The Cup Overflowish:
A night with Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers
They say that those who view the world as “glass half-full” will love longer. If that is accurate, then don’t be surprised that there is a band that may live forever. The quickly-ascending bay area band, Nicky Bluhm and the Gramblers (NBG), were bumped from their special Brooklyn Bowl performance in favor of a rare, last minute live performance from Hall of Famers, Guns N’ Roses. As a consolation, they were booked on the same night to open up for 70′s New Wave hit makers, The B-52′s at the historic Capitol Theatre. Unfortunately, Cyndi Wilson, vocalist for the B-52′s, grew sick the morning of the performance and a postponement was announced. However, this did not thwart the resilience of the Gramblers. NBG proved to be a classy professional act and chose to accept the gracious invitation of the Capitol Theatre brass to perform at Garcia’s, the performance space situated on Cap premises. Anyone in ear shot of this band knows they are much better for the experience, as was witnessed last night (June 6th).
The band gained initial notoriety with an arguably gimmicky, but successful and entertaining idea, of rolling out a series of unique cover takes of songs with six band members snug tightly in a van while being driven down the road. The viral van series, with 25 installments thus far and counting, surprisingly inundated the band with lavish attention and exponential growth into not only an internet sensation, but an increasingly recognizable house-hold name around the music scene. The infamous van sessions have included a wide variety of genres and greats including The Grateful Dead‘s “Deal”, Madonna’s “Material Girl” and a brilliant take on Hall & Oates‘ “I Can’t Go For That” which already has over 2 million You Tube hits. However, the recently released cover of Wings‘, “Band on the Run”, best demonstrated Bluhm’s charmed nuances and mastery of vocal inflection. Her delivery is smooth, as her sound exudes an effortless soothing calmness that is euphorically addictive.
The City of Boston had Cheers and the music scene has “Garcia’s”, an intimate bar and performance space located adjacent to the front lobby of the famed Capitol Theatre. Recently opened with performances by Reid Genaur and Friends (Assembly of Dust/Strangefolk) including the talented Jason Crosby, Garcia’s proves a rewarding and comfortable alternative to larger more crowded fare. Currently planning a vast array of varied and alluring concert offerings for the immediate future, Garcia’s is poised to prove as much a destination location as the historic hall next door. Large projection TV’s are set to be installed soon in order to view the show while at the bar, similar to how Brooklyn Bowl is laid out. Garcia’s positively reeked of tradition as pictures of Jerry are mounted on the wall and a silver sculpture of Garcia’s hand (daughter Trixie dedicated to Capitol owner, Peter Shapiro, last month) adorns the bar shelf. Fellow San Francisco area residents, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers did not disappoint.
Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers (NBG) are Nicki Bluhm (vocals), husband Tim Bluhm (guitar), Deren Ney (guitar), Steve Adams (bass), Dave Mulligan (rhythm guitar), and Mike Curry (drums). The seasoned musicians throttled a packed-house for over 20 songs, over 2 sets and 2+ hours. Despite the backing player’s prowess, Bluhm’s stage presence, commanding vocals and subtle style steal the show. Bluhm wasn’t once invited to sit-in with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Warren Haynes for no reason. With her suave tone, sometimes Edie Brickell and sometimes Dolly Parton, southern-tinged at times, she delivers a youthful exuberance less overtly flashy as Grace Potter, but equally electrifying. Bluhm gets more personal with the audience by holding the mic off the stand, rolling her sexy shoulders and exclaiming, “Let’s let out some steam and get loose!” Anyone trepidatious that she could not give a live performance justice when juxtaposed to her I-phone van recording left fulfilled with appropriate satisfaction. The other strength of the band, as evidenced in the van and previous studio recording efforts, are the impeccable seamless and luscious harmonies provided by the entire outfit.
Highlights included the upbeat and punchy “Stick with Me”, off the yet-to-be released new record, which contained personal lyrics and memorable riffs. The contagious danceathon, “Sitting on Top of the World” had members, including Steve Adams, alternate on the vocals. Astute music lovers may notice Adams due to his double duty as the bassist for fellow bay area band, ALO. The song was an impetus for an instantaneous hoedown complete with the audience hootin’ and hollerin’.
In addition to a cover of “How Sweet It Is” the band performed their version of Linda Rondstadt‘s, “You’re No Good” (which they had recorded previously on the van sessions). They also led a searing version of The Grateful Dead classic “Deal”. Although they had covered this before, one could only assume it was a nod to Mr. Garcia who penned the music for the classic, as they were performing at a bar bearing his name.
To conclude the first set, Nicki inquired of the crowd, “What do you do on the weekend?” The crowd mumbled under their breath. She continued to playfully provoke them, “Do you drink beer?” How about booze?”, before beautifully segueing into the raucous and rambunctious crowd-pleaser, “Beer and Booze”. During the chorus of the song she would ask the crowd to repeat, “beer!” A few seconds later, “booze”, as she led the room into an audience participatory call and response session fueled by adrenaline.
NBG have 29 more scheduled dates for 2013 including the opening night of Mountain Jam today and a performance in August at the Newport Folk Festival, Their 3rd album, the follow up to 2011′s Driftwood is set for relase on August 27th. The band demonstrated their resolve by performing so well despite road’s challenges and with this attitude and an overflowing of talent, they should be calling their own shots soon while filling halls like Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theatre in their own right.
-Chadbyrne Dickens
[photos courtesy of Ted Wong]
Set List: Burnt, Wanna Be Your Mama, Another Rolling Stone, Every Second, Go Go Go, Stick With Me, I’m Your Woman>Pack Up>Sittin On Top of the World> Beer and Booze
How Sweet It Is, Santa Fe, Ravenous, You’re No Good, Little Too Late, Jet Plane, Squeak>Working>Squeak Encore: Deal
