Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers
Ethan Gold, Leslie Stevens
Fri, June 15, 2012
Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm
Bootleg Bar
$13.00 - $15.00
Tickets
This event is 21 and over
http://www.foldsilverlake.com/event/117661/
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Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers - (Set time: 10:50 PM)
Upon hearing the unique and refreshing sound of Nicki Bluhm, it becomes
immediately clear why she is in the midst of a breakout year. Nicki has filled a
void in music with her brand of vintage-tinged rocking country soul -- music
that's like an enchanting friend you've known for a short while but feels like
you've known forever.
In 2011 alone, Nicki has moved with grace and style from the studio to the main stages of the nation's most revered music festivals (Outside Lands, High Sierra, Strawberry, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass), where her strong voice, striking presence and penchant for songcraft have made an undeniable impression and received rousing reception from audiences of all ages.
Nicki's story began at a New Year's Eve party where she sang an Allman
Brothers song, catching the attention of musician/producer Tim Bluhm (Mother
Hips). With Tim's encouragement, Nicki began to write her own songs and
perform in public. The two fell in love and married, followed by the recording of Nicki's debut album, Toby's Song (2008), which was heralded as one of Jambase's top ten albums of the year.
Nicki's music took on a life of its own with the formation of a band with childhood friend and lead guitarist Deren Ney. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers grew with the addition of drummer Mike Curry (Jackpot), bassist/vocalist Steve Adams (ALO), and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Mulligan. The band headed into the studio and emerged with Nicki's sophomore album, Driftwood (2011), a collection of songs that evoke the AM magic of Linda Ronstadt, the honest charm of Johnny and June Cash's duets, and the stoney sounds of retro Memphis soul. "Part Karen Carpenter and part Grace Slick, Bluhm's voice moves effortlessly between softer, country tinged balladry and retro '60s/'70s rock," No Depression declared.
Since Driftwood's release, Nicki has performed with her band, as a duo with her husband, as a vocalist for West Coast supergroup Brokedown in Bakersfield, and as the special guest of countless musical legends. She has been called on to share the stage with Chris Robinson, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, Pegi Young and Josh Ritter; and has performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Nicki is currently touring and has a new album with Tim called Duets.
There's no question that Nicki Bluhm is the "It Girl" of San Francisco's storied music scene. Luckily for us, the future is looking even brighter for rock's rising star.
immediately clear why she is in the midst of a breakout year. Nicki has filled a
void in music with her brand of vintage-tinged rocking country soul -- music
that's like an enchanting friend you've known for a short while but feels like
you've known forever.
In 2011 alone, Nicki has moved with grace and style from the studio to the main stages of the nation's most revered music festivals (Outside Lands, High Sierra, Strawberry, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass), where her strong voice, striking presence and penchant for songcraft have made an undeniable impression and received rousing reception from audiences of all ages.
Nicki's story began at a New Year's Eve party where she sang an Allman
Brothers song, catching the attention of musician/producer Tim Bluhm (Mother
Hips). With Tim's encouragement, Nicki began to write her own songs and
perform in public. The two fell in love and married, followed by the recording of Nicki's debut album, Toby's Song (2008), which was heralded as one of Jambase's top ten albums of the year.
Nicki's music took on a life of its own with the formation of a band with childhood friend and lead guitarist Deren Ney. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers grew with the addition of drummer Mike Curry (Jackpot), bassist/vocalist Steve Adams (ALO), and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Mulligan. The band headed into the studio and emerged with Nicki's sophomore album, Driftwood (2011), a collection of songs that evoke the AM magic of Linda Ronstadt, the honest charm of Johnny and June Cash's duets, and the stoney sounds of retro Memphis soul. "Part Karen Carpenter and part Grace Slick, Bluhm's voice moves effortlessly between softer, country tinged balladry and retro '60s/'70s rock," No Depression declared.
Since Driftwood's release, Nicki has performed with her band, as a duo with her husband, as a vocalist for West Coast supergroup Brokedown in Bakersfield, and as the special guest of countless musical legends. She has been called on to share the stage with Chris Robinson, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, Pegi Young and Josh Ritter; and has performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Nicki is currently touring and has a new album with Tim called Duets.
There's no question that Nicki Bluhm is the "It Girl" of San Francisco's storied music scene. Luckily for us, the future is looking even brighter for rock's rising star.
Ethan Gold - (Set time: 9:45 PM)
"Gold's emotions are sent into a whirlwind as he asks for salvation and tries to stay motivated as the devil stares him down and his relationships are damaged by sex. The album has a childlike emotional purity to it, but that's not to say that it's immature or naïve. Instead, it's rooted in the fact that children don't obscure their hurt by anger or bravado or even mock diffidence, as adults often do.... The emotions on Songs From a Toxic Apartment are delivered with an unfiltered, glaring legibility." - Pitchfork
Leslie Stevens - (Set time: 9:00 PM)
Leslie Stevens may just be the sweetheart of the rodeo. Not your traditional rodeo, mind you: this one’s a traveling road show, a displaced menagerie of vintage country rock, Laurel Canyon folk and haunted gypsy jazz.
