The last time Scott Tournet put out a solo album was 2006 and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were graduating from playing the taverns and small clubs of northern New England to sudden national acclaim. As founding member and lead guitarist for the pre-mentioned entity, Tournet has pretty much already lived out a rock and roll dream, having played practically every late night television show, performed on the biggest stages at the most prestigious festivals and and even had the privilege of playing 70,000 capacity stadiums while opening for Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw last summer.
Despite what many might consider rock and roll glory, Tournet’s life wasn’t all rosy. Feeling a sense of personal void in return for the painstaking work of touring and building up the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals music machine, Tournet looked deeply inward when recording and writing his second solo album Ver La Luz (released May 14th). Translated from the Spanish as to see the light, its not only the album’s title but also its theme. As explained in his press release, “The record is about getting your ass kicked, getting the wind knocked out of you, waking up in the morning and not being able to get up – being paralyzed by life.”
Unlike the unavoidable celebratory roots rock sound of GPN, Ver La Luz is an album of experimental sounds focused around themes of darkness and pain with an overshadow of optimism- not so much different than the desolate yet innovative sound of The National. Although Tournet notes George Harrison’s solo work was a prime influence, there are bits of Wilco and modern leaning soundscapes that give Tournet an essential voice as a front-man and singer-songwriter from the pop charm of “Lights Go Down,” Americana twang of “Demons” and the psychedelic rock thriller “Stand By You.” Just prior to the record’s release, we had a chance to talk with Tournet about his revolving world of success, isolation and solo artistry.
A lot has changed in your world since 2006, when your first solo album came out. As a member of one the country’s premier rock bands, you’ve pretty much played everywhere on big stages you never even imagined playing. Although you mentioned the album’s themes are more inward, how much have all the big stage moments had an effect on you as an artist?
Life…. yes.. it sure keeps changing, doesn’t it? As for my little corner of the universe, it’s been very exciting. To be honest, all the “big stage” moments have really helped open my eyes to the idea that we’re all the same. I think before meeting some of my idols, I didn’t really see them as human. You know? Separate from everyone and everything else. I was kind of let down a few times as sometimes people who are amazing in front of an audience aren’t so amazing off the stage. I also met a couple of my idols who way surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. I’ve also met waitresses, crew guys, taxi drivers, fans and bus drivers who may have taught me more. My point is that I’ve been lucky in my career to play large stages and to large audiences and that’s been great. I’m blessed and very thankful for that. At the same time I’ve got to look behind the curtain of the entertainment business and it’s not so pretty. I think encountering the largeness of everything made me appreciate smaller and more humble things again.
Did you find it a struggle to maintain that level of immediacy and vulnerability despite the rise in popularity of the Nocturnals? Playing stadiums (as opener for Kenny Chesney), all the late night shows, and having to go back to being grounded and thinking in the mind of a simple singer-songwriter.
Well writing songs is what actually helps me find and maintain my sense of self. It’s how I make sense of things. There’s a part of me that would love to just be in a big, dumb, fun party band that makes people dance and has no message but to have fun. It would be way easier. But…for some reason, whenever I sit down to write I gravitate towards denser subject material. Usually it has to do with my own internal dialogue. We’re all having those conversations in our head all the time. Why are we here? How should I spend my time? Who with? Why do we act certain ways in certain social situations? Should I chase my own success, or should I sacrifice myself for something greater? I’ve always written that way and this album is no different. What I think I did better this time was to fully appreciate that everyone else is going through a very similar thing: empathy for others instead of pity for myself.
You noted the theme of the record is about getting your ass kicked? Without having to reveal too much- most people would think you’re at a pretty good place right now- but there’s still challenges professionally even for a band that can book a headlining tour and sell a decent volume of records?
