02-09-98

AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST currently run by Pat. Wary ************************************************************************ TOUR DATES: (NEW DATES MARKED WITH A **) Feb. 27-First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN (T,O,P) THIS IS A 21 AND OVER SHOW ONLY Feb. 28-8 p.m. Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Duluth, MN (O,P,T) Mar. 1-Wayne State College, Wayne, NE (O) Mar. 3-Marzz, Raleigh, NC (O) TENTATIVE Mar. 4-Bohagers, Baltimore, MD, $20 (O,P) Mar. 5-Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA (O) TENTATIVE Mar. 6-Nightclub 9:30, Washington, DC, $20 (O,P) Mar. 27 or 28-N. Michigan U., Marquette, MI (O) TENTATIVE 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 To book a show, contact Monterey Peninsula Artists. Serious inquiries only. ************************************************************************ The Quote Of The Day: My people are destroyed for Lack Of Knowledge -From Lack of Knowledge PLEASE send your VF quotes to ************************************************************************ WHO/WHERE Going to a VF concert? Want to know if anyone else on the list also going? Check here first! Baltimore, MD ------------- Washington, DC -------------- ************************************************************************ ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ************************************************************************ WEB PAGES: Official: http://www.vfemmes.com Unofficial: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/femmes.html NEW ADDRESS: http://vf.scopemag.com or try: http://206.103.163.50 Download the unofficial homepage: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/backup.zip Guitar: http://www.bucknell.edu/~wtorres/violent_femmes http://www.olga.net TAB DIGEST: The tab digest is give and take; remember to share what you have. Une banane dans l'oreille: Send in your top five faves each week to: They will periodically be compiled and posted. HERE I AM: write to me, , to add your name to this list. Once it's up and running, you can then write in to find out who lives near you, or who lives in a town you'll be visiting. ************************************************************************ In Today's Issue: Past Concert Dates 9:30 Info RE: Johnny Tabs RE: Dumb DMFD RE: I Wasn't Screaming Why I Don't Like Black Girls Indigo Girls Literature Influences Come South ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Past Concert Dates ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK, here's another project for everyone. I'm going to try to compile a list of past concert dates; ones that can be verified by your actual presence at those concerts, or concerts that you know about but couldn't attend. I need actual, correct dates, not dates written on boot tapes. The reason for this is that mypen15 has found some errors on his boots, and he'd like to verify and/or correct them. Send your dates to me, and I'll make my list, and if James Welborn wants them for the Unofficial Homepage, I'll send them to him, or put them on a mailing list homepage as soon as I have the time to design one. One other thing--I can't access Mike's Unofficial Homepage..Anyone know the outcome of the auction? -Pat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9:30 Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I know that the 9:30 club has no age limit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Johnny Tabs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a message dated 98-02-06 10:32:56 EST, you write: << i think the reason there aren't any guitar tabs it that its JUST chords (i think they were D and Em, I'd have to check). The somewhat complicated part where we would need tabs would be the bass lines, which I have no idea how to play. Can Any bassists on the list maybe help????>> if i get off my lazy ass which is rare i'll tab out the bass and the picking pattern for the d chord.... kyle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Dumb DMFD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi everyone... Just wanted to express my opinion about DMFD. I personally think it's a really good song - and it really gets you in a good mood. I've never seen it played live, since I've not been to a VF concert yet, but I'm sure it would get the crowd going. I know it gets me and my friends livened up. Last year in school my friends and I (which came to about 20 of us) would all stand around a table during breaks. Whenever there was a long pause in the conversation (which didn't happen very often) I would say "When I say dance, you better dance" and I would start singing the song. As soon as I said "Dance, MF, Dance" everyone would start dancing in their own crazy way. It was really funny - and a good way to relieve the school stress. None of them had ever heard that song before (as I guess they were what you would call fake fans - ie. BITS and American Music were the only songs they knew), but even so, it got all of us in a good mood and started the conversation up again. So, I guess I'm saying I think that song is really underestimated. Get a bunch of friends together and play it. When everyone starts dancing and bouncing off the walls, I'm sure you'll begin to appreciate the song. "When I say dance, You better dance..." - Joanna ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: I Wasn't Screaming ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sorry if you took so much offense to that comment, but im 16, also a teenager. the only reason i said that was because the time where i saw them at their bus there was a chick there jumping and screaming at the top of her lungs "GOOORRDON! COME OUT PLEASE!!" and i thought that was a bit on the tacky and obnoxious side and i had a better time when the chick stopped. and