Rudder to celebrate milestone with retrospective show

David Rudder has transformed his performances from jam session to worship and praise in the holy temple of soca more times than we can remember. We’ve been there and we’ve done that. How could we not? Since his meteoric rise to the top of the calypso world in 1986, Rudder has been a household name. His work has gone beyond the boundaries of Carnival culture, touching a global audience that has given the world a peep into the souls of his beloved people. His legendary performances have been etched into our collective memory.

But, this time, it promises to be different. Billed as a 70th birthday celebration, on May 6, Rudder will transform The Sound Forge in Woodbrook into something we have not yet seen from him...a retrospective of where he has been, an acknowledgement of where he is now, and a look to his future.

A career spanning six decades has moulded Rudder’s art into his own unique form, one that marries performance with music, thought, and introspection. As always, he looks inward to find the answers to questions regarding this concert, and with each answer, we get the sense that there’s more to it than just a birthday party.

After two and a half years of lockdown, Rudder is ready to celebrate. “Covid was difficult for everyone. Musicians could not perform...could not travel...couldn’t reach the people in a tangible way. For most of us, that is what feeds us...our families, our creativity, our souls. But it’s not just the music fraternity, it’s everyone. We have all lost family, friends, and to some extent, life as we knew it. For this birthday, I want to shed the heaviness that we’ve all felt and give thanks for what we still have. Yes, it’s my birthday but I want to celebrate the living...the livingness of life.”

The loss of long-time drummer Barry Howard and musical director, writing partner and friend Wayne Bruno, has necessitated changes in the band’s make up. “I have the group that has been recording and travelling with me over the past 25 years, but I have also called on some old friends and brought a few new people into the mix. In a sense, that in itself will be a tribute to Wayne. His dream was to re-interpret the music we made with the input of young musicians. We’ll be doing that and playing some of his favourite songs. The opening riff of High Mas’ was Wayne Bruno but there are songs that he loved to hear...Club Hysteria and Ministry of Rhythm come to mind.”

Rudder 7.0 promises to be a retrospective, a history lesson, a commentary, and a party. The music itself can take many forms. For others, a body of work can be described as “The many moods of …" For David Rudder, it takes the shape of a question; What’s going on in his head right now?

He said, “We’ll touch on the usual suspects but also dive into what my daughter refers to as ‘the deep cuts’ of my music catalogue.

“I’ve noticed a growing trend in my audiences. The ‘Children of the Front Line’ now have young adult children of their own. Those kids have been raised on my music. Mummy may reminisce on her Bishops days in ’86, when I would make the rounds going from school to school, but her children have heard the stories and listened to the music their whole lives. They know every song of the No Restriction album but have never had a chance to see them live. They are in the audience now. There are songs that I haven’t performed in decades. I will be doing them for 7.0.”

When asked if he’s just performing the older material, Rudder is quick to say “No.”

“I always have new music. I always have a new song in my head. Sometimes I record it and other times I don’t. I wait for the opportunity to release it during a live performance. That’s why concerts like this are so important to me. In releasing, I share and gain more inspiration.

“When you look at the evolution of a song, let’s take Spirits for instance, you can see how performing feeds my process. That song began in Miami during covid. My brother, Belmont, was giving me a story about one of his liming partners saying ‘They can’t take away Carnival from us. Spirits have to dance.’ That declaration became a line, the line became a chorus, and the chorus became a song. The song didn’t have a big release because there was nowhere to release it. We were in lockdown. We put it on YouTube and as things started to open up, I included it in my live sets. Now, I think everyone walks away from my shows singing ‘Ase Ase, Namaste,’ but if you ask the average person about Spirits, they don’t know it. There will be many of those moments woven into 7.0.

“Over the years I’ve worked with the best of the best. We’ve played together on recordings, performed, and collaborated on music. They have been part of my life’s journey. I have invited them back to do it again. As for the next generation, the band members and guest artists are students of the art form. It’s obvious that they’ve been watching and listening. On the surface, it might look as though they’re part of the show because they’re young and they’re taking our music forward. For me, it is more than that. I want them to know that I see them. I hear them.”

Rudder’s excitement over 7.0 is palpable. “As I started to put the list of songs together, I could feel the momentum growing. Today I have 40 songs on the list, old ones, and songs you’ve never heard before. Some will be a taste. Others will be the full version offered up in a different way.”

“Never say never but I think this will be my last show of this kind. It takes a lot to produce a show like this. I can’t realistically see a 7.5 or an 8.0.”

“I am a singer, a songwriter, an artist. Creation and performance are ends of the same arc for me, both equally important. It’s how I communicate, how I express myself. I get more from the audience than I could ever give them. That will never change. I will always perform.”

When asked what he wants for his birthday, he is quick to answer. “I just want to see my people, sing a few songs, and give them something to remember.”

If anyone can give us one for the books, Rudder surely can.