GPN rocked the packed crowd at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 4. Here they are performing three new tracks: “Never Go Back,” “The Divide,” and “The Lion The Beast The Beat” from their album of the same name, available June 12!

]]> http://www.gracepotter.com/2012/05/live-from-new-orleans-jazz-fest-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.gracepotter.com/2012/05/grand-point-north-festival-returns-with-special-guests-the-avett-brothers-dr-dog-carolina-chocolate-drops-galactic-sam-roberts-band-nicki-bluhm-the-gramblers-and-many-more/ http://www.gracepotter.com/2012/05/grand-point-north-festival-returns-with-special-guests-the-avett-brothers-dr-dog-carolina-chocolate-drops-galactic-sam-roberts-band-nicki-bluhm-the-gramblers-and-many-more/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 22:06:48 +0000 gpn http://www.gracepotter.com/?p=1479

GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS and Higher Ground are pleased to announce the full lineup for the second annual Grand Point North Festival.  In addition to the Avett Brothers, who were announced previously, Dr. Dog, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Galactic, Sam Roberts Band, and Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers have been added to the main stage bill along with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. Grand Point North Music Festival will take place at Burlington’s idyllic Waterfront Park on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15th.

“We are thrilled about this year’s lineup,” says Potter.  “All the main stage bands have history with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and each band on the second stage, Heloise & The Savoir Faire, Waylon Speed,Gregory Douglass, Ryan Power, Bob Wagner, Brenda, Bow Thayer, and Tooth Ache, represents the local gold and our commitment to showcasing the incredible talent across the state of Vermont.”

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are gearing up for the June 12 release of THE LION  THE BEAST  THE BEAT, the band’s fourth studio album for Hollywood Records.  They’ll celebrate the album’s release with a June 12^th performance of new lead single “Never Go Back” on Good Morning America. The band recently shot a video for the song, which they co-wrote with Dan Auerbach and co-produced by Auerbach and Jim Scott. The clip was directed by Issac Rentz (Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, Lissie).

Grace and the band have also been handpicked for the new season of VH1 Storytellers. The band will share revealing and poignant stories about their music. GPN’s Storytellers episode premieres June 15. Beginning June 2, they’ll kick off a summer stadium tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw following with their own headlining tour this fall.

THE AVETT BROTHERS:

Over the years, the Avett Brothers built up a sizable following based on their rowdy, infectious stage shows. In concert, the high-flying ensemble tears through tunes with unbridled energy, popping banjo and guitar strings right and left while inciting stomping sing-alongs among audiences that appear to know every word. At times they would seemingly create their own subgenre onstage – “punkgrass,” for lack of a better word. This much is for certain: the Avett Brothers are a grassroots phenomenon, built from the ground up.

DR. DOG:

Despite their loyal hometown following, Dr. Dog could have very well remained a Philadelphia phenomenon had lead singer McMicken’s then-girlfriend not slipped a collection of their home recordings to Jim James of My Morning Jacket, who subsequently took the band on their first tour and prepared the way for waves of positive press, earning them opening slots for Wilco and the Raconteurs as well as numerous stints on late night television.

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS:

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have proved that the old-time, fiddle and banjo-based music they’d so scrupulously researched and passionately performed could be a living, breathing, ever-evolving sound. Starting with material culled from the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, they sought to freshly interpret this work, not merely recreate it, highlighting the central role African-Americans played in shaping our nation’s popular music from its beginnings more than a century ago.

GALACTIC:

Galactic is a collaborative band with a unique format. It’s a stable quintet that plays together with high musicianship. They’ve been together so long they’re telepathic. But though the band hasn’t had a lead singer for years, neither is it purely an instrumental group. Galactic is part of a diverse community of musicians; they create something that’s a little like a revue, a virtual show featuring different vocalists and instrumental soloists each taking their turn on stage in the Galactic sound universe.

