Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009. The band performed as a trio, including: singer, guitarist and songwriter Gordon Gano

Gordon Gano

Gordon James Gano is an American musician. He is best known for being the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American alternative rock band Violent Femmes.-Early life:...

, bassist Brian Ritchie

Brian Ritchie

Brian Ritchie was the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Violent Femmes.In addition to his bass playing, Ritchie is proficient at the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute...

, and two drummers, Victor DeLorenzo

Victor DeLorenzo

Victor DeLorenzo was born on October 25, 1954, and is best known as the drummer for the folk-punk band the Violent Femmes.He grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and has lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since. He has been a drummer since the age of sixteen, but an actor since the age of five...

 (1980–1993 and 2002–2009) and Guy Hoffman

Guy Hoffman

Guy Hoffman is a drummer and vocalist, formerly of such bands as Oil Tasters, BoDeans, Violent Femmes and Absinthe. He is a composer for such films as Field Day and a founding member of Radio Romeo.-Life:...

 (1993–2002).

The Violent Femmes released eight studio albums and fifteen singles during the course of their career.