All different kinds of people get their ass kicked. Just because you’re having success in your career doesn’t mean that you’re a happy person. Often people who are successful in their careers have to sacrifice a little bit of their personal lives to get to where they are. The other side of that is a parent sacrificing their career to raise a family. Balance. I woke up one day with no personal life at all outside of the band and it didn’t feel good. I fell into some negative cycles to cover it up and that worked for a while. And then it didn’t. And then I was super bummed out onstage in front of a bunch of really happy people every night. And that sucked. And of course we as people tend to think that we’re totally alone in this and that no one in the history of the universe has gone through anything remotely similar. And of course we’re totally wrong. The positive side to this story is that I hit the wall. I reached out and let my friends and family know that I needed a lift out of a dark place…and guess what? Nobody flinched and everyone had my back and helped pick me back up….and a lot of people told me in confidence that they had gone through or were going through something similar. I think that’s why I’m being open about my story. In some ways it would be easier to hide it and to just put out another record, but I feel strongly about helping this kind of dialogue become more normalized so that someone else’s path might be a little less bumpy than mine.
I found the songs to be very experimental and a bit different than the more bluesy roots rock that people might be more accustomed to hearing from you. As a lead guitarist, how did you go about visioning all the instrumental parts and orchestrating the tunes without sounding the least predictable?
I didn’t really try to change or catch people off guard with the music. It just started coming out that way. What people might not know is that I had a monstrous pedal board and was pretty deep into “out” music before the Nocturnals got started. I quit my college band, sold all my pedals, bought an acoustic guitar, and really got into singer-songwriters and roots music. That’s when I met Matt (Burr-Nocturnals drummer) and Grace and then I started my journey with the Nocturnals. If you listen closely to the Nocturnals albums you’ll hear that the “weirdness” creeps in more and more each album. It’s like anything or anybody…there’s always more to the puzzle. It’s like when you spend a lot of time with someone and you start to see that there’s a whole lot more going on than what you first thought.
I don’t really get my song ideas from Nocturnals jams or improvs. Kind of the other way around sometimes…what I’m working on can inform a song. Great example of that is when I was writing the first Blues & Lasers album, GPN wrote “Sugar” and “Watching You.”
You’ve been able to jam and collaborate with a lot of noteworthy musicians. Who has taught you the most valuable lesson musically and professionally?
Taj Mahal. It was our first tour opening for one of our idols. I was really nervous around him and he pretty much kept to himself. On the last night we played a beautiful theater and to the biggest crowd of the tour. After the show we got a chance to hang with him a little. I had some liquid courage and I decided that I needed to tell him that every night should be like that night because he’s a legend and deserves it…etc etc. He withstood my monologue and then just drawled…”Naaawwww man,…You see, it’s kinda like fishin’…If you caught one every time you threw in the line they’d call it catchin’!!!”
How would you describe your development as a musician the past ten years and as headlining solo act (you have some dates coming up). What do you most enjoy about being the front-man and what do you least enjoy?
I’d say I’ve developed the most as a singer and songwriter in the last ten years. I really only got interested in singing and writing songs about eight or nine years ago. I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 18 and that was what led me into music. For the first few years I was into music I was looking at it from the perspective of an instrumentalist. Even through college I picked up drums, bass, piano, etc, but sang as little as possible. To be honest, I was a super sensitive kid and I got the “you don’t have a good voice” thing laid on me early. So I’ve always been afraid of singing in front of people. Only in the past three years or so have I got to a point where I feel good when I sing and am comfortable (minus a few nerves of course). I don’t really care about being a front man. I happen to like to write songs and get bands together, so by default I’m in that position. I don’t have any moves yet…hahahah. I didn’t really try to emulate any vocalists on the record. It’s weird. I don’t think I could even tell you what I sound like. It’s like hearing your own voice on the answering machine.
What new albums in 2013 have you head and been most inspired by? What have been your other musical highlights of the year so far?
The record I’ve been listening to on repeat is James Blake’s Overgrown. I also like Tame Impala’s Lonerism, Beach House’s Bloom, and even though it’s not “new”, all of Floating Action’s albums.
