Indie rock band The Blü making music and waves

There’s a photo on the cover of The Blü’s new single Kalamazoo of a young man with long blond hair.

He looks a lot like Micah Luebben, one-half of the rising indie rock duo, and there’s a good reason for that: he’s Luebben’s uncle, Cliff.

Cliff died years ago, as a teen, in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The song isn’t about Cliff’s life, exactly. But he served as inspiration.

For Luebben, who formed The Blü with Zechariah Noel, the song is about the hope of reuniting with loved ones someday.

For Noel, “in the writing process and throughout the journey of making Kalamazoo, it was a reflection of finding joy in everything,” he said. “(It’s a reflection of) our opportunity to experience joy and love and be present and take advantage of what we have in front of us.”

That’s pretty typical of The Blü. Luebben and Noel are thoughtful guys who make good, compulsively-listenable music but also aim to go deep — to move and inspire.

They released a video for Kalamazoo this week. Directed by Richland native Justin Frick, an acclaimed videographer, it’s sleek, funny, evocative and a little wistful.

It’s hopeful too.

Expect more of the like from The Blü.

Luebben and Noel, who live in the Tri-Cities, are nearly finished with an album. It should be out around Easter. They’re working with producer Brandon Bee.

The guys also plan more videos and shows.

For them, music is personal and meaningful. It’s also a lot of fun.

Luebben, 22, of Richland, got his start around middle school. He was helping with sound at his church and picked up a cowbell as a goof.

The worship leader had him join in on a song. Before he knew it, he was playing cowbell with the worship team.

He soon graduated to guitar and other instruments. And writing his own songs.

Noel, 23, of Kennewick, grew up largely in Spokane. He gravitated toward guitar at first, but eventually found his way to drums.

He plays drums in The Blü, plus adds everything from synth to bass. Luebben plays guitar and writes the bulk of the vocals.

Putting together a song — it’s a collaborative process.

“We like to keep it pretty open when we write. I’ll write a skeleton of a song, send it to Zech and he puts on the veins and the meat and the muscles and the skin. Together, we clothe it — but not too much. Just the undergarments,” Luebben said with a laugh. “Then we add on the rest later on.”

The guys have similar musical sensibilities. They played in numerous bands — including heavier “screamo” bands — before joining forces a couple of years back.

That’s lent their current sound edge, although it can be soft, too, and everything in between. Luebben calls it “Northwest indie rock.”

“If you feel it as an emotion in the Northwest, then we probably have it in there,” Noel said.

Luebben and Noel said they love making music and performing — and they’re excited about The Blü taking off.

“The things that I write about — I know people experience those things. To be able to (move them or help them through music) gets me stoked,” Luebben said.

Noel said he and Luebben aren’t in it for fame or vanity. “It’s the love of music and being able to share that with people. We want to put our hearts out there for people. Whatever it is — if they need something or just want to be part of our journey, whatever it may be,” Noel said. “This is just the beginning.”

To stay up to date on The Blü, go to thebluband.com or find the guys on Facebook at facebook.com/theblunw.

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Indie rock band The Blü making music and waves."