Radiohead #2

In the previous blog I talked about the one and only Radiohead.  I went over the band members and the beginning of their career.  The most important parts in Radiohead's career are still to come.  I left off after Radiohead was gaining fame with their hit "Creep" and it seemed like this band would just be another one hit wonder band.  But it didn't happen.  Soon after the release of their first album, the band released their second album called The Bends.  Unlike their first album that had more of a pop rock feel to it, The Bends was a something more creative and imaginative.  With Thom Yorke's voice and lyrics perfectly matching the brilliant played instruments, the outcome for Radiohead had changed.  Their album was well received by critics and fans and it now seemed that the band was on to something and they weren't going anywhere.  If their second album wasn't enough of a change for Radiohead they released their third album Ok Computer.  This album was a whole completely different story then any of Radiohead's previous music.  The band did indeed pull a 180 and change completely their style of music.  Ok Computer was a type of album that don't come around to often, it was one of a kind.  With Radioheads new use of electronic instruments and strange but brilliant music, they were able to show the world their wide variety of their musical capabilities.  This album contains some of Radioheads greatest tracks like "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police".  Great songs that were able to back up that Radiohead were musical geniuses.  The release of their fourth album Kid A was the same story as their previous record.  It showed the great variety of different instruments and different types of music they used in their music.  Songs like "Idioteque" and "National Anthem"  were huge hits for them and some of the most unique songs ever created.  After this the album went some years without any music and they seperated from the their record album.  But in the year 2007 they released In Rainbows another groundbreaking album for them.  But they released this album in a very unusual way.  They posted their whole album on their website and fans were able to pay whatever they wanted to download it.  They could pay nothing or 100 dollars, whatever they wanted.  I thought this was an awesome way to distribute your music to your fans.  One of my favorite songs from this album is "15 step" because this song has such a huge variety of different sounds, instruments, and beats that truley make it great. In Rainbows was a great album and I really hope its not their last.  Well there it is, Radiohead.  If I haven't influenced you a bit to go out and give them a listen I don't know what will, so get out there and give Radiohead a moment of your time.

Zeppelin Without Plant?

There has been no shortage of Led Zeppelin rumors circulating this year since the famed one-time reunion the band underwent last December in London. Since this lonely reunion, there has been consistent talk of a reunion tour and new recording, all which seem to be held back by lead singer Robert Plant's refusal to cooperate with the newfound ambitions. This raises the question: should Led Zeppelin replace their famed front man Robert Plant? Led Zep still has the inner circle of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and original drummer John Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, all willing and eager to continue the Led Zeppelin legacy. According to an article on Billboard.com, they may have found a solution in singer Myles Kennedy, front man of the alternative rock group Alter Bridge. According to Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider, the band is "saying [to Robert], 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid. And he can sing the shit out of Zeppelin.' And they're gonna hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'Okay,' and step in before having the lead singer of Alter Bridge out with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham." This bold move by the members of Led Zeppelin brings up another interesting question: would people still go to see Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant? Personally, I would not pay the exorbitant amounts of money that would be charged for tickets to see the two original members, Bonham's son, and some kid. Although I'm sure the concert would still rock, I feel like it just would not be a real Led Zeppelin show. It would be nothing more than Jimmy Page playing with a cover band. From here on out I can only hope that Robert Plant will come to his senses, and make the decision to rejoin the group for a reunion tour. I believe he will make the right decision because I find it hard to believe that he could leave his brainchild, the beginning of rock n' roll, into the hands of a man who does a good impression. This has led to speculation on whether this could just be a big publicity stunt to get people riled up before a big Led Zeppelin reunion including Plant. Then, even if Robert Plant rejoins the group for a reunion tour, it has been thirty years since the group last toured together! Is it possible for the same Led Zeppelin to come out thirty years later with the same force they had in their time? Regardless of what kind of future Led Zeppelin has, it is destined to be one of the most highly publicized, and highly criticized tours of all time. So, keep your eyes open because you might miss history if you don't.

