Violent Femmes frontman Gordan Gano will release his first solo album, Hitting the Ground, early next year on Instinct Records, the New York City indie that first signed Moby.

Gano has enlisted a number of high-profile guests to make appearances on "Hitting the Ground," including Lou Reed, PJ Harvey, They Might Be Giants and Frank Black.

Gano's new recording follows a period of busy productivity with the Femmes. After releasing New Times in 1994, the group was fairly quiet, recording Rock!!!!! in 1998, though the album didn't see release in the U.S. until two years later. In 1999, the band released Viva Wisconsin, their first live album, which they quickly followed up with last year's studio effort, Freak Magnet.

ANDREW DANSBY
(September 6, 2001)