Brian Ritchie
Brian Ritchie (born 21 November 1960) is the former 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".
Since 1998, he has collaborated with American shakuhachi maker Ken LaCosse developing a wide bore style of shakuhachi called Taimu.
In 2008 he and his wife Dr Varuni Kulasekera moved to Hobart, Tasmania, where he has guested in a band called The Green Mist.
In 2009 he curated the first Mona Foma (MoFo) festival 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 January 2012 Brian became an Australian citizen at the Clarence City Council Australia Day citizenship ceremony. This is the council he returns to in his first year as an Australia Day