The Rudds are singer/songwriter John Powhida, guitarist Brett Rosenberg, singer Andrea Gillis, bassist Tony Goddess, drummer Nathan Logus, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Leib.Both their "The Rudds" and "Get the Femuline Hang On" CDs reflect the many band members tastes and love in rock, soul, blues, and musical theatre. Get the Femuline Hang On, drops musical references and in-the-know mentions that make it a fun listen where it’s clear the band has a sense of humor and aspires to bring back some of the fun to rock music.
And honestly, beyond the great songwriting from Powhida, a lot of the fun of The Rudds is tracing these musical references: a sexy ballad that would fit nicely in Prince’s catalog, a chorus as catchy as any from The Raspberries, power-pop songs with an xylophone flourish influenced from Bruce Springsteen, a guitar lick you could trace back to Boston (the band, that is) or Jefferson Starship, a vocal turn of phrase that could be coming from Ziggy Stardust or Aladdin Sane, a dramatic vocal line that could easily be channeling Frank Zappa…and, curiously, many of them happen to be from the 1970's. It’s as if The Rudds have boiled down the decade and turned into an ensemble featuring the best ideas of that era.
The Rudds, who were named in honor of AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, are also self-professed fans of Hall + Oates, Prince, Todd Rundgren, Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone…all of whom you can also hear in their work.
As with the album title (femuline = both feminine + masculine), The Rudds are joining up contradictions and turning it into music that is simply hard to resist.
The Well-Rounded Radio Interview features a conversation with Andrea Gillis, John Powhida, and Brett Rosenberg.
What band, album, book, concert, or person changed the course of your musical life? Post a comment on Well-Rounded Radio and let us and other listeners know!
