While on tour this spring, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Elise Trouw stopped in to Midtopia’s studio with Wichita’s Rudy Love & the Encore to record their own take on a mashup of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” which they just shared today alongside a live video of the performance.
A multi-instrumentalist in his own right, Rudy Love Jr. draws influence from soul, R&B and funk in his own music. The mashup combines Elise’s jazz-influenced, atmospheric approach with Rudy’s unique sound for an entirely new arrangement of the two songs, while incorporating and building upon pieces of the original sound.
The performance takes on an ambient feeling, with waves of eerie, twinkling guitar licks and a grooving bassline backing Elise’s ethereal vocals. The song builds into explosive, crescendoing choruses, amplified by haunting trumpet riffs and Rudy’s vocal power.
The accompanying video, recorded live at Midtopia, showcases the virtuosity of the group, and amplifies the tone of the track with its intimacy and ambient lighting. The two acts shared the stage again just recently at the NIVA ‘23 Opening Party in Washington D.C.
About Rudy Love & the Encore
Rudy Love Jr is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Wichita, Kansas whose music blends elements of soul, funk, and R&B to create a sound that is uniquely his own. Born into a musical family, Rudy’s love for music was instilled at an early age by his father, Rudy Love Sr., a renowned musician in his own right.
After several years of hypercompetitive hustle in the Los Angeles music scene (which included collaborating with world-renowned artists like Inglewood SiR and D Smoke, and opening for Anderson .Paak and Kamasi Washington), Rudy Jr. returned to Wichita in late 2015 to start writing the music he had a passion for, with the latest iteration of this being Rudy Love & The Encore.
Consisting of Rudy Jr. himself (vocals), Marrque Nunley (drums), Rachelle Love (percussionist), Willy Simms (guitar), and DJ Breathett (bass), Rudy Love & The Encore could arguably be interpreted as the zenith of Rudy Love Jr. in his element. The Encore is set to release its debut EP this fall, with previous singles ‘Cocaine Crowd’ and ‘Overcome’ embodying the group’s stylistically eclectic songwriting and the hyper-synergistic musicianship between Rudy and the rest of the band.
About Elise Trouw
Born to a South African father and a mother from New York in the very last year of the millennium. Raised on The Carpenters, Green Day, and 80s New Wave. Her music inspiration first occurred at six years old when she heard the haunting piano melody in “My Immortal” by Evanescence during a five-hour plane ride as she played it repeatedly. She immediately begged her parents for piano lessons and her musical journey began, usually practicing at five in the morning before school each day much to her parents’ dismay.
Life changed when her family bought the game Rockband for Xbox. After mastering the drums to The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” on Expert Mode, Elise was determined to convince her parents that she now needed drum lessons. Honing her musical skills through The School of Rock and playing in her high school jazz band and the hard work of 10,000+ hours of practicing, Elise has built a massive fanbase through her self-produced YouTube videos, social media platforms and touring both as a solo looping artist and with her band. She has performed on The Jimmy Kimmel Show and was commissioned to shoot a video for the Amazon Prime Academy Award nominated picture “The Sound of Metal” which also featured Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and Paul Raci, co-star of the movie.
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