Robbie Fulks has spoiled his Chicago audience. Aside from a handful of weeks each year, he’s in residency at the Hideout every Monday night, trotting out entertaining themed sets that show off his mind-boggling versatility and musical curiosity—he’s explored just about every conceivable strain of Americana, covered great rock songwriters, and even played programs of jazz. As a singer, musician, and songwriter, he’s long been the city’s most potent and erudite triple threat, but his Hideout residency underplays that last talent. Thankfully, Fulks reminded us of his masterful skill as a composer last year with Gone Away Backward (Bloodshot), his first album of original material in eight years; its poignant and powerful acoustic tracks traffic in the languages of honky-tonk, folk, and bluegrass with efficiency and wit.
I enjoyed that session tremendously.
Yeah, I can’t think of anybody in country. You know, in a lot of ways, I identify more with people outside of country, except for country is the music I play. The way that people go about it; the way musicians sort of conceive and discuss what they do. I seem to be as much as or more at home with people in your neck of the woods. Or with people in jazz. And people from those worlds seem to be more on top of the electronic thing than in country. I don’t know why that is.
Yeah, me neither. But I was talking more generally about people who are getting by without the support of a monolithic industry behind them.
That would be your response to her.
Well, yeah. I would think that that’s true of most people whose reputation precedes them, is that the reputation is probably not that well founded.
Fri 1/10, 8 PM Metropolis Performing Arts Centre 111 W. Campbell Arlington Heights $25 all ages
Robbie Fulks “Bitter Ex-Beatle Band Night” Mon 1/13, 7 PM Hideout $10 suggested donation 21+