Radiohead

Well its getting close to the end of the semester and I wanted to get this blog out before it was too late. Yes the time is finally here to blog about the one only Radiohead. One of the most critically acclaimed bands in its generations, Radiohead has undergone a lot of changes throughout its career that have shown the world how diverse they are with they're music and the musical talent they have to back that up. Well like I do in my most blogs, let me start with introducing the band members to you. First to go is Thom Yorke, the singer and lyricst for the band. But don't think that this is the only thing he contributes to the band. Thom's musical ability shows in his wide variety of instruments he can play. Next there's Johnny Greenwood the lead guitarist of the band. Like Thom, Johnny has more than one way he contributes to the band. He plays the fantastic guitar but he can also play the bass, piano, and he is always messing around with some electronic device on stage to add a little something extra to their sound. Next on the list is Colin Greenwood the bassist of theband and older brother of Johnny. Colin and Johnny's dynamic brother bond has contributed so much to their bands accomplishments. The fourth member is Ed O'Brian the rhythm guitar and back up vocals for the band. Ed's style of guitar has gone along so perfect to that of Johnny and Thom's style, that its almost to perfect. Last but not least is Phil Selway, the percussionist of the band. His drum beats and fills back up the music so perfect that its extraordinary, he is truly an amazing drum player. Well now you the band members a little more, I now can go on and talk about the band as a whole, their changes throughout their career, and their many accomplishments. Radiohead was formed in 1986 in Oxfordshire, England. An unusual fact about the band is that when first formed they were initially called On a Friday, not a very good band name, but they picked it because while in high school the band would always practice in their music room on a friday. They then changed it to Radiohead because of an inspiration off of a certain song title, I think they made the right choice changing their name. Soon after the band formed they released their fist single "Creep" which did not get much attention. A year later they released their first album Pablo Honey .  The band then reissued their single "Creep" a year after this and it became a worldwide hit.  With the band only really having one hit it seemed they were going to be another one hit wonder pop band.  But this was definitely not the story, as everyone that follows Radiohead would know they became one of the most changing phenomenal band of their generation.  Thats were I'll end this blog and continue with the rest of their music career in the next blog.

Jersey Boyz

What does a New Jersey City Councilman and Grateful Dead tribute band The Dark Star Orchestra have in common? Shockingly enough, this past Saturday night it was the government official who acted inappropriately, and not the revelers that came to see one of the best tribute bands in the jam scene today. Saturday night, drunken New Jersey Councilman, Steve Lipski, was arrested for urinating on a crowd of concert goers from the balcony of a Washington City nightclub, police and sources told JamBase reporter Rich Schapiro. "He was very drunk," the source stated, noting that this is not the first occasion Mr. Lipski has caused a problem at this notable Washington night club. "We've dealt with this man before," the source added. "He's never peed on anybody, but he gets really belligerent and drunk." The councilman, who is currently serving his second term in office, was let off easily and charged only with assault. One of the funniest things about this incident is that this is not the first time a New Jersey official has been caught with his pants down. Photos showing Jerramiah Healy, still a councilman at the time, naked and passed out on his front stoop were widely circulated in 2004 days before he was elected mayor. These facts raise some interesting questions. Firstly, how were these men able to climb the social hierarchy high enough to be elected into a position of importance to the community? Secondly and more importantly, what exactly were the voters thinking when voting to put these men into office? Unfortunately, Mr. Lipski urinated on an audience that was attending one of my favorite groups, The Dark Star Orchestra (or simply DSO). DSO gained popularity by recreating sets that include songs from nearly 2,500 that the Grateful Dead wrote over their thirty year ride. They recreate historical sets almost exactly as the Dead played them; going song for song in the same order as the original set. This may suggest they are just copying the Dead note for note, but this is not the case. Although they copy the set lists exactly, they use each song as their own vehicle for musical exploration just as the Dead used to do. To add even more authenticity, DSO rearranges their musical equipment, phrasing, and voice arrangements to the era in which they are playing. For example, if DSO is playing a show from the 1970's, they will use equipment that actually sounds like it is from the 70's. At the end of every show, the band announces the date and venue where the show they just played originally took place. This allows for a true to life performance, which allows fans to actually "see" shows that happened long before their time. Although this recent catatrophe in Washington is an unheard of situation, lets just hope the fans didn't let it put a "damper" on their DSO experience.

American Rock Music?