SAM ROBERTS BAND:

Sam Roberts may call Montreal home, but his music occupies a less definable space: the place between studious intellect and gut reaction; between psychedelic transcendence and the cold, hard truth; between fist-pumping, hockey-lovin’ hellraising and melancholic vulnerability.

NICKI BLUHM & THE GRAMBLERS:

Upon hearing the unique and refreshing sound of Nicki Bluhm, it becomes immediately clear why she is in the midst of a breakout year. Nicki has filled a void in music with her brand of vintage-tinged rocking country soul — music that’s like an enchanting friend you’ve known for a short while but feels like you’ve known forever.

Heloise & The Savoir Faire:

One part theatrical pop, one part post-punk revival, New York’s electro-rock outfit Heloise & the Savior Faire are fronted by charismatic peroxide-blonde singer Heloise Williams, formerly of ViperHouse. Gaining celebrity attention on the strength of their outrageous, neo-disco, spandex-and-glitter performances, the band has recently signed to Elijah Wood’s record label and counts Blondie’s Debbie Harry among their loyal fans.

Waylon Speed:

Ask Waylon Speed what it seeks from its stained-blue-collar, straight-up-from-the-underground rock, and the answer is simple: make people happy. The evidence is at their aim-to-please shows, where audience connection is a priority.

Gregory Douglass:

Douglass’ evocative, alternative sound “channels everyone from Stevie Wonder to Fiona Apple in a way that’s terrifyingly mature for someone so young” according to Instinct Magazine. With seven critically acclaimed, independent CDs under his belt, the 28-year old Vermont native has shared the stage with artists like They Might Be Giants, Third Eye Blind, The Weepies, Jason Mraz, Regina Spektor and Margaret Cho.

Ryan Power:

Born in New Hampshire but currently residing in Burlington, Ryan Power makes stunningly outré pop music imbued with strange funk and damaged soul. His songs are strange and personal, but they’re also universal, steeped in existentialism and groove.

Bob Wagner:

Burlington’s music scene has been indelibly marked by the ubiquitous, talented Bob Wagner who has lent his virtuoso guitar performances to such projects as Josh Panda Band, Honky Tonk Tuesday, and 2011′s Hug Your Farmer benefit for Pete’s Greens. Bob will be leading an all-star local band especially for this event.

Brenda:

Brenda’s sound incorporates clean and concise elements of 1950’s rock n roll, with esoteric and breezy turns that suggest a wide range of influences from John Fahey to Built to Spill. They have played with/ supports such acts as Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Cave Singers, Avi Buffalo, Dr. Dog, Bear In Heaven, Titus Andronicus, Lost Boy?, Deer Tick, Crinkles, Dinowalrus and The Flaming Lips.

Bow Thayer:

Bow Thayer’s music comes from a place that is rooted in the densely forested mountains of central Vermont. The result is a combination of no-nonsense traditionalism and forward-looking individualism that reflects the mythical stories of the people and rugged landscape of that state.

Tooth Ache:

Tooth Ache is Alexandria Hall, a Burlington synthstress phenom with an intimate handle on beat production and pop sensibilities. She has taken her sound to new heights; crisper and heavier than anything she has ventured into before, but still rooted in the spaced-out and emotional fits that have been moving crowds for years.

Time:   Friday gates 4pm, Saturday gates 3pm
Date:  Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15, 2012
Location: Waterfront Park, Burlington, VT
Ages: All ages. Children 12 and under are free.
Tickets: $65 regular 2-day pass, $45 single day tickets (+ applicable fees)
Tickets on sale now!
Purchase:        Online: www.highergroundmusic.com
Charge by phone: 888-512-7469
In person: Higher Ground Box Office, 1214 Williston Rd., S. Burlington

Presented by 104.7 The Point, VPR, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and State of Vermont Tourism, and Ben & Jerry’s.

