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Words by: Ann Svilar | Images by: Josh Miller & Dave Vann
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals :: 11.14.08 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
With a voice like Patty Griffin, a lively temperament like Ani DiFranco and a blues edge reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter is a performer that's set to impress. She isn't the traditional sex kitten you see in pop culture. A little hippie and a little country, Friday night at The Independent, Potter's tight pants were Wranglers and her heels were cowboy boots. Take her out of the limelight and Grace Potter could be your cousin at the Thanksgiving table. But rumors flutter about the young girl with the amazing voice, and I'll tell you why. She has rock star essence, and she's talented at both guitar and keyboards. All looks and star power aside, Potter is just really good at what she does, and talent is sexy.
Onstage Potter is both wild and sweet, and she chose similar attributes for an opening band. The best thing about Ezra Furman & The Harpoons was just that – their youthful energy. Furman & The Harpoons reek of so much youth that it makes you want to pinch their sweet faces, throw them on your knee and ask, "Are you really old enough to get in this bar?" But it is that boyish charm that could carry the Boston based trio really far. They have only been a band since 2006, and they are already opening up shows at places like The Independent. Friday The Harpoons had special plastic lawn additions onstage. A goose named "Mortimer," who is also pictured as a member of the band on their MySpace page sat stage right, and there was an owl tucked in the corner on a speaker stage left, showing The Harpoons' good humor. Barely restrained, Furman and company were part straightforward flannel clad rock and part Modest Mouse-esque modern rock, all silly shirts and whiney voices. Lead singer Ezra Furman had an expressive but also catatonic intensity reminiscent of other good frontmen like David Byrne. Furman is a stage owner, singing, playing guitar and harmonica. He is the obvious center and writer of this band, which also consists of Job Mukkada (bass) and Adam Abrutyn (drums).
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons classify their music as "Acoustic, Indie and Folk." Rock & roll definitely should be added to that list, with even a hint of jam band here and there. They are really good at smooth transitions within songs and often funny with their lyrics. At one point Furman screamed, "My heart is beating," as if we'd forget at any other volume. Another highlight was a waltz they played towards the end of the night, inspiring people to dance, albeit in a silly way.
 Grace Potter :: 11.14 by Miller |
I had no idea that Grace Potter was such a keys-heavy girl. Rocking a Hammond B-3, piano and other keyboards, she moved back and forth, shaking her short, dirty blonde mane of hair out of her face as she played "Mastermind," a bluesy, simple song with big basic chords that started off slow and then sped up into a rock song at the chorus. Next was "Treat Me Right." Though Potter can be packaged as rock 'n' roll or jam, it's songs like "Treat Me Right" that prove Potter can fit into the rockin' blues shoes worn by artists like Susan Tedeschi. But, Potter isn't willing to be put in a pure blues box no matter how much she seems to like it there, and The Nocturnals busted out heavy rock 'n' roll hit, "Paint It Black" by the rock gods themselves, The Rolling Stones. Potter was on the keys but barely in her seat.
When asked in an interview with OurStage Productions when she knew she had a rock band, Potter gives credit where credit is due. "Having The Nocturnals kind of gives me a kick in the ass and gets things going. When you have a band that's as powerful as they are, it would be very ridiculous if I was still singing soft, gentle love songs all night long." The Nocturnals consist of Scott Tournet (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Bryan Dondero (bass, vocals) and Matt Burr (drums, vocals). They are the other part to Grace Potter's fame. They are a steady rock band with often epic guitar sequences. Grace Potter alone could be powerful (and successful) in the singer-songwriter world that is so overdone with females in this industry, but her band seems to light her up and it comes across that she appreciates having these specific musicians with her.
Midway through the set, Potter took a quiet moment to play "Apologies," a song that begs people to remember the complications that even real love has in store. Strong and driven by the piano, the lights were low and the mood was soft, with the expressions in Potter's voice both touching and pained. Potter is only 25 but she has seen enough living to write ballads like this one.
The blues are about soul, and so is really good rock 'n' roll. It's not just the chords being played. It's not just the composition of the songs. It's not just the lyrics that speak to the feelings in the listener. It's all of these things combined and then some. The "then some" is the spirit behind the people playing the music. If you want to go see a good example of what soulful rock 'n' roll looks and sounds like, go see Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Both wild and sweet, they kill it.
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 Ezra Furman & the Harpoons
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Continue reading for pics of Grace Potter on Saturday night...
Images by: Dave Vann
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals :: 11.15.08 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
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