You might be wondering what the title of my blog means or what its referring to but I will explain myself.  I was thinking to myself the other day and started to realize something about American rock music, its not good.  When I turn on the radio I hear the same thing over and over, pop rock music that is so mainstream that it all sounds the same.  You have bands like Metro Station or Good Charolette that have one hit wonder songs and they blow up.  But why? They're songs all sound the same, this bubble gum pop rock music that sounds exactly like the song before.  They also consider themselves alternative rock or rock when they are not.  Take a good American band like Rage Against the Machine or Red Hot Chili Peppers and compare them to the hundreds of pop rock bands that are out there ruining American music.  The biggest difference between Red Hot Chili Peppers and these pop bands is the genuine and unique sound that they lack.  My thought is that most bands start off creating their own music the way they want it to be, which is great play the music you want the way you want, all power to you.  But then they hear these so called rock bands on the radio being played over and over, and then it begins.  They start changing their music to the style of these bands to make it big and bring in the money.  They sell out their musical creativity and and another band to the list.  This way of thinking about music is horrible because it crushes creativity and difference between music.  I don't know about everyone else but I like to keep my ears and eyes open to new music, and when I keep hearing the same thing being played all the time it frustrates me.  But for some reason Europe really does not have this problem.  Take the UK for example, so many great genuine bands have come out of this country, but again there's the question of why.  I don't have an answer I guess in the UK they stick by their music it doesn't matter if you like it or not, its what they play and its what they will continue to play no matter what.  Thats always been my thoughts on how music and bands should be but thats just my opinion.

Bisco

What is the best thing that the University of Pennsylvania gave us? The answer is The Disco Biscuits. This particular jam band has dubbed their style "trance-fusion". This means that they infuse electronic elements into their rock and roll style, but not enough to call themselves electronic music. Disco Biscuit set-lists consist of mostly original songs which can be played inverted, unfinished, or "dyslexic". The Disco Biscuits (Bisco for short) break their songs up and bounce back and forth between each composition throughout the set, and sometimes even play sections of their songs backwards. These are called "inverted" or "dyslexic" versions. Lately, the band has even been experimenting with the hip-hop sound. They have been working with high profile Philadelphia producers like Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry, who recently wrote beats for Ludacris, Chris Brown, Beanie Sigel, and Fantasia. The Biscuits even started their own music festival in 1999, located in upstate New York. The festival was named Camp Bisco, and has since grown to be one of the largest yearly jam band festival in this country. The first installment of Camp Bisco featured artists like Snoop Dogg, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Umphrey's McGee, and Thievery Corporation. Now, the festival features all these artists plus dozens of other bands, DJ's, and live entertainment. The band has also been involved in multiple large music festivals. Some examples include Rothbury, Jam on the River, Bonnaroo, All Good, Lollapalooza, Jam Cruise, 10,000 Lakes Festival, and Wakarusa to name a few. They also took part in the epic tour with Umphrey's McGee called the D.U.M.B. tour. This stands for Disco-Umphrey's-McGee-Biscuits, and I was fortunate enough to see firsthand the force of these two jam super groups together. The show was phenomenal. It was a combination of the driving "melt your face off" shredding of Umphrey's McGee, and the robotic, melodic style of the Disco Biscuits. Seeing the Disco Biscuits live is truly an experience. Their style is the perfect blend of rock and roll and electronic. Not too much rock, not too much electronic. The audience is always friendly and excited too. That is one of the best parts about going to see a jam band concert; the audience is always just as excited for the show as you are, and not one person in that audience has any reservation about expressing this joy with a stranger. All in all, the Disco Biscuits are another prime example of the jam band prowess. Great tunes, great people, great times!

Arctic Monkeys

Where to start with this band? There's so much that this band has accomplished in its short career, that having to cover everything is not an easy task. I'll start with the background of the band. The Arctic Monkeys are a British band formed in 2002. The band consists of Alex Turner on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Helders on drums, Jaime Cook on guitar, and Nick O'Malley on bass. These four band members have been playing together since they've been 13, so they know each others styles and know how to really play great with each other. This shows in all the music they play because all of them play their instruments the same way, fast and heavy. The style of their playing has paved a new direction for bands in Europe, a new generation of non stop guitar riffs, chords, and drum beats that creates a powerhouse of music that has the fans going throughout the whole song. Now that you have a feel for the band let me go into short but very successful musical career that the band has had. Before the band released any music in the stores or on any albums, they released the music they've been working on through the internet. Some people thought this wasn't a smart choice to do because you're just giving it away, but it definitely worked out for the Arctic Monkeys. This is because their music got spread throughout all of Europe and worldwide. When they released their first single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" it went straight to number one in the UK charts. This was something never seen before, a band that has never actually released any music hit number one on the release of their first single. The word was out and it was time for the rest of the world to find out about the Arctic Monkeys. Next on their agenda was the release of their first album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. This album made history by being the fastest selling debut album in the UK. This was something incredible because the UK has had some amazing bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Who, The Clash, the list goes on. The band members were only 18 on the release of their first album and for them to break this kind of record was phenomenal.  By now you can see that this is no ordinary new band, they were something completely different.  Its hard to describe their music but what I hear when I listen to them is a fast paced get up and go, feel to their music.  Its the type of music thats uplifting and pumps you up.  The Arctic Monkeys also released a second album called Your Favorite Worst Nightmare that received great acceptance by their fans.  The Arctic Monkeys did it again, they were able to release another great album and keep their music genuine.  Well I've offered you a little taste of what the Arctic Monkeys are about, so its up to you to get out there and give them a try.

