Grace Potter

Grace Potter is another in a long line of opening acts that have gone on to do great things. She and her band The Nocturnals opened for Assembly of Dust for a string of shows at some point in the last few years when they were first making a splash on the scene. We were happy to have them on the bill for a couple reasons: they had a great buzz, and they lived up to it. They write great songs and play with a maturity well beyond their years. I think what makes their performances so mature is actually what they don’t play. They leave a lot of space and let their songs breathe, which may very well be the hardest thing to do as a band.

It turns out Grace and the boys are all from Vermont, so we had a shared bond. Being from Vermont (I am a transplant) is like being from Texas. There is a real sense of pride in the state. Also, there aren’t a ton of touring musicians from Vermont, so we all feel a certain connection.

Grace actually used to come see my old band Strangefolk when she was a teenager, so I think she had a sense of excitement and pride in being on the gigs, and we just hit it off. She is a very attractive woman but she is also a bit of a tom boy. She can definitely hold her own in a room full of ill-shaven half-drunk rockers. She drives the conversation, spins tall yarns, and can tell a dirty joke with the best of them.

In the years since that string of gigs I have had a similar sense of pride in seeing Grace Potter and The Nocturnals take the national stage. Grace is so naturally musical and such a charismatic woman, and the band is fantastic. From what I can tell they have a real family vibe – in fact I think they all live together on some hippie compound in Vermont. By all rights, Grace Potter should be remembered as one of the great women of rock – she certainly has the talent, the drive, and the looks – only time will tell.