Grace Potter and The Nocturnals ~ Queen of the Road

Words by Joe Koch
Photos by Adrien Broom

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals — a household name? Not yet. But Potter and the boys are on their way to becoming one.
Since the release of their third album, This Is Somewhere, which debuted in August 2007, they have been on a journey across the country in support of their third-full length release.
Grace and the guys — Scott Tournet on guitars, Bryan Dondero on bass and Matt Burr on drums — were recently on their way to Salt Lake City, where they had a couple of festivals scheduled. Then, it was back on tour with The Black Crowes.
Grace took some time and gave me an update.

As the band slowly abandons the club scene for larger tours, they have been fortunate to have connected with bands like Government Mule and the Dave Matthews Band, who warmly welcomed them into their camps. Grace reassures us that there is no need for concerns with The Black Crowes either.
"They're actually very laid back and we've known Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars, Black Crowes) for years and he's always treated us well," says Grace. "The fans' response of the two bands kinda being on the same stage has been pretty awesome. The crowds are very receptive and we've been playing in some really great venues. We just played at Massey Hall in Toronto!"
A review of that show by Canoe-Jam Music read: "You almost wished that the band, led by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, played with the youthful vigor of their opening act, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals." But, she hasn't read it; Grace never reads reviews of her performances.
"I really try and get outta my own asshole, pretty much all of the time," she says. "Ya know, I don't wanna stick my head into my belly button and look in all of the time. I think it's a way to destroy the impressions of yourself. Reading, blogging and watching other people's opinions about you, you just disappear in yourself and I don't want to do that. I try and stay away from that."
When it comes to musical criticism, it gets to her. She always wants to know what sounded good or what came across terrible. But, if it's people analyzing her personality or the band's personality, she's not into it.

Photo by Adrien Broom

As each year passes, the band advances itself to the next level in an industry where so many artists struggle to survive. In an interview from the 2007 Jam Cruise, Grace said, "You gotta keep pounding the pavement or they'll forget about you."
It's evident that Grace understands what is needed to continue her climb, but how much longer can they keep this rigorous touring schedule?
"Last year we did about 250 shows. This year it's gonna be closer to 150 to 200," says Grace. "I have a feeling this years gonna be a little less just because we've been going so hard."
Their success is mainly due to the masterminding of every next move. Finding a balance between opportunity and chemistry is imperative, whether it is choosing to take advantage of the opportunity to open for Dave Mathews or making the decision not to go out on the road with Kid Rock.
"When we did the tour over the winter with Benevento Russo Duo, it was purely selfish for the sole purpose of chemistry and collaboration," Grace said.

Photo by Adrien Broom

Recently, Grace celebrated her 25th birthday and I was able to have a brief conversation with Grace's father, Sparky Potter, during this celebratory weekend in Saratoga, N.Y.
In the early 1970s Sparky had a traveling slide show, Dream On Productions. He photographed some pretty famous jazz artists. Some regular visitors to the Potter household were Maynard Ferguson and Dave Brubeck.
Grace thinks all of this permeated into the walls of the house, and herself. Her father was also the director of the Phish art crew, which supplied the paints to the fans so that they could create art and spread it across the festivals. Grace was one of his employees. This gave her a peak into the whole music-festival scene in which she now partakes. With all of this musical history embodied by her parents, Sparky said, "It's no wonder why Grace wants to be the next big thing out of Vermont."
When I asked Grace if that was an accurate statement, she said, "I think it wasn't about Vermont. I wasn't trying to hit a status necessarily within the state of Vermont. It was more about the music … All I wanted to do was write music and perform music," says Grace. "It wasn't like I wanted to be the biggest band outta Vermont… I think I wanted to be the biggest band in the world."
She laughs. "No, not that extreme."
As another year comes to a close, Grace mentions that maybe the band will head out west for a little while.
"We haven't been out there in a while. I think it would be nice to get out to the west coast. Besides, I'm in desperate need of a beach," says Grace.
As the music world falls subject to a depleted scene that once thrived with an abundance of talented musicians. The timing couldn't have been more impeccable for Grace Potter. She has arrived just in time to save us from the regurgitated drivel that consumes our airwaves.
Amen.

For more information go to: www.gracepotter.com

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