![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Grace-Potter-Q-and-A-May-2012.jpg\" "\\"Grace-Potter-Q-and-A-May-2012\\"")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nShe and her Nocturnals look a little more glam, but they\u2019re grittier than ever \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n By Russell Hall\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Back in 2010, fans of Grace Potter and the\u00a0Nocturnals had a couple of big changes to deal with. First there were two new members, bass player Catherine Popper and guitarist Benny Yurco. But for listeners who had been following the band since it first hit the jam-band circuit in the early 2000s, the second change might have been even more difficult to fathom: the switch to a more fashion-forward look than what she calls the scene\u2019s traditional \u201cjeans, T-shirts and mud-boots\u201d style. \u201cI had been sensing we needed a change in that respect, and I really wanted to bump it up a notch,\u201d says Potter, 28, whose onstage look and sound were already distinguished by her distinctive Flying V guitars and Hammond B-3 organ. \u201cI felt like the music we were making had a lot more swagger, a lot more sexuality. I wanted our visuals to reflect that.\u201d<\/p>\n For Potter, the instinct for image wasn\u2019t as new as it seemed. \u201cPeople misunderstand that sometimes because we changed so much so fast,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I was younger I wanted to be a production designer, set designer or a costume designer in the movie industry. And I treat my music very much like a screenplay.\u201d That feel for the cinematic is brought to the fore on the group\u2019s fourth and latest studio effort, The Lion the Beast the Beat<\/em>. \u201cI decided I didn\u2019t want things compartmentalized or done in sections,\u201d explains Potter, who co-produced with Jim Scott and the Black Keys\u2019 Dan Auerbach. \u201cI really had a widescreen vision for this album.\u201d<\/p>\n So Potter hit the highway, spending several weeks driving, listening and thinking about the connections among the new songs. \u201cI needed to feel there was a story there, that there was a reason why the songs are in the order they are,\u201d says Potter. \u201cWe actually ended up tracking the album in the order that the songs appear.\u201d Potter spoke to us about her new music, her musical roots and the importance of having a decent meal on the road.<\/p>\n Did you have a template for Lion<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes and no. There are a lot of albums\u2014from Led Zeppelin to Arcade Fire\u2014that are cohesive pieces of work and pay tribute to the album as an art form. I wasn\u2019t listening to a lot of music as we were making this album, but those albums had soaked into my subconscious. The artists I most respect seem to make albums with connections between songs. Bruce Springsteen\u2019s Nebraska <\/em>comes to mind. I\u2019m really good when someone gives me a focal point to work from. I can write a song that falls into place as part of that puzzle. But when you\u2019re inventing from scratch, it\u2019s like trying to make a souffl\u00e9 with no ingredients specified. So I didn\u2019t have a template. And that may have been a problem, initially.<\/p>\n How did you solve it?<\/strong><\/p>\n I listened to my instincts. The music was great from the start\u2014the band always makes everything sound real and truthful. But the lyrics and the story needed to be woven together. The patches of the quilt were there, but they weren\u2019t sewn together properly. I needed to find that thread.<\/p>\n Why co-produce?<\/strong><\/p>\n I felt a special responsibility to the project to not just kick my feet up and say, \u201cGreat, if the producer says it\u2019s good, it\u2019s good.\u201d I didn\u2019t want someone to come in and own us, to try and make us be what they wanted us to be. I used the term \u201cexecutive engineer\u201d a lot when I was explaining the type of\u00a0co-producer I was looking for. I wanted someone who could make the music sound as epic as I wanted it to sound while also being collaborative and being comfortable with that. A lot of producers have big egos and want to do their own thing. The moment I met Jim Scott, I got a Zen vibe. He\u00a0was very respectful of the vision I had for the album. And working with Dan Auerbach was one of my dream collaborations. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world seeing\u00a0those three songs I did with him come to fruition. There was a lot of love and collaboration on this album.<\/p>\n What did you hear growing up?<\/strong><\/p>\n My parents raised me on what I thought was modern pop, but later I learned it was several decades old\u2014Jethro Tull, Spooky Tooth, Steeleye Span, King Crimson, the Band, Joni Mitchell, Delaney & Bonnie, Clapton, the Beatles. I loved the Kinks, especially their songs about food. (laughs<\/em>) Pop music took a bit of a nosedive in the \u201980s. I think my parents said, \u201cScrew it. We\u2019re going to keep playing the old records we like until some good music comes back around.\u201d<\/p>\n How did you discover the B-3?<\/strong><\/p>\n The guys in the band introduced me to it. Of course I knew about it\u2014Billy Preston was always one of my heroes\u2014but it was a mysterious instrument. I found it intriguing. It was something I didn\u2019t understand as a kid. I would think, \u201cWhat\u2019s making that sound? It\u2019s not quite church music, not quite rock\u00a0\u2019n\u2019 roll.\u201d It was present in a lot of songs I loved, like \u201cShanghai Noodle Factory\u201d by Traffic. Finally in 2004 the band said, \u201cGrace, we love that you play the piano and you\u2019ve got killer chops, but you can\u2019t just be one of those girls tinkling away at the ivory keys. That\u2019s not you. You need an instrument that\u2019s as loud as you are.\u201d And they were right. So they surprised me on my birthday with a 1973 Hammond Porta-B3.