In the midst of a whirlwind tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Violent Femmes’ eponymous 1983 debut, bassist and co-founder Brian Ritchie stops by MBE to share songs, reflections on his wide-ranging encounters, and even an impromptu solo on his shakuhachi (Japanese flute). His song selects and stories reveal a consummately curious explorer of the world, i.e. touching on his experience as an expat American punk rocker now based in Tasmania, Australia by looping us in on Tasmanian minimalists The Native Cats. Side note: learn more about Ritchie’s life abroad by peeping his Mona Foma festival here.
He unlocks the “sophisticated-yet-accessible” cut that made him want to be a musician in the first place (Television’s “Friction”). And he offers side by side comparisons of “Nature Boy,” as performed by Don McLean, and Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass (respectively); this simple song composed by proto-hippie Eden Ahbez in the 1940s is one that Ritchie considers perfect. All of this and a whole lot more mind-expansion awaits.
Plus, we react to the breaking news of Os Mutantes co-founder, and “Queen of Brazilian Rock,” Rita Lee’s death. Hear what propelled her into that rarified air with a couple of solo pieces, and the Os Mutantes classic “Bat Macumba.”