A funky southern-rock band recently grabbed my attention at a local concert in Portland. The band, known as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, is led by Grace Potter (vocals/piano/guitar) and guitarist Scott Tournet. The band was independent and self-promoting until 2005 when they signed on with Hollywood Records.
In person, Grace is gentle and mild mannered. On stage, however, her presence is vivid and explicit. While the band’s performance was mainly focused on Grace’s vocal and organ talents, she has a surprisingly skilled hand for guitar.
The band’s lead guitarist Scott Tournet demonstrated a wide range of techniques on the guitar. Blues, rock, funk - he walked all roads throughout the night in his own country/southern style.
The real highlight of this band is in their live performances. The guitar-heavy jam sessions draw from the best sounds of the 60’s/70’s. Their studio albums are a real disappointment in shadow of the concert. Hopefully they will release a live cd in the future. Until then, the best way to catch Grace is on the road.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals do have a great live dvd “Bringin’ It Home - Live” available through the Vermont Public Television website
http://www.vpt.org/store/index.html
It features songs from all three studio albums plus a couple of tunes that they haven’t recorded in the studio.