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| Spectrum |
| L-R
Peter
'Robbo' Robertson, Broc
O'Connor, Mike
Rudd, Daryl Roberts
and Brenden Mason |
Spectrum
today is, conceptually at least, similar to the original band launched
way back in 1969, but the loss in 2013 of bassist and fellow founding
member Bill Putt leaves singer/songwriter Mike Rudd as the sole
original member in the current line-up. The recent addition of Madder
Lake guitarist Brenden Mason (pic) however has added a
very positive dimension to the band, especially in the live performance
arena - a recording would seem to be inevitable.
Spectrum and Madder Lake played a very successful series of double
bill shows during 2019 celebrating Spectrum's 50th anniversary and
as 2020 marked the Madders' 50th anniversary there had been another
series of double bill shows planned throughout the year, another
good intention scuttled by COVID-19.
Today's Spectrum plays a batch of retrospective songs from the various
Spectrum, Murtceps and Ariel albums, including a selection from
their many singles released over the decades. Like Spectrum's But
That's Alright and Play a Song That I Know, The Indelible
Murtceps' Indelible Shuffle and Esmeralda and
Ariel's Jamaican Farewell and Disco Dilemma -
and there are quite a few more.* Never forgetting the legendary
song that started it all, I'll Be Gone (Someday I'll have money)
of course! |
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The
Indelible Murtceps |
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The
Indelible Murtceps
They said it would never happen again, they also said that it could
never happen again, but they were wrong - again! In 2022 the jesters
of the Aussie music scene, The Indelible Murtceps, are back! The
band's first gig for countless decades was in January in their all-too
familiar role as support for their big brother band, Spectrum, and
it felt as though there had been no gap at all between gigs. The
chaps were resplendant in their chosen avatar costumes (see
pic) and the songs, culled exclusively from the Murtceps repertoire
of old, sounded as fresh as ever. If you're looking for a good time
and a laugh, this is the band for you. |
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| Mike
Rudd's Indelibles |
The Indelibles
can evince the original Spectrum, The Indelible Murtceps, Ariel,
WHY, Mike Rudd & The Heaters and even Mike's first band, Chants
R&B songs just for you. With songs like I'll Be Gone, Launching
Place Part Two, Going Home and Fly Without Its Wings,
Ariel's Jamaican Farewell, Rock & Roll Scars, Red Hot Momma
and Worm Turning Blues, Murtceps' Esmeralda, Some Good
Advice and We Are Indelible, you'll be in Spectrum
heaven.
The Indelibles will also treat you to a set of more recent songs
from the Breathing Space EP series like Rocket Girl, Silicon
Valley and Xavier Rudd is Not My Son, followed by
a set of crowd pleasing blues from the Spill - Spectrum Plays
The Blues and No Thinking CDs. Irresistible? Up to
you. Indelible? Certainly! |
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| The
Indelible String Band |
| Mike
Rudd, Noel Kennedy and Jeremy Alsop with Sarah Morse, Isabel
Morse, Bobby
Macindoe and
Roger
Young |
| Q&A
Q. So, what's this Indelible String Band all about then? A. Well,
I should point out that the project is still at the dream stage,
but the portents are pretty good that the dream is due to become
a reality. Portents don't necessarily trump the pandemic, of course.
Q. How did this dream come about then? A. I received an email
on the 11th of January 2019 with an mp3 of a string arrangement
of I Can Do Anything. When I say arrangement, I mean a real arrangement,
not just an immediately recognisable version of the original song
with strings tacked on. It actually took me quite a while to identify
what song it was! I was impressed and intrigued, and when I played
it to my live-in muse, the beautiful Maria, she absolutely adored
it, so the die was cast! Q. So, can you tell me anything about
the arranger? A. Noel Kennedy's a gentleman of a similar vintage
to me - not quite as old, of course, nobody is these days - but
Noel's been in and around the music scene as we know it for the
requisite yonks and was aware of the Rudd oeuvre - which, in itself,
is noteworthy. This all began a couple of years ago so we've met
in person two or three times now, but in many ways we're still
feeling each other out, musically speaking, which is all part
of the adventure. |
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| The
Mike Rudd trio |
| Mike
Rudd, George Butrumlis & Jeremy Alsop |
| I had
a dream - and the dream was this acual trio, with piano accordion
meister George Butrumlis and ace bassist Jeremy Alsop brilliantly
transforming the repertoire from Rudd's Ancient & Modern hymnal
into sublime reality. If the reaction to the trio at Spectrum to
Ariel's re-Visionary concert is anything to go by, there's an audience
out there for exactly this kind of sophisticated acoustically inclined
fare. George's lyrical playing and instinctively appropriate vocal
harmonising combined with Jeremy's knowing, but always tasteful
double bass, flesh out the Cruddy guitar and vocal musical palette
and enliven my occasionally quirky songs culled from pre-history,
last century, yesterday and beyond.. |
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| Mike
Rudd (solo) |
Throughout
his long performing career, Mike has preferred the comfort and safety
of 'the band' format, but with his now playing 'solo' things have
evolved - a bit. Mike has now decided that playing entirely on his
ownsome is far too lonely an experience and has established that
George Butrumlis (piano accordion) is his preferred partner in future
solo gambits, hence Mike's definition of 'solo' is always in quotation
marks.
Either way, it still gives Mike the freedom to tackle songs that,
for one reason or another, don't often get played in any of the
above group settings. Outrageous songs like Excuse Me Just One
Moment from Murtceps' Warts Up your Nose album and
Confessions of a Psychopathic Cowpoke, (A Strange Fantastic
Dream) which was famously banned from airplay by the FCB* on
release.
Naturally the 'solo' repertoire isn't comprised of just controversial
songs - there are some damn strange and very beautiful songs in
there as well. Songs like Superbody, (Spectrum Part
One), the Ariel single I Can Do Anything, the haunting
Kneedeep (Living on a Volcano), as well as others from
the more recent Breathing Space series of EPs.
*Federation
of Commercial Broadcasters
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| ©
2018 mikeruddbillputt.com |
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