Nicki Bluhm was born to ramble. The soulful songwriter has acquired plenty of wisdom touring the country over the years, but it’s on her forthcoming LP, TO RISE YOU GOTTA FALL, and her most recent string of dates supporting The Wood Brothers as a solo act that finds Bluhm tackling new challenges.
To celebrate her new single, the title-track, and life on the road, we had Bluhm put together a Tour Diary. Check it all out while streaming below and catch Bluhm in a city near you soon.
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After binge-watching Jerry Seinfeld’s show ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ I was in the mood for finding old school diners. Something about that bottomless cup of coffee, retro countertop and waitresses in hairnets really makes me feel at home. The best part of being on the road is exploring new places and checking out their local scene. My favorite diner, ‘Hathaway’s’ in Cincinnati not only offered piping hot coffee and pillowy pancakes; their Tuesday special was free pie! Needless to say, I’m a fan of that town! Go Reds!
The Vogue is a great room in Indianapolis…with the tiny tiniest green room that The Wood Brothers very graciously gave to me. Those guys are a real class act! Right before this picture, I ate an entire bag of delicious, hot caramel corn from the cutest popcorn shop ‘Just Pop In’ right around the corner. If you’re in the area you must go visit…two childhood friends pursued their dream of opening a popcorn shop and the flavors are amazing!
Night 1 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Stocked rider of only the best…Avocados, Fuji apples, raw almonds, Mary’s Gone Crackers and of course a good bottle of Napa Valley Cab. Red wine and white dresses go together right?
Chicago is one of my favorite cities so I was very excited to have two nights at The Vic. This is me and Oliver Wood after scribbling last minute lyrics on my hand. Sometimes music takes me back to high school days…cramming for a test…but of course I never cheated in high school : ) Singing into the big mic bluegrass style with The Wood Brothers was a pure joy and sonic delight. We worked up Angel Band for this particular night and damn can those boys sing. You can catch a clip of us singing this tune on my Instagram page (@nickibluhm).
I am used to having a band of brothers around me, both in life and musically. This last year of playing solo has forced me to put on my big girl pants and get out there all alone. It was important for me to prove to myself that I could go at this solo. It’s vulnerable and scary singing in front of a lot of people…especially when you’re putting your heart out there but I believe music heals. When I sing my songs, it heals me. I can only hope I may be offering that same comfort to someone out there listening each night, that’s my greatest hope anyway. And by the way…the audiences were fantastic on this tour…I love when people come to shows to listen!
I couldn’t have asked for a finer group of humans to play with. The Wood Brothers and their crew took great care of me out on tour…an amazing road family! Here we are in one of the many incredible rooms within the guts of The Taft Theatre in Cincinnati. It was built in 1928 and is part of the Masonic Temple Building. The amazing staff there gave us a tour of the massive building and all the beautifully decorated rooms. We couldn’t pass up a quick photo shoot in this amazing chair!
Nicki Bluhm Tour Dates
May 27 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Meadowgrass Music Festival
May 28 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
May 31 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
June 1 – Eagle, CO @ Bonfire Brewing Block Party
June 2 – Taos, NM @ Music on the Mothership
June 3 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Hullabaloo
June 5 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
June 7 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
June 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
June 10 – Crystal Bay, NV @ Crystal Bay Club Casino
June 12 – Chico, CA @ Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
June 13 – Arcata, CA @ Humbrews
June 14 – Eugene, OR @ HiFi
June 15 – Portland, OR @ Dog Fir Lounge
June 16 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
July 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Botanical Gardens
July 14 – Charlotte, NC @ Knight Theater
July 19 – Scranton, PA @ Peach Music Festival
July 20 – Alexandria, VA @ Hamilton
July 22 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
July 25 – Floyd, VA @ FloydFest
July 25 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
July 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
July 29 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
