Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"If we could, we'd pour this sound on pancakes." - The Boston Globe
The past few months have been crazy for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
It used to be that the Waitsfield band received a big piece of news every two or three weeks, about another newspaper article here or a new gig there. Now, according to Potter, those bursts of news are coming three or four times a day -- reams of flattering articles, gigs opening for the Dave Matthews Band or Taj Mahal, record label after record label knocking on their door. She's even had exuberant fans propose to her while she's on stage.
"It's almost numbing," Potter said last week during one of the band's increasingly rare stopovers in Vermont. That's not a bad thing, she hastens to add. "There's so much more to get excited about." - Burlington Free Press
It is obvious that she has crafted her voice to wail or whisper whatever the song required, but she has taken that skill one giant step further. In reality, she seems to have eight women rolled up into one voice. Take a listen to her latest album, Nothing But the Water, you can hear something of the driving rasp of Janis Joplin on the rock tunes, the knowing wryness of Bonnie Raitt on the blues tunes, the thoughtful crooning of Nora Jones on the soft melodies, and even a young Aretha Franklin doing an a capella gospel number from which the album takes its title. There is a flavor there of all of these women and more but no outright mimicry. Potter merely interprets this collection of original and traditional tunes, and it comes out pure Potter. Much like what was said of Jonny Lang when he started singing blues: audiences just don't expect that big, road-weary voice to come out of such a young, tender throat. - An Honest Tune
As I settled in for the act, the band that took the stage was fronted by a young woman (21ish) with long dirty blonde hair who alternately sits at the keys playing organ and stands at the mic, tambourine at her side. What poured from her mouth was powerfully resonant blues rock. her name is Grace Potter, and she perfectly channels a soulfulness usually reserved for much more established and experienced artists in this vein - Bonnie Raitt and Patti Griffin. - Crazy Talk
Discography
Nothing But the Water (2005)
Original Soul (2004)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are a young, Vermont-based band working to impact audiences with timeless, original music. The band is led by twenty-two year old phenom Grace Potter, whose vocal ability draws comparisons to legends such as Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones and Janis Joplin. Her unique style behind the Hammond B-3 and piano is captivating audiences across the country.
The band's new album "Nothing But The Water" builds on 2004's scorching debut "Original Soul", which was well received in national newspapers and magazines and has sold over 5,000 copies indpendently since it's release last march. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are currently touring in promotion of "Nothing But The Water," their powerful sophomore album filled with soul-charged roots, blues and rock - touring with the Dave Matthews Band, Taj Mahal, Trey Anastasio, the North Mississippi Allstars, and the Assembly of Dust.
The band returned home in October for their "Ben & Jerry's Bringing It All Back Home Tour" playing the best small theaters in the state of Vermont. Within weeks of tickets going on sale they had already sold out all seven shows on the tour.
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