I don't think we were prepared for the subdudes exposure explosion when we put up their last video, "Carved In Stone," from our Music Fog bus session with them at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival. It spread like wildfire on the web, YouTube, and Facebook, and it was fun tracking it as it spread around the world. The subdudes have such an illustrious history. In 1987, four musicians got together for what they thought would be a one time show at the legendary Tipitina's in New Orleans, and as magic was in the air that night, the subdudes were born.
Twenty-two years later, the three original members, joined by two close friends who became members in 2002; Tommy Malone, John Magnie, Steve Amedée, Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa, released their 2009 album, Flower Petals. It follows numerous albums, several years of touring, and countless nights of gigging. Flower Petals is a somewhat thematic CD, set at the turn of the last century and mostly told from the point of view of a soldier who has passed on. On this album, the guys found themselves returning to the stripped-down sound that recalls their earliest days together. The band performs their magnificent acoustic based gumbo of roots music out west this month.
There is such joy to the music the subdudes bring. They have enriched my life with their music. When I was at WMMO-FM in Orlando in the 90's, we played them prominently, and I will never forget bringing them into the studio on the 22nd floor of the Sun Bank Building to play live on the air. I was equally excited to ask them to come aboard to play for our cameras this past May in Cherokee, TX. And once again, I was given over to the beauty of their cadence, their lyrics, and the downright authenticity of their delivery. You just believe every word. And you feel it. "Wedding Rites (I Already Knew You)" is a tune from Flower Petals.
- Jessie Scott
