In 2016, the Violent Femmes released the album We Can Do Anything, and to promote it, like most bands, they went out on tour. In addition to playing concert venues, the Femmes appeared at a number of radio stations and media events, playing informal sets where they attacked their tunes in a relaxed but strongly committed style. The Femmes brought along a portable recording rig for the tour, and 2 Mics & the Truth is a live album compiled from the tapes they made during the numerous acoustic radio sessions. These performances are easily the most straightforward and elemental recordings this band has ever released, with the energy and passion of the band in flight making up for the occasional flubbed notes and dropped beats along the way. The set list on 2 Mics spans…
…the group’s career, with the best-loved songs from the group’s 1983 debut sitting alongside “I Could Be Anything” and “Traveling Solves Everything” from We Can Do Anything, and while the audience generally seems more excited to hear the “hits,” the truth is the album is enjoyably consistent, with the newer material boasting much of the same vigor and nerdy smarts as the classics. Considering that he’s been making like a emotionally over-amped adolescent since the early ’80s, it’s impressive how convincing Gordon Gano still sounds on this material, and his guitar work is ragged but right, and bassist Brian Ritchie’s acoustic bass and random bellowing provides an ideal yang to Gano’s yin. (And considering the acrimony that’s led to breakups and lawsuits between them over the years, they seem to be having a pretty great time here.) And if John Sparrow’s percussion style takes just a bit of getting used to, there’s no arguing he’s the most accomplished Weber Grill player in rock music today.
2 Mics & the Truth is the sort of live album that’s meant for committed fans rather than casual observers, but those fans will be pleasantly surprised at how much life is left in the Violent Femmes (and their songbook) almost 35 years after the release of their first album.