three cups full of bottled lightning

Excellent - helps capture the intensity of the live show. East Pleasant has also done work for JT and Makers Mark. Two brands that have been referenced recently in the GPN world.

Is this scheduled to be pushed in some way? We can hope.

Lengthy, thoughtful reviews of both shows that includes extended riffs on The Leaves and Jen Crowell and the Woods Vehicle.

In an era where music gets separated and classified into highly specific genres, it’s slightly comical that a straightforward rock and roll band like Potter & The Nocturnals falls between categories. If they had come around a generation earlier, no such confusion would occur, as they would have fit in nicely with the earthy, rootsy rock bands of the time. In today’s world, people seem to struggle with how to describe a band that consists of a lovely and charming lead singer who plays a devastatingly gorgeous Hammond B3, a guitarist who can expertly deliver the blues as well as reach the melodious heights of guitar geniuses like Roy Buchanan, a bassist who can subtly work the power chords of classic rock without overwhelming the entire sound and a drummer who gets more out of his sparse drum set than most drummers do with a kit twice the size. However you want to characterize them, the New Hampshire shows left no doubt that by defying people’s expectations of what they should be, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are one formidable, entertaining and exciting band.

I won’t quote all the praise the writer heaps on the band - please read the whole piece yourself.

With all the touring the band has been doing over the past several years, Potter has completed a large number of songs that haven’t made it onto an album yet. “I am always writing. I like writing without thinking about where it’s going to go. We probably have 30 or more songs that are in various states and aren’t on one of our albums. Some are done, some are in pieces, and some are just plain bad,” she chuckled. “They are my little orphan songs.”

Those “orphan songs” may be on their own for now but they were born by a good mother who counts among her primary influences The Godfather of Grunge. “Neil Young has been a huge influence on me. Even back when I was doing solo gigs on my tinkery little piano in a coffee house I was playing ‘Old Man’ and songs from Harvest. As the band grew, I got way more into the Crazy Horse stuff and got very excited about the idea that there is a way to be dynamic and tasteful and still really hard edged. I love the line that Neil walks between nervous breakdown and total consciousness. That’s been my mantra in writing songs. I try to keep that balance at all times.”

from an article by Timothy Dwenger.

Read the whole article here.

via the comments section

MPBN has posted the audio of the GPN set at the Skowhegan Opera House in its entirety (with a couple of photos courtesy of Maine fan Alan Holbrook) on this page:

http://www.mpbn.net/mainelive/index.html

Per MPBN’s agreement with GPN’s management, this audio is available only in Streaming Audio format (NOTE: Windows Media Player required) and will remain on MPBN’s web site for 30 days. We will take down the audio on July 30, but until then you can listen as many times as you wish, free of charge.

I’d like to go on record and thank the kind folks at MPBN for broadcasting this live.

As I sit here listening on my headphones to this show all I can say is, wow. This band is really in a live groove on this show. Listen to the double whammy of “Tonight’s The Night” followed by the slashing guitar lead on “Over Again” (one of my personal faves) to understand what it’s all about.

Intro
Sugar
Here’s To The Meantime
Joey
Mastermind
Treat Me Right
Stop The Bus
Thank You’s
Can’t See Through > Ragged Company
Ah, Mary
Ain’t No Time
Apologies
Nothing But The Water
Tonight’s The Night
Over Again
Crowd
Angel Band
Big White Gate

Tape and upload courtesy of SmokinJoe @ archive.org. This show is a keeper.

While we all await the appearance of the live stream from Skowhegan’s show on Friday night - I’d like to share this edited stream from the middle of last year. Stellar acoustics and marvelous renditions of three songs.

“Mountain Stage”

Media is beginning to creep in, a few from Kired below. The live stream sounded fantastic, kudos to the sound techs for GPN and the folks from MPBN. I’m excited to hear the download.

“Here’s To The Meantime”

“Animal Kicking It”

I think it’s supposed to be here at just before 8PM but, nothing yet. Is this right?

Bingo, this is the right link. I’m streaming now.

Great great show, thanks.

From the Bangor Daily News.

“I don’t know as there even is really a jam scene. I think it’s just a brotherhood of bands that are road warriors. That are willing to stay out on the road all year long,” said Potter, 24. “You make appearances at festivals, and the tie-dyes are gonna show up. But unlike other scenes, the jam scene has embraced all kinds of people. Older fans that are in their 60s now, with record collections that kick the ass of any intern at Rolling Stone, are totally digging on it.”

Our Maine friends can speak out but, having lived there for eight years myself I’ll chime in. Mainers really appreciate their entertainment. Here’s to a great show in Skowhegan.

We’ve finally got a bit of video from Q&A session that the band participated in back in Lebanon, NH.

The band was asked about touring and life on the road - how are they handling the strain. Grace quoted Robbie Robertson by saying “It’s a goddamn impossible way of life” (from “The Last Waltz”) then followed it up with this . . .

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Lebanon, NH Q&A - Touring from K Cortez on Vimeo.

If you remember, the “This is Episode 3″ brought up the looming specter of a vocal problem for Grace. Here’s the hilarious response to that one.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Lebanon, NH Q&A - Voice Worries from K Cortez on Vimeo.

Robbie Robertson quote from the Last Waltz after the jump
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