Roomful of Smoke, the new LP from Leslie Stevens and The Badgers, shuffles and swaggers to the march of a different drum. It’s a glittering showcase for Leslie’s pitch-perfect, honeyed croon, a lighter-than-air twang that channels Emmylou, Dolly and Neko Case in the same understated breath.
Produced by legendary studio maven David Bianco (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub), Roomful of Smoke merges Leslie’s sultry vocals and poignant lyrics with the unhurried polish of the Badgers, a crack team of musicians with studio chops and record collections to match, a versatile set of musicians equally at home with Western Swing, Texas two-step and dialed-down LA folk rock.
Born in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Leslie began singing in her church choir, eventually migrating to Los Angeles for college, with further stays in Italy and New Mexico. Writing songs the entire time—she was in LA punk band Zeitgeist Auto Parts for a spell—Leslie later found steady work at soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer’s studio in Santa Monica and provided original compositions for cult filmmaker Owen Land. Armed with a fresh batch of songs, Leslie then set out to recruit musicians who could help her realize her eclectic vision.
Roomful of Smoke begins with a lovelorn paean to the group’s hometown, “Los Angeles,” charting the ambitions and frustrations of life in that city, with Leslie backed by fingerpicked guitar, bowed bass fiddle and Hammond organ. On the title track, “Roomful of Smoke,” they unleash the twang, venturing into driving roots rock with overdriven guitars and the occasional Fleetwood Mac melodic flourish. The band plays a different hand on the hypnotic “Old Timers,” a lush, elegant gem that explores friendship and the possibility of loss. It’s a fan favorite for good reason, with rich storytelling, clever imagery and a memorable chorus.
“My Tears are Wasted on You” is pure vintage Nashville gold, with Leslie delivering a vocal lead to rival other Canyon Cowgirls of late. The arrangement ebbs and flows with effortless grace, from the waltzing fiddle lines to the liquid mercury of the spot-on pedal steel.
With a sound that that transcends genre and time, Leslie Stevens and The Badgers wouldn’t be out of place at the Grand Ole Opry or A Prairie Home Companion (or at renowned alternative LA venue Spaceland, for that matter). “It’s Okay to Trip” sings Leslie, perhaps a subconscious nod to the round-the-world excursion of her record. This final track lands us back where we started: a meditation on human frailty and the need for redemption, a wink from a companion and a smile in the general direction of the cosmos.
Roomful of Smoke, the new LP from Leslie Stevens and The Badgers, shuffles and swaggers to the march of a different drum. It’s a glittering showcase for Leslie’s pitch-perfect, honeyed croon, a lighter-than-air twang that channels Emmylou, Dolly and Neko Case in the same understated breath.
Produced by legendary studio maven David Bianco (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub), Roomful of Smoke merges Leslie’s sultry vocals and poignant lyrics with the unhurried polish of the Badgers, a crack team of musicians with studio chops and record collections to match, a versatile set of musicians equally at home with Western Swing, Texas two-step and dialed-down LA folk rock.
Born in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Leslie began singing in her church choir, eventually migrating to Los Angeles for college, with further stays in Italy and New Mexico. Writing songs the entire time—she was in LA punk band Zeitgeist Auto Parts for a spell—Leslie later found steady work at soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer’s studio in Santa Monica and provided original compositions for cult filmmaker Owen Land. Armed with a fresh batch of songs, Leslie then set out to recruit musicians who could help her realize her eclectic vision.
Roomful of Smoke begins with a lovelorn paean to the group’s hometown, “Los Angeles,” charting the ambitions and frustrations of life in that city, with Leslie backed by fingerpicked guitar, bowed bass fiddle and Hammond organ. On the title track, “Roomful of Smoke,” they unleash the twang, venturing into driving roots rock with overdriven guitars and the occasional Fleetwood Mac melodic flourish. The band plays a different hand on the hypnotic “Old Timers,” a lush, elegant gem that explores friendship and the possibility of loss. It’s a fan favorite for good reason, with rich storytelling, clever imagery and a memorable chorus.
“My Tears are Wasted on You” is pure vintage Nashville gold, with Leslie delivering a vocal lead to rival other Canyon Cowgirls of late. The arrangement ebbs and flows with effortless grace, from the waltzing fiddle lines to the liquid mercury of the spot-on pedal steel.
With a sound that that transcends genre and time, Leslie Stevens and The Badgers wouldn’t be out of place at the Grand Ole Opry or A Prairie Home Companion (or at renowned alternative LA venue Spaceland, for that matter). “It’s Okay to Trip” sings Leslie, perhaps a subconscious nod to the round-the-world excursion of her record. This final track lands us back where we started: a meditation on human frailty and the need for redemption, a wink from a companion and a smile in the general direction of the cosmos.
