Stay awake with Nocturnals; Tomingas at NMWA
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
By Aaron Davis
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-The intensifying local buzz around Grace Potter and the Nocturnals only adds to the list of reasons that entice you to remember her name - the powerhouse live shows, the band’s quick rise to fame and Potter’s local connection (her older sister, Charlotte, is a local glass blower and instructor).
The 24-year-old vocalist, guitarist and Hammond-B3-playing Vermont native began her career as a soulful singer-songwriter before heading in the direction of Bonnie Raitt-meets-Lucinda-Williams rock-goddess. And while her quartet emerged from the unlikely jam scene, supporting Government Mule on a recent tour and receiving rave review in Relix, Paste, USA Today, Boston Globe and beyond, the pure rock ‘n’ roll sound is exponentially supported by an energetic stage show.
Potter is an emotional force to be reckoned with in the live setting, from personally driven lyrics to rollicking, classic southern rock-era originals.
“There are definitely times when I don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish the song,” she told the Idaho Statesman in November. “I hope people can get hit by it. I’ve looked out in the audience and seen a lot of people with tears in their eyes. Women who will come up to me and be shaking still.”
The band’s 2007 release, “This is Somewhere,” was named one of the best albums of the year by Harp Magazine, and I can see why. The album was recorded in L.A. and was produced with shorter solos than the band’s previous two releases. But despite the less raw studio sound, the album still comes across in Nocturnal style - by giving plenty of room for each song to breathe.
Potter’s fellow college buddies from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York - guitarist Scott Tournet, bassist Bryan Dondero, and drummer Matthew Burr - round out the band.
This band seems to be headed in the direction of bigger and bigger stages, so see them in an intimate setting while you can - for a reasonable few bucks.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will take the stage at 10 p.m. next Wednesday the 6th at the Mangy Moose. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of show. Contact mangymoose.net or 733-9779 for ticket information.
Amoeba recording artist Brandi Shearer will open the show. Her third album (and first with Amoeba), “Close to Dark,” hit stores this past August. The San Francisco-based singer-songwriter has a sultry, bluesy voice with an alternative rock backdrop.
• If you haven’t seen or heard local classical guitarist Byron Tomingas, you’re in for a treat. Yours truly has been awestruck by his undeniable virtuosity time and time again. The Jackson-raised talent performed professionally for decades before withdrawing from the major concert stage over ten years ago. Now his performance drive is revived and he’s playing a local concert this Sunday.
“I had been really frustrated at the business because you have to be independently wealthy as a classical player to perform, having to pay to play,” Tomingas explained of his performing hiatus.
Tomingas will be performing works from the likes of Chopin and Beethoven, as well as original compositions and even a Russian folk song, “Dark Eyes,” that was passed down to him.
“My originals are exuberant, they go the full range with exhilarating rhythms,” Tomingas said. “One of which is ‘Oribe Fandango,’ written as a thank you to my guitar.”
Tomingas exclusively plays Oribe guitars and believes Oribe is “a living legend” in the field of classical guitar lutherie.
After forming Jackson Hole’s first rock ‘n’ roll band, ‘Teton Rocks,’ as a high school sophomore, Tomingas went on to attend the California Institute of the Arts and later perform with orchestras and ensembles, on live radio, and in more than 20 public broadcast television productions.
Tomingas plays 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at the National Museum of Wildlife Art during the monthly First Sundays series, which is free with a local ID. Youth who are 18 and under are free as well, and tickets are $10 for adults or $8 for students and visitors 60 and over. For more information, visit
www.nmwa.org or
www.tomingas.comCourtesy photoGrace & the NocturnalsPERMALINK:
Stay awake with Nocturnals; Tomingas at NMWA | Planet JH News Article: Music Box
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