Thomas Truax With Budgie And Mother Superior Dream Catching Songs
Thomas Truax is (pronounced troo-aks) an imaginative American singer / songwriter and inventor who has been touring and releasing records for 2 decades, usually performing solo with his own ‘band’ of self-made (sometimes mechanical) instruments. His music evades easy pigeonholing as his songs flit between art rock, post-punk, and a distinctive brand of surreal Americana. UNCUT Magazine wrote: "Truax is shaping up nicely as one of the great rock eccentrics.”. Mother Superior is the third in a series of motorized mechanical drum machines built by Thomas. She’s made primarily from recycled parts including bicycle wheels, hubcaps, spoons, a horn, and other percussive bits. She is widely celebrated for her ability to play steadily and make quite a din. Allusions to dreams are woven throughout Dream Catching Songs, whether they be literal night dreams, aspirations, fantasies or broken dreams. It was while they were both performing at a festival event that Thomas and Budgie had a chance to get properly acquainted. Thomas: “We had a great conversation over dinner. I’d been a fan of his work since my teenage days in Denver but he didn’t know mine. My performance was scheduled for later and he said he’d watch it. I warned him that sometimes human drummers take offense to Mother Superior, seeing that something so mechanical could, in a way, threaten to take their place.” “But when I finished my set I went backstage and there was Budgie, waiting in the wings, very enthusiastic about my set. He was even holding a flower for Mother Superior, and said he was in love with her.” From the gentle allure of the opening title song through its final sweeping orchestrated mini-movie of a track, Dream Catching Songs is an inspired and powerful entry in Thomas’s catalog of recorded work.