An update directly from GPN to address a few of the inaccuracies of the Jambands article. Following is a quote from Scott Tournet
Just want to go on record saying that making the record with Mark was my favorite recording experience EVER!!! The album will speak for itself. To those worried about the hip-hop/R&B background Mark brings, this album sounds more like GPN than ANY other album…Any influence he brought only made us stronger, but to be honest, Mark just kept on saying…”Im just trying to stay out of the way!!? Just play!!!”…He produced us perfectly.
The rest is a press release with an official date of November 13th.
GRACE POTTER AND THE NOCTURNALS ON TOUR WITH BRETT DENNEN
BAND NEARS COMPLETION OF THIRD ALBUM SET FOR SPRING 2010 RELEASE
This fall has been a busy one for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, who have been splitting their time between recording sessions for their third album for Ragged Company/Hollywood Records and introducing the band’s new five-piece configuration on a string of tour dates that included five incredible performances at this year’s Bonnaroo festival. Catherine Popper (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Norah Jones) is the band’s new bass player, while fellow Vermonter Benny Yurco, who plays in the GPN side project Blues & Lasers with lead guitarist Scott Tournet and Matt Burr, makes the Nocturnals a two-guitar band. Burr continues to anchor GPN on drums. The group has been enjoying “that new-band buzz,” as Grace puts it, since Popper and Yurco came on board. The band kicks off their fall tour with Brett Dennen November 13 in Nashville, TN
The as yet untitled new album, which will be released in spring 2010, had its genesis early in 2009 when Potter and songwriter/producer Mark Batson got together to co-write after they’d been introduced by mutual friends. Grace says of her original motivation for choosing to work with Batson on this album, “I liked the idea of writing with someone who was totally not from my own world.”
“Mark was the first person outside of my band that I’d ever attempted to co write with, and I was excited,” she continues. “We ended up writing one song after another – it was like we could read each other’s minds. He would build drum tracks, basslines and piano chords, and I would write the words and vocal melodies over the top. It was a natural progression, totally organic and magical. I knew he also produced, and after we played Bonnaroo we went into the studio with him for a week to see if we could bring that magic to the band as a whole. When we started laying down tracks, it felt like something really special was happening, and Mark was capturing it. Inside of a week, we had five strong tracks.”
So Potter and her four cohorts continued on their roll in league with Batson, who straddles the worlds of hip-hop/R&B (Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys) and rock (Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5), taking full advantage of the energy the two new players and the writer/producer were bringing to the creative process. They hunkered down at Westlake Studios in L.A. in early September, banging out a dozen tracks in two weeks, for a total of 17. “It was magical” Grace marvels. The biggest remaining challenge will be what to leave off the album, now in its mixing stages.
Songs sure to make the cut: “Colors,” a big ballad inspired by Obama’s election; “Medicine,” which has the distinction of being the first song the band wrote together, and the Batson collaboration “Oasis,” which showcases the band’s newly mounted dual-guitar firepower, as Tournet and Yurco interweave spiraling lines over a refracted groove deftly laid down by Burr and Popper; and “Tiny Light” (another Batson co-write), a powerful song of resilience and hope during dark times. These songs are a few of the highlights of a work that documents a group of exceptional young players in the very act of taking flight – an album that will herald the arrival of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals as a world-class rock ’n’ roll band.
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So what happened with/to T-Bone Burnett and his “magical” touch? It’s like he just disappeared off the face of the earth……Just wondering? And all the songs that were laid down for “His” cd?
BIGJim223
Forgot to add the link to the T Bone post from this site.
“So what happened with/to T-Bone Burnett and his “magical” touch?” See this link:
http://www.thisissomewhere.com/2009/05/11/t-bone-burnett-to-produce-the-next-grace-potter-and-the-nocturnals-record/
I made a handy hierarchical list of the possibilities for you – at least the ones I can think of. I’m proud of the generic nature of my list
record was never made
record was made but never “finished”
record was finished but there were “business” problems that prevented the release
- the record will never be released
- the record will be released when the business problems are cleared up
– the business problems are likely to be cleared up
– the business problems are unlikely to be cleared up
record was finished but there were “artistic” problems that prevented the release
- the record will never be released
- the record will be released when the artisit problems are cleared up
– the artistic problems are likely to be cleared up
– the artistic problems are unlikely to be cleared up
record was finished but there were a combination of business and artistic problems that prevented the release
- the record will never be released
- the record will be released when the artisit/business problems are cleared up
– the artistic/business problems are likely to be cleared up
– the artistic /business problems are unlikely to be cleared up
the record is made/finished but is not being released for “strategic” reasons
- the strategy is clear, the record has a release date, it isn’t now
- the strategy is not clear, the record has no release date
– the strategy is unlikely to be finalized, the record will never get released
– the strategy is likely to be finalized and the record will be released someday
the record is lost, no one can find it
the record is lost, we expect we can find it
vast right wing conspiracy
other
That’s a lot of money wasted. I’m sure T-Bone got paid a nice big hefty sum either way, as will this new producer/writer. This is not a good thing imho- my guess would be the t-bone project was rejected by disney. I would bet a lot of my own money that Grace didn’t just “decide” to switch producers b/c she felt like it. Especially after the big press release advertising T-Bone. Must be a pretty big burn to the ego (I think she needed it, so maybe it is ultimately a good thing for her and the band) Thanks for pulling up that link BIGJim – I had forgotten about that interview.
