Concert Review: Violent Femmes Dig Under Their Blisters To Reveal Golden Flesh

It’s early yet in the outdoor concert season, however the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival‘s offering of the Violent Femmes and opening act Kristin Hersh hit the sweetest of sweet spots last Saturday night. The evening was rich with infectious songs blended with ragingly good musicianship. And on top of it, this was one of the free festival shows of an already exciting season.

The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival knows how to do pairings — good, solid curation of arranging musicians and styles together. I fondly recall the Wild Flag / Mission of Burma / Ted Leo triptych from 2012 (also free). The sonic squall from Mission of Burma bathed the bandshell, and the pre-Sleater-Kinney reunion Carrie Brownstein-led supergroup Wild Flag thrashed and sassed their way all over the stage.

Show opener Kristin Hersh quietly crossed the stage to take her place in front of the microphone. She’s best known for her band Throwing Muses, which she began in 1980 with guitarist Tanya Donelly.

Solo sets can be a challenge, especially outdoors when a performer’s voice and instrumental chops can easily disappear into the trees covering the bandshell. Hersh was self-possessed and intense. Her stripped down version of Throwing Muses’ “Cottonmouth” blazed more than the original version. “Drunk girls are scary,” she said, while introducing the song. “I didn’t write this. These two girls in a bar wrote the lyrics, and I wrote them down on a cocktail napkin.”

Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie later commented he’s known Hersh for two decades — and that she is getting better and better. Ritchie is spot on; her ability to be a powerhouse in such a stripped-down format was impressive. I hope she comes back with a full band next time round to blow the roof off.

Here’s the truth: I didn’t know what the Violent Femmes looked like until I saw their promo photos soon before the show. I knew a lot of their songs — certainly the big ones. How many times have you screamed delightfully mischievous words from “Add It Up” at the top of your lungs, immediately conjuring grins from the people surrounding you?

“Why can’t I get just one screw?
Why can’t I get just one screw?
Believe me, I’d know what to do
But something won’t let me make love to you”

The Femmes have produced decades of celebratory music. And heck, you can even sing these universal tunes during a wicked break-up and smile while doing so.

So with that in mind, it was more than a little surprising that they began the set with their singular song “Blister In The Sun.” Weren’t they going to lather the audience up with other tunes so we could shout every syllable with them during an encore?

Nope.

The Femmes started out with a strong statement: we’re going to play the song that you most associate us with, and then we’re going to show you what else we’re really about. It was a smart move that worked out perfectly.

The show was also marked by material from their first new album in 16 years, We Can Do Anything. Admittedly, it’s a little tough at times to focus on a band’s new music with so many anticipated familiar songs. However, the new selections blended excellently with their older material. Standouts include the jangly “Memory” and the folky/punky “Issues” with Ritchie’s wicked beginning bassline riff, sounding as if he’s going to tear his thumb off.

“Do not tell me about your issues / Oh god you’re gonna talk about them more and more / I’ll get some tissues / Cause soon you’ll be crying on my kitchen floor,” sings Gano on “Issues.” The lyrics are able to effectively distill our contemporary zeitgeist into a hooky three minutes.

For a band that can be so stripped-down, guitarist Gano functioned as an excellent conductor of massive jazz swirls when the band was joined by the “Horns of Dilemma.” The brass section consisted of soprano trombone, oboe, soprano saxophone, bass sax, and contrabass sax. The Horns of Dilemma have been a revolving door of jazz greats throughout the history of the Femmes, including the likes of John Zorn and The Dresden Dolls.

Gano often switched to fiddle for some of the songs, bringing a mixture of punkabilly and acid jazz into one heaping swirl of joy — most evident on their standout tune “Black Girls.”

Musician Blaise Garza — who played with the band throughout the evening — often performed on his contrabass saxophone. The instrument is Lebron James-humungous, and Garza conjured low register sounds that complemented Gano’s high and eccentric lilt.

While the songs of the Violent Femmes are marked with sarcasm and a revved-up bitterness, “Jesus Walking On Water” (off their album Hallowed Ground from 1984) doesn’t fit their usual tone at all. While the lyrics can be read with Femmes-sarcasm, Gano’s song keys into his Christian faith. This was a source of dilemma during the band’s earlier years. Brian Ritchie — who considers himself an atheist — was uncomfortable with the religious material. Those unaware of Gano’s Baptist background may view it as an tune mocking religion anyway.

While watching the Femmes was pleasurable, observing the audience was at times equally so. The age range was absolutely delicious. Kids were hoisted on parents shoulders for “Gone, Daddy, Gone,” and those of grandparent age were not remotely interested in editing their dance moves during “Add It Up.” At times, I struggled to watch the stage because I was so mystified by the abandon of older folks — hip replacements be damned.

The Violent Femmes came out, strutted their stuff, and made the audience feel high as a kite. If you missed this show, next time you might stop and check them out.