i think gordon did too by the look he gave me...just an opinion. and, yes, no offense was meant. peace : ) ~shannon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why I Don't Like Black Girls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In response to these comments: << I also don't really care for 'Black Girls' on CD >> poor boy!!! Sun~ra will not be pleased!!! Okaaaay... hmm... let me start off by saying 'Black Girls' is the only song I usually skip on both HALLOWED GROUND and ADD IT UP. That's quite an accomplishment, especially considering how much 'Old Mother Reagan' and 'Vancouver' annoy me. I just don't care for BG on CD. It's too drawn out for my tastes. I liked it when I heard it live because the Femmes completely jammed it out and made it interesting to listen to, and took away the drawn out tone of the CD version. The CD version does have a jazzy, rhythmical beat, but I suppose it just isnt my cup of tea. <> Hmm, I can see how people can not like these songs, simply through either redundancy or being drawn out. I'd ask you how you could actually like 'Black Girls', but you seem to have answered that for me. I don't listen to the Femmes to dance to them and I never have. I listen to them for the music and the meanings in their songs. If you listen to them only to dance to them, then I guess Black Girls is the perfect song for you, but I look for a little more from the Femmes because they have so much more to offer. The Femmes have lyrical mastery as you can see in 'Kiss Off' and 'Never Tell' amongst others. The Femmes can convey any emotion in their music, from upbeat bounciness (Blister in the Sun) to solemn sadness (Good Feeling). The band members play a wide variety of instruments, which you can hear anywhere from 'Gone Daddy Gone' to 'Didgeriblues' to 'I held her in My Arms'. The Femmes' styles vary from punk (Tonight) to jazzy (It's Gonna Rain) to techno (Machine) to poetically inspired (I Danced). The Femmes have made some of the greatest songs in modern times (American Music, Add it Up, Kiss Off, Never Tell, Out the Window; to name a few) and you pick 'Black Girls' as your fave because you like to dance to it? Everyone has their personal favorite Femmes song (I've always liked Kiss Off over Add it Up, but my best friend prefers Add it Up), but it's just my opinion that you need to go re-listen to your Femmes albums again, and maybe you'll find that the Femmes have more to offer than just something to dance to... -Pat. Says: Let me add my $.02 here. For many years, Black Girls was my favorite VF song, and NOT because I could dance to it. You see, the first time I heard Black Girls was in 1984, when Hallowed Ground was released. I thought it was one of the most hilarious songs I'd ever heard, and it marks the first appearance of the Horns of Dilemma. The only time I'd ever heard horns played like that before was in Fear's 'New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones' (PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that wonderful song!) Aside from the use of the Xylophone in Gone Daddy Gone, this was the first inkling that the VF could and would incorporate many varied and unusual instruments into their songs, and they would even play the 'run of the mill' instruments in unique ways. My estimation of their abilities increased dramatically as a result of that song. When I hear that song, I hear a bunch of irreverent, fun loving guys having the time of their lives and expanding their horizons in the process. Hallowed Ground may be the best album they've released to date; it certainly is the most eclectic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indigo Girls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a message dated 98-02-06 10:32:56 EST, you write: << During the encore, they played a few songs with opening band (Danielle Howle and the Tantrums), including "Closer to Fine" and the Femmes' "Blister in the Sun"!>> darn it all the indigo girls kick...nuts i'm jealous!!!.. kyle =( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Literature Influences ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I find country death song to be one of my favorite songs to watch them perform. However, there is another underlying topic that I would like to address. I am quite impressed that they seem to incorporate Classical Greek literature, as well as Victorian literature and characters into their music. Not that I think that they are illiterate, or anything. It's just that being an English major I have to read so many works, and it's nice to come across a character, or a quote, that is in a Femmes song. Just a thought.. Bye for now.. Aaron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Come South ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, I know better than to write in to whine "When are the Femmes playing in my area?" But I realized that I don't see many tour dates in the south, like, EVER. As far as I know, they haven't been down to dallas since 1994, when I was still too young to get into the clubs where they played. (Trust me, it broke my heart.) Anyway, since I've been of age, I've never seen them even remotely in my area. I'd consider driving a long way, too, but they just don't seem to make it down to the texas/oklahoma area much. The closest I've seen was the New Orleans show in November, which a poorly timed physics exam prevented me from attending. Is this because they are less popular in the south, or just because they hate touring here, or just because God is trying to spite me? Any ideas? -Pat. Says: The only idea I've ever come up with is: Insinuate yourself among the group which decides who is playing at your school or other favorite venue. Then exert some pressure, bribery, subliminal messages, anything you can think of. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~