A year ago I had no idea who Xavier Rudd was. When offered the opportunity to interview him for the July 2009 issue, I realized there was a musical gem dancing out in the Australian bush. A few days later when I saw him live in concert, I realized exactly the type of influence and impact he has.
For nearly three hours Rudd held the packed Jubilee Auditorium spellbound by his energy and music. To see Rudd in concert is a near-religious experience for some.
“Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate that. What I do is play live, it is always what I did and want to do. I have a good time. The experience is that exchange of energy, an interaction of everyone in the room. They are giving me energy, I am channeling it and it is coming back out. It is kind of like church,” Rudd said from his home in Australia. “I like to see people smile, it is a real treat. To come from a small town in Australia and see people laughing and enjoying the music is a real blessing.”
In a day when a musician or group will come out, do 70 minutes and leave, Rudd is refreshing in that he plays for a longer time. You truly get your money’s worth in seeing him.
“I love to play. I’ve come a long way to be there. I am constantly getting pressured to make the show shorter, but it doesn’t feel right to make them shorter. Setlists are something we don’t stick with, we make a couple of changes depending on the tour. We do focus on the new material but different songs. I will be in my day somewhere and something will remind me of an old song, and we will run through it before the show and include it.”
His current tour is in support of his new album Koonyum Sun, returning to the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary May 29th; the Eric Harvie Theatre in Banff May 30th and 31st; and the Edmonton Events Centre in Edmonton June 2nd. The album is his first with bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo under the unified banner of Xavier Rudd & Inzintaba.
“I had a lot of music coming through me man. It has always been that way since I was a kid. This is a new record that I made with two incredible South African musicians. It has a very African vibe and sound. It is heavy man - spiritually and musically, they are incredible players. They grew up in apartheid in South Africa. They carry amazing stories, spirit, energy, ability on their instruments. It is heavy in every way, very powerful.”
Rudd always makes a point to visit the rockies, both for his own spiritual connection to them, and the bond he has formed with its inhabitants. Many Australian and New Zealand visitors work and stay in Banff, and as was described to me by a friend who saw him there last year, “they lose their mind for him” as a little piece of home in their adopted country, so to speak.
“My music comes from pretty big roots here in Australia. Spirits come to me and reveal themselves through my music. People who are familiar with that music, country, energy can relate to it when they hear it.”
It is not just his countrymen. The lobby of his show is incredibly diverse - and very good looking.
“I noticed that. There are lots of different people coming to the shows, good people with good energy. The smiles, hugs, connections, hands joined, unity for the environment, culture, a brighter future. That is very powerful. I respect that I really do.”
It is somewhat amusing to visit Rudd’s website, with links to his MySpace, his Facebook page, and his iTunes store. It is an interesting contrast between the barefoot, environmentally conscious throwback and the digital age.
“The internet is great, the connections that come from it have always been really good for what I do. The internet is really important in trying to preserve our earth. For example something I am interested in right now is the Kimberley Coast in Western Australia (savethekimberly.com). It is a place that is under threat heavily by 10,000 hectares of gas industry in one of the world’s last great wildernesses. That alone has built huge momentum from people connecting online. I don’t spend a lot of time on it or get involved too much in the digital world but I can definitely appreciate it.”
If you, like I, hadn’t been aware of Xavier Rudd prior to now, give him a listen. If you like what you hear, you have to see him in concert, as it is the best way to experience the church of Rudd.
“It is high energy. Pretty much what people know of me, new stuff as well but also an African influence and two heavy spirits that have a similar energy to me in their own way.” 