All events are rain or shine. All dates, acts, and ticket prices subject to change without notice.

www.grandpointnorth.com | www.highergroundmusic.com

Coming off of two incendiary sets at Coachella Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are gearing up for the June 12 release of THE LION THE BEAST THE BEAT, the band’s fourth studio album for Hollywood Records. The band will make a stop at Good Morning America on release day to perform their new single “Never Go Back.” Fans can watch a recent stunning performance of the song from The Ellen DeGeneres Show below:

Grace and the band have also been handpicked for the new season of VH1 Storytellers, along with Jason Mraz, Jill Scott and Norah Jones. The band will share revealing and poignant stories about their music. GPN’s Storytellers episode will premiere on June 15.

While the band hits the road for a string of warm-up dates leading up to the June 2 kick-off of their summer stadium tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, they’ve also begun the groundwork for their second annual Grand Point North festival, a musical celebration set amid the unspoiled natural beauty of their home state of Vermont. The GPN fest, which will once again take place at Waterfront Park in Burlington, is set for the weekend of Sept.14-15. The Avett Brothers are the first band booked; the full lineup will be announced in May. Regular two-day passes $65, single-day tickets are $45 (plus applicable fees). Order HERE and visit the SHOWS page to find out when GPN will be in your area this spring and summer.

GPN aficionados and other hardcore fans will be delighted to learn that Grace and the band have prepared a special limited-edition piece for Record Store Day. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Live From The Legendary Sun Studio, which will be available on vinyl and CD, contains seven original songs recorded in 2008 and 2009. “Night Rolls On,” “Outta My Tree,” “Sugar,” and “Put Your Head Down” (which comprise Side One of the vinyl release) were recorded in January 2008 for the Live From Sun Studio TV show that airs nationally on PBS. GPN was the very first band to be featured on that program. “One Short Night,” “Can’t See Through,” and “Fooling Myself” were cut in June 2009. Except “One Short Night” and “Fooling Myself,” these songs have not been previously released,  though the band has broken out some of the others on occasion in concert.

“We wanted the songs to be unfamiliar,” Grace explains. “We didn’t want to give people different versions of songs they already knew. So we went with a bunch of B-sides and forgotten tunes. I wanted to call the record Bastard Songs From Sun Studio, but that got shot down, not surprisingly.”

GPN made a pilgrimage to Sun when they played Memphis during their very first tour outside the Northeast. “I was obsessed with the place, so I paid the 30 bucks to go into the vocal booth and sing ‘Love Me Tender,’” Grace recalls. “It was only two or three years later that they called us to ask if we wanted to come in and record—we were the first band invited to perform there for the PBS series. When we got there, the guy behind the counter recognized me. He said, ‘This is crazy, because I was telling everyone about this girl that came in and sang a crazy-good “Love Me Tender”!’ So Sun has a lot of history for us.”

GPN melted the desert crowd with their sweltering set during weekend 1 of 2 at Coachella! Here they are performing “Nothing But The Water” and “Medicine.”

Tickets on sale now! Purchase here.

Higher Ground and GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS are pleased to present the second annual GRAND POINT NORTH FESTIVAL at Burlington’s Waterfront Park on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15th. Gates open at 3pm both days.

Burning up the music scene with sold out concerts across the county, making guest appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman and Conan, blowing minds on VH1’s Divas – everywhere you turn, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are proving they are a force to be reckoned with. Fresh from the studio after recording their latest full-length album, The Lion The Beast The Beat, co-produced by Potter, Jim Scott, & The Black Keys Dan Auerbach, the band is primed and ready to return to their beloved home state of Vermont.

On April 14 and 21, GPN will make their first-ever appearance at Coachella, which expands to two weekends this year. On June 2, the band will embark on the “Brothers of the Sun” Tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. GPN’s inclusion on the tour was a result of Grace’s duet with Chesney on their Grammy-nominated and CMA Award-winning single and video “You and Tequila,” which was certified platinum for sales of over one million downloads.

