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".
Food In The Belly
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have luck on your side
Born into a family with food in their bellies
And a car for them to drive
People sleeping on the concrete
Still smile behind their signs
So go now be happy and be free
If you go chances are you'll come again
If you come chances are you'll go
So be mellow let it flow let it bend
I'll see you somewhere at the end
So go but be kind...
The lyrics of "Food In The Belly" by Xavier Rudd explore themes of gratitude, privilege, and the impermanence of life. The song begins with a reminder to be kind as the singer acknowledges the luck that comes with being born into a family that has its basic needs met - food and transportation. The contrast is then drawn against those who are less fortunate and forced to sleep on the streets, yet still manage to keep a smile on their face.
The second verse almost acts as a call-to-action to the listener to go and explore the world, but to keep in mind that everything in life is fleeting. The repetition of the phrase 'chances are you'll...' emphasizes the impermanence of existence and that we should take advantage of the here and now. The final line 'I'll see you somewhere at the end' acts as a reminder that no matter where we go, we are all connected in our journey and that there is a common end.
Line by Line Meaning
So go but be kind
Go out into the world, but do so in a compassionate manner
You have luck on your side
Fortune has smiled upon you in life
Born into a family with food in their bellies
You were fortunate enough to be raised in a household where you always had enough food to eat
And a car for them to drive
Furthermore, your family was privileged enough to have access to their own personal transportation
People sleeping on the concrete
There are many in the world who do not have access to basic needs such as shelter and have to sleep outside on hard surfaces
Still smile behind their signs
Despite their difficult circumstances, these individuals are able to maintain positivity and hope
So go now be happy and be free
Therefore, take advantage of your privileges and live your life to the fullest without guilt
You have so much time
You have the luxury of time to explore and experience life
If you go chances are you'll come again
If you leave and travel, there is a high likelihood that you will return home eventually
If you come chances are you'll go
If you visit and stay somewhere for a time, eventually you will likely leave and continue your journey
So be mellow let it flow let it bend
Therefore, take a relaxed approach to life, let it unfold naturally and be open to change
I'll see you somewhere at the end
Despite where your journey takes you, we will cross paths again eventually
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff D
Great raw sound I've come to expect from Xavier. But the phenomenal guitar solo at end of song leaves me wanting the song to continue for quite some time. So I just listen to it again and again.
DaNihil
One of my all time favourites! "So go now be happy and be free you, you have so much time"
getgoodUSA
damn ...randomly found this song , really diggin it
The Fifth
Great energy
johnnyjits
This song was recommend on a jack Johnson video, didn't think I'd like it but I love it!!
ZenDragonJP
Lap slide guitar, for the win!
DJANGO MANGO
This be the Thang Baby !
Blank User
Sent here by love incorporated. Chill channel, cool guy
What The
Woodford For Life I'll be back when you are Xavy
Tushar Mangal
Anyone likes it in 2019 ?