Plenty of laughs and good times to finish off a weird year and shine some light into an otherwise serious track.” It was a classic day collaborating with J-MILLA, who is just a massive big ball of sunshine and local Kabi Kabi dancers. “After a shaky start with a cancellation due to Covid we managed to all get together and film the video for “Ball and Chain”. Shot in both Super 8 and HD the clip was directed by Solomon Scopazzi at the historical Majestic Theatre in Pomono on the Sunshine Coast and boasts a beautiful sense of nostalgia intersecting with the now. Drummer Dave Tolley and keyboard player Panos Grames fleshed out the sound.The new film clip for “Ball and Chain” out today features J-MILLA and the Kabi Kabi dancers. Rudd gathered bits and pieces of field recordings then cut the bulk of his recorded performances live in the studio. “I just try and have respect for where I come from,” he said.

Hearth and home figure prominently in the songs on “White Moth,” with not only Rudd’s wife and children metaphorically and figuratively popping up in songs, but also a host of ancestors and other friends making it into his work.įrom the immediate family, Rudd branches out to the bigger global family, inviting indigenous music groups from Australia and a spiritual leader of the Cree Nation in Canada (Rudd’s wife is Canadian) to perform on the record. Staving off those feelings of cold and loneliness, Rudd is a bit of a “white moth” himself, moving toward the heat and light of his family. Those spirits support me when I am cold and alone.” I’ve understood since I was a kid that I could feel certain spirits. I just feel like a vehicle, and it’s a powerful thing. Sometimes it’s like a spirit coming through me. “Sometimes it’s from personal observation. “The writing comes all different ways,” Rudd said of his varied repertoire. While capable of laying praise on “Better People” in one moment, he is also adept at making pointed commentaries on the effects of global warming and telling the history of Australian aborigines’ fight for land rights. Rudd doesn’t waste too much breath on the bad folks, but he isn’t gooey sweet. The material is far-reaching and passionately played, all of it artfully held together with sturdy themes of caring for friends and family and showing respect for the planet and its good people. “White Moth” bears the sound of an artist hitting a sort of critical boiling point.

Last month, Rudd released “White Moth,” his second CD on the high-quality indie imprint Anti- Records and fourth record overall.

Matthews and Rudd first teamed for shows in Australia where the concerts featured some collaboration between the two likeminded songwriters, and Rudd said he hopes these upcoming concerts afford similar opportunities. Thanks to some key opening gigs such as the one he landed a couple of years ago with Ani DiFranco, Rudd sowed the seeds for a grass roots following which in turn made him a sought-after festival performer welcome at everything from blues and roots fests to mega rock outings such as the Bonnaroo festival, at which Rudd played last month.įor a stint this summer, Rudd is opening shows for The Dave Matthews Band, a job that has him playing Wednesday and Thursday to packed houses at The Tweeter Center in Mansfield.

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