Robbie Fulks

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Like a misfit boomerang circling back around, we are thrilled to announce that Chicago-based artist Robbie Fulks has returned to the Bloodshot roster fold. Robbie will release a new full-length entitled Gone Away Backward on August 27. The 12-song album – and his first on the label since 2001 – was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and will be available on CD/LP/digital.

"Fulks is comfortable with the sum of country music, from the goofiest lark to the most funereal dirge." —The AV Club

"Robbie Fulks knows better than most that country music needs a touch of Viet Cong attitude: Sometimes you've got to burn the village in order to save it." —Playboy

If Robbie didn't make music, he'd probably be a postal service administrator... Draw your own conclusions. Robbie plays by nobody's rules--except the ones he hears in his head; his scorn for the music industry makes ours look positively prosaic. But don't let that make you lose sight of THE SONGS.

Widely regarded by those who monitor such things as one of the most gifted songwriters to ever ply the trade, he can sing "Eggs" and "Sing a Sad Song" back to back and mean 'em both. While it is true he started off a honky tonk smartass, it quickly became evident that Robbie was a monster talent and some of the songs he's written for his Bloodshot albums have been rightly elevated to the status of "classic."

It is a damning condemnation of our world's musical taste that he has not been elevated to the ranks of the multi-faceted giants of songwriting like Nick Lowe and Dave Alvin and Harlan Howard. He damn well should be. Lost in the deserved accolades for being a fabulously unique, clever, and heartfelt writer is the fact that he's also one of the best guitarists around. The chameleon-like tall guy can whip it out in honky-tonk, country, bluegrass, power pop, or whatever strikes his ample whimsy at the time.

He has also been more than gracious by playing on songs by Anna Fermin, Sally Timms, and Kelly Hogan.

And, no, we don't take his 5th anniversary compilation song personally.

Compilation Tracks:

Live performance of "Dirty-Mouthed Flo" on the DVD Bloodied But Unbowed: Bloodshot Records' Life In The Trenches.

"Dirty-Mouthed Flo" performed live on the Bloodied But Unbowed: The Soundtrack

"Tears at the Grand Ol' Opry" on Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson

"Cigarette State" on For a Life of Sin

"She Took a Lot of Pills (and Died)" on Hell-Bent

"Wedding of the Bugs" (studio version) on Straight Outta Boone County

"Call of the Wrecking Ball" on Poor Little Knitter on the Road

"Across the Alley from the Alamo" on Salute the Majesty of Bob Wills

"Bloodshot's Turning 5" on Down to the Promised Land

"Browns Ferry Blues" on Old Town School Songbook: Volume One

"Godfrey" on The Bottle Let Me Down

Visit the Artist's Web Site