p.s. I am always attracted to the idea of songwriters/bands who write their own songs and lyrics. I feel queasy thinking that they hired a person to co-write songs. Bummer.
Can’t wait to ask … Until then I’ll wait as patiently as I can
Thanks, Scott! Good to know that the band enjoyed the production experience – so many fans wanted all 5 of you to record and it sounds as if these fans should be gratified. I have been a huge fan for many years and am behind you/band – even when there is call for mucho patience or delayed gratification!
k. cortez.- Good list of possibilities there. The truth is bound to emerge in down the road. FWIW, T-Bone was supposedly going to produce an album of old and mostly obscure R & B covers, similar to “Raising Sand”, with The Who about a year ago. However I don’t think it got past the talking stage. Pete is now supposedly writing again, we’ll see.
Anyway, we can only wait and hope whatever they come up with this Batson will be good enough to get some airplay, since this band deserves way more recognition than it gets now. I am very encouraged by the quote from Scott.
I was one of those very upset at the prospect of all of the band not recording. this to me is a HUGE improvement. And from what I have heard, the songs are much improved from where I think they were previously headed.
no clue about this Mark producer, I’m practicing my patience and eagerly awaiting more new stuff. until then..NOC on
Yes and Yes
Ran across a very old song hunting for something on YT today . . think the title is my new mantra – ” Que Sera Sera ” . . goes well with Steph’s patience panties.
Nice business plan there KC.
the “patience panties” are no longer in a bunch it seems,
love to see such postive vibrations here
Noc and roll….
Me too – I didn’t like the idea of the Nocs not being on the next album. I’m thrilled that now they’re all going to be a part of it. V. exciting stuff! I don’t know squat about the new producer, and at this point, I don’t care. I feel like the shelf-life on all the negativity has run out, and it’s time to move on with positive sentiments, and see what happens. What I do know is that I trust Scott’s musical instincts and ability implicitly.
I too am much happier to hear Scott’s enthusiasm for the new record/producer. T-Bone is a very renowned producer, but obviously there must have been some sort of issue there. Bands/producers/record companies usually don’t just up and jump ship after a new record is supposedly done and all the money has been doled out. It should be a heck of a story someday when it finally comes out.
I will also patiently await the new release in the spring. Rock On!
BIGJim223
Well at least we have some answers to what has been going on. I had heard about a spring release but now to see it writing makes it more real. Great this is truely going to be a GPN CD. Love the 2 new songs posted here the other day.
Steph … You smart:
I’m thrilled that now they’re all going to be a part of it. V. exciting stuff! I don’t know squat about the new producer, and at this point, I don’t care. I feel like the shelf-life on all the negativity has run out, and it’s time to move on with positive sentiments, and see what happens. What I do know is that I trust Scott’s musical instincts and ability implicitly.
“the record is lost, no one can find it”
-Sounds like a case of Electric Ladyland.
K.C. – where did you find Scott’s above statement/release regarding the album? I couldn’t find it on the GPN site – was it on MySpace?
Thanks, as always, for keeping us in the fan pool, well fed!
@Tekawitha – Scott sent me an e-mail.
tx
I got no idea if I’m right here, but I just want to thank all the fans who expressed a bit of consternation about who was going to be on this new CD etc……..Maybe we all, in our infantisamal way made a difference!!
Wally C.
I heard something entirely different from everything that has been mentioned so far. I’m sworn to secrecy and can’t repeat any of it. It could be a long time before everyone hears it. But I’m a very patient guy, I can wait. After all, I did wait nearly 19 years for my other favorite band to record and release new music. Mission of Burma’s “ONoffON” was worth waiting for. Whatever Grace recorded with the help of T-Bone Burnett and whoever else is sure to be fantastic.