Growing up in a family of seven children in Torquay, Victoria (Australia), near the famous surfing location Bells Beach, Rudd showed a keen interest in music. While primary school-aged, Rudd used his mother's vacuum cleaner as a makeshift didgeridoo and he began playing his brother's guitar. He also played saxophone and clarinet as a child.
Before launching his solo career, Rudd began playing music as part of the band 'Xavier and the Hum'. In 2004, Rudd released Solace, his first album to be distributed by a major label.
Rudd's music is compassionate and always manages to render emotion in his fans. His songs include stories of the mistreatment of the indigenous people of his homeland; they tell of humanity, spirituality or the environment. The songs are written and sung with compassion and they urge the celebration of life.
Rudd is skilled with a variety of instruments, include guitar, shaker, didgeridoo, Weissenborn slide guitar, Tongue drum, stomp boxe, djembe, harmonica, ankle bells, and slide banjo. It's an experience to watch him perform his songs live, as he plays the guitar, digeridoo and various percussion instruments simultaneously, using a unique stage setup. But the real magic comes when he opens his mouth and his soulful voice spills upon his audience.
Rudd recalls that when he was 10, his dad took him to see Paul Simon’s Graceland tour. “I remember seeing it and knowing that that was what I was gonna do,” he says. “I had no doubt. It sort of made sense, because I’d always lived in my head, in this world of song that was my own little secret. But to see that show and that whole thing happening, I sort of felt comfortable as a human, and thought.” He learned to play the digeridoo, the 50,000-year-old wooden trumpet of the Aboriginal people, by practising on a vacuum cleaner pipe.
As a teenager, Rudd really got into songwriting. He started performing at his school, with solo gigs following. He drew inspiration from artists such as Leo Kottke, Ben Harper, Natalie Merchant and multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, as well as music from diverse sources, such as Hawaii and Native American music.
As with most solo artists, Rudd has experimented playing in a band. Though it was a short- lived experiment, as Rudd quickly found that it wasn't the right way to go for him. “What I do now is just more me,” he says. “And it sounds full.”
Quotes:
“It’s all about peace and happiness,” he says of his performances. “That’s sort of the blanket that seems to sort of settle in the room, or on the venue when I play, but I sort of feel not solely responsible. I don’t really feel like it’s me and the audience. I feel like it’s all of us, one big connection and I just happen to be channeling the energy through music. It comes from the audience and channels through me and I put it back in the audience.”
“My music is about good spirit. I’m so lucky to be able to do what I do. I’m so blessed to be able to be able to travel around and play music and connect with so many people in so many places in so many cultures. It’s a gift of life as a musician.”
After the failure of his marriage in 2009, Rudd was supported in his grief and recovery by new South African bandmates, bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo. Rudd had met Moloantoa and Nqubezelo performing at the 2008 Wiesen Nuke Festival in Austria. Rudd described his connection with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo as musical, spiritual and emotional—"I feel like they were sent to me," he said.
In 2010 Rudd bought 20 hectares of property at Koonyum Range, Mullumbimby, the location was the inspiration for the name of the album Rudd would release with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo, titled "Koonyum Sun", as Xavier Rudd & Izintaba. The album moved away from the heavier sound of Rudd's 2008 album "Dark Shades of Blue" to a more up-beat style.
"Nanna", the 2015 album Rudd released as Xavier Rudd & the United Nations champions cultural understanding and condemns racism and intolerance. It features a diverse group of musicians from Australia, South Africa, Samoa, Germany, Ireland, and Papua New Guinea.
In 2018, Rudd released "Storm Boy".
Butterfly
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To mark the end of these Koonyum days
Gentle rain and a brown snake skin
When something ends, something new begins
I need this time now to follow the moon
The gentle rain won't be ending soon
Walk with patience to the rainbow's end
The lyrics of Xavier Rudd's song Butterfly depict a powerful message of change and acceptance. The butterfly and the pretty mermaid represent a beautiful ending to the Koonyum days, while the gentle rain and brown snake skin signify the shedding of old and unwanted things. In essence, the lyrics suggest that endings are a natural part of life and that they create opportunities for new beginnings.
The song then shifts its focus to the present moment, where Xavier describes the need to follow the moon and walk with patience towards the rainbow's end. This is a metaphor for seizing the day, taking risks, and embracing change. The spirit will be waiting there, suggesting that sometimes we need to rely on our intuition and inner strength to guide us through uncertain times.
Overall, the lyrics of this song are beautiful and poetic, reminding listeners that change is a natural part of life and that we should embrace it with open arms.
Line by Line Meaning
Butterfly and a pretty mermaid
There is a butterfly and a pretty mermaid that symbolize the end of an era.
To mark the end of these Koonyum days
The butterfly and mermaid are marking the end of a period termed Koonyum days.
Gentle rain and a brown snake skin
The current gentle rain and a discarded brown snake skin symbolize the start of a new beginning.
When something ends, something new begins
The end of a particular era marks the beginning of another.
I need this time now to follow the moon
The present time is perfect for following intuition by the moon’s guidance.
The gentle rain won't be ending soon
The current events that mark the end of an epoch will not abate anytime soon.
Walk with patience to the rainbow's end
It is essential to remain patient while walking towards something where the process is as important as achieving the goal.
If the spirit sees it, she'll be waiting there
If the spirit or inner wisdom sees the progress, the sense of achievement and fulfillment will be waiting there.
Writer(s): Xavier Rudd Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Allegro (Aust) Pty
Contributed by Riley M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cjohns87
This guy is awesome please make more music Xavier!!!! ✌️
Victória
Can there please be more songs like this??<3
martin
🌻 The perfect song for the yoga exercises, love it!
Raffa Carvalho
Que paz que trás sua voz é esse som , simples e magnífico!
Andreas Higel
what a beautiful song ...i love it
scarletbegonia3
He's got beautiful Paul Simon qualities! I would love to hear them sing together!!!!
chamamine1
magnifiquement beau ce cadeau de voyage sur les ailes d'un Ange !!!!
Erikdenoorman
Butterfly and a pretty mermaid
To mark the end of these Koonyum days
Gentle rain and a brown snake skin
When something ends, something new begins
I need this time now to follow the moon
The gentle rain won't be ending soon
Walk with patience to the rainbow's end
If the spirit sees it, she'll be waiting there
Glubiboulga
He really reminds me Paul Simon, I love it!
Julian Vickery
"Walk with patience until the rainbow's end."