Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

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• What: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals; Brandi Shearer opens
• Where: Jefferson Center
• When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
• Cost: $18
• Box office: 345-2550
• On the Net: jeffcenter.org, gracepotter.com, brandishearer.com

Jukebox

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

• Ah, Mary
• Stop The Bus

It happens to most artists at some point -- your sound gets inside enough ears, and people start comparing you to others.

It's happening to Grace Potter, who will be at Jefferson Center on Thursday night with her band, the Nocturnals.

Bonnie Raitt. Lucinda Williams. Janis Joplin. Norah Jones. That's quite a spectrum of excellent female voices. And Potter has heard all the comparisons. She's not complaining about being in such company. She said she's trying to stay humble in the face of it, while making sure that one can't pin her down too easily.

"Finding your own sound is more important than all that," Potter said in a phone interview recently.

For Potter, a 24-year-old Vermonter, the roots are in gospel music from artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

"That really blew my mind," she said. "I'm not particularly religious, but I heard this music and it absolutely transfixed me."

She has her parents to thank, for their record collection -- which she constantly de-alphabetized. And she had a chorus teacher at Harwood Union High School, Di Phillips, who allowed students to travel beyond the usual in song selection and arrangements, Potter said. When Potter was a senior, Phillips allowed her to arrange "Scarborough Fair" for chorus and bagpipes.

"I was an opportunist about it," she said. "I was the only one who was nuts enough to say to the teacher, I want to try this."

Not to say that it's all about her. Potter answers a lot of questions with "we," instead of "I." In this case, "we" refers to the Nocturnals -- guitarist Scott Tournet, bassist Bryan Dondero and drummer Matt Burr, with Potter on Hammond B3 organ and some guitar. And there's her new little dog, Kick. That name refers to the fact that Potter is not a "little dog" person. "Kick" is what she would typically do to a little dog, she jokes. Now the small Havanese pup is a beloved member of the traveling crew.

The band stays on the road. And keeping with its name, it stays up late.

Slowly, the accolades have come. A recording contract, with Disney-owned Hollywood Records, has also come. And the crowds have come for what many call an electrifying live show. You'll hear rock at the base of it all, with touches of jazz, blues and soul, and Potter's distinctive voice paired with good songwriting. The Nocturnals are not afraid to take those songs and jam them out for a while, too.

"It's been a slow burn from the beginning," Potter said. "The great thing about our career is that we have gone so slowly, and that was with intention. A good booking agent and manager are more important than label a lot of times.

"It's been good for us," being on the road so much, she said. "There's a constant sense of forward motion."

In the past three years, the band has played the Sun Music Hall in Floyd and the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg. She remembers the latter show as "magical."

Kudos have come from Raitt, who called the Nocturnals "one of the most soulful new bands around," and Taj Mahal, who called the show "amazing," according to band publicity.

And the recognition factor is rising. In August, the band released its latest album, "This Is Somewhere," then hit the talk shows -- "The Tonight Show" on Aug. 2, "Good Morning America" on Aug. 7 and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on Aug. 10.

Last year, the single "Nothing But the Water" was heard as backdrop music on the May 16 "American Idol." The next night, the song "Falling Or Flying" was the opening number on the "Grey's Anatomy" season finale.

It's getting to the point where people are recognizing Potter in the cities where she plays. She doesn't mind "a little bit of recognition," but was happy to be an unknown last week while strolling with a leashed-up Kick through the streets of Boise, Idaho.

"I treasure these moments," she said, "because fame can be a curse.