"There's things that the crowd wants and things that I want, and where those two cross is what I do in my job," says singer, songwriter and Piedmont blues preservationist Danny "Mudcat" Dudeck.

At that nexus of expectations something rare in the often-trite world of blues is born: a unique sound. Part John Hammond Jr., part Willie Nelson and part the Clash, Mudcat is the antidote to Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabes with black hats and factory-faded Stratocasters.

Dudeck has been spreading the gospel of real folk blues since the late '80s with an ever-changing assortment of musicians in every kind of venue imaginable, from Fat Matt's Rib Shack to blues festivals across America and Europe. A new recording, called Kickin' Chicken, Mudcat's fourth official release, will soon be available at an Internet connection near you. And these party-blues tunes are not for listening to as you cry in your beer. Mudcat music is about Georgia mash spirits, fine women and Swiss tuba players who roll bread for a living (see the song "Fernando"). Dudeck's many tours of Europe over the past three years have influenced his newer material, "specifically 'San Marco' and 'Santa Maria.'"

"Those songs are from hanging out in beautiful places that are very ancient; playing with and listening to musicians of other cultures, most particularly the tarantella musicians of Italy." Tarantella is a traditional form of Italian song and dance.

Though the past three years have been particularly eventful as Mudcat has played alongside stars like Dickey Betts, the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson, and toured Europe several times, the songs on Kickin' Chicken are not inspired solely by these events.

"Some songs were written half of my lifetime ago, like the 'X-Mass' song. Some songs are brand new, from right before the record. Some were written in the studio, like the song 'Kickin' Chicken.'"

As on Mudcat's previous discs, his current band, past collaborators and friends join him. Former Mudcat conga-and-washboard pounder Chris Uhler, now with King Johnson, makes an appearance and recording engineer Rob Gal sits in on electric guitar. "There are several musicians on the record that made guest appearances, so hopefully we can get them all up to the [CD release] show," Dudeck says.

Current Mudcat band members include saxophonist Julie Goldstein, whom Dudeck met as she was roller-skating down a Paris sidewalk, and drummer Tim Gunther, who materialized with a drum set one evening and has haunted the back of the stage ever since. Returning to the Mudcat fold is bassist/guitarist/flutist Evan "Snave" Frayer. "I met Snave back in probably '89 when I was working with Greenpeace," Dudeck says. "His wife worked for Greenpeace, and every Thursday night after work we would have a party at a different place. I always played music at these parties and we got a relationship to where we started playing in the street."

Kickin' Chicken is being released by the Music Maker label, which is associated with the Music Maker Relief Foundation, the creation of blues enthusiast Tim Duffy. The organization uses the proceeds of CD sales and shows to assist elderly blues musicians with their daily needs, and Dudeck is on the board of directors. The disc will be available at live shows, and beginning in January it will be among the first group of discs available for download on Apple's iTunes site.

"We're underground. We don't mean to be, but we pretty much are underground," says Dudeck. "We're not embraced by the mainstream."

music@creativeloafing.com