Interview with -Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
With the legs of a youthful Tina Turner and the swagger of Mick Jagger, Amazing Grace, or more commonly known as Grace Potter is leader of the band that bears her name. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are on the verge of a national breakout, the only question is when, since it seems evident, its only a matter of time. Performing about 200 live dates a year, this Vermont based band has seen their fan base grow in leaps and bounds; one person, one city, one festival at a time. GPN have performed at many festivals in the TrIStateIndie region ( including the WXPN and Southern Shore Music Festival) and around the county, which brings the band back to Philadelphia tonight (10/28/10) to headline the TLA on South Street. GPN continue to crisscross the country promoting their latest album simply titled, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, on Hollywood Records and produced by Mark Betson ( Dr. Dre, Dave Matthews Band, Eminem and Jay-Z).
The current lineup of the band includes: Grace Potter on hammond B3, lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars; Fender Rhodes and electric piano; Scott Tournet on lead guitar and harmonica; drummer Matthew Burr, Catherine Popper plays bass and contributes vocals; and the band is rounded out by Benny Yorco on rhythm guitar and vocals. I had the chance to catch up with Grace today, via phone, while her tour bus pulled into Philly for the show tonight. Here’s what she had to say…
TSI: Your popularity has exploded in the last 8 months. How has that affected you?
GP: When you’ve been doing this for eight years, any level of success we achieve is with an abudance of gratitude. Going slow and steady has allowed us to grow, rather than explode all at once which does happen sometimes.
TSI: You recently recorded a duet with Kenny Chesney, so how did the “You and Tequila” session come about?
GP: Kenny already had the song recorded, but he felt it needed a female voice. When I first heard the song I though it was already perfect. He listened to our music and decided my voice was what he wanted to complete the song. With two days of being contacted and going to Nashville, the song was finished.
TSI: You cite as influnces, Little Fest and J.J. Cale. You are compared to Janis Joplin and Tina Truner. How would you describe your music and stage show?
GP: We are really a straight ahead rock and roll band. The truth is we are really a rock n, roll band that is going to rock your face off.
TSI:What was it like being part of the Alice In Wonderland movie ?
GP: It was great. I couldn’t believe that tim burton and Johnny Depp were doing a 3D movie. Before we were even approached to be a part of it, I was so juiced about the movie.
TSI: You have a new song in an upcoming Disney movie, so how cool is that?
GP: The new Disney animated film “Tangled” contains one of my my songs which has released all of the little girl ya ya’s inside. I mean The Little Mermaid movie was what motivated me to do what I do now in the first place. The song in the film is one of a previous solo recording. We re-recorded it and now to have it be part of a Disney film us totally a dream come true. It was the most incredible experience and the movie is in 3D and will be released on November 24th. To watch the film and hear your song as part of a movie really means fairy tales do come true.
TSI: This seems to be a great year for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, so what has been the most amazing show so far?
GP: The culminating experience was at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. To play on the main sage in front of 20,000 people early in the day was so exciting. Generally the crowds that early in the day are minimal. For so many people to come out ealry in the afternoon to hear you perform was so satisfying. This is where we realized we are part of something big. To meet and hang out with so many great fellow musicians like Norah Jones, Jim James, Dr. Dog and the Black Keys was a memorable experience.
TSI: What are you expecting or hope for the future?
GP: To keep on doing what we do. I’m into the creative process and enjoy writing songs back home, when we begin work on a new album. VH1 TV has named us one of the bands on the verge and we will be featured in their rotation in November. We are also excited to be playing for the troops in December in Southern California with other great artists such as Katy Perry. We then head home to Vermont for our annual New Years Eve show. Grace wouldn’t tell me what theme the band had chosen for their annual movie reenactment, no matter how hard I tried to guess. The one thing I will always remember from our conversation is how hard Grace and the band have worked to achieve the level of success that they have had too date and how grateful they are to the fans and media for all of their support. True to her down to earth quality, which we love, Grace excused herself as we are speaking. She had her tour bus stop so she could throw a few bills into the case of a Philadelphia street performer. Who knows,
someday they maybe on a tour bus following their dream. -Bob Rose
