Brian Ritchie

Brian Ritchie (born 21 November 1960) is the bass guitarist for the folk/punk/rock band Violent Femmes. His distinct sound comes from using Ernie Ball acoustic bass guitars, which is very uncommon in rock music. He is also one of the more high-profile users of the relatively new Barker Bass.

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

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