Songful Style: “Follow the Sun”

Well, it’s been a while, right? The last Songful Style was in November. The three of us decided to take December off, and I’m so glad we did. We still have some snow on the ground, but we’re now at that ugly, dirty stage where the mounds look more brown than white. It’s still chilly but not near as cold as it had been. Anyway, welcome to the last Monday in January and another edition of Songful Style! Suzy and Shelbee decided to riff (see what I did there) on Style Imitating Art only with music! Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Suzy of Suzy Turner, and I make up the bloggers in this group. You can find all of us on our blogs and Instagram.  Our ensembles (pun intended) may be inspired by the lyrics of a song, the artwork of the album cover, maybe the MTV video, or even a memory the song evokes. Suzy chose this month’s song which is by someone totally unknown to me! Last time, Shelbee selected “Pink” by Aerosmith. Oh, and there’s a link party, too!

The artist…

Xavier Rudd is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician.  He plays several different instruments, including saxophone, clarinet, didgeridoo, slide guitar, stomp boxes, djembe drums, slit drums, and the harmonica. He was born on May 29, 1978 in Jan Juc, near Torquay, Victoria, Australia.  His songs incorporate spirituality, humanity, environmentalism, and the rights of Indigenous Australians.  He is of Aboriginal, Irish, and Scottish heritage.  He also claims Wurundjeri ancestry and one of his great grandmothers was an Aboriginal Australian whose child (Rudd’s paternal grandmother) was stolen from her.   Rudd has six brothers and sisters.  It seems Rudd was an early environmentalist as he sold recycled wood through his own furniture business as a child.  After he finished school, Rudd went to Fiji and lived in villages for about nine months.  He was 19 when he returned to Australia. 

A little more…

Rudd’s first foray into the world of professional music was a band, “Xavier and the Hum.”  He drew inspiration from various artists including music from diverse sources like Hawaiian and Native American music.  The band traveled to Whistler, British Columbia where Rudd would play every night after snowboarding that day.  While in Canada, the attacks on the World Trade Center occurred.  He wrote a song called “12 September” about the next day.  His take on that day was a little different from mine.  He says, “That’s what the song’s about, the world waiting. All of a sudden there was an attack and there was these people who were equally as toxic that were going to retaliate. No one could really do anything about it.”  My feeling was it was a day when all the people of the United States were united in their grief, terror, and disbelief. 

Still more…

By 2004, Rudd was going solo.  He released his first album.  Instead of having guest artists play various instruments, Rudd played them all with just a few overdubs.  When performing live, he became known for his “one-man band” performances.  Over the next several years, Rudd released several albums, the last of which was in 2022.  While he hasn’t particularly become well known to the general population, Rudd has become known for performing at music festivals around the world.  Some of them include the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival, and the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival.  In addition, he has toured with Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, Good Old War, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Rodrigo y Garbriela. 

Environmentalism…

Rudd is very much an environmentalist.  In 2007, he, along with Clif Bar’s GreenNotes program, created the “Better People Campaign.”  This campaign was designed to express gratitude to those people around the world trying to make positive changes in the world.  Rudd is a very spiritual person, often participating in Aboriginal experiences to gain a better understanding of himself.  In 2015, he collaborated with the United Nations for the album, Nanna.  This album “champions cultural understanding and condemns racism and intolerance.”   He became a vegetarian after witnessing factory farming in California. 

Even more…

Rudd spends a lot of his time in the Australian bush, surfing, and snowboarding.  Snowboarding is one of the few activities for which he wears shoes.  He also spends his time with the Indigenous people of Australia as well as those in North America.  While he grew up in a Catholic family, Rudd says, “I’m not religious in the sense that I don’t believe in a God and I don’t follow the tenets of organised churches, but I believe in nature and everything that surrounds me: I love Earth, the sun, the sea and animals. Music is my only church.”

