Album Notes

What Do WE Have to Do; A Tribute to The Violent Femmes

This limited edition tribute to The Femmes debut will be turning over 100% of the profits to The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW)!

"The Violent Femmes", the self-titled debut from three Milwaukeeans bent on fusing folk and punk is one bad-assed record. Throughout the course of the album the lyrics move from pointed and threatening to quirky and riddled with sexual angst, touching all the spots between the former and the latter. The music itself is able to mask the tunes as near- campfire sing-alongs despite definitive avant-garde and free form moments.

With ten songs "The Violent Femmes" was a tough, tough record that changed the face of American underground music forever. I wasn't there, but America was kicked in the balls hard while the Slash Records (and Fanzine) 1982 release of The Femmes' masterpiece paved the way for bands of that decade ranging from The Minutemen to The Pixies. Twenty years later their mark can be heard here in the takes that 10 bands chose to arrange and record for this compilation.

This album has profoundly affected me on a personal level. I was never a "geek" (at least in the typical sense of the word) and even if I was ever called something like that by someone, I KNEW, growing up in West Bend, Wisconsin, that the shit I was into was simply too hot for any of these rednecks or sons and daughters of rich Republicans to handle. I was never into Star Trek, I've never played D&D, and I've never read any of L. Ron Hubbard's books (prior to Scientology). One area I did geek out in was music. Listening to a song, and saying to myself "hey, that's a dotted rhythm", listening to the drum tracks on my mom's Temptations records, then to the 70's Bee Gees records, figuring out how I thought the drums were MICed, then trying variations of techniques on my dad's Tascaam 4-track with my friend Bobby.

We were thirteen at the time and our friends thought the Femmes were funny. I thought they were fun, but they didn't make me laugh. I found the first Violent Femmes album to be one of the most brutal punk records made...only it's not really a punk record...which makes it twice as punk.

Can you hear those dotted rhythms?

Everyone who put down a track for this comp geeks on music hard core and with no apologies. We've all poured over the arranging and production process, some of us dropping as much as $2200 on the recording of one song, with murderous enthusiasm and a sense of "shit, the Femmes are so bad-ass, we better not fuck it up".

Most of the artists on board are from home, Milwaukee, and we're all friends. From the get-go I had zero interest in making an "indie-rock" tribute comp, or a money hording compilation stuffed with overexposed popular artists. Neither was I in the mood to stroke some groovy old-timers' ego by taking a nostalgic trip back down New Wave Lane. My goal was to use the most talented, dedicated, and under-appreciated musicians to create the finest compilation to come out of the Midwest. Each one of us who recorded a track on here was a child when "The Violent Femmes" came out. This is our shot to show what we heard in the music.

Keeping it real has been of the utmost importance from the get go and 404 made sure that every aspect of the record wound up in the right hands. Thus, the cover art was placed in the hands of designer, Jerry Fortier, who did the photographs for the original record.

The tracks themselves were sent to Trevor Saddler (Moby, Madonna) for mastering. It was important that we go to the right source for mastering since there were nearly 10 different producers who worked on the album. Trevor is THE best in the business and that's all there is to it.

All songs appear in the order they did on the original ten-song record. These are the players this time around:
1.Blister in the Sun-Schatzi *
2.Kiss Off-The Etiquette
3.Please Do Not Go-Brief Candles
4.Add it up- Shiverhead
5.Confessions-The Danglers
6.Prove My Love-The Benjamins $
7.Promise-Eric Blowtorch
8.To the Kill-Murder in the Red Barn
9.Gone Daddy Gone-Codebreaker
10.Good Feeling-Trolley

*Schatzi appear courtesy of Mammoth Records
$The Benjamins appear courtesy of Drive-Thru Records visit them at www.schatzi.net (Currently neighbors of Willie Nelson but these brothers are ALWAYS Milwaukee down and they simply rock it.)
PRODUCTION NOTES ON OUR FEATURED SAMPLES
Schatzi: Blister in the Sun

Recorded at Red House Recording, Eudora KS.
Produced by Ed Rose (The Get up Kids, The Anniversary) using 24 track lockout, and one 2" reel of AMPEX 499 GRANDMASTER.
Email: schatzi@schatzi.net
Booking: George Couri c/o Core Artist Management:
georgecouri@coreartist.com (512) 479-7030
Schatzi appear Courtesy of Mammoth Records
www.mammoth.com

Brief Candles: Please Do Not Go
"Like a flower in a wild and lonely place that blooms and drops it's petals back to dust has a purpose, so much more certainly do you."


Recorded at East T. Mohr Studios, Milwaukee, WI
except female vocals: recorded at Hackbarth's attic apartment, Milwaukee, WI.
Produced by Jason T. Mohr and Jeff Winkowski at East T. Mohr. Mixed by Jeff Winkowski at East T. Mohr.

Lead Vocals, Guitar: Jeff Winkowski
Guitar, Recorder: Jason T. Mohr
Bass: Terry Hackbarth
Additional vocals: Angelique, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Recorded using one realistic microphone and one Shure microphone through a Yamaha Karaoke machine onto one Yamaha 4 track cassette recorder and one Fostex Cassette Recorder.
Imperfect Music and Literature
PO BOX 511844
Milwaukee, WI
53203
The Benjamins: Prove My Love
Produced by Bill Stace and The Benjamins at Walls Have Ears, Digital/ Analogue Recording Studio, Milwaukee, WI.
The Benjamins appear courtesy of Drive-Thru Records.
Trolley: Good Feeling
Recorded and produced by Mike Perotto. Mixed by Mike Zirkel (Garbage, London Suede) at Smart Studios, Madison, WI.

Trolley is:
Mike Perotto: Guitar, organ,
Paul Wall: Vox, Guitar
Terry Hackbarth: Bass
Nick Zahn: Drums, Vibraphone

www.mp3.com/trolley
1350 N. 42nd St.
Milwaukee, WI
53208

Thanks,
Jeff