Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Infobox musical artist
Name = Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Waitsfield, Vermont
Genre = Rock, pop
Years_active = 2004–
Label = Hollywood Records
Associated_acts = Gov't Mule, Dave Matthews Band, Little Feat, The Black Crowes, Brandi Shearer, North Mississippi Allstars, Galactic, Soulive, The Wood Brothers, Steel Train, Toots and the Maytals, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, Tea Leaf Green, John Butler Trio, Robert Cray, Assembly of Dust
URL = http://www.gracepotter.com/|Official site]
Current_members = Grace Potter
Matt Burr
Scott Tournet Bryan Dondero

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is a Vermont-based band that has recently gained national attention with its newest album, "This Is Somewhere". The band blends funky blues, soul and rock from the sixties and early seventies. [citeweb |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/arts/music/25pott.html?pagewanted=print |author=Holden, Stephen |publisher="New York Times" |date=February 25, 2008 |title=The Sound of the 70s From a Singer in Her 20s] [citeweb |title=Going By the Book Pays Off for Potter |publisher="Boston Globe" |date=November 11, 2005 |author=Joan Anderman |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2005/11/11/going_by_the_book_pays_off_for_grace_potter/]

The lead vocalist is age|1983|06|20-year-old Grace Potter. She plays the Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer Electric Piano, and electric and acoustic guitars. Also in the band are Scott Tournet (guitar/slide guitar/harmonica), Matthew Burr (drums), and Bryan Dondero (electric bass and mandolin). [citeweb |url=http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/specialnews/potter_nocturnals.htm |title=Full of Grace: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals poised to be Vermont's next big musical export |publisher="Burlington Free Press" |author= Hallenbeck, Brent |date= January 9, 2005]

The band has independently recorded and released two albums, "Original Soul" (2004) and "Nothing but the Water" (2005). Marketing efforts include word-of-mouth, online promotion and marketing through [http://www.indie911.com/ indie911.com] . The band signed a deal with Hollywood Records in December 2005 and re-released "Nothing but the Water" on May 23, 2006. [citeweb |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-06-19-otv-potter-nocturnals_x.htm |title=Nocturnals play the daylights out of rock |publisher="USA Today" |author=Sam Hemingway |date=June 19th, 2006 ]

In 2005, the band was nominated for two categories at the Boston Music Awards; "Best Local Female Artist" and "Best New Local Act". It also performed at the awards ceremony. Fact|date=May 2008

In 2006, the band won the Jammy for "Best New Groove" [ [http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=8368 "JamBase": Jammy Award Winners 2006] ] and was nominated for two more Boston Music Awards: Album Of The Year (major) for the re-release of "Nothing But The Water", and Female Vocalist Of The Year (for front woman Grace Potter). [ [http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=9173 "JamBase": Nemo '06 & BMA Awards, September 19th 2006] ]

The band released its third album, "This Is Somewhere", on August 7, 2007 on Hollywood Records and toured that fall supporting Gov't Mule for its October and November North American tour. [citeweb |publisher="Hartford Courant" |date=August 9, 2007 |author= |title='This is Somewhere' by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32578379_ITM] [citeweb |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13923980 |date=August 24, 2007 |author=David Dye |publisher="National Public Radio (NPR)" |title=Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Timelessly Modern ]

The song "Apologies" has been featured on the shows Kyle XY, One Tree Hill, and Brothers & Sisters, and the song "Falling or Flying" was featured on the hit drama show Grey's Anatomy.Fact|date=May 2008

The band is currently supporting The Black Crowes on their North American tour. [ [http://www.gracepotter.com/2008/04/gpn-newsletter-nh-shows-black-crowes.html "GPN Newsletter": April 23, 2008] ]

On August 2, 2007, the band made its network television debut on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" . This was followed by appearances on ABC's "Good Morning America" on August 7, 2007 [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3462806 Good Morning America 8/7/07 clip 1] ] [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3462753 Good Morning America 8/7/07 clip 2] ] and CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on August 10, 2007.

Discography

* "Original Soul" (2004)
* "Nothing But the Water" (2005)
* "Live Oh Five" (2005)
* "This Is Somewhere" (2007)

TV Appearances

*Beautiful Noise
*The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Collaborations

* "User Shorty Patent Co., "Depart So Slow"" (2004)Recorded between tours during the summer and fall of 2004 at the band's Waitsfield rehearsal space, "Depart So Slow" features the songwriting of singer/guitarist Scott Taylor with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals providing musical backing. It was engineered and mixed by Nocturnals guitarist Scott Tournet.

Blues and Lasers (2008)

Blues and Lasers is a blues rock n' roll act formed in 2007 from Burlington, Vermont that focuses on tradition and roots of delta blues music fused with an experimental edge of present time chaos. Blues and Lasers is the brainchild of guitarist Scott Tournet. Blues and Lasers came together out of the debris of the Scott Tournet Band. Scott, Steve Sharon and Bryan Dondero had been playing music from Scott's first two solo albums ("Next To Canada" and "Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle") whenever Scott and Bryan had time off of tour with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. While Scott's gigs were slowly getting better, he wasn't entirely satisfied with the sound. "I wanted something heavier, bluesier, and riskier", stated Tournet. "I wanted the force of Led Zeppelin, the groove of swampy Delta Blues, and the guitars of the late 1960s and early 970s. I wanted to start writing music that lent itself to Saturday night as opposed to Sunday morning. Before when I would go into songwriting mode, it would be an acoustic in front of a fireplace or something like that. This time it was more like a bottle of whiskey, my telly, and a Fender amp with the reverb turned up." Listening to the force of Sharon and Matt Burr (drummer for the Nocturnals) connecting with Dondero who then branches off into the twin lead guitar attack of Benny Yurco (local Burlington Staple Rock Guitarist) and Tournet, you get the feeling that he got what he was asking for....

The band has 5 members:
*Scott Tournet (guitar, Slide guitar, Vocals)
*Benny Yurco (Guitar, Fender Rhodes)
*Brian Dondero (Electric Bass Guitar, Moog) Matt Burr aka "Croche" (Drums#1)Steve Sharon (Drums#2) In August of 2008 Blues and Lasers released its first 5-song self-titled EP "Blues and Lasers."

References

External links

* [http://www.gracepotter.com Official Website]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/GracePotterandtheNocturnals Grace Potter and the Nocturnals collection] at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Press

* Reed, James. [http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2005/05/26/make_your_own_kind_of_music Make your own kind of music] "Boston Globe". (May 26, 2005)
* Rodman, Sarah. [http://www.gracepotter.com/pdf/bostonherald021606.pdf Unharried Potter: Rising Vermont roots-rocker is happy taking her time] "Boston Herald". (February 2, 2006)
* Neal, Chris. [http://www.gracepotter.com/pdf/AmericanProfile031206.pdf Superstar Potential] "American Profile". (March 3, 2006)
* Burke, David. [http://www.gracepotter.com/pdf/quadcitytimes060707.pdf Nocturnals' Potter brews a mix of styles] . "Quad City Times". (June 7, 2007)
* Dye, David. [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13923980 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Timelessly Modern] . "World Cafe from WXPN". (Aug 24, 2007)
* [http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=11092 Grace Potter's Nocturnal Existence] Interview/ Article on JamBase