From Home Away From Home To Recording Music At Radio Stations

Last year, Milwaukee-bred folk rockers Violent Femmes released their ninth album We Can Do Anything, their first LP in 16 years, and returned to the live scene with a vengeance, their extensive Australian tour followed by months of shows all through North America.

Bassist Brian Ritchie — who's called Tasmania home for close to a decade — explains that the reason they're returning Down Under so quickly is because of their decades-long affinity with our country. "Australia's our second home — or in my case, first home — and we always love touring here," he chuckles. "On that last tour it was interesting that it was all Australian bands except for the Femmes, so it kind of brought home the reality that we've been part of the Australian music scene for so long that we're almost considered Australian.

"It kind of brought home the reality that we've been part of the Australian music scene for so long that we're almost considered Australian."

"We've been playing in Australia since 1984, and it never came and went. In some of the European markets you're big and then you, like, fade, and then you have to make a comeback and then you're big again, but it never stopped in Australia. People just adopted us here and we've always been popular."

The Femmes' jittery tales of teen angst resonate with troubled souls everywhere, but Ritchie believes that in Australia more cool cliques got it as well. "I've heard from a lot of people over the years that [in Australia] our music was quite popular in the surf culture — people would go surfing and be on the beach listening to the Femmes," he relates. "So maybe because Australia has such a monolithic surf culture, that tied it all together for us. It's nice to have something that speaks to the masses but still has some musical integrity, too."

Ritchie believes that integrity and authenticity are imperative for any band to achieve longevity. "Well, we're really part of the American music tradition," he tells, "even going back before rock'n'roll even started, because we love country music and blues and jazz — all that stuff — and it all comes out in our music. Especially with the acoustic approach, which in some ways has as much in common with pre-rock'n'roll as it does with rock'n'roll itself."

There's also a new live document of Violent Femmes' stripped-back roots in the pipeline. "We went around radio stations in the States last year and instead of just doing interviews we also made a point of playing songs," Ritchie enthuses. "We brought along two old microphones and recorded only using those so it's going to be a live album, but it's not live at a gig, it's live at radio stations. They ranged from being almost as good as recording studios to just office buildings, so the sound quality changes and it's a different vibe from every station. It's more like a field recording mentality."