Jam Central Station 07.03.10: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 07.03.2010

With their third album, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have really honed their sound into a something unique and memorable.



Welcome to the Mile High edition of Jam Central Station. Yep, I'm writing this on a cozy little flight from Columbus to Philly to Portland, Maine for the inaugural Nateva Music and Arts Festival. I know you're excited. :-) I have to say that there's a certain satisfaction in casually singing Keller Williams' "Doobie in my Pocket" while strolling through security at the airport. Not that I have one with me, of course. I'm a little strange some times, but I'm not crazy. I think the Nateva gods will provide.

Anyways, I've had the opportunity to cover Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on more than one occasion, so I didn't want to let this album slip by. I know it came out a few weeks ago, but with Hookahville and my insanely long Bonnaroo article, I trust that you will forgive my tardiness.





**Opening**

The album opens with "Paris," a holdover from the band's album name release. The difference between this version and the original is stunning, in all honesty. The production work of Mark Batson creates a much fuller sound, with great guitar fills and backup vocals. Grace herself belts out the vocals with tremendous passion and strength. This is really a song that could work both at a bar in a top 40 club. It's short, sweet, and has the makings of a great single. "Oasis" is a longer and a little slower, but it's the first example of the type of much stronger songwriting on this album. The band's first two albums were written exclusively by Grace Potter, and, while there were some gems, there were also some songs that sounded immature at best. Grace still leads the track, but there's some good subtle guitar work that adds depth to the song where it had been missing on previous albums.

The third track, "Medicine," is an absolute showstopper of a song. A strong and steady performance from the rhythm section, a basic rock country riff, and a brooding and powerful performance by Grace make for a slightly foreboding but excellent song. The repetitive chorus of "She got the medicine that everybody wants" simply begs for a crowd sing along, and Grace does a great job of channeling her live performance in the studio. The song is a great highlight for her abilities, but the band doesn't just stay in the background, instead filling the song out and making a statement that, while this is Grace's band, the Nocturnals are not to be trifled with.

"Goodbye Kiss" is a lost-love song, but an atypical one. Lyrically, it's pointed and possibly a little sentimental, but it that sentimentality also gives way to Grace giving the subject just enough of a "screw off" to make the song fun. As it did in both "Paris" and "Medicine," the guitar work also stands out as understated but strong. It's good to see that the band is willing to give Grace her room to work while also continuing to assert themselves. "Tiny Light" is a hopeful journey lyrically, while the doubled vocals again show the strength of the production work that was missing from previous efforts. My favorite part of the song is where Potter's powerful and often beautiful vocals are intermingled with an frantic and almost dirty sounding guitar solo, which is done to great effect.

"Colors" is a piano-based track, and it lets the band's softer side shine. Every good "adult contemporary" album is going to include a couple simple songs, and the question is always whether they're done well. While the track is anything but groundbreaking, it's done well enough that it doesn't have to be. "Only Love" returns to more of a "full band" feel, with the guitar providing a frantic rhythm over an organ base. It's a track that moves quickly and is over almost too soon, and didn't have quite enough time to develop. However the straight-to-the-point feel of the song is reminiscent of Janis Joplin or Grace Slick, two singers that I've often used as a basis for comparison for Grace Potter.

One of the problems with previous GPN efforts has been the fact that the albums tend to fall off about halfway through. That trend, while not as pronounced, continues on this album starting with "Money." The song is pretty pedestrian lyrically, and highlights some of Potter's immaturity more than anything. That doesn't have to be a problem, except for the fact that the band's effort isn't that strong either. They don't seem to know if they want to channel some country music guitar work or Toys in the Attic-era Aerosmith. Instead of figuring that out, they simply cut the song short and move on. "One Short Night" is better, although still not nearly as good as previous efforts on the album. Other than some more good guitar work under the vocals (a common trend for this album), there's just not much to talk about here.



"Low Road" is a slower bluesy number that steps things back up a bit. Grace brings out her "sultry" voice for this one, and it works well. Unfortunately the band again doesn't make their presence felt, which I absolutely believe is a mistake. My favorite GPN songs do more than just provide a platform for the vocals, and, while the song is good, it really is just a platform for Grace to sing. "That Phone" is another end-of-relationship song, this one definitely coming from a place of feminist strength, and another passable but not great song.

