Robbie Fulks @ The Pour House

Robbie Fulks
The Pour House
Yep Roc CD Release Party
Sunday, June 5th, 2005

When you go for the first time to see someone you've been listening to for several years, it's a different sort of show. You're not there for discovery or to see if they're any good, you're there to see if they are as good as you hope. Can they deliver the live feeling and emotion that they do in the recording studio? I saw two such shows this week, and let me tell you, Robbie Fulks delivers.

First off, I was struck by how tall he is. He's pretty much the "Conan O'Brien" of Americana music, and he's got the amazing smart-ass sense of humor to match. He was wearing a black t-shirt that read, "I have the biggest dick in the band." He apologized for it later, saying his son had bought it for him, and that it should read "I'm the biggest dick in the band." It was still funny. Robbie's the only guy with whom I'd let that slide. With anyone else I'd think it was tacky or rednecky, but Robbie's just a smart-ass genius who can pull that stuff off. You just grin at him.

I've said it several times in the past, but it's worth repeating here again -- "No Funny Country (except Robbie Fulks)." That's the rule. "(Well, and occasionally Lyle Lovett.)" No exceptions.

He cranked through many many songs, both old and new, of solid country. This isn't Top 40 stuff, this is true steel-guitar and fiddles, bum-chicka-bum drums and Telecaster twang country. Let me tell you, Robbie delivers. He played from about 8:15 until 11pm.

Some highlights of the show were 1) the kick-off -- a fiddle tune, always a good idea. Robbie flatpicked his way through a helluva break to start the show off right. 2) Later they played a rockin' version of "Let's Live Together" that unfortunately the crowd didn't seem as into as I was... they must not have his first album like me. It was terrific, though. 3) Then the "funny song" of the night -- "Countrier Than Thou," from his latest album. It's similar to "Roots Rock Weirdos," but this time he's drilling in on the fake "country" folks especially from up North. It's all good fun, and he understands how over the top he can be. In the middle of the song there was a little skit where the drummer pretended to call him on his cellphone and give him hell for the "offensive nature of the song."

Speaking of offensive, as his encore he played an odd version of his ode to Nashville -- "Fuck This Town." Robbie was playing a ukulele, the guitarist a jug, the bass player an accordian, the fiddler/steel player a mouth harp, and the drummer was scratching on a washboard. Despite this, it still sounded pretty good, until the sound-man started messing with them (another little skit, still hilarous) and playing an old sappy Ronnie Milsaps tune over them. The band rebelled, saying that Ronnie Milsap -- "The Sap!" they called him -- sounded better than they did with their awful instruments. While Robbie was trying to explain how they were being artistically ironic, the band started shouting, "The Sap! The Sap!" Robbie gives up in frustration, and they pick up their real instruments and play one helluva rockin' version of Ronnie Milsaps' "Pure Love" -- about as Nashville a song as you can get -- proving he's not above using that razor-sharp wit on himself.

Great music, great crowd, lots of laughs -- this was one of my favorite shows of recent years, despite the fact I was there alone on a Sunday night. Everyone's surrounded by friends at the Robbie Fulks show, it seems. (Well, except for the scary drunk "girl" at the front who kept trying to push cans of PBR on Robbie. Every show has to have one.)

I highly recommend his latest album, Georgia Hard. The best songs? They're "Where There's a Road," "Georgia Hard", "Countrier Than Thou", and"Each Night I Try." And if you like murder songs -- and who here doesn't? -- you'll like "If They Could Only See Me Now" and especially "Coldwater, Tennessee." That last is not only a chilling murder ballad, but also a father versus son, and everyone versus the Nashville music scene story all wrapped into one. Powerful!