Violent Femmes Wednesday, March 19, The Espee, 1174 E Commerce St, $39.50 and up. Tickets Credit: Courtesy Photo / The Espee

Influential 80s and 90s folk-punk band Violent Femmes are scheduled to play The Espee in San Antonio on March 19.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, November 22 at 10 a.m. However, Live Nation’s presale gets underway 10 a.m. Thursday. Ticket prices have yet to be announced.

The band will play a double set, playing their self-titled debut album in its entirety before an intermission, followed by their second album, Hallowed Ground.

This is good news for those who want to hear the hits. The self-titled debut included “Blister in the Sun,” “Add it Up” and “Gone Daddy Gone.”

Hallowed Ground leans into the band’s folk side, with the murder ballad-inspired “Country Death Song” and other American roots music tracks.

Because the show will feature two Violent Femmes albums in their entirety, there will be no opening band for this show.

The band’s current lineup includes guitarist and lead vocalist Gordon Gano, bass player and backing vocalist Brian Ritchie, multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza and drummer John Sparrow. Both Gano and Ritchie are founding members of the band.

Formed in 1981, the Femmes had a story book beginning. Frequent street performers, the band was busking outside a Pretenders gig when Chrissie Hynde approached them and asked them to play a brief acoustic set after the opener that evening. This performance made them catch the eye of influential New York punk Richard Hell, who also invited them to open for him. One rave review in the New York Times and the band had them a record deal.

The Femmes have been cited as an influence by many artists, particularly for the acerbic wit and honesty in their lyrics. The band’s acoustic punk performance style was also the inspiration for MTV Unplugged, though the band never appeared on the program themselves.

Ticket prices not yet posted, 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, The Espee, 1174 E. Commerce St., (210) 226-5700, theespee.com.

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This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.