Xavier Rudd Spirit Bird

  • Saturday 27 April 2013

Xavier Rudd with Thomas Oliver Tour starts Tonight

Muchmore Music and Xavier Rudd are happy to announce that THOMAS OLIVER will be supporting Xavier Rudd.

Thomas Oliver best known for his flagship band, The Thomas Oliver Band, whose debut album Baby, I'll Play was awarded iTunes New Zealand’s Best Blues & Roots Album of 2011, is also internationally recognised as one of the leading players of the Weissenborn lap-slide guitar. His dynamic solo acoustic performances will lead you on a journey venturing between Roots, Rock and Blues.

Thomas has supported a legion of distinguished artists including Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, George Thorogood, Tom Jones, Cold Chisel, Fat Freddy's Drop and Gin Wigmore, and The T.O.B.'s recent summer tour with Jimmy Barnes saw Thomas personally invited to play his signature lap steel with Jimmy Barnes himself.

Thomas has also developed a reputation as a vocalist in Drum & Bass, having collaborated with some of the most respected producers, including Black Sun Empire, Rido and Concord Dawn, and releases on prestigious labels, including Goldie's own Metalheadz.

2013 will see a number of releases for Thomas Oliver, including the release of the first full-length, all instrumental, all Weissenborn album, titled "Beneath The Weissenborn".

The release of his striking seventh album, Spirit Bird, has taken multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd to sell-out shows and festivals across Europe, UK, Australia, US and Canada throughout 2012. Now, Rudd is proud to announce the Spirit Bird worldwide tour is making it’s way to New Zealand.

Xavier Rudd will visit Auckland in April. “It's always a treat to come to NZ.” Rudd said, “I haven't had much opportunity in my time to tour there, but I love the groundedness of folks and the celebration of culture throughout. Looking forward to soaking a little of that energy up again!”

Already producing his highest-selling single and most played radio single to date with
Follow The Sun (reaching #44 in the recently announced Triple J Hottest 100), Spirit Bird is Rudd’s deepest and most explorative album yet.

The album sees the ever socially-conscience Rudd delve into his musical and spiritual ancestry and took him from the threatened landscape of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, to the hills and lakes of Canada.

Shaped by his history but continuing to break new ground, Xavier Rudd is at his most creative on Spirit Bird – once again painting breathtaking pictures with vivid, unmistakable tones. Hypnotic ceremonial rhythms ease effortlessly into tender folk songs. Gritty guitar blues sits perfectly alongside entrancing yidaki passages. Rudd’s voice, and the voice of his ancestors, yet again bearing truth and knowledge.

Xavier Rudd - Spirit Bird (audio HQ)