In 1987, four musicians got together for what they envisioned would be a one-time performance at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. It was a night of mostly acoustic music – sparse instrumentation with a strong emphasis on songwriting and vocal harmonies. The show far exceeded expectations, and on that March night the subdudes were born. Nearly 10 years later, after five well-received albums and several years of hard touring, the subdudes called it quits. Spinoff projects ensued, as did the occasional reunion show. Finally, in February of 2002, three of the four original band members decided to get back together. They recruited additional longtime friends to fill out the sound and called themselves the Dudes, but the music was still unmistakably the subdudes. An homage to old New Orleans — Behind the Levee relies on guitar, accordion and tambourine to back up the well-shaped harmonies of singer Tommy Malone and his fellow singers. With elements of bluegrass and zydeco accenting a time-tested approach to rock, the band — Malone, John Magnie, Steve Amedée, Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa — bridge the gap between their roots, which extend from New Orleans to Denver and beyond.
Tracks 1,3 & 9 are some standouts on this album produced by Keb’ Mo.