“I’m thrilled to announce that we’ll be bringing the Grand Point North Music Festival back to the Burlington Waterfront! We cut our teeth playing music festivals – but the waterfront is truly one of the most spectacular places we’ve ever performed. We invite you to join us in celebrating a glorious weekend of music & revelry with our dear friends The Avett Brothers! No matter how far away we go, there’s no place like home.” Potter says.

Related show

• Artist: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Tour: GPN Fest 2012
• Date: Friday, September 14th 2012
• Time: 4:00pm
• City: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in Burlington, VT
• Venue: Grand Point North Festival
• Country: United States
• Admission: $65
• Age restrictions: All Ages
• Box office: 888-512-7469
• Buy tickets
• Notes: Tickets on sale now: $65 2-day pass, $45 1-day pass. Children 12 & under are free.
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

• Artist: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Tour: GPN Fest 2012
• Date: Saturday, September 15th 2012
• Time: 3:00pm
• City: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in Burlington, VT
• Venue: Grand Point North Festival
• Country: United States
• Admission: $65
• Age restrictions: All Ages
• Box office: 888-512-7469
• Buy tickets
• Notes: Tickets on sale now: $65 2-day pass, $45 1-day pass
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

In case you missed GPN on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, here they are performing “Never Go Back,” off The Lion The Beast The Beat, arriving June 12!

The Lion The Beast The Beat, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ fourth studio album for Hollywood Records, will be released June 12. The musically powerful and conceptually dazzling work was produced by Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco, the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 2012 Grammy winner Revelator) and Potter at Scott’s studio PLYRZ in Santa Clarita, CA, with the exception of “Loneliest Soul,” which was produced by Dan Auerbach, written by Auerbach and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and engineered by Collin Dupuis at Easy Eye Sounds in Nashville, TN.  David Campbell (Beck, My Morning Jacket, Jackson Browne) arranged and conducted the strings on the album. The album was mixed by fellow Vermonter and Grammy award winner Rich Costey (Foo Fighters, TV on the Radio, Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball) and mastered by Grammy award winner Bob Ludwig (David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Foo Fighters).

The first single from The Lion The Beast The Beat is “Never Go Back,” written by Dan Auerbach and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. The track goes to radio on March 23 for an April 9 impact date. GPN’s debut performance of “Never Go Back” is set for April 5 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A companion video for the track will be shot in Los Angeles in April.  Go to Rollingstone.com for an exclusive first listen of “Never Go Back.”

On April 14 and 21, GPN will make their first-ever appearance at Coachella, which expands to two weekends this year.  On June 2, the band will embark on the “Brothers of the Sun” Tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.  GPN’s inclusion on the tour was a result of Grace’s duet with Chesney on their Grammy® and CMA Award-winning single and video “You and Tequila,” which was certified platinum for sales of over one million downloads.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are nearing completion of their fourth studio album for Hollywood Records, which will bear the title The Lion The Beast The Beat. The envelope-pushing new LP plays with reoccurring themes and big ideas.  “I think there’s a Lion and a Beast within all of us – as humans. There’s also true goodness, and the appearance of goodness…” says Grace. “Maybe I’ve watched too much Mad Men, but I’m in love with the idea of a story with no heroes and no villains. I’ve never really even dipped my toes in the whole ‘concept album’ thing, but these themes just kept creeping into all the new songs and I didn’t fight it. I decided to embrace it.”

Among the song titles are “Stars,” “The Divide,” “Steady,” “Parachute Heart,” “Never Go Back,” and “Loneliest Soul,” both co-written with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and the title track “The Lion The Beast The Beat.”

“Each song stands upright on its own, but these songs really belong to this album. The way we’ve always made records is to put together a list of 30 or so songs, pick the best ones, throw them together and hope it congeals. I didn’t wanna do that this time. I came up with the track order before we recorded so we could really bring you in and out of these songs like scenes in a movie. I want to bring the listener into our weird fantasy and keep them there.”

