Athens’ premiere bluesman, Robinson is much more then just a “singer-songwriter”. His influences are musicians whose names start with “Blind Willie” or “Wu Tang”. He plays his own style of claw-hammer gut fiddle, and is probably the best lyricist I have ever heard. Instead of singing about one night stands and relationships, Robinson revives the old tradition of telling a story with his music.
His latest work, 15 Songs For Women, Victims & Guests was recorded on the Neve console in Ohio University’s recording studio. We started with just live acoustic recordings of Robinson playing and singing his songs. With this album, he decided to have a host of guest musicians fill out the sound – known as the Sonic Boons.
Robinson on himself:
Robinson’s influences include: Dinosaurs, Hip-Hop, Silence, Folk, Country, Metal, Jazz, Balkan Brass, Korean Opera, Rock AND Roll, Old Tymey, New Timey, 4/4 Timey, Nocturnes, and most importantly, THE BLUES (Indigos, Marines, etc.)
Robinson sounds like: A ninja horticulturist who’s been trained to reduce postmodern music to its roots.
Robinson: a giant nerd who resorts to self-effacement when asked to describe himself in the third person.
For more info on Robinson Lee Earle and a taste of his music, check out his site: