Would You Believe ‘Contemporary Classic Rock?’

Those of us who are old enough to remember the television series Get Smart will recognize where I stole part of that headline from. I can remember watching that program regularly as a kid.

Regular readers know that I keep the focus on classic rock here, but do stray a bit from time to time when something interesting shows up on my radar that isn’t quite classic rock in its purest form, but may be of interest to fans of the classic rock genre. From now on, I am going to refer to these artists as “contemporary classic rock” artists.

Please note that I’m not staking a claim as the one who coined that term, and for all I know, it has been used a million times by others. It just happens to be what popped into my head when I searched for a way to classify artists like this. Hopefully, it is not something the artists themselves will find disagreeable.

I believe it started when I ran across an article about Grace Potter and The Nocturnals a couple of years ago. I liked the fact that they had a “classic” sound – something that could have come out of the 70’s, but clearly they are a contemporary group.

I decided that they were too good to ignore and thought that other classic rock fans might appreciate their work as much as I do. Therefore I decided to sneak them in here alongside the great bands of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

These exceptions will be rare, and totally according to whether I like a particular act or not. There are probably a lot of contemporary groups out there that are going for a “classic” sound, but only a few of them really catch my attention in a way that makes me want to help to spread the word about them in some small way.

It makes me wonder if some classic rock radio stations might be interested in mixing things up a little with some of these new groups that have a solid, classic sound. If there’s one criticism I hear about classic rock radio, it’s that they play the same songs over and over again. I realize radio stations are businesses that base their decisions on the bottom line, but it would be interesting to see what the audience reaction would be to showcasing a few select contemporary groups that have the “right” sound.

Speaking of Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, they’ve recently released a new video which showcases the group as they cover the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit.” As a fan, I may be biased, but I think they pulled it off brilliantly.

I’m told that more Grace Potter and The Nocturnals news will be coming soon.

Tags: Cover, Grace Potter And The Nocturnals, News, Video, White Rabbit

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals Treat Fans To New Rock With Classic Sound

I was intrigued when I stumbled upon a recent New York Times story entitled "The Sound of the ’70s From a Singer in Her 20s" for reasons that should be obvious and perhaps a reason or two that is not.

Classic rock fans don’t get to hear a lot of new classic rock, since it is, well, classic. Some classic groups like Rush and Aerosmith are still working and coming out with new music these days and classic rock fans like myself appreciate that.

It is also kind of nice to discover a group of younger artists who have banded together to create new music that sounds like it may have been conceived of back on the 1970’s. When I learned that this group hails from the neighboring state of Vermont, I knew I had to give them a closer look and I really like what I saw, and more importantly, what I heard.

Grace Potter and Nocturnals is the name these four rockers have chosen for themselves and they appear to be making a very good impression on rock fans, including myself.

For me, this group is about getting back to basics. Nothing about their performances strike me as excessively flashy or over-produced — think opposite of Britney Spears. This group is all about good old-fashioned rock and roll and that’s exactly what they sound like.

The clip below was chosen from a number of them that were readily available, but being the well-known sound snob that I am, I chose it for its quality and the fact that I kind of like the "session" feel it has to it.

I’m also a sucker for a great snare drum sound and this is one of the better ones I have heard recently. (If someone happens to know the specifics of that snare, I’d like to know. Feel free to post a comment or drop me a line.)

Listening to lead singer Grace Potter reminds me a bit of Edie Brickell who enjoyed a hit or two back in the 1980’s when she was playing under the banner of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. The New York Times story compared her to a grittier Patty Griffin, but when I heard her for the first time I knew she reminded me of another singer I had not heard for a while. I was finally able to dredge up the memory of Brickell’s sound from my memory.

This contemporary group could easily be confused with one from the 1970’s and may even make one wonder whether they actually are from that era and somehow managed to transport themselves a few decades ahead in time.

Classic rock fans are strongly encouraged to check this group out.

Check out the full New York Times story here.

Tags: Grace Potter And The Nocturnals