Luckily the band redeems themselves with the final two tracks. The guitars and piano come back in force with "Hot Summer Nights." The funny thing about this one is that it's not as strong of a vocal performance as a couple of the previous songs, but bringing the full band back into the creative fold makes for a much better song. Everything comes together with the closer, however. "Things I Never Needed" is a final sentimental journey on the album, and it shows the growth that Grace and the band have had over the past years. The songwriting is as strong as anything that they've done, and the music provides a great support for the vocals while not getting lost. This is a track might just top "Apologies" in terms of what this band is able to do.

Self titled albums are often used to either introduce or redefine a band. Metallica reinvented their sound with the "Black Album" while Van Halen introduced Van Halen to the world and Van Halen II introduced Sammy Hagar. With their eponymous album, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have truly come into their own as a sold songwriting group able to harness their live energy in studio. Their songwriting has matured and it's clear that the band is taking an active role in the process. The album might have benefited from cutting a bit of the fat and dropping down to ten songs, but it doesn't get bogged down, even during the weaker tracks. Instead, despite some problems, it's a strong front to back album with at least three potential hit singles.



















String Cheese Incident "Hulaween" presales sold out!

The presales for String Cheese Incident's "Hulaween" shows this October 29 and 30 at Hampton Coliseum are officially (although not surprisingly) sold out! However, not all hope is lost! You can still get tickets starting July 9 through Ticketmaster. Also, if (like me) you're going to be Cheese-less this year, you can also check out every SCI show on iClips. Shows are $7.99 each, $10 for both Hulaween shows, $15 for all three Red Rocks shows, $20 for all three Horning's shows, $45 for all 8 shows, $60 for all the shows plus a poster, or $100 for all the shows, all the posters from all the shows signed!

Franti touring Sound of Sunshine

Michael Franti and Spearhead are readying for an August 24th release of Sound of Sunshine and have already had a pair of singles hit the radio (I'm a big fan of the title track, by the way). Anyways, it shouldn't surprise you to know that Franti is going just about everywhere (except Ohio) this summer. He's got a pretty extensive tour lined up, and he'll probably be adding more. Seriously, if you can, check him out!

July
Sat 3 Sioux City, IA Bandshell Grandview Park
Sun 4 Louisville, KY Waterfront Park
Thu 15 Jacksonville, OR Britt Festival
Fri 16 Berkeley, CA Greek Theater
Sun 18 Alta, WY Targhee Fest
Thu 22 Edmonton, AB Windspear
Fri 23 Calgary, ALB Calgary Folk Festival
Sat 24 Vancouver, BC The Vogue Theater
Sun 25 Corning, CA Mystic Garden Party
Tue 27 Salt Lake City, UT Deer Valley
Thu 29 Aspen, CO Belly Up
Fri 30 Aspen, CO Belly Up
Sat 31 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Ampitheater

August
Sun 1 Durango, CO Animis Cliffs
Wed 4 Reno, NV Knitting Factory Concert Hs
Thu 5 Bend, OR Les Schwab Ampitheater
Fri 6 Eugene,OR Cuthbert Amphitheatre
Sat 7 Redmond, WA Marymoor Amphitheatre
Tue 10 Eagle, ID Eagle River Pavilion
Wed 11 Missoula, MT The Wilma Theater
Thu 12 Missoula, MT The Wilma Theater
Fri 13 Sandpoint, ID Festival At Sandpoint
Sat 14 Billings, MT Magic City Blues Festival
Sat 21 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay/The Beach SOS Festival
Thu 26 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Fri 27 Live Oak, FL Blackwater Sol Revue/Spirit of the Suwanee
Sat 28 Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
Sun 29 Richmond, VA The National
Tue 31 Charlotte, NC The Neighborhood

September
Thu 2 Tampa, FL to Grand Cayman ZAC BROWN CRUISE - Sep 2-Sep6
Sun 19 Laytonville, CA Earthdance: United Beats of Peace Festival

Furthur moves July 5 Vermont show to PA

Due to local issues with permits and scared people, Furthur was forced to cancel their July 5 in Shelburne, VT. Apparently the good folks of Shelburne were overly concerned that there would be tens of thousands of fans without tickets heading into town, despite lack of any real evidence that that would happen. Anyways, the band instead is performing that same day at The Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, PA. Tickets are on sale (maybe sold out by now, actually) for this recent change.

The Rhythm Devils add dates

The Rhythm Devils, the project including Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, added even more summer dates this year. The tour, which will feature Keller Williams fronting the band in July and Tim Bluhm starting in August, will now run through mid-September. The band will play Gathering of the Vibes, Hoxeyville, and a stop at Nelsons Ledges in Ohio. Check them out!

