For Grace
Potter, and her band the Nocturnals, reaching the level of success and fame
they have now has been a slow, steady race since their creation in 2002. Now,
hot off the heels of their most successful album release ever, the band is set
to change the face (and sound) of modern music. But, how did this unlikely
group of musicians from Vermont become one of the hottest alternative music
acts out there?
Well for starters, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have
stood out from the pack thanks to their refusal to confine themselves to any
one genre. They’re a little bit country, with some definite old school rock n’
roll thrown in, and a fantastic bluesy quality that has become their signature.
They’re able to transcend genres and appeal to listeners far and wide with
their foot stomping beats and Grace’s soaring raspy vocals. Potter explained
the diverse sound of the band to Pop Matters back in
2010,
saying “We’re really dynamic. This band does not do one thing—we do a lot of
things. Some people may walk in and hear a song and think, ‘Oh God, I hate this
song,’ and the next song that they hear can be their favorite song and change
their life forever. It’s really interesting how much we change from song to
song. That comes from our band [being] new and still honing our musical sound
together. But also there’s a stream-of-consciousness thing with our concerts, I
don’t like to stop very much, I don’t like empty space at all. I’m very much
into the flow of a show. A show needs to feel like something that doesn’t
stop.”
That honing of their sound started when Grace Potter first met Matthew Burr in
a coffee shop on the St. Lawrence University campus in 2002. Matthew approached
her after being thoroughly impressed by her set. The two started a duo based on
their mutual admiration for each other’s sound and were soon joined by Scott
Tournet, thus creating Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. In 2005 the group
recorded and released their first album, Nothing But the Water. The
album gathered enough attention on Vermont radio that Hollywood Records signed
them and re-released the album in 2006.
The group soon released their sophomore album in 2007, This Is Somewhere,
featuring the singles “Apologies” and “Falling or Flying”. To promote their album, the band
started making the rounds on the talk show circuit, which helped to introduce them
to the American public. They scored a coup in 2010 when they were picked to be
featured on the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland covering “White
Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Later in 2010, the group released their third
studio album, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals which featured their
biggest hit, “Paris (Ooh La La)”. Hot off the heels of
that release, they were asked to write and record the credits soundtrack for
the Disney film Tangled, which was released in late 2010. The
contribution to Tangled increased the band’s visibility tremendously, as
it performed well in the box-office, is a popular streaming
option on some websites, and it’s also sold
well in the home viewing market.
Their latest album, The Lion the Beast the Beat proved to be their most
successful to date. They kicked off their promotional tour with an appearance
on the cult favorite Direct TV’s Guitar Center Sessions in December. The
album hit #17 on the US album charts and #2 on the US Taste charts – both new
highs for them. Their second single off the album, “Stars” also proved to be their first single to chart
in both the US and Canada.
What makes Grace herself such a likeable figure is both her perseverance (she’s
legally blind, unbeknownst to many) and her ability to stay in touch with her
roots despite her success. She explained to The Boot her affection for her
home state of Vermont: “Those people are my home and every time I come home, it
reminds me that there’s something to be said for being in the spotlight but it
can never be a whole part of me. So much of myself is consumed with earning my
way, doing it myself and never feeling like things are being handed to you.
Growing up that way was humbling.“
It just goes to show, that no matter how much fame or how
many awards she may win, Grace Potter will always be a small town girl at
heart.
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