HEY MARSEILLES IN-STORE OCTOBER 1!

hey marseillesHey Marseilles will perform live at The Record Exchange (1105 W. Idaho St., Downtown Boise) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1. The band is playing Radio Boise Tuesday at Neurolux later that evening and we have tickets for sale here at the store! As always, this Record Exchange in-store event is free and all ages!

ABOUT HEY MARSEILLES

HeyMarseilles_LinesWeTraceFive miles south of downtown Seattle is the neighborhood of Columbia City—a leafy stretch of old brownstones and new condos which, according to local legend and loosely interpreted census data, boasts the most diverse zip code in America. Not far from Columbia City’s main drag, amidst a swirl of languages and colors and food and accents, sits a 100-year-old, two-story house that’s home to the world-weary, seven-piece orchestral-pop ensemble known as Hey Marseilles.

World-weary in spirit if not in practice: Hey Marseilles first won hearts across the U.S. with its 2010 debut, To Travels and Trunks, an album that reveled in the education and inspiration only globe-trotting exploration can provide. With Matt Bishop’s lyrical wayfaring abutting an instrumental palette that embraced folk tradition—accordion, strings, and horns; gypsy, Gallic, and classical—To Travels and Trunks gave musical voice to the universal longing for unfettered freedom. NPR called the record “sublime and heartfelt.”

A lot has changed in the world since 2010—that house in Columbia City, for instance. The vacillations of the economy allowed Hey Marseilles violist Jacob Anderson to acquire it in 2011; he and his younger brother, cellist and producer Sam Anderson, helped renovate it. Since then, most of the band has lived in it, and the entirety of their new album was written and recorded in it. Not surprisingly, Lines We Trace is not about going out and searching. It’s about finding you’re already where you need to be.

Make your way back home again, Bishop sings on the dusky ballad “Café Lights.” I am here still.

The 12 songs on Lines We Trace represent a band steady enough in its sound—poignant, panoramic, unreservedly gorgeous—that it can expand beyond it. The string section that hums throughout “Elegy”—quintessentially sweeping, Hey Marseilles style—shifts into finely composed abstraction for the song’s final minute. Colin Richey’s skittering rhythm on “Bright Stars Burning” is a gentle breakbeat, a sly nod to atmospheric drum ‘n’ bass. “Madrona” and the album-closing “Demian” are Hey Marseilles’ first fully instrumental songs, a pair of echo-laden piano-and-cello dirges that are simultaneously solemn and sumptuous. “Dead of Night” trots along on an almost-funky, waltzy swing and gives the album its titular lyric, trumpet triumphant as Bishop sings, The lines we trace have a thousand ends/We’ll count the ways we can’t begin/And stay in our homes, remain on our own…

Throughout, Philip Kobernik’s accordion is less pronounced than previously, Nick Ward’s guitar more so. The result is less old-world, more new school. An update. A progression. A musical analog to a line Bishop sings in “Looking Back”: If you’re looking back that’s all you’ll ever see.

Six years after Bishop first got together with Kobernik and Ward to jam at Seattle’s Gasworks Park, Hey Marseilles is an experienced band with a slew of major festivals (Bumbershoot, Sasquatch!) and a national tour under its belt. They’ve come a long way—only to find themselves back home.

Put another way, as Lines We Trace suggests, sometimes you don’t have to go far to find a meaningful experience. Sometimes the comfort of the familiar is all you need to grow.

NICKI BLUHM AND THE GRAMBLERS IN-STORE TUESDAY, JULY 31 (6PM)

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers will perform live at The Record Exchange (1105 W. Idaho St., Downtown Boise) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 31. As always, this Record Exchange in-store performance is free and all ages. The band is performing at Neurolux as part of Radio Boise Tuesdays later in the evening and we have tickets for sale here at the store!

ABOUT NICKI BLUHM AND THE GRAMBLERS

Upon hearing the unique and refreshing sound of Nicki Bluhm, it becomes immediately clear why she is in the midst of a breakout year. Nicki has filled a void in music with her brand of vintage-tinged rocking country soul — music that’s like an enchanting friend you’ve known for a short while but feels like you’ve known forever.

Nicki’s story began at a New Year’s Eve party when she sang an impromptu blues song that caught the attention of musician/producer Tim Bluhm (The Mother Hips). With Tim’s encouragement, Nicki began to write songs and perform in public, and soon was earning fans of her own. They went on to record Nicki’s debut album, Toby’s Song (2008), which appeared on Jambase’s top ten albums of the year. Nicki and Tim were married shortly after and formed her band with childhood friend and guitar player, Deren Ney. The band continued to grow with the addition of Steve Adams on bass (ALO), Dave Mulligan on rhythm guitar and drummer Mike Curry. Nicki has since shared the stage with Chris Robinson, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, Pegi Young, Josh Ritter, and many others.

Her sophomore album, Driftwood (2011), shows an impressive expansion of Nicki’s natural talent and is well into its second pressing. The sounds range from the AM magic of Linda Ronstadt to the charming duets of Johnny and June Cash to smokey Memphis soul. Since Driftwood’s release, Nicki has become the “It Girl” of the San Francisco music scene — performing with her band, The Gramblers; as a duo with her husband Tim; and as a guest artist with an array of revered performers. Her warm, strong voice and striking presence have undeniable appeal, confirmed by her sensational performances and rousing reception from music lovers at every show.