 When he began playing publicly again, he used the moniker Chet Valiant, stepping back from the 'big suit party animal persona' of Big Rude Jake.Maintaining a lower profile, he focused on honing his ragtime guitar skills and kept composing.He began to play a few shows as Big Rude Jake again in 2006.

in 2007 Rude teamed up with Toronto writer/producer Gary Justice, drawing from an even wider set of musical influences.