I’m not sure if that was what the performance that Xavier Rudd put on this past Tuesday at Park West in Chicago was called, but if not that then it certainly could have been titled Hippies Anonymous. Having just come off spending his weekend performing at Bonnaroo, I’m sure Xavier would agree. Displaying all types of talent throughout the show that he did so well on previous albums such as Solace and his latest to drop, White Moth, Rudd is a dynamic jam artist of unconventional ability to say the least. The man’s voice is nearly a carbon copy of Ben Harper, at times during the show I would close my eyes and see Ben Harper only to open them and freak out at the wild haired, bearded, tye-dye clad Aussie in front of me. His voice also reaches a little bit of Paul Simon on occasion, and he rounds this out with a Jimmy Cliff twang.
Park West is an interesting venue in and of itself, it reminded me of being at the types of night clubs that you find in Acapulco, Mexico where many tables are scattered amongst the throngs of onlookers closest to the stage. Xavier seemingly was playing to a full house this past Tuesday evening and he certainly did not disappoint his wide spectrum of fan base. At one point during the show as I was getting up from my seat I nearly got taken out by a hippy girl who was flailing her extremities about like Elaine in Seinfeld…it was a close call. Of course, sitting directly in front of me was a group of what we all know to be the overzealous concert goers. Please refrain from letting us know that you enjoy the band by standing and clapping and fist pumping while everyone around you is sitting. This should be a concert bylaw, right? Who’s with me?.
None of this of course takes away from Xavier Rudd, who played half of the show by himself with his arsenal of instruments which includes: standard acoustic guitar, steel lap guitar, bongos and various other percussion items, harmonica and of course the aforementioned Didgeridoo. The other half of the show featured an extra percussionist to help Rudd keep the beats but for the most part the entire venue was filled with music from just 1 man. For those of you who are not familiar with the Didgeridoo it is an elongated wooden tube which can make an assortment of vibrating tones when you blow into them correctly(not all that different from a kazoo in theory but much different in sound obviously). Rudd has a set up of 3 different Didgeridoos to choose from so that he can find the rumbling vibration to fit whichever key he happens to be playing in. How does a musician undertake the learning of the Didgeridoo you ask? (or at least I asked b/c I was damn curious) Apparently Xavier learned the ins and outs of this fascinating instrument by practicing with a vacuum cleaner hose. Idon’t know how many hours were spent perfecting his skills with said vacuum hose but I do know that merely spending time in seclusion with this appliance surely was cause for much ridicule from his peers. “Xavier’s locked in his room with the vacuum hose again…” etc. For this sacrifice alone, I salute his dedication to his music which has aspects of reggae, folk, and tribal all infused.
I envision Xavier having gone on musical pilgrimages around the world to pick up these elements. Such consorting amongst the Australian Tribesman, like Crocodile Dundee(at least I hope like Crocodile Dundee, right?), hitting up the Caribbean to hone those reggae tunes, and playing at as many Bonnarooesque events as possible to mix it up with folk/acoustic artists of all origins. The most important thing to know about Xavier Rudd as that the man can flat out jam with the best of them and there were not many moments during the show where he was only playing 1 instrument. I highly recommend Xavier Rudd to any and all who appreciate innovation in music as well as a conglomeration of intermixing sounds and instruments. Even if you’re not into his musical style, the people watching alone should be worth the price of admission, just watch out for flailing extremities and be warned that your shirt may or may not become tye dyed merely by proximity.
2 Comments »
Thre is something inherently sexy about a Didgeridoo. Call it male compensation or whatever snide phallic joke you can muster, but frankly there is nothing hotter than a man who can put his lips around a piece of wood and blow….
oh.
damnit. I think i just way over gay’d myself with that one.
Awesome Review!
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Comment by Jules — June 25, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Your descriptions are so vivid and crisp I can imagine myself there. I look forward to more from you!