Robinson to perform at Max's Place

Bloomington native Mark Robinson is returning to play in his hometown Dec. 28 at Max’s Place.

Now a blues musician, Robinson started playing rock ‘n’ roll in the 1970s while he was a student at IU. He then completed graduate school on the Bloomington campus and later became a professor.

It wasn’t until 2003 that his musical career picked up again.

Robinson moved to Nashville, Tenn., a city known for its musical talent, when his wife got a job there.

“I thought, ‘Hmm, Nashville, it’s about time I give it a shot and see what I can do,’” Robinson said. “It’s been a great move for me. It’s astonishing the number of great musicians, producers and singers that are in Nashville. It’s a rare concentration of really great talent.”

Robinson said he had a chance to work with many of these types of musicians both in Bloomington and in Nashville to influence his music before releasing his album, “Have Axe-Will Groove” in March of this year. “Have Axe-Will Groove”  was named one blog Broken Jukebox’s top 25 albums of the year.

Robinson was voted best roots guitar player in the Alternate Root Readers’ Choice Awards this year as well.

After Robinson released his album, he played a “handful of CD release gigs” in the Midwest and mid-south, he said.

His show at Max’s Place will include songs from his recent album in the first set. In the second set, he plans to invite friends in the area to play along with him.

Robinson wrote most of the album himself, though he also collaborated with friends he’s made during his 40-plus years of playing.

One friend and fellow Bloomington musician, Slats Klug, co-wrote the song “Angel of Mercy” on the album. The pair recorded the song in 1999 and nobody heard it until this album was dropped 14 years later.

Robinson said he is excited for his return to Bloomington and that the crowd is always great where he is from.

“Sometimes if I travel to various towns to play, it isn’t guaranteed I’ll have a great crowd, but in Bloomington I almost always have a good crowd,” Robinson said. “People dance in Bloomington. They don’t dance in Nashville.”