WHEN you pair an iconic punk rock outfit with the Tasmanian Symphony of Orchestra, the result is bound to run between unexpected and thrilling.
This is exactly what the Mona Foma audience will experience when attending the Violent Femmes + The TSO event this month.
Mofo curator and Violent Femmes bass player Brian Ritchie said the event would be a fantastic blend of punk rock and orchestra.
“Because the Femmes are at heart an acoustic band we think our sounds will blend with the orchestra more than most rock music attempts at this type of collaboration,” Brian said.
In a show billed as where The Violent Femmes “will pull apart their music and put it back together with a full orchestra”, the world premiere event is exclusive to Australia.
Violent Femmes band members have always experimented with music styles and instruments alike, so this collaboration allows them to expand their offering, including entire sections passed from the band to the orchestra.
“There are certain elements in our music which are ripe for expansion. For example, even on our first album, Gordon played violin and I played xylophone in ways that are easily expanded to larger ensembles. Tim is the tubaist for TSO but he also regularly plays with our Horns of Dilemma, so he knows both organisations well and how to meld them,” Brian said.
Beyond melding the two musical styles, Violent Femmes is encouraging its classical counterparts to let their hair down a little.
“A very important element of the Femmes sound is improvisation. Orchestras don’t improvise, so we are developing strategies to introduce greater levels of chance into the arrangements than what classical musicians usually encounter, to simulate group improvisation,” Brian said.
“Basically we intend to take advantage of the subtle colours an orchestra can provide, as well as the grandeur and power of an orchestra at full throttle, when appropriate,” he said.
Despite reworking the familiar tunes, the Mofo audience will hear their favourites.
“We always play the hits so they’ll be there, along with some obscurities and re-inventions,” Brian said.
“We have been honing the set list along with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra to include old faves and some unpredictable stuff as well,” he said.
And ultimately they want everyone in the room to enjoy themselves.
“Femmes are very much in the moment and always play to the crowd and the house. We want [the orchestra>[/embedp>