I have already posted my Lollapalooza anecdote and my 2009 interview with Brian Ritchie. I also remember a guy named Randy who I briefly went to SFU with bitching -- I think while we were talking at a John Cale/ Pere Ubu show at Club Soda, decades ago -- because he had read somewhere that Brian Ritchie was into "improvised music," but then the band got annoyed when Randy, going to see them live, brought along a harmonica to a show (not sure which, but one of the early ones) and started spontaneously playing along; he was told to stop. He was pretty annoyed, but I'm pretty sure that's not what Ritchie had had in mind...
Also, David M. of NO FUN (who opened for them on April 11, 1986), remembers that, though "they were very friendly... there seemed to be some slight tension between the three main guys, Paul thought so too. It was probably nothing, and the show was ragingly good. Because I brought my cassette deck to record it [ie., NO FUN's performance, not the Femmes'], our set became our first live album, audio evidence of the only time my crotch was fondled on stage by an audience member, thus the full name of the album NO FUN Having Their Crotch Fondled On Stage, later shortened to the more prosaic NO FUN On Stage."
Note: Kent Lindsay of Atomic Werewolf (interviewed here about his connection to NO FUN and the New Heads and such) was apparently there and says it was a good show... David also remembers the band borrowing some of NO FUN's chairs for their horn section... But this NO FUN content threatens to take us somewhat away from the main purpose of this post....
Witness One: Bev Davies
All shots in this section are by Bev Davies, and are not to be reused without permission...
The earliest photos of the Violent Femmes in Vancouver -- or at least the earliest that anyone shared with me come from Bev Davies, who shot them on October 16, 1985, including a gorgeous photo of Brian Ritchie, who would have been about 25 here. I think this may have illustrated the interview I did with him for the Skinny, when that appeared in print:
Two pictures showcase their previous/ original drummer, Victor DeLorenzo, one with a very femme Gordon Gano and one with Ritchie:
Then there's one group shot of the Femmes, and here is where there was some confusion. I initially was puzzled by the Wayne-Gretzky lookalike below with the saxophone, who does not appear to be Peter Balestrieri. I am blown away to discover (via Brian Ritchie) that this is the late Steve Mackay of the Stooges, who also played sax with the Femmes... (And of course, John Zorn also played with them on Hallowed Ground; they've had some amazing horn players over the years). This was the first point of clarity that needed making...
But then I got confused; I mentioned to Ritchie that it was cool that Steve Mackay and John Zorn had played sax with the Violent Femmes, and he commented back "And Dick Parry." Parry is also a legendary rock sax player -- you know him from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Somehow I misread Brian's messages, however, and thought he meant that the non-Femmes in the photo were Steve Mackay and Dick Parry (I mean, the Horns of Dilemma ARE a plural phenomenon). How about that! He does look a bit like the guy on the left... a bit older, a bit less hair, but that's kinda how these things work...
Brian Ritchie was NOT asserting, however, that the guy on the left in the photo was Dick Parry. I got that wrong, a simple misreading, but I had written previously, following Bev's information, that this was Wolfgang the WB Record Rep (AKA Wolfgang Burandt, I believe, deceased as of 2012). I briefly amended both this post and a Facebook post to say that that wasn't Wolfgang but Dick, whereupon Bev insisted that it really was Wolfgang, who was someone she actually knew (these were the days where having good relations with the record reps was important if you wanted to get photo passes). To convince me, she went into her files and found a DIFFERENT photo of Wolfgang the WB Record Rep, in the same fucking shirt no less, giving gold records to ZZ Top: he's third from the left.
Bev sarcastically quipped "Or is that Dick Parry giving gold records to ZZ Top? I rest my case" but really, the striped shirt ices it. Whereupon I re-read the chain of texts from Brian and realized he was never saying that Dick Parry was in the photo, just that Parry had played sax with them.
It is a wonder that I get anything right! But it was, at least, a productive misunderstanding.
Also note re: stripes that in that previous group photo, Gordon Gano appears to have been wearing a sleeveless striped t-shirt under his sleeved striped t-shirt. That is quite a commitment to stripes.
Two: Phil Saintsbury
Longtime Vancouver record dealer, man of culture, and scene fixture Phil Saintsbury has kindly provided a few gig posters and press releases from two Violent Femmes shows. Turns out there's a detail on the 1984 press release that kinda knocks ones socks off. I have tinkered with his original PNG of this to make the text a bit bigger, but this is the best I can do -- sorry if you have to squint!
The thing is: Nomeansno opened for the Violent Femmes?
