User:UIKaren/sandbox

Horns of Dilemma
In their shows, the Femmes employ a horn section called the Horns of Dilemma. For many years, it consisted of Peter Balestrieri, and Steve MacKay on saxophones and Sigmund Snopek III on keyboards and other instruments. It was augmented by whatever musicians the band invited to play with them on a particular night. The band now uses local acquaintances, famous or otherwise, friends, relatives, or associates of the band. Instrumentation varies widely and includes saxophones, trumpets, trombones, sousaphone, flute, clarinet, antique hunting horn, kazoo, and percussion. When the band plays "Black Girls" or "Confessions" the only instructions given to the players are to play as freely and wildly as possible. The group doesn't back up the band in the way that a traditional horn section would; they provide a free-form noise jam. Famous members have included John Zorn, Dick Parry, Blaise Garza and The Dresden Dolls. Longtime band associates and employees who have played with the Horns include soundman, Caleb Alexander, and Manager, Darren Brown.

In addition to the horn section itself, members include any additional musicians playing with the band. Additional Horns of Dilemma include John Sparrow who plays cajón box, and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Hamilton on guitar, bass, mandolin, bass trumpet and harmonica. Various bassists stand in for Ritchie during "Gone Daddy Gone," when he plays xylophone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Violent_Femmes&diff=93731237&oldid=93664025

Sort of citing: http://www.vfemmes.com/horns.html

http://patv.tv/blog/2013/01/23/talking-with-peter-balestrieri-of-the-violent-femmes/

In Popular Culture
"Fat" was featured in the documentary Supersize Me.

Songs from the Femmes' debut album were covered by Guster (with some assistance from its creators) on an episode of MTV2's short-lived Album Covers series in 2004.

The Violent Femmes were the final band to ever play at Auckland's His Majestys Theatre before its controversial 1988 demolition.

"Country Death Song" was based a true story based on a news article about a man who intentionally threw his dog into a well in 1862. It was written by Gordon Gano during 10th grade study hall.

The band appeared on the early-1990s sitcom Clarissa Explains It All.

They have also been featured as themselves in one episode of the TV Show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

In the 2006 film She's the Man the character Sebastian Hastings is seen wearing a Violent Femmes t-shirt in the opening ten minutes of the film.

In 1991, author Audrey Niffenegger attended a Violent Femmes concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. She later incorporated this concert into an episode in her novel, The Time Traveler's Wife.

Juliana Hatfield refers to the Violent Femmes in her song "My Sister" from her album "Become what you are". She says her first all ages show "was the Violent Femmes and the Del Fuegos, Before they had a record out. Before they went gold"

In 2007, the band will return to the Big Day Out festival, having attended the first ever Big Day Out in 1992.