Grace Potter And The Nocturnals Treat Fans To New Rock With Classic Sound
— February 27, 2008 1 34I 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.
1 Comment
I “accidentally” saw GPTN in Santa Fe when they were an unbilled opener for Indigenous/Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. I’d gone to see Indigenous and came home a GPTN fan. Since then I’ve been purchased all of their studio stuff and a dvd available from Vermont Public Television. I’ve also been following them on the net. My personal favorite video is “Stop the Bus” from Red Rocks. Four kids making terrific new good old fashioned rock and having a freaking terrific time doing it.
Also, this is a taper friendly band and many of their shows are available at http://www.archive.org and several other similar sites.