Last winter, Nicki and the Gramblers were caught in the climax of a monstrous snowstorm in Wyoming. Through the flow of diagonally falling snowflakes, it appeared as though the snow extended from the front of their tour van and kept on going, beyond the hidden horizon, till it kissed the sky. But the Bay Area band never considered pulling over and waiting for the weather to subside. They had a gig to get to.
“I think we broke three sets of chains,” frontwoman Nicki Bluhm says. “It was definitely a sketchy situation. You become a road warrior, for sure.”
Enduring a blizzard in Nowhere, Wyoming for the sake of getting to a gig, which was poorly attended due to the weather, is a testament to the Americana alt-country outfit’s tenacity, which bursts through on their new tune “Ravenous.” Bluhm describes it as the “darkest song” on their forthcoming, self-titled album (due out some time in the end of summer) – it’s an unnerving and animalistic story of a woman who’s hunting down the murderer of her lover. The tune opens with a minimal Fleetwood Mac-colored, three-note riff on keys and a foreboding, single-note bass line. Then, Bluhm chimes in with throaty vocals that sound like the second coming of Stevie Nicks.
Nicki’s 2011 Driftwood – featuring Tim Bluhm (keys, guitar and vocals), Deren Ney (lead guitar and vocals), Steve Adams (bass and vocals), Dave Mulligan (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Mike Curry (drums) – emits a country glow that captures the widely-emulated lo-fi essence of AM radio circa 1976.
Their upcoming record will build upon Driftwood’s foundation. Another new track they recently released “Little Too Late” channels the brightly coated funk of The Meters and the country blues pop of Bonnie Raitt resulting in sunny summertime paradise.
Bluhm explains the new album is a blend of fiction and nonfiction inspired by the bandmembers’ life experiences.
“There are four songwriters in the band and we all bring songs to each other and we typically like them so we record them,” she says.
After hearing Bluhm sing and experiencing the chemistry she has with the other bandmembers it’s hard to believe just a few short years ago she was splitting her time as a horse caretaker on a ranch and teaching. Lucky for us, after some urging from her husband, Mother Hips’ frontman Tim Bluhm, she chose a different path in life.
Following a year of touring nearly non-stop, the group had its first two weeks off in a long time before hitting the road again. Tonight, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers perform at Henry Miller Library; Bluhm also says she may make a surprise guest appearance or two this weekend at Hipnic V (see A&E Calendar, p. 28) at Fernwood. They’ll be prepared to confront any forces of nature on the way.
NICKI BLUHM AND THE GRAMBLERS and NEAL CASAL perform at 8:30pm (gates at 7pm) Thursday, May 9, at Henry Miller Memorial Library, a quarter mile south of Nepenthe Restaurant on Highway 1, Big Sur. $39.50. 667-2574.
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