By Jim Stanford on February 6, 2008
Tonight, the Mangy Moose Saloon kicks off a two-week spree of great music with one of the hottest young bands in America, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
The Vermont-based quartet has created quite a buzz by touring the festival circuit and opening for Taj Mahal, Trey Anastasio and Government Mule, among others. The group also has performed on “The Tonight Show” and “Good Morning America.”
Potter, 24, sings and plays guitar and Hammond B-3 organ. She is known for her beautiful, bluesy voice, but don’t expect Lilith Fair. Her band flat-out rocks.
As I wrote a few weeks back, I’ve been hearing about Grace Potter from friends who have seen her play everywhere from Bonnaroo to Newport to Austin, and the last time I heard such enthusiastic reviews about a band I had to see, it was Dave Matthews.
The group’s sound is rooted in the classics. Potter has drawn comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams, but the way she cracks the whip on her latest album, This is Somewhere, is more reminiscent of Janice Joplin.
She and her mates — guitarist Scott Tournet, bassist Bryan Dondero and drummer Matt Burr — cite The Band, Little Feat and Neil Young among their heroes.
Last month the group opened for Galactic, which visits the Mangy Moose on Feb. 12. Galactic saxman Ben Ellman and drummer Stanton Moore joined Potter for a rousing “Whole Lotta Love,” and the two bands collaborated on Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” near the end of the show.
Grace is the younger sister of Jackson artist Charlotte Potter, a glass blower and ex-waitress at the Brew Pub. Their father also is an artist, and his involvement in the hanging of a giant American flag on New York’s Triboro Bridge for the American bicentennial in 1976 provided the cover art for This is Somewhere.
Opening for Potter at the Moose is Brandi Shearer, a singer-songwriter raised in rural Oregon who moved to Hungary and France to hone her sound. Read more about her and listen to her music here.
Every now and then, we have a chance to see musicians perform in Jackson Hole on the trajectory to stardom — DMB’s 1995 concert at Snow King, for example. Tonight could be such a gig.
Posted under mangy moose, music, rock
So jealous!!! Grace Potter is one of my favorite up and coming artists… and Jackson is one of my favorite places. Thought no one had heard of her, but its about time they did!
The second half of this show absolutely ripped! A review is forthcoming.
Brandi Shearer did not open, contrary to the billing on the Moose web site.
The Jackson band Boondocks opened.