Xavier Rudd says that his two worlds are Canada and Australia

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 17, 2005

By Steve Newton

As the Ramones proved again and again, songs don’t have to be longer than two minutes to be effective. But neither do they need to be frantic, Marshall-powered earbusters to make a point.

On his latest CD, Solace, Xavier Rudd takes a subtle approach on “3 Degrees”, a track that clocks in at less than a minute yet manages to vividly portray the plight of the desperately down-and-out. It isn’t a song, so much, as Rudd simply chatting away while his casual conversation is accented by the eloquent touch of a Weissenborn slide guitar.

As the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist explains from his home in Torquay, on the southern coast of Australia, “3 Degrees” was inspired by the sight that greeted him at an American Folk Alliance Conference in Nashville a few years ago.

“The music industry basically hired out this big high-rise motel for the weekend,” he recalls, “and all these people with lotsa money were goin’ in and out. It was really, really cold–like two or three degrees–and each night there would be 10 or 15 homeless people just lying on cardboard right out front of the hotel. People would just step over top of them, you know, and jump in their cars, and I found it fascinating that there was no acknowledgement at all. It’s not as bad as that in Australia.”

During our chat, the sun-loving Rudd describes the current 20 ° C temperature in his hometown as “chilly”, so it’s no wonder he’s sensitive to the suffering of sidewalk dwellers in near-freezing conditions. His sympathies for downtrodden members of society are also heard in Solace‘s “A 4th World”, which relates the plight of Australia’s indigenous people.

“Well I feel so ashamed of this system and these ways,” he sings in the song’s third and final verse, “The tiny hearts that lead our nation, and the tiny minds that let them in.”

The title for “A 4th World” was suggested by an enigmatic stranger who approached Rudd after one of his frequent B.C. gigs.

“Before I played that song I explained what it was about,” he relates, “and said I didn’t have a title for it yet. Then at the end of the concert this wise and weathered B.C. man came up to me–he had a long beard and long hair, and it seemed like he’d seen some life. He said, ‘So, I’ve got an idea for a name of that song: a fourth world.’ He said there’s a third world, you know, but there’s also the fourth world for people who don’t have an existence, who are sort of trapped.”

Every song on Solace, save one, was written by Rudd. Its lone cover is a version of Bob Marley’s 1975 hit, “No Woman No Cry”, and the idea to record it came while Rudd was touring with socially conscious American singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick.

“She was strong in terms of women’s rights,” he explains, “and I’m really interested in, and agree with, the women’s movement. And there was a really emotional situation one night, when she was playing a song–I think it was about a rape, it was really heavy–and she sang a couple of lines of ‘No Woman No Cry’ in the middle of it. And it just sort of sat with me; it was a new reflection of the song for me. So my version’s got a bit of that sombreness to it as well.”

Besides vocals and Weissenborn, Rudd handles six- and 12-string guitars, didjeridus, harmonicas, djembe, slide banjo, and assorted percussion on Solace, which he recorded mostly in Vancouver with his producer friend Todd Simko, formerly of rock act Pure. Rudd’s management company, Teamworks, is also based here, so he’s spent a lot of time in the area.

The soft-spoken 26-year-old has grown extremely fond of Lotusland’s inhabitants, and considering that his one-man show at the Commodore on Friday (February 25) is completely sold-out, the feeling seems to be mutual.

Rudd holds both Australian and Canadian citizenship, and one need only scan the artwork on the Solace CD–with its evocative landscapes by his close Aussie friend Myles Maddock–for an illustration of that dual status. The gatefold cover depicts an orangey sunset with surfers standing on a ridge, while the inside art resembles a snowy Northern highway at dusk.

“When I saw those two paintings at his house, side by side, it just hit me like a ton of bricks,” says Rudd. “It was my two worlds, Canada and Australia, you know.”

Xavier Rudd sounds off on the things that enquiring minds want to know

On playing the second stage at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee last year: “It was a spin-out, you know. It was the biggest festival I’ve been to, by far. It was massive, there was so many people, and the main stages were like skyscrapers. It was beautiful, though; I got a huge response.”

On what inspires him as a songwriter: “Generally I write about real things and just situations that I’ve come across, usually where I’ve felt emotion. You know, if I felt sad or happy or angry, then quite often I’ll lyrically represent it.”

On laid-back folk-rocker Jack Johnson, with whom Rudd will tour next month: “I’ve connected with Jack a few times–we’ve had a jam and a few things–but this will be the first time we’ve done a tour together. He’s such a nice guy, Jack, and he’s quite a star now, you know. But he’s such a mellow guy. He really reflects his music.”

On whether he’s ever hung 10 with Johnson, who’s a pro surfer: “I haven’t surfed with him yet, but we probably will on this tour. It’ll be a treat to watch him; he’s a pretty amazing surfer. I don’t think I’m quite at Jack’s level; he was born with a bit more natural talent. But I get by.”

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