Seattle Weekly, February 26, 2014 by Sound Publishing

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Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers Saturday, March 1

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album a full year before it dropped. Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers includes heavy doses of thick, ’70s-era AM-radio rock and roll, and tracks like the first single, “Little Too Late,” deliver Bluhm’s alternately gravelly and honey-sweet vocals just as the Herald describes. For a group with such incurable wanderlust, finally releasing the album, Bluhm says, “was nice because then we could reveal the rest of the songs.” With Carly Ritter. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $16. 21 and over. BRIAN PALMER

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Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt) by a mix of admirers and members of some of Seattle’s best bands: Minus the Bear, Helms Alee, Sandrider, Grenades, Police Teeth, These Arms Are Snakes, and more. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 9 p.m. $7 adv./$10 DOS. 21 and over. JAMES BALLINGER The indie-rock anthems of Scotland’s GLASVEGAS are well suited for the beautiful and intimate Columbia City Theater—especially the soaring sounds of its latest, Later . . . When the TV Turns to Static, for which singer James Allen had a vision from top to bottom, serving as singer, songwriter, producer, and even album-package designer. With the Ceremonies. Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave., 722-3009, columbiacitytheater.com. 9 p.m. $15. 21 and over. DL NICOLE ATKINS is anything but predictable. Her songs have dived headlong into everything from relationships to awful hangovers, and in her three albums she’s embraced a sound equal parts Stevie Nicks, Led Zeppelin, and Roy Orbison. Her new album, Slow Phaser, dropped earlier this month. With Arc Iris. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020, nectarlounge. com. 8 p.m. $12 adv./$15 DOS. 21 and over. BP

Saturday, March 1

Seattle-based quartet TANGERINE released its latest EP, Radical Blossom, last year; its sugary-sweet melodies and lo-fi production will sound swell on this intimate

stage. The perfect soundtrack for a day of Frisbee at the beach, the songs are also sweet listening for kissing these rainy days goodbye (at least for tonight). With Smokey Brights, Tomten. Columbia City Theater. 9 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. 21 and over. KEEGAN PROSSER It’s been 15 years since CIBO MATTO released its sophomore album, Stereo Type A. Since then, the trip-hop alt-rockers (best known for the quirky “Know Your Chicken” back in the ’90s) disbanded and established solo careers: vocalist Miho Hatori worked with Gorillaz and others; keyboardist Yuka Honda collaborated with Sean Lennon, the Boredoms, Plastic Ono Band, and Martha Wainwright. Hatori and Honda reunited in 2011 and dropped their third release, Hotel Valentine, earlier this month. With Salt Cathedral. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT. GE EMP SOUND OFF! FINALS Now in its 13th year, Seattle’s biggest battle of underage bands culminates in this showdown, with semifinalists Laser Fox, Thee Samedi, Otieno Terry, and the wild-card winner, Fauna Shade. Sky Church at EMP, 325 Fifth Ave., 770-2702, empmuseum.org. 8 p.m. $8–$12. GE THE PURRS hum and jangle blissfully somewhere between dream pop and punk. If the Pixies carried on the direction of “Here Comes Your Man” but took influence from the rougher parts of Slowdive’s discography, it might sound something like this band. With track names like “So Fucking Beautiful,” it’s safe to say the Purrs are also hopeless romantics. With Rick Bain & The Genius Position, Hypatia Lake, Vibragun. High Dive,

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inger/songwriter Nicki Bluhm makes no bones about the fact that the life of a touring musician can be hard, but is not without its joys. “You’re with each other all the time, and the road can be a very rough place,” she says. “It’s not always comfortable. Like today, we’re doing a 20-hour drive. That wears on you. But the commonality is that you all love what you’re doing and believe in the music you’re making. You become better musical partners, collaborators, friends, and communicators because of it.” If you know how to amuse yourself, as Bluhm’s found on the road with her San Francisco–based Americana rock group, traveling can be pretty entertaining. To keep things interesting, the band has filmed itself playing a handful of covers while Nicki drives the van. When there’s time, the videos get posted to the band’s site, and some have gone viral. One in particular—a groovy cover of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”—has over two million hits. “It started very organically,” Bluhm says of the vids. “We were touring, bored, and didn’t have a radio, so we started singing songs in the van, and it was our bass player’s idea to start recording them. It’s a good way to pass the time.” Formed in 2007 when Nicki’s bandmate and now-husband—the Mother Hips’ Tim Bluhm—

first heard her sing a bluesy number at a house party, the Gramblers have become incessant road warriors; a recent Sunset story reported that its 117-stop 2013 tour logged 57,000 miles. But as the years and miles accumulate, so do the fans. The Gramblers have garnered press far and wide for its rambling ways (reportedly clocking about 250 miles a day)—not to mention Bluhm’s pipes, which the Boston Herald says are “sexy and soulful” and show a bit of “Janis, Etta, and Amy.” So many dates gave the group ample opportunity to play some of the songs from its 2013 debut