Violent Femmes

A cult indie rock band of the 1980s, Violent Femmes were in literal contrast to the times when their debut album was released in 1983, a largely acoustic blend of country, folk and punk spirit. Violent Femmes has since become a classic, as has its hallucinatory successor Hallowed Ground (1984). After a more accessible third effort, The Blind Leading the Naked (1986), followed by a long hiatus, the trio led by Gordon Gano reappeared with albums 3 (1989) and Why Do Birds Sing? (1991). Far from their legend, the band continued with New Times (1994), Rock!!! (1995) and Freak Magnet (2000), the last reunion before the band's official split in 2009. It wasn't until the end of a painful lawsuit between Brian Ritchie and Gordon Gano that the band reformed in 2013 for the Coachella festival. Brian Viglione took Victor DeLorenzo's place behind the drums, and the band embarked on the recording of a new album, We Can Do Anything, released in 2016, sixteen years after Freak Magnet. Although he is credited on the album, Brian Viglione decides to end his collaboration with the band, which welcomes John Sparrow in his place.