The Violent Femmes
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wi.
http://vfemmes.com/
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Stubbs Bar-B-Q (Austin, Texas)
also: Zycos
It was a sweltering 90+ degrees at Stubbs Bar-B-Q, but for a crowd used to outdoor shows in Austin where it's commonly over 100 during the summer, the temperature had little impact as an almost full house gathered to watch the Violent Femmes plow through a playlist chock full of their best works.
Best described as a blend of folk music and what today is called "emo" (although I dread the use of that word), the Femmes are one of the bands that best epitomized the phrase "teen angst" in the 80s and 90s, playing music with a light, bubbly, punky sound that often hid dark lyrics. Never acheiving the mainstream success or radio airplay of some of their brethren like R.E.M., they established their own core cultlike following on college campuses across the U.S.
On what is billed as their 25th year anniversary tour, the Violent Femmes have a long history and deep connections with the Austin music scene. Many of the musicians that accompanied the band in their horn and sections (does a washboard belong in the section?) are either Austin natives or Austin transplants. It was good to see the band back on what for them must feel pretty close to home turf. They looked like they felt very comfortable playing to the enthusiastic crowd. The last time I saw them was in the 90s in a club called Liberty Lunch that is no more, a victim of Austin's downtown development cycle. And I swear although the audience had aged, it was the same crowd x10.
The audience didn't seem to notice the heat at all as the band worked through their catalog of songs, the cult favorites (and mine) "Blister in the Sun" and "Gone Daddy Gone" eliciting great response from the crowd. On other songs the band solicited the audience's participation and were rewarded by the throngs echoing back the chorus. When the Femmes broke into a cover of "Blue Eyes Cryin in the Rain" I half expected to see Willie Neslon amble out onstage, but alas, a guest appearance was not in the cards. I could not find fault with the bands musicianship, nor with the sound mix, and at times you could have pictured yourself listening to a recorded album rather than a live band. "American Music" and other classic Femmes tunes sounded great. I clocked the show at just over and hour and 50 minutes.
Opening for the Femmes was local Austin band (I guess ? I couldn't find much info on the web about them), Zycos, with a sound reminiscent of Tom Petty and a folksier Talking Heads. They played a short, tight set as the audience began to filter in. They were a good match for the crowd and their music complemented the headliners well.
As a side note, I am sorry that I do not have photos from this show. The Femmes had a very strict no cameras policy.