<\/p>\n How do you prepare for a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n We huddle and talk through the songs, and I make sure everyone\u2019s comfortable with the set list. We do a lot of physical things\u2014stretching, dancing and running in place. We watch DVDs of Iggy Pop performances to get psyched up and try to get into character. Onstage you need to be impervious to the outside world. You\u2019re playing for the crowd, in front of the crowd\u2014but in a sense you\u2019re also in<\/em> the crowd. And you need to learn how to behave accordingly.<\/p>\n How important is the set list?<\/strong><\/p>\n A show is like a movie. I want to present the full emotional spectrum\u2014ballads and heartbreakers and tears. I think it\u2019s important to take it down in a set, but then of course we love to rock and thrash around. Finding that balance is something I take seriously.<\/p>\n Who inspires you as a performer?<\/strong><\/p>\n I love what Mick Jagger does. I like how he gets into that childlike state where embarrassment isn\u2019t an issue. I also love Robert Plant and Iggy Pop. Iggy Pop took his cue from soul artists. Early on he was digging on artists like Otis Redding. His attempts at dance moves came from watching James Brown, which, of course when Iggy does it, looks hilarious. It\u2019s important not to be concerned about looking cool. I sometimes look like an idiot onstage, but that\u2019s precisely the reason people believe me. Trying to look cool while singing from the heart is really strange. Those two things don\u2019t go together.<\/p>\n How about women?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s harder to cite women who can lose themselves in the moment. Women are by nature more in control of their physicality. I am too, but I love losing it. Losing yourself is an important component of being onstage. It\u2019s just as important as composure. Whenever I\u2019m composed onstage that comes from watching someone like Aretha Franklin, who can just stand there. She didn\u2019t need to shake it in order to get attention. Adele is someone who can also do that. I admire that, I just don\u2019t necessarily aspire to it.<\/p>\n What would surprise fans about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m healthier than people think I am. What you put into your body when you\u2019re out on the road can predict whether it\u2019s going to be a good night or a bad night. I\u2019m into cooking and nutrition. That\u2019s one way I show the people around me how much I care about them\u2014by cooking for them. I have a hot plate and ask the guys what they\u2019re in the mood for. It\u2019s also a meditative thing to do before and after the shows. It brings us together and reminds us we\u2019re a family. Good health is a major factor in maintaining this lifestyle. I don\u2019t smoke, though I enjoy a nice glass of wine here and there. I want to be doing this when I\u2019m 80.<\/p>\n Potter\u2019s Hammond B-3 rig reflects the rambunctious attitude she brings to her music. \u201cI have a Leslie 122 cabinet\u2014a nice loud one,\u201d she says. \u201cI also have a Hammond X-77, with a solid-state version of the Leslie, that\u2019s crazy loud. I use that one in the studio when I want to crunch out the sound.\u201d She also plays a vintage 1974 Yamaha CP-70 onstage. \u201cIt\u2019s an electric piano, but it\u2019s as analog as\u00a0an electric piano gets.\u201d<\/p>\n Potter\u2019s main guitar is a Gibson\u00a0Flying V\u2014in fact, the company recently issued a signature model in her name. \u201cI had been joking about doing a signature guitar with them for a long time,\u201d she says, \u201cnever thinking they might actually roll with that. I love the<\/p>\n Flying V. The weight distribution is great for dancing. The way it hangs off my neck even when I\u2019m not playing it is very comfortable onstage. The signature version is exceptionally beautiful. I\u2019ve been playing the prototype, which makes me nervous because I bang things up pretty bad on the road.\u201d Potter wrote several songs on the new album on acoustic guitar. \u201cI have a Gibson Hummingbird and a Gibson Dove, as well as a gorgeous 12-string that Gibson customized for me,\u201d she says. Her main vocal microphone at the moment is a Shure Beta 58-A. \u201cI\u2019m trying to find that perfect wireless microphone that lets me run around and do what I do without looking like Madonna,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Grace Potter and the Nocturnals couldn\u2019t be more proud of their native Vermont, which is why last year they founded the\u00a0Grand Point North music festival in Burlington. \u201cThe festival name has the same initials as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, which is no accident,\u201d Potter says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about showing people where we\u2019re from\u2014about inviting fans from out of state to come and see this wonderful place. The performers have a great view, looking out over Lake Champlain. Last year we had Fitz & the Tantrums, and \u00a0Taj Mahal and Kenny Chesney showed up. More than 7,000 people attended. I just want to share Burlington with the world.\u201d This year\u2019s two-day musical event is set for Sept. 14 and 15, and will include two headlining sets from Potter and company as well as appearances by the Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, Galactic and many more. For more information go\u00a0to grandpointnorth.com.<\/p>\n GRACE POTTER She and her Nocturnals look a little more glam, but they\u2019re grittier than ever \u00a0 By Russell Hall\u00a0 Back in 2010, fans of Grace Potter and the\u00a0Nocturnals had a couple of big changes to deal with. First there were two new members, bass player Catherine Popper and guitarist Benny Yurco. But for listeners […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,3805],"tags":[2391,3824,3835,3817,3810,3816,305,3838,3842,3831,3829,3830,3806,3834,3836,3843,3825,3820,3826,1984,3823,3811,3809,991,3840,3814,3819,3837,3827,3821,3807,3822,2313,3832,3812,3813,3839,3815,3818,2978,3808,3833,3841,3828],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6610"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6809,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions\/6809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\nTOOLS OF THE TRADE<\/h1>\n
\nNORTHERN EXPOSURE<\/h1>\n
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