Brian Ritchie

Brian Ritchie
Ritchie performing at A Very Big Gig (benefit for Wayne Goodwin) The Basement, Sydney, August 2008 Australia Courtesy Mandy Hall August 2008
Background information
Born	November 21, 1960 (1960-11-21) (age 51) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Genres	Rock, punk rock, folk music
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, guitar, shakuhachi, jaw harp, didgeridoo, xylophone
Labels	Thylacine, Unhip, Slash, Warners, Reprise, Electra, Rough Trade, London
Associated acts	Violent Femmes, The Zen Circus, The Break

At Day on the Meadow on July 2nd, 2006 in San Jose, CA

Brian Ritchie (born 21 November 1960) was the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Violent Femmes.

In addition to his bass playing, Ritchie is proficient at the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute. He acquired a Jun Shihan (shakuhachi teaching license) in March 2003 from James Nyoraku Schlefer, and his professional name is "Tairaku" ("big music" in Japanese).^[1]

Since 1998, he has collaborated with American shakuhachi maker Ken LaCosse developing a wide bore style of shakuhachi called Taimu.

In 2007 Ritchie produced and toured with the Italian punk/folk band The Zen Circus, which subsequently changed its name to The Zen Circus And Brian Ritchie. The first international album of the band, Villa Inferno was released in 2008 for the Italian record label Unhip Records. In 2008 he and his wife Dr Varuni Kulasekera moved to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, where he has guested in a band called The Green Mist.^[2][3] Brian Ritchie does most of his work in DV (David Vartanian) Studios.

In 2009 he curated the first Mona Foma (MoFo) festival^[4] in Hobart, Tasmania. Since 2009 he has curated Mona Foma every year. At the 2012 MoFo, he organised an impromptu performance of the entire Violent Femmes first album by a 'super band' consisting of musicians playing at MoFo: the Dresden Dolls (Amanda Palmer, vocals, and Brian Viglione, drums), two musicians touring with PJ Harvey's band (Mick Harvey, guitar, and John Parish) and with Brian Ritchie himself on bass guitar, vibraphone.

In 2010 he toured as bassist with the Australian surf instrumental band called The Break, composed of ex-Midnight Oil members Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey. ^[5] Their debut album Church of the Open Sky was released on April 16, 2010 on the independent label Bombora, distributed by MGM.

In 2011 his home in Tasmania was featured in TV series 'Sandcastles'^[6]

Discography

• 1987 – The Blend
• 1989 – Sonic Temple & Court of Babylon
• 1989 – Sun Ra – Man from Outer Space
• 1990 – I See a Noise
• 2004 – Shakuhachi Club NYC
• 2006 – Ryoanji
• 2007 – Taimu
• 2008 – Villa Inferno
• 2010 – Church of the Open Sky (with The Break)

References