Im not sure whether the Yidaki is a way for me to connect with her people, or if its just part of me, said Rudd.Rudd is, however, convinced that the womans presence is an essential part of him. Shes Aboriginal, I think.Any ties between music and this elder spirit are equally cloudy. Theres an old woman who Ive understood as being with me since Im a boy. She may have come from the place the Yidaki existed, said Rudd, adding that he has suspicions that the spirit may be that of a great-grandmother of his. Rudd says it is something difficult to talk about possibly because the subject is, by its nature, so ethereal, and partly because he just doesnt know many of the particulars of this spirit being.Im not too sure where she came from. Even as a child, Rudd felt himself joined by another presence, that of an older woman. Its a part of my whole journey, a connection to my journey.That journey begins with an actual spirit. ![]() I just had a connection, said Rudd, speaking softly, almost in a mumble. Still, the didgeridoo was a fairly familiar sight and, moreover, there was a visceral attraction.Its born into me. The instrument is associated mostly with the north of Australia, while Rudd was raised on the southern coast, in the town of Jan Juc. But my mother told me to stop that, he said by phone from a tour stop in Santa Clara.So he moved on to the didgeridoo. It wasnt the didgeridoo that originally called to him after singing constantly as a young child, he finally tried his lungs on a wind instrument the end of a vacuum cleaner. White Moth features contributions from several singers descended from Australias indigenous tribes, and Rudds recordings and live show prominently feature the didgeridoo or Yidaki, as he often calls it a signature wind instrument, usually made of natural wood, of the Aboriginals.But Rudd isnt clear how he was set onto this path. But the core of his quest has to do with connecting to Australias Aboriginals. He talks often about his journey, one that clearly includes respect for people and the environment. On the bubbly Twist, also from White Moth, he asks Everybody can you lay back together, stargaze together, and it is a request, not a demand.Rudd is not even so sure about his own path in life. But more often than not, there is a questioning, searching tone to the lyrics. His songs can be insistent: on Footprints, from White Moth, he sings There are leaders who lead / Our leaders prefer to deceive. But probably the fundamental reason his optimism doesnt have a saccharine taste is that he doesnt pretend to know everything about the world. ![]() When he does play acoustic guitar, he employs a technique that lets him play bass lines as well as finger-picked melodies.Rudd is 29 years old, which gives his sunny outlook an untainted feel. Set up onstage amidst an array of tools and toys, Rudd plays slide guitar, stomp boxes, harmonica and percussion, many of them simultaneously. But Rudd is anything but a simple, stand-up guitar-strummer. On his current tour, he plays most of the show solo Dave Tolley, a Canadian drummer and percussionist who appears on White Moth, joins him for roughly half the show. 15-16, at Belly Up Aspen.One way to explain the popularity is that Rudd is a talented and unique instrumentalist. Rudd plays a two-night stand this week in Aspen, Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. He spent much of last year touring as the opening act for the Dave Matthews Band, and has been on the bill at most of the worlds major music festivals, including, in the States, Bonnaroo and High Sierra. His 2004 album, Solace, was certified platinum in his native Australia. The rest of the album, Rudds fourth, follows in similar fashion, with earnest, optimistic expressions floating on waves of a folk-reggae beat.In Rudds case, such bright-eyed hopefulness plays particularly well. ![]() On his latest album White Moth, released in June, Rudd opens with Better People, which addresses the worlds do-gooders: You people saving whales, giving your thanks to the seas / My respect to the ones in the forest, standing up for our old trees, he sings, in a tone that sounds like a prayer. There is a gentle, practically innocent, almost naive quality to Xavier Rudds music. Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd plays a two-night stand this week at Belly Up Aspen.
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