You Enjoy Myself

Want to know exactly what a jam band is? Phish is the living, breathing definition of everything that is jam music. The quartet's humble beginning took place in a dormitory at University of Vermont, and even before the beginnings of Phish the members of the band had a very promising future. Trey Anastasio (lead guitar/vocals) was then a Philosophy major, John Fishman (drums) was then studying chemical engineering, Mike Gordon (bass/vocals) was then an electrical engineering major, and Page McConnell (keyboards/vocals) was then a show promoter/organizer before he organized a small gig for Phish and hit it off with the band. From their beginnings in 1983 until 1989 Phish remained relatively unknown, touring the east coast and working to put together and release a studio album. It was not until May, 1989, that Phish was able to officially release their first studio album, "Junta". It is around this time that the group begins to gain wild popularity, and also starts touring the entire country. Phish begins selling out venues across the nation, using the cash earned to produce their second official album, "Lawn Boy". Over the course of the next few years, the group releases multiple studio albums, sticks to a strenuous tour schedule, and begins recording and distributing live recordings from their events. Thousands of obsessive fans start to tour the country with Phish. After years more of releasing Phish studio albums, Phish live albums, solo studio projects from all different members, and relentless touring, Phish had gained a fan base comaprable to the Grateful Dead. Each member began doing more solo work and less work with Phish as we entered the new millennium, and after the release of their thirteenth studio album, "Farmhouse", they decided to take a hiatus of unknown length. Although all the fans direly missed Phish, the side projects began to take the forefront as we would begin to see the talents that each member possessed outside of Phish. Their first unofficial appearance came in an April, 2002 episode of The Simpson's where Homer receives a prescription for Medical Marijuana and attends a Phish concert. In late 2002, the band began rehearsing for their hiatus ending Holiday tour, and made appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. After the blowout Holiday Tour of 2002 and early 2003, Phish takes a short break before embarking on their said "final" tour before permenantly breaking the band up. The culmination of this tour is the massive "IT" festival in Limestone, Maine. The group later released a movie documentary of this festival, which proved to be truly stunning to any who could not make it to see Phish for their last days. Luckily for those of us who were unfortunate enough to miss the last days of Phish, they have finally announced, after over a five year hiatus, that they will play dates next year. Although there are not too many specifics yet, they have announced a three evening event in Virginia that will mark the return of the greatest jam band in the world. Tickets for all three nights sold out within minutes of going on sale, and are now being sold for unbelievable fees on eBay. Although I probably will not be able to make it to this March event, I feel confident that Phish will soon announce many more tour dates for the coming spring. With this amazing event ahead of me, I'm sure it will be a monumental summer for both me and the Phish community.

Find Yourself a show

So I was thinking to myself the other day that there are not a lot of concerts or gigs here at the Purdue campus. I mean besides the famous artists that come and play at Elliot Hall, since I've been here I have not been able to find myself one single gig or concert. Maybe I'm not looking at the right places or trying hard enough but there's nothing. But in mid October I was able to go back home and attend a concert at the Riveria in Chicago. The concert was The Kooks, and to me it was a must needed show. If any of you have never been to a small venue let me describe to you the feeling and atmosphere. The show was on a small stage, the floor is crowded with people, and the music is blasting through the small jam packed room. But don't get the wrong idea, even though its a small building and small stage it has the energy of a music festival. The fans are loving the music and rocking out because with the small venue you get a more personal connection with the band, because you'r right there and the band just seems like their singing to you. Also to me a band that plays at small shows, is playing more for the fans because they're not doing it for the money, their doing it for the fans and to spread through music. Well now that you got an idea of idea of what a small gig consists of the next step is to attend one. Let me tell you, your first gig will be unforgetable. At first its a strange scene and is a little overwhelming but you grow to love it. My first small show I'll never forget. It was also at the Riveria and it was a british band named the Arctic Monkeys. They started the show with one of their songs called "Brianstorm" and the room just exploded. The energy in the Riv that day was undescribable. The fans were full of energy and it seemed that the band never wanted to stop playing, because they were having as much fun as the fans, maybe even more. Well there you go if I haven't convinced you to attend a gig, I don't know what will. So go out and find yourself a show.

