Acoustic and electric bass, xylophone, didgeridoo, conch shell, bouzouki,
shakuhachi (Japanese flute), vocals

Brian is a Milwaukee native, born in 1960. He has admitted that, as a child, he was "really into Mary Poppins" and "wanted to marry Julie Andrews". His first record purchase was the Beatles' single "She's a Woman"/"I Feel Fine". In spite of a school teacher's pronouncement that he had "no musical talent whatsoever", he nagged his parents into buying him a guitar at age 13. Later, he switched to bass because there was a glut of guitar players on the market and bass players were more in demand. He has since grown to love the bass and is thought by many to be one of the most innovative bassists in rock. He plays numerous other instruments, many of which can be heard on various V.F. albums and in live performances.

Brian's influences include jazz improv, punk rock and avant-garde. A few of his musical heros are Syd Barrett, the Velvet Underground, Richard Hell, Sun Ra and Pierre Henry. He and the other members of the V.F. love to improvise and often invite family members or local musicians onstage to perform with the band. The band never uses set lists, so each show is unique. Brian generally takes the lead in deciding what the band will play, and calls out the songs to Gordon and Victor/Guy.

In addition to being a founding member of the V.F., Brian has recorded several solo albums and has performed on numerous other musicians' albums (see side projects). He still lives in Milwaukee with his wife and son. Recently, he told a fan that he cherishes each V.F. show even more now than he did when he was younger; after seeing so many fellow musicians self-destruct on drugs and alcohol, he's grateful for every day with the band.

Here's a list of Brian's picks for "Top 10 Albums of the Century", as printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on 12/30/99:

1. "Cesar Franck," Cesar Franck
2. "King of the Delta Blues," Robert Johnson
3. "Luke The Drifter," Hank Williams Sr.
4. "Das Andes," Pierre Henry
5. "Live in Greenwich Village," Albert Ayler
6. "The Madcap Laughs," Syd Barrett
7. "The Heliocentric Worlds," Sun Ra
8. "Pink Moon," Nick Drake
9. "Marquee Moon," Television
10. "Irish Heartbeat," Van Morrison and the Chieftains