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Nicki Bluhm is no stranger to Bay Area audiences, but it\u2019s been a minute since we\u2019ve had a chance to see her play locally. The self-described \u201croad warrior\u201d moved from California to Nashville in 2018. This Friday, she\u2019s bringing a full band of Nashville ringers and songs from her latest record, \u201cRancho Deluxe,\u201d to Felton Music Hall.<\/p>\n
The Sentinel recently caught up with Bluhm to chat about her move to Music City and the big show she has planned for us this Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving to Nashville was definitely a leap of faith,\u201d Bluhm said. \u201cI started coming out on writing trips.\u201d At the time, she was based in San Francisco. \u201cMy manager was encouraging me to come Nashville and do co-writes (with other artists).\u201d<\/p>\n
Side note: Co-writing is a great way to connect with members of the music community no matter where you are. And when have the opportunity to co-write with musicians of a Nashville caliber, you get new material at a pretty good pace. You also forge new friendships with like-minded people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came out here in the spring,\u201d she said, \u201cit was beautiful. All the dogwoods were blooming. The birds were singing, and I fell in love with the area. I came back a couple more times, and then I just decided I was going to move. I literally turned around, got my stuff and did not overthink it at all. It was a very spontaneous decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
She knew lots of people there already, so she figured she\u2019d settle right in. But it took her awhile to find her way. \u201cWhen I moved here, it was lot lonelier than I expected. Everybody I knew was also a working musician, and they were out touring. It was hard to get schedules to align.\u201d But she constantly reminded herself, \u201cAnything worth anything is not going to be easy to get.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cIt took time to find people, especially in a place like Nashville where everybody\u2019s doing the same thing. But now that I\u2019ve been here awhile and I\u2019ve found my people, it feels like a very inclusive place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bluhm already had a decade of recording and touring under her belt when she moved, so she just kept working. Her influences and music sensibilities were a good fit for the town: \u201cI grew up in the \u201980s,\u201d she said, \u201cso pop radio was a big influence; singers like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and the dexterity in their voices, that was one of the first things that took me by my heart strings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Country radio in the \u201890s also drew her in. \u201cI loved people like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, then I went backward to Merle Haggard and all the Bakersfield guys, then started to go backwards further. I got my first record player and started buying $1 records.\u201d<\/p>\n
This California run for Bluhm is a short one. She\u2019s only doing one show in Mill Valley in addition to the local gig at Felton Music Hall on Friday. And she\u2019s bringing a band of Nashville pros.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have put together a really great band for this. Living here for eight years now I\u2019ve met so many people and musicians. The people I\u2019m bringing out are some of my best friends and some of the best musicians in town. They\u2019re also producers in their own right. They\u2019re also all studio guys, so they don\u2019t do a lot of touring. They\u2019re very excited to be coming to the West Coast!\u201d<\/p>\n