You Oughta Know : Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

For five years, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals has been a self-sufficient touring unit: hammering it out on stages large and small, playing hundreds of shows a year, and impressing audiences throughout the U.S. The band's destiny began when lead singer, songwriter, and Hammond B-3 player Grace Potter met drummer Matt Burr in 2002 while where both were attending St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Potter embarked on a homemade solo project titled Original Soul a couple of years later, recorded with the help of Burr and Scott Tournet on guitar. Soon after, the trio decided to form Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and released the band's first homespun effort, Nothing But the Water (2005). A major label deal with Hollywood Records followed, and Nothi... More»

For five years, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals has been a self-sufficient touring unit: hammering it out on stages large and small, playing hundreds of shows a year, and impressing audiences throughout the U.S. The band's destiny began when lead singer, songwriter, and Hammond B-3 player Grace Potter met drummer Matt Burr in 2002 while where both were attending St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Potter embarked on a homemade solo project titled Original Soul a couple of years later, recorded with the help of Burr and Scott Tournet on guitar. Soon after, the trio decided to form Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and released the band's first homespun effort, Nothing But the Water (2005). A major label deal with Hollywood Records followed, and Nothing But The Water was reissued for wider distribution in 2006. The debut album amassed a lot of critical acclaim thanks to its sturdy throwback rootsy sound and Potter's impressive vocal work, which drew comparisons to everyone from Janis Joplin to Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt. A sophomore effort, This Is Somewhere, dropped in 2007. While the record further evolved the band's sound, it was new additions to the band's lineup that took them to the next level. The current five-piece unit came together during the spring of 2009, when they were asked to cover some songs from the late 1960s for the VH1 documentary Woodstock: Then and Now soon after the departure of bass player, Bryan Dondero. Potter, Tournet and Burr contacted bassist Catherine Popper at the suggestion of a mutual friend, and, after bringing down Benny Yurco from Vermont to add a second guitar, the fated configuration was complete. In 2010, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals was released. Produced by heavy-hitter Mark Batson (Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce, and Alicia Keys), the album's feisty sound and tight songwriting reflect a group ready to pull out all the stops to break out as a top-charting act.«Less