Brian Ritchie, bassist for the folk punk band the Violent Femmes, joins host Kenneth Womack on this episode to chat about his first Beatles records and the 40th anniversary of the Femmes’ debut album.

Ritchie co-founded the Violent Femmes with percussionist Victor DeLorenzo in 1981, and the duo were later joined by singer-songwriter Gordon Gano. Ritchie came up with band’s distinctive name on a whim, employing it during their early days playing in Milwaukee’s coffee houses. In August 1981, the Violent Femmes were discovered performing on a street corner in front of the Oriental Theatre by James Honeyman-Scott, the guitarist for the Pretenders, and Chrissie Hynde invited the Femmes to play an acoustic set prior to the Pretenders’ show that night.

In 1983, the Violent Femmes released their self-titled debut album, which emerged as a key soundtrack for the burgeoning alternative and college-oriented rock movements. The inaugural LP featured many of the band’s best-known songs, including “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” and “Gone Daddy Gone.” The album became the Femmes’ most successful LP, eventually earning platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Over the years, the Femmes have recorded 10 studio albums, including Hallowed Ground (1984), The Blind Leading the Naked (1986), and Why Do Birds Sing? (1991). The group is widely considered to be a key influence on the 1980s and 1990s alternative rock scene.