Bassist Brian Ritchie came up with the band's name, and it's not as dark or aggressive as it might sound at first. It was the irony of the name that stuck: “Violent” contrasts sharply with “Femmes”, creating a quirky, playful vibe. The combination fit perfectly with the band's offbeat sound and nonconformist attitude.

Gordon's father was a minister. So that was something he was into. Vic and I weren't religious, but we thought it was funny to play those songs for a punk crowd and rub them the wrong way. To me, it's more punk to defy your audience than to play what they want to hear.

The plaintiff in this case, Brian Ritchie, and the defendant, Gordon Gano, are both members of the seminal folk-punk band, the Violent Femmes. Mr. Ritchie has sued Mr. Gano for breach of contract and related claims, and he now moves to disqualify the defendant's counsel, Robert S.

Some controversy over the licensing of the band's songs for commercial use led to an official break-up in 2009, though they re-formed in 2013 (shortly before DeLorenzo left Violent Femmes again), and have since released two more studio albums of new material: We Can Do Anything (2016) and Hotel Last Resort (2019).