The Lion The Beast The Beat has the scale of rock, the intimacy of blues, the wistfulness of country, and the imagination of psychedelia all tied together by an indelible voice. Grace can take you to church or the roadhouse, Nashville or Los Angeles, the penthouse or the pavement (or the barn) all in one phrase, and the band has the power and finesse to compliment her at every turn.

Potter co-produced the album with renowned studio artist Jim Scott. The band tracked the album live at PLYRZ, Scott’s studio in Santa Clarita, CA, far from the distractions of Hollywood. “When I first met Jim, I knew I wanted to make this record with him. He totally gets us,” says Grace.  “He brought the perfect balance of sonic integrity and laid-back finesse.  He clearly knows the ‘Zen Dance’ from many years with Rick Rubin and the countless records that he’s been a part of.  His knowledge of working with bands runs so deep, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Wilco to Tedeschi-Trucks…Then we get to his studio, which is an F.A.O. Schwartz of vintage gear. I mean, the dude has enough drum sets for every single band member to play their own kit together, which we did—we’d go caveman apes**t every night before we left the studio.”

The Lion The Beast The Beat also contains the fruits of GPN’s collaboration with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Auerbach co-wrote and recorded with the band in his Nashville studio in the midst of the pre-production, resulting in the songs “Never Go Back” and “Loneliest Soul.”  Firing up his plethora of vintage amps, analog drum loops and “crazy kaleidoscope percussion,” as Grace puts it. “Dan has really hit his stride as a musician and a producer, making epic music the whole world is loving,” she says. “It was great to jump on his train for a few days and just let-a-rip.”

In April, the band will make their first-ever appearance at Coachella. “It’s great that we got invited. I love that it’s the first year they’re doing two identical weekends!  I mean, who doesn’t want more of something great? It’s so right-on that they’re letting the party continue on. Most of the people who are gonna be there have no idea who we are. We’re fearless onstage, and I think Coachella is will be the perfect setting for us to be just that. And we’ll definitely unveil enough of the new stuff. I’m so looking forward to giving these songs life onstage.”

Following Coachella, GPN will embark on a summer stadium tour with co-headliners Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, a pairing inspired by Grace’s duet with Chesney on their CMA Award-winning single and video “You and Tequila,” which is also up for multiple Grammy and ACM awards and was recently certified platinum for sales of over one million downloads. Grace is fully aware of the fact that a good number of those in attendance will think she’s a country artist, and she fully intends to disabuse them of that notion.

“I’m sure there will be some people who come to the show thinking they’ll see that blonde from the Kenny Chesney video and they get me,” she says with a laugh. “But I love taking people by surprise, and as much as we take things out into deep space onstage, elements of country and roots music have been in my songwriting since the very beginning. Besides, I think today’s country fans like to rock, and we’re gonna find a way to fulfill our dream of tastefully straddling rock ’n’ roll and country.

As if Potter didn’t already have enough good things happening in her career, Gibson is working with her on the  Grace Potter Signature Flying V, which she designed herself in partnership with the guitar maker’s luthiers. “A rep from Gibson brought it to the studio last week and it was way better than any Christmas morning I’ve ever had. He told me that Gibson has only issued one other Signature electric guitar for a woman, and that was Joan Jett. I didn’t realize just how big a deal it was until I opened up the case and looked at it. It’s beautiful to look at – but more importantly, it sounds badass.”

All signs suggest that 2012 will be the year Grace Potter & the Nocturnals take it to the next level, validating years of nonstop roadwork and fulfilling their immense promise, commercially and artistically. And The Beat goes on…

The official lineup for the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has been announced, and GPN is one of the featured bands! Due to overwhelming demand in years past, the desert fest is being held over two consecutive weekends (April 13-15 and April 20-22), as two separate but identical events, giving more fans the chance to attend. Tickets will be available soon, so visit Coachella.com often and grab your passes before they’re gone!