On 40th anniversary of Violent Femmes’ debut, Milwaukee declares today Violent Femmes Day

It was 40 years ago today that Milwaukee’s own Violent Femmes released their self-titled debut album. Yes, on April 13, 1983, the world got its first taste of a record that contains such stone-cold folk-punk classics as [deep breath] “Blister In The Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Add It Up,” “Prove My Love,” and “Gone Daddy Gone.” Phew.

Now, on April 13, 2023, in honor of the record’s 40th anniversary, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has officially declared the day to be Violent Femmes Day.

Because of their great impact on Milwaukee’s music and entertainment community, I have proclaimed today, April 13th, 2023 to be Violent Femmes Day throughout the the entire city of Milwaukee!

— Mayor Cavalier Johnson (@MayorOfMKE) April 13, 2023

“The City of Milwaukee recognizes Violent Femmes as an integral element of Milwaukee’s musical and cultural legacy, expresses its appreciation for their influence on the genre of alternative music, and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album,” reads a mayoral proclamation released Thursday morning. “Now, therefore, I, Cavalier Johnson, Mayor of the City of Milwaukee, do hereby proclaim Thursday, April 13, 2023, to be VIOLENT FEMMES DAY.”

Fun fact: At 36, Mayor Johnson is four years younger than the Femmes’ debut. Huh!

The original Femmes—Gordon Gano, Brian Ritchie, Victor DeLorenzo—were famously “discovered” by members of The Pretenders in 1981, while the Femmes played the sidewalk outside the Oriental Theatre. Two years later, Violent Femmes served as a perfect introduction to the band: “Blister In The Sun” is the perfect opener to that perfect introduction, all rubbery riffs, clanging acoustic bass, and skittish drums. Gano’s lyrics—delivered vis his nasal-drip voice—manage to cram in references to getting high and masturbation. It’s par for the course for an album that reads like a desperate missive from every misunderstood teen’s hormone-addled brain: “Kiss Off” revels in misery and dismisses it (“They’ll hurt me bad but I won’t mind / They’ll hurt me bad they do it all the time”), “Please Do Not Go” pines after a “lovely girl” who’s with “another guy,” and “Add It Up” combines good ol’ sexual frustration (“Why can’t I get just one fuck?”) with one of the best musical climaxes of the ’80s. And those are just the first four songs.

The Femmes released more records throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and while many of them contain their own stone-cold classics (“American Music” and “Out The Window” come from 1991’s Why Do Birds Sing?, for example), none reached the heights of the 1983 debut. What could?

These days, following DeLorenzo’s departure in 2013, Gano and Ritchie soldier on with drummer John Sparrow. Recent albums like 2016’s We Can Do Anything and 2019’s Hotel Last Resort are fine additions to the band’s discography, and are absolutely worth a listen.

So happy Violent Femmes Day, Milwaukee! Here’s the full text of the proclamation:

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS: The City of Milwaukee joins family, friends, fans and community members in recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Violent Femmes’ debut album on Thursday, April 13, 2023; and,

WHEREAS, Violent Femmes was founded in Milwaukee in 1981 by bassist Brian Ritchie and percussionist Victor DeLorenzo, and lead vocalist and guitarist Gordon Gano, they frequently played in coffee shops and on street corners until they were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott, an integral figure in the new-wave movement while busking outside of Milwaukee’s Oriental Theatre; and,

WHEREAS, Violent Femmes released their debut album, Violent Femmes, on April 13, 1983; the album was certified platinum four years later and is estimated to have sold three million American copies; and,

WHEREAS, Violent Femmes have continued to perform and tour for much of the last four decades with several changes to their membership and have left an indelible mark on alternative music; in 2019, Violent Femmes returned to Milwaukee’s East Side to record a music video for a track from their latest album, Hotel Last Resort; and,

WHEREAS, The City of Milwaukee recognizes Violent Femmes as an integral element of Milwaukee’s musical and cultural legacy, expresses its appreciation for their influence on the genre of alternative music, and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album; and,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CAVALIER JOHNSON, Mayor of the City of Milwaukee, do hereby proclaim Thursday, April 13, 2023, to be

VIOLENT FEMMES DAY