New book documents Violent Femmes' rise to fame from Milwaukee roots

[RandySF]

Before the Violent Femmes became a world-famous band with a multi-platinum record, they started the same way any other group would in Milwaukee: playing wherever they could.

Local clubs weren’t interested in their unique musical style, so they took to playing on sidewalks and street corners until they were first discovered while performing outside of a Pretenders concert at the Oriental Theater in 1981.

They self-funded their first album, which went on to sell more than 7 million copies.

The story of the Violent Femmes’ Milwaukee origins and improbable rise to fame is the subject of a new book in the long-running music book series called “33⅓.”



https://www.wpr.org/culture/book-nic-brown-violent-femmes-rise-fame-milwaukee-roots