us who had never seen them. 🙂

-kat

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Boot Wanted..RE: Opening Acts
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I really want a copy of the Femmes show from 9/16/97, in Hollywood. I
just wanted to know if anybody has it, or any other femmes shows. I’m
more than willing to trade. Check out my page at:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/1725/bootlegs.html

Nick

P.S. That was a real good question, about who should open for them.
It’s really got me thinking. Hmmmmm, anyone but Phil Cody.

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Wanted: Film Noir
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Searching for a copy of the bootlegged Film Noir.
Any Femmes zealots know where one might be found?

Matteus

-Pat. Says: Good Luck. That’s probably the hardest to find yet most
sought after VF album/CD there is. As I recall, in one of
the letters in the Official Homepage, the VF hadn’t even
heard of it. In the same letter, an Italian boot is
mentioned. Does anyone know anything about that? Is it KTS
or something else?

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Various and Sundry
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Hi, I’ve just read two issues and am totally impressed! I’ve been a VF
fan for about 12 years and have been reluctant to take a glimpse at any
information on them (don’t know why). They’re recent street concert in
Montreal last month prompted me to join. Unfortunately, I’ve missed any
comments from others about that concert. Anybody out there who wishes to
can always contact me at .Of course a cry
out for any bootlegs (or anything) is now being made… I missed the
first 30 minutes of the concert (I didn’t find out about it until
mid-afternoon) but loved it anyway! Not to rub it in, but I got Rock!
pretty much when it came out from Record Runner, an indie in Ottawa who
are better (in my opinion) then any of the biggies. Its that personal
touch thing! A recent music anthology (I forget which) lists all (!)
of th VF’s works, including solo works and catagorizes them as “punk
folk”! Ha! So the VF are being more and more recognizes in the listings.
As far as any VF history goes, I had an old assistant-manager (The
Goat) who says that back in the old days he use to “see” a black girl
(no name) who was also “seeing” Gano! She eventually dumped my friend
for him. The Goat says she must be the inspiration for the song (one of
my favorites, especially in concert – ever so different as I’ve read in
an earlier letter)!. I believe him, mostly because who would want to
brag about losing to Gano? And finally, I agree about reading books, any
books. Go out there and pick one up, especially one by Howar^ P.
Lovecraft. IA CHAUGNAR FAUGN!
Erik J. Foisy
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada

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