For a band that’s been together nearly 40 years, Violent Femmes still sound as unique today as they did when they blistered onto the scene in 1980. And according to bassist Brian Ritchie, it’s no coincidence as to why.
“It’s not like we started a style of music that then became a total cliché,” Ritchie says. “Bands like Sex Pistols, R.E.M., U2, they had so many imitators that their actual sound . . . you couldn’t notice it anymore. We’re distinctive enough to keep going.”
And keep going they have. In addition to hitting the studio to record what will become their 10th studio LP in the near future, the band is busy touring the country. amNewYork sat down with Ritchie before the band’s upcoming gig in Brooklyn this week to talk about their past, future and why they care more about the vinyl experience than ever before.
You guys have been playing music together for nearly 40 years. What inspires you to keep going?
This is going to sound weird coming from me, but we were so ahead of our time. We opened up a door for acoustic punk music that not too many other people went through. I get stopped by kids who are 15, 16 asking for autographs. Or young bass players, female bass players, which is gratifying, who say ‘I started playing bass because of you’. It’s great to still be inspiring people like that.
How are new fans finding you these days?
It’s been word-of-mouth. People introducing new people to the band. That’s the way it’s always been for us. It used to be they exchanged cassettes; now they share a YouTube link or something.
What’s the difference between recording and performing now versus when you started?
We’re still playing live. We’re not playing to click tracks or drum machines or anything like that. The things that have changed are external things like . . . the collapse of the record industry (laughs). When we started there was a real strong college radio scene that spawned what became known as alternative rock. I’m not sure how strong that is now. I don’t know if the bands of today have the kind of support we had.
What’s next for you guys after the tour wraps up?
We’re going in to record a new LP. And we’re back to calling it LP because we think more about the vinyls than the CDs. We sell a lot of vinyl at our shows. It’s back. It’s a thing [and] I think that’s a good thing artistically. I think a rock and roll statement that lasts the length of a vinyl album is the right amount of time for music.
If you go: The Violent Femmes play Brooklyn Steel at 8 p.m. on Sunday, 319 Frost St., Williamsburg, bowerypresents.com, $40