The end…

Today, Rudd lives in the Shire of Noosa with his second wife, Ashley Freeman-Rudd and two of their children.  He was nominated for PETA’s annual “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity” award in 2007.  The following year, PETA named him “Sexiest Australian Male Vegetarian.”  You can read more about his activism and life here.

What it means…

I could try to interpret the song myself, but why do that when Rudd has explained it himself:

“I wrote that (Follow The Sun) back down south (from Canada To Australia), I guess reflecting on the massive amount of stuff that’s happening, that has been happening on this ancient land for many years, a long time before our culture, and just how we don’t take any time to acknowledge that. And it just came from that whole understanding when I got home.” Says Xavier during an interview “I wanted it to have that feeling of gentle flowing water (source)”.

The video

This truly is a beautiful video. It comes from Rudd’s album, Spirit Bird, which features the sounds of 30 species of Australian birds. The bird you hear in the beginning is a magpie.

Interesting covers…

This duo seems to “get” Rudd and his vibe.

At first, I wasn’t sure, but I ended up really liking her voice. I think it was the vibrato in the beginning.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I feel like he was trying a bit too hard, but it was a completely different sound.

At first, I thought, “Nah.” But, there aren’t many covers of Rudd’s song. Besides the singer’s hat intrigued me! When the other little dude starts in on the harmonica, I thought I was listening to Neil Young…harmonicas do that for me. I love this version (kinda wonder if that’s an affectation, or if there’s an accent) because it’s so different. Listen (or skip) to the end and catch the singer’s last bit!

Leo, Leo! No “Follow the Sun” from my favorite Norwegian heavy metal rocker! Man, I need a little of that jarring sound!

My interpretation…

This was a really tough one! I’m not a surfer dude so I don’t have any board shorts. I watched the video over and over, seeking inspiration. At one point, I thought I’d look for something to mimic the trees and vines. But, I couldn’t figure anything out from that perspective. Then, I focused in on Rudd’s purple tee and saw he was surrounded by green, and I knew immediately what I was going to wear. This Gudrun Sjödén dress combined the purple and the green. An added bonus was the white dot design scattered around the dress. In the video, white dots are painted on various people. I read the dots “might suggest an energy field or powerful aura around the design (source).” You can see this dress in another post here.

The Lewk!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it, but purple is my favorite color. That’s probably why I have so many amethyst rings, earrings, and such. When I saw this Checkerboard Stone Statement Necklace in deep lavender, I thought I’d take a chance on it and the matching earrings. Both are/were on clearance so I bought them for a really good price. I used to buy lots of Talbots jewelry, but it hasn’t been so spiffy lately. I really love what they’re calling the checkerboard stone. I call it a cushion cut. I did have to add an extender to make it long enough to see. It was too long to rest inside the dress and too short to be outside. The extender added enough length, but I may look for something else to make it even longer. The amethyst ring is ages old and came from LS Ayres (or Macy’s, maybe). Of course, I needed green boots so out came my trusty L’Artiste Waterlily boots. Springstep Shoes (the parent company of L’Artiste) is having a big (for them) sale right now. You can get some bargains if they have your size!

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I admit…I had never heard of Xavier Rudd. I liked the song, but I don’t know that his voice resonates with me. I also like his message. I sometimes find when artists of any kind are so on brand all the time, it turns me off. So, can we talk? Do you know what a didgeridoo is? Have you ever heard or played one? What do you think of the cover videos? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Thank you so very much for reading today’s post. I hope you enjoyed it. I also very much appreciate those of you who comment, email and/or subscribe. It’s what keeps me going! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I am an April Cornell Brand Ambassador for another season. You can use my code, MARSHA15, for $15 off any order over $100 (still not working, still working on it). Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

And, now, it’s your turn!

Please link up your favorite posts, DIY, baking, gardening, fashion…you name it…as long as it’s family friendly! Link up with me, visit a couple of others, and leave a comment or two! No worries if you don’t have a blog, just look around! You may find a new blog just waiting for you!

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