Finally!

Live concerts are a blast by themselves, but what can we as the audience do to make the experience even more enjoyable? At the concerts that I attend, the audience loves to decorate themselves with glowing jewelry and outrageous costumes. Many also bring expensive lasers and party equipment. About two weeks ago I ordered a spectacular kaleidoscope laser, and after weeks of anticipation it finally arrived. It is a thirty millowatt laser with a filter attached to the front that splits the beam into hundreds of smaller beams that can be controlled by the user. It is a difficult phenomenon to describe, but it is truly amazing. I can also remove the filter on the front to create a single, solid beam of green light. It is so powerful that it can actually pop a balloon! Besides lasers there are plenty of cool party toys out there. For example, I had (broke it) a pool toy that could be used out of water to create a portable dance floor. All you have to do is push a button and hold it overhead to create a stunning multicolored, morphing blanket of light across an entire room. Glowsticks are also a great way to enhance the show experience. Often at shows, people bring Sam's Club sized boxes of glowsticks and slingshot them into the crowd. This leads to massive "glowstick wars" where people pick them up and hurl them across in the crowd. It creates a neon shower that drives the party onward, and creates an extremely positive mood. Want to enhance your show going experience? http://www.raveworx.com/

Tribe

This is a band that blew up faster than it took to write this sentence. What about a musical group is it that causes them to be sky rocketed into stardom just as they are at their beginnings? Listen to Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) for a perfect example of the heart-stopping, toe-curling, fist clenching sound that can take a group as far as fast as Sound Tribe has done. This is an instrumental band that is renowned for their live performances (this is beginning to seem like a theme with my blog). The group is rooted in instrumental rock and electronica, with influences of funk, jazz, and hip-hop. STS9 consists of Zach Velmer (drums), Hunter Brown (guitar/laptop/midi keyboard), Jeffree Lerner (percussion/laptop/handsonic) David Murphy (bass/laptop/midi keyboard), and David Phipps (keyboards/laptop). They got their beginnings in Atlanta, Georgia, but quickly relocated to Northern California in an attempt to take their sound where it may get more recognition. A live STS9 show is almost a theatrical production, including the stunning music, visually spectacular light shows, and elaborate stage decor. Since all songs are long journeys of instrumental improvisation, it allows every listener their own interpretation of a song. A well known fact about Sound Tribe is that the audience influences the performence greatly. If the audience is going wild for a track STS9 is playing, the group will often choose to extend the song, and add in more excitement and intensity. This is a great idea because it makes the performance a group effort on the part of the musician and the audience. Last time I saw STS9 was at the Rothbury Festival of Music in Michigan. Sound Tribe played a mind boggling three and a half hour show. An interesting piece of information that I recently came across was that this particular concert was taking place right after the headliner of festival, Dave Matthews Band, at a stage that was almost a mile from the main stage. Tribe turned out full capacity crowd before the show even began, and left the road from the main stage to theirs blocked with people. This means that a full capacity crowd, myself included, did not go to Dave Matthews, and instead went to an empty stage to wait for Tribe to begin. Another awesome fact that I recently learned about Sound Tribe is how environmentally conscious they are. Beginning in Fall 2006, STS9 traveled in a carbon neutral tour bus, and powered all their concerts with renewable energy. On top of this, they wanted to offset 100% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the tour by raising donations from their partnership with environmentally friendly companies. This is another example of an astounding amount of musical talent coupled with the desire to better the planet we live in, a rare characteristic that benefits fans and the world alike.

