About AJR:
LET'S START BY SAYING THAT THIS WEBSITE WILL ALWAYS BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
ALEX JAY RITCHIE is a self-taught guitar player who was originally trained in classical Royal Conservatory Piano in Ontario from the age of 6-14. He moved to B.C. and discovered , and truly HEARD, the guitar at the age of 15. Since mom didn't want to pay for guitar lessons and was adamant that he continue his piano training, he had to discard the keys and opt for six strings himself and taught himself through a mashup of instructional videos, theory books and compilations and intense ear training. Long story short--he has now been playing electric/acoustic guitar AND has been singing for over 25 years.
He is influenced by a variety of artists from a variety of genres:
from the electric dazzle of Edward Van Halen/Nuno Bettencourt/Joe Satriani/Eric Johnson/Jimmy Page to the classical and latin pioneers of Paco Di Lucia/Strunz and Farah/Sebastian Bach to the modern songwriting panache of Lindsay Buckingham/Slash and Joe Bonamassa (JUST to name a few!). It totals one evident sum: a love for any and all things guitar of any idiom in any point in any spectrum!
He covers a variety of classic rock covers from the late 60's to the 2,000's and is ever increasing a catalogue of written improvised songs infused with blues/rock/irish/ and folk. This can all be performed solo with digital looper and vocal beat-box style tempos or performed in a full band setting.
Alex Jay Ritchie regularly books and plays all over the Greater Vancouver Area and the Lower Mainland. He will play any establishment for any audience so long as his song catalogue and preferences are an overall fit. MESSAGE ME HERE AT ANY TIME!
Always adapting his playing to any/all audiences possible with flexible/negotiable and reasonable rates.