July 16 Arcata CA Arcata Theatre 

July 17 North Plains, OR—Northwest String Summit at Horning's Hideout 

July 18 Jacksonville, OR—Britt Festival

July 22 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre

July 23 Steamboat Springs CO Steamboat Springs Concert Series 

July 24 Driggs, ID—Spud Drive In 

July 25 Salt Lake City, UT—Red Butte Garden 

July 27 Flagstaff AZ Orpheum Theatre

July 29 San Diego CA Soundwave 

July 31 Bridgeport CT Gathering of the Vibes
August 21 Wellston, MI Hoxeyville Festival

August 22 Chicago, IL House of Blues

August 23 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center 

August 24 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater

August 26 Munhall, PA Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead

August 27 Stroudsburg, PA The Sherman Theatre

August 28 Tarrytown, NY Tarrytown Music Hall

September 1 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club & Grill

September 2 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights

September 3 Foxboro, MA Showcase Live

September 4 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino

September 6 Garrettsville, OH Nelson Ledges Quarry Park

September 8 State College, PA The State Theatre

September 9 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall 

September 10 Niagara Falls, NY The Bears Den at Seneca Niagra

September 11 S. Burlington, VT Higher Ground

January 4-9 Jam Cruise 2011
January 9 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live

Disco Biscuits add dates

Along with setting the schedule for their upcoming Camp Bisco festival, the Disco Biscuits set more dates to keep them busy through mid-September. They'll be doing a couple of festivals as well as venues throughout the eastern half of the country.

August 25 – Bottle & Cork – Dewey Beach, DE (with MiM0SA)
August 26 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC (with MiM0SA)
August 27 – Blackwater Music Festival – Live Oak, FL
August 28 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Atlanta, GA (with STS9)
August 29 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA (with MiM0SA)
September 1 – Buster's Billiards – Lexington, KY (with MiM0SA & Papadosio)
September 2 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH (with MiM0SA & Papadosio)
September 3 – Congress Theater – Chicago, IL
September 4 – Nocturnal Festival: Texas – Rockdale, TX
September 5 – North Coast Music Festival – Chicago, IL
September 7 – State Theatre – State College, PA (with MiM0SA)
September 8-9 Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY (with MiM0SA)
September 10 – Mountain Park – Holyoke, MA
September 11 – Bank of America Pavilion – Boston, MA
October 29 – Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, VA (opening for String Cheese Incident)
January 20-24 – Now Sapphire Resort and Spa – Mayan Riviera, Mexico





As I finish up, allow me to give this week's big "F You" to the Philadelphia International Airport for not offering free Wi-Fi. Seriously? Columbus has free Wi-Fi. Get with the program, Philly. I don't consider myself needy, but free Wi-Fi is just common courtesy anymore. I don't avoid Starbucks because they're an evil corporation. I avoid them because they don't offer free Wi-Fi. You're on my list Philly. It's not a good list, either.

I'm gonna add a second "F You" to the Portland airport in Maine. Yes, they have free Wi-Fi. However, my plane came in a bit after 10:00. There's about a dozen gates at the airport (JFK it is not). Anyways, apparently they forgot we were coming because there were planes just hanging out at every gate. So we had to wait over half an hour just for them to bring over some stairs for us to climb down instead of using the usual jetway. If that isn't crappy enough, I'm currently sitting in the airport waiting for any sign of the plane's luggage. It's been an hour since we landed and still nothing. Get with the game folks!

Ok, no more ranting. Getting ready to get all festy for the next four days. This is my last hurrah of the summer. 3 festivals and 3 DMB shows = a nice summer season. By the way, since I'm sure you're all interested, the DMB show at Blossom was by far the best of the summer. Good set along with a 3 song encore. A very surprising "Little Red Bird" and a very long "So Damn Lucky" along with "Grace is Gone," "#41" and a "Nancies" -> "Warehouse" combo. And I have to say that I love the fact that they're back to doing "Warehouse" in the Under the Table and Dreaming style instead of the stop time intro that they've been doing for years. Nothing wrong with the stop time intro, but the UTTAD version just has an amazingly powerful intro that I don't think I've ever heard, since the stop time intro has been the standard since the mid 90's.

Anyways, time to turn off the DMB obsession and close the computer up. Thanks for being around, and I'll be back next week with a full rundown of Nateva. Until then, Jam On!