August 03, 2005
XAVIER RUDD Free In-Store, Friday, August 5th 1:00pm
In our history we have only ever had one lunchtime, weekday in-store and it was the smoking return of Australian jam band wunderkind John Butler. The day was loaded with lots of Spinal Tap, no one showing up, fears and happily it was a great success. Still, we figured it would have to be a pretty special artist for us to tempt those particular fates again. Well, in Xavier Rudd we think we have found an artist worthy of us being stressed to the gills, and hopefully worthy of you being a few minutes late coming back from lunch. Now the problem is trying to explain what it is that makes Xavier so special; he's a one man band, rocking the Weissenborn lap steel (Ben Harper’s guitar of choice), the didgeridoo, and a pile of percussive instruments, all at once, for starters. He was considered by many to be the stand out performer at this year's Bonnaroo Festival. His songs have the same sort of social consciousness that brings together fans of bands as diverse as the aforementioned John Butler and Ben Harper as well as Spearhead and the Roots, and while I haven't had the opportunity to see Xavier live yet, I would recommend this one on the strength of the record alone (in fact I agreed to have him in before I realized he had the whole one man bad thing going on), but after hearing how incredibly well received his live show is, I will step out and say this is one in-store you should not miss.
Xavier’s latest Album, Solace has just been released in the US, and he is currently on tour supporting it (while his wife is home bringing a new face into the family, no less)
To hear a sample track click below:
'Let Me Be' (WMA)
'Let Me Be' (Real)
Some recent press:
“Call Rudd Jack Johnson's Australian cousin, if you like, another surfer dude with an acoustic guitar and a laid-back attitude. But look closer and big differences emerge, namely Rudd's one-love concerns, his use of indigenous instruments such as the didgeridoo, and his mesmerizing, bluesy slide guitar.” – Boston Herald
“…Xavier Rudd , a one-man band (and dual citizen of Australia and Western Canada) who simultaneously picks away on a lap guitar, blows haunting sounds from a didgeridoo and taps away barefooted on a percussive stomp box. Rudd also sings earnest, spirit-lifting hippy/poetic refrains that harken stylistically to John Mayer, Damien Rice, Jack Johnson and the classic minstrel bard Donovan. The cumulative effect is extremely fresh and captivating.” -Philadelphia Daily News
“Xavier Rudd is a 27-year-old Australian who offers a strikingly original mix of music. Some of his sound (and idealism) echoes the surf-folk of Jack Johnson, while his Weissenborn guitar-playing evokes Ben Harper. But mostly, Rudd is on a plateau of his own, playing a one-man blend of guitars, didgeridoos, stomp boxes, djembe drums, and even slide banjo. His songs are often gently mystical meditations such as ''Partnership" (a beautiful tribute to a woman who ''will lead you to your peace in times when you feel weak"), ''Silence" (about the need to spend time alone), ''Journey Song," and ''A 4th World," which expresses his frustration with Australian schools that shortchange the history of the Aborigine people. There's a folk-jazz flavor to his tunes that should also captivate Dave Matthews fans, along with a reggae element in ''Let Me Be" and a cover of Bob Marley's ''No Woman, No Cry" which should entice fans of that genre. Rudd has a haunting voice that can build to some funky moments, but mostly he dispenses a soothing calm. He is an outstanding Weissenborn player, given to unusual orchestral accents that bring a freshness to his material. He grew up as a big fan of Paul Simon's ''Graceland," and the world-music subtleties of this album are constantly apparent. Expect this album to crack some top 10 lists this year.'' - Boston Globe