The Strokes

I've been waiting to talk about this band for a long time, and finally the day has arrived. With The Strokes its going to be hard to begin because of all the band history they have, but I'll start of by giving you some knowledge on the band members themselves. I'll start with Julian Casablancas the lead vocals of the band. The talented Mr. Casablancas not only writes most of the music for the band, but he plays quite a number of instruments in his songs such as keyboard, guitar, and bass. Next on the list is Nick Valens on lead guitar. Nick Valens to me has had and will continue to have some of the most attention grabbing, catchy, and dirty guitar riffs and melodies out there in the music world. We now move on to Albert Hammond Jr. on rhythm guitar. The son of a successful English pop/rock artist, Albert Hommond has continued his family's legacy by contributing so much to the rock world. Next is Nikolai Fraiture the bassist for the band. The only word that I can think of to best dedscribe Nikolai is sick. You might ask why or what this means, but I have a friend that loves the basslines in his songs and everytime he hears them he always says the same thing, "man listen to that bass, its so sick". But he's right, I agree with what he says about him, its a perfect word to describe him.  Last but not least is the drummer of the band, Fabrizio Moretti. He is a Brazilian drummer that has contributed greatly to his band with his simple but genius drum beats and fills.  Well know that you're informed of the band I'll go on and talk about their music and their career.  Even though most of the band members are from different places around the country and some even around the world, they started their band in New York City.  Before The Strokes came out with their music, the current rock music at the time, which was around the year 2000, was really nothing like the music the Strokes created.  There were bands like The White Stripes, that were changing the sound of alternative rock but the feel and sound of The Strokes was sorta unheard and New York City was the perfect place for them to release their music because their popularity in the city was able to spread all over the world.  Their first single release was "Last Nite", which sparked great hype for this band.  It seemed that everyone wanted more of the bands.  They then soon released their first album "The Modern Age".  The release of their first album started a bidding war between record labels because they knew that this band was like no other, they had something very unique about them.  Of course like expected the music scene changed going into the new millenium.  The Strokes influenced other newly created bands to a whole different sound.  Some of these bands that blossomed from the music of the Strokes include The Kooks, The Paddingtons, and one of my favorites The Libertines.  The sound of alternative rock changed and the Strokes were leading the way.  Like expected they released their second album "Is This It" which included great tracks like "Someday" , "Hard to Explain", and "Between Love and Hate".  By now the word was out and The Strokes were known worldwide.  The band was on a role and they knew they couldn't stop, so around a year later they released their their album "Room on Fire" which of course had more great songs like "Reptillia" and "12:51".  The album was greatly accepted by all the fans and received Best International Band by the NME magazine.  The band was getting recognition all over world for their unique, rhythmic sound, and their defining change in rock.  If the release of these three albums weren't enough they were able to release one more "First Impressions of Earth".  What I love about this last album, just like their other albums, is that their music never changed.  Most bands out their that make it big, change their style of music to make money or just go with all the mainstream rock.  But this band never changed their style for anyone or anything, they played the music they loved and they knew their true fans would continue to love it.  Well they you go the rundown on The Strokes,  get out their and give them a try, you'll learn to love them.

Less Is More

Judging by the title, one would be led to believe this particular blog is going to to written about a more simplistic style of music. I hate to disappoint, but by less is more I am referring to an artist who prefers the simpler way of life. I have chosen to write about Xavier Rudd, the multi-talented, multi-instrumental, Australian one man super group. The music is put together solely by Xavier, and in turn is performed solely by Xavier. The way he manages to accomplish this is through his incredible capability to keep is mind on multiple instruments at one time, and the unique setup that he has put together for live performances. He may begin a song with a simple acoustic guitar riff and some singing, then he will begin to play the drums with his feet on an electronic drum kit (while continuing to play guitar and sing). What he does next separates him from other musicians. In front of his face on stage, the audience immediately notices the three tube-like instruments that are fastened securely in front of his "workspace". The instrument is called the didgeridoo, and it is a native instrument of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. It can create a variety of sounds, but primarily he uses it to make a bass-driven, buzzing rhythm on top of the rest of his sounds. The combination of the didgeridoo, guitars, drums, harmonicas, and serene vocals all coming from one man at the same time is enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. Even in its fullest sound the songs of Xavier Rudd are still generally slow, gentle compositions. It is the kind of music you can just sway back and forth, and sing along with. Personally, I have had the pleasure of seeing Xavier live on one occasion. It is a wonderful experience, as he shares both his music and his thoughts with the audience. It was also the first experience I ever had where the girls that joined us for the show swooned over Xavier Rudd like he was Justin Timberlake, which was both a funny and awkward situation. Many of his songs incorporate socially conscience themes, primarily environmentalism. He describes himself as a full-time barefooter, claiming that he does not own even one pair of shoes. He is also a vegetarian, an activist with the PETA organization, and was awarded PETA's annual "World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity" award for 2007. Unfortunately, he does not frequently visit America to do North American tours. His last American tour ended in September of 2007, and I would expect to see him back in the states this summer at the very soonest. Here we have a truly innovative musician, a one man blend of rhythm and activism.