Engineer/Producer at Pogo Studio, Director of Education and Instructor at The Blackbird Academy, Nashville TN, Bassist for Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets
Nick Rudd and the B-Lovers were one of the very first groups that I got to record at Faithful Sound Studio in 1980 (forty years ago!). I was struck by his talent, his songs, and the cohesion and friendship between the band members. That meeting led to their drummer Jeff Evans joining our band in 1987, a continuing source of fun and joy. And, to the continued privilege of getting to record with Nick through decades, including with The B-Lovers, Turning Curious and JANS Project. It was always a creative journey and a pleasure, and I hope that he enjoyed the process too.
Nick, Steve Scariano, Bernie Proeschl, Dave Wisniewski and I traveled to North Carolina in 1983 to record with the admirable Mitch Easter. Five guys in my tiny Dodge Omni, with the equipment in back and on top. People kept flashing their brights at us- the weight was pointing the nose skyward. On the return trip, Turning Curious was named by the same method as the Grateful Dead: randomly pointing in a book, in this case one I was reading at the time: “The Crying of Lot 49” by Thomas Pynchon (“Things then did not delay in turning curious.”)
Nick was a walking encyclopedia of music, art, literature and philosophy. More than simply collecting information, he integrated and connected all of his disparate interests into a coherent aesthetic and philosophical view. He had great and varied musical taste!
This world is not kind to the sensitive and the unique. I am deeply sorry about the circumstances. But we are all lucky to have known Nick Rudd, and shall not forget him. In audio we use transducers: things like microphones, speakers and pickups that convert energy of one kind to another. Nick’s writings, audio and video recordings are a sort of transducer- through them his transformed life energy remains in the world, and his energy, care and brilliance continue to resound and reverberate. Nick lives also in the fond memory of the many who knew, respected, were influenced by, and loved him.