By: David Schultz

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are slowly changing whatever rules are supposed to apply to the anarchic world of rock and roll. In Austin, they performed a true but "illegal" encore while the venue staff tried to shut down the stage, at last year's Jammy awards, the lovely lead singer celebrated the band's New Groove Of The Year award by stealing the spotlight from Steve Kimock and Joe Satriani on a smoldering cover of "Cortez The Killer" and last week, they enticed this Manhattan based writer to abandon his "no Brooklyn" policy to come see them perform in the County of Kings. After playing a free show at Grand Central Terminal for the second year in a row as part of the Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, Grace & The Nocturnals migrated to the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York for a midnight show within the earthy confines of Southpaw.



In every sense of the word, Grace Potter is evolving into a true rock star. While on the Southpaw stage, the audience hung on her every word and focused on her every movement. Even when she's working the room blue, cursing a bit like a longshoreman, all she has to do is flash her innocent winsome smile and she's once again everyone's All-American girl. Don't be misled though, beneath Potter's girl-next-door sweetness lies a lusty soul which found expression this night in the lyrics of "Treat Me Right" and "Watching You." Plus, there may be few sexier sights than Potter shaking a tambourine while Scott Tournet (guitar), Brian Dondero (bass) and Matt Burr (drums) lay down a tightly-mixed jam for her and the rest of the crowd to get their groove going. A mid show run through "Stop The Bus" provided a microcosm of the group's dynamic: Dondero worked the lower registers, walking through some intricate bass lines, Tournet played on the higher ranges and Burr plowed the beat through the middle.

With Potter starting the night at her keyboards, (she plays a mean Hammond organ as well), they opened with a cover of Neil Young's "Tonight's The Night," subtly enhancing the song with their own personality to make it more of an invitation to fun than a cautionary drug abuse tale. From there, the ninety minutes featured material from their upcoming album This Is Somewhere, which will be released August 7th. "Mr. Columbus" and "Ah Mary" (which has a nicely understated socio-political subtext) continue the rootsy vibe they explored on their debut album, Nothing But The Water, but "Apologies," a saccharine ballad more apropos for pop radio, falls flat, especially given what GP&TN are capable of delivering. Refusing to beat the warhorses that have become staples of their live sets, the band gives them new life, best exemplified by their smoking rendition of "Nothing But The Water." Potter's impressive a capella plea that opens the song remains untouched, but they've turned the Southern gospel-blues tinged section of the song into a framework for a bluesy jamming featuring nice soloing, including Burr nicely working a drum "duel" with the handclaps of the audience.

Potter's name may sit above the ampersand but this isn't solely her show. With each performance, Scott Tournet develops into a more intriguing guitarist, finding great success by exploring the limits of where their songs can go. When Potter comes out from behind the organ and picks up her guitar, she seems to delight in getting right in Tournet's face, pushing him on. There's a slight edginess to many of the songs and The Nocturnals brilliantly tease out the slight undercurrents of tension lying beneath. As the future seems to looking quite rosy for the Vermont foursome, let's hope they don't lose that edge.

Labels: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Live Reviews