YES, I have Jason Lamb's book about Nomeansno, and yes, the story is in there, but I didn't read that part until just now! It's covered on pp. 51-52, along with an image of the gig poster from that night and testimony from Andy Kerr, Randy Strobl -- no relation to Rachel Strobl! -- and John Wright). The Femmes played with Nomeansno backing them two nights in a row, first in Seattle, then in Vancouver. This seems a very significant thing, if you're a fan of both bands.
Understand: there are a handful of astonishing bassists I've encountered, bassists whose work is the centerpoint to the band. I am normally not a gimme-the-bass guy; I like a good bassline a lot, and to the extent that I have picked up any instruments at all, I like the feel of a bass under my fingers far more than the feel of a guitar, but it's best understood as a support instrument, maybe sneaking to the fore occasionally with a flourish here and there; if it's doing its job, you aren't even really supposed to NOTICE it. Every now and then, though, there's a rock bassist who is so expressive and creative and interesting that they become the focus, the key, the main ingredient: and Rob Wright and Brian Ritchie are two such bassists (along with Mike Watt, Rachel Melas, and... d'yall know Rachel Melas? I mean, I might be biased because she was local -- I think she's in Ontario, these days -- and I met her once; but go listen to the Animal Slaves' Dog Eat Dog for some supple, slithery, expressively funky bass playing. I mean, the whole album is great, but Rachel's bass...).
(The show where NO FUN opened)
Again, we threaten to unhinge the focus of the piece but understand that it is very interesting to try to imagine what Nomeansno would have sounded like at this juncture. Andy Kerr had only been in the band one year, and their only LP at this point was Mama; Andy explains in Jason's book that the set started with Nomeansno in two-piece form, with Andy joining in near the end. Nomeansno in two-piece form did not sound like later Nomeansno very much, but I haven't heard much live evidence from this period (though there is this).
John Wright of Nomeansno (and now Dead Bob, playing May 11th with DOA at the same venue) confirms the some-two-piece/ some-three-piece material structure and says, "I do remember 'Self Pity' going over very well in Seattle. It was our first big show in Vancouver, at the Commodore no less. First time for a lot of people to see us. Did not meet or talk to the Violent Femmes."
"Self-Pity" seems the perfect spiritual complement to a Violent Femmes show. The previous link is to the Undergrowth cassette version of the song, regarded by some as the definitive take.
I was unable to source a proper Vancouver gig poster for that NMN/ Violent Femmes pairing but here's one courtesy of the Angry Snowmans' Ty Stranglehold for the Seattle show:
Don't let him near your beer, Femmes!
Meanwhile, fellow Otwayphile Ian McClelland says of the Violent Femmes that he has "seen them many times over the years, mostly at the Commodore and once at the Vogue. They always put on a fantastic and energetic show. I can’t remember any unusual stories about the concerts I attended so I’ll have to blame the old memory bank but I think I can safely say everyone leaves very satisfied!"
A second press release from Phil:
And a third gig poster -- thanks, Phil!:
Three: Art Perry
Art Perry was at a 1991 Commodore show by the Femmes and shot several images of Gordon Gano, but it sounds like the rhythm section was in the shadows that night. Here are some lovely shots of Gano, however -- four shots with four completely different moods.
All photos and captions in this section are by Art Perry and are not to be reused without his permission!
Art was also at the PNE show in 2017 (I believe that's the one also with Echo and the Bunnymen, who are coming back this summer, note, also playing the Commodore). He was there with his 15 year old daughter, who is a "huge Ritchie fan," he explains. He has provided captions. Art disdains capitals so I have not tampered with that!
Art's caption: lulu has been waiting FOREVER to hear the femmes live... bliss is in da house.
the violent femmes : gordon gano (vocals, guitar) + brian ritchie (bass, marimba) + blaise garza (sax) + john sparrow (drums) ... what a band !,
experimental + thumping + screeching + sublime,
brian ritchie (lulu's favourite musician in the femmes) tossed a guitar pick into the crowd ... lulu ended up with it ... it meant the world because he'd actually played on stage with this pick ... after the show ritchie initialled it for lulu : a shrine in the making
lulu is now a true violent femme: her autographed t-shirt will never be washed: part of the shrine
Thanks, Art! (And Bev and Phil). That's it, that's all we have. I'd wanted more anecdotes but am delighted by what turned up in their place! The first Femmes album is a classic, but the second (Hallowed Ground) is vastly more ambitious and interesting, and I'll be catching the band playing both albums both nights (I'm hoping we will also get "Ugly" and "Gimme the Car," as well!). Tour kicks of May 1st at the Warfield in San Francisco. There are resale tickets available through Ticketmaster -- pretty expensive for the Saturday, less so for the Sunday.
If Brian Ritchie has copies of his John Cage album on the merch table, you can thank me...!
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