Those who showed up early however, were in for a special treat; opening up for Gov’t Mule was a band from Australia. Drums, congas, guitar, and didgeridoo all came alive with a unique flavor and zest usually reserved for Thai food. The most unique part? Rewind two sentences, and replace the word “band” with the word “man.”
Xavier Rudd sat in the spotlighted center of the stage, declaring possession of every sound coming from the speakers. Playing bass drum with his feet, guitar with his hands, and didgeridoo with his mouth, Xavier is a one-man band. The energy with which he performs defies reality, and the crowd responded with the same energy, dancing in their aisles throughout the show.
What brings a man to decide that one instrument is not enough, let alone three? As Xavier describes, “I guess I’m a little bit ambidextrous; I feel more comfortable when my whole body’s expelling what I’m doing. It’s kinda like dancing; you don’t just dance with your hands, you feel much better when you’re dancing with your whole body.”
As Bonnaroo festival-goers discovered in 2004 and 2005, Xavier has mastered the challenge of playing multiple instruments. His new album, Solace, which features the songs “Let Me Be” and “Shelter”, has achieved Platinum status in Australia, and was released on June 7 in the States.
Xavier is still amazed by his acclaim: “It’s a trip, coming from Australia, coming from a small town on the coast, growing up there. You see America on the television, and in multimedia; all my personal photographs and paintings I did by hand are now going to be on CD’s in America.”
Xavier Rudd is currently on tour for the summer; you can check out his next stop July 31 at the Taste of Lincoln Ave in Chicago. Xavier’s looking forward to the event; “it’s similar to something I did in Nashville, with Robert Randolph. I like coming to Chicago, it’s a cool place. It’s got a good energy.”
What’s in Xavier Rudd’s CD player?
“Every night I listen to a bunch of different things. More recently Bill Laslo, or Midnight (both international); people give me a lot of live CD’s, and I listen to ‘em all.”
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