Steve Potter: Blues Band Bio

D.C. harpman Steve and his band have a harp-and shufflin' party goin on here. There's been a lot of kudos written on Steve's playing, so all you harp fans out there, here's another one for ya!
Jerry Hall
Pacific Blues Recording Co.

It's Mezmerising! A tantelizing tap dance of technique. Steve puts together a blazing boogie woogie festival of sound. If "Grotto Says," then he says it with tight crisp lines and Tone - Tone - Tone!!
John Francis
Best Lil' Harphouse

The Vibrato, the Chugs, the Enthusiasm, and his obvious passion for playing reach out and pull you into the musical world of Steve Potter.
Best Lil' Harphouse

Raunchy wailing harmonica sounds which invoked a feeling of traveling in time to the late 40's in the south and stranded in a cheap motel in a small town...suddenly the heavenly sounds of a Juke Joint jumping to these weeps, screams, cries and cackles of a musician and artist true to his craft and his fans"
Simon Aguilar (KYNR, Crazy Coyote Blues)

" Steve Potter : Grotto Says! Yes , it's certainly true harmonica blowers are a dime - a - dozen these days and most suffer from the "windbag syndrome" a - huffin' and puffin' their way to obscurity but there are certain exceptions especially when the blower has been woodshedin' with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs . Potter has developed into a very fine harpman with a beautiful tone ; (1950's Henry Strong and Walter Jacobs) and he's also fluent on chromatic ("Hang On Now") plus he's got a swingin' combo with some familiar faces in it ; Jeff Sarli (bass) Mike Dutton (guitar) Liz Lore (piano) Jeff Lodsun (drums). "Your Sweet Love" is an exceptional piece with soaring harp - George Smith- styled chromatic and Dutton showing his best chops . Not content to rehash note - for - note old standards , Potter has done wonderful things with "I Just Keep Lovin' Her" and Jimmy Rodgers' "What Have I Done" and the harp work on "Key To The Highway" adds much fire to the old standard . Dutton and Potter trade off on the hot instrumental "Grotto Says!" . "G.S. Blues" is a tribute to George Smith with a nice laid back West Coast feel . Steve Potter is one of the rising stars of the new wave of younger blues artists and given the talent he displays it's safe to say we'll be hearing much more from him . 4 bottles for a disc all harp fans will dig.
Real Blues Magazine.

"The Washington , DC area is home to Steve Potter, a harmonica player who specializes in tone , vintage shuffles and swing . Potter's chromatic work on "Hang On Now" and "My Special Place" is impressive ; he gets low - down on "My Sweet Love" and jumps "Just Keep Lovin' Her". Guitarist Mike Dutton adds fat chords and skittering leads , upright bassist Jeff Sarli locks with Jeff Lodsun's well - tuned kit , and it's a shame Liz Lohr's piano is so far down in the mix . Harp fans will want to check out Grotto Says!
Blues Revue Magazine

"Steve Potter is a great blues musician. Both his vocals and masterful harmonica work are presented with big tone and great phrasing. Backed up by killer musicians, the Steve Potter Band is more than worth the price of admission!" David Barrett Harmonica Masterclass Company

I don't know if anyone except another harp player knows just HOW good Steve Potter is. I don't think Steve himself realizes. This is top of the line stuff. Mark Wenner - harp player for The Nighthawks

I really enjoyed listening to it.(Grotto Says!) I know Bill ( William Clarke ) would enjoy it too if he was still with us. He would be flattered at the attention. I can tell from listening that you are really dedicated. Charlie Musselwhite

(Bluz/Boogie Woogie Harmonica) Steve Potter "Grotto Says!"
CDs and products that I review are rated from (1) to (7) Harps

This is by far the very best blues harmonica cd that I have gotten this year , yes I know , I just finished a review of the new James Cotton CD too ! James is the ol' BluzHarp Master while Steve Potter is a new age BluzMan that is doing a damned fine job of carrying on the torch . I had never heard of Steve Potter until he sent me this CD and I am simply amazed and excited as hell to finally get some stuff,(Pure no bullshit/kickass blues harmonica music) , that is not a cookie cutter band , Steve is his own man . I am so excited about Steve's playing because I have never heard anyone with his particular sound and way of phrasing . I am not saying he is the best I have ever heard , but he is smoking , it is the fact someone is sounding like themselves .

Steve plays both diatonic and chromatic equally well and with authority , his octaves are so full , especially on the chro like Rod Piazza . I give this Cd a strong (7) Harp Salute along with my most coveted "NASTY HARP" Award , some of his tunes are dripping with pure pork fat they are so greasy . I am pretty darn sure this will be in my "Top Ten Best of The Year" come this December! Steve "Big Daddy" Harvell - "BluzHarp"=Guide To The Best Of Blues Harmonica !

(Blues Harmonica)Grotto's Boogie Kings "Jump Back Baby"

The songs on this CD are Lone Harp One , Jump Back Baby , You Know It's True , Blue Midnight , Everyting's Gonna Be Alright , Scott's Boogie , Letter From Home , Long Time and Lone Harp Two . This was Steve Potter's first CD , I did a review of his second one in my "June 2002 CD Reviews" section . I firmly believe that if Steve Potter will continue in the direction he is going with his harp playing , he will be our next William Clarke . I am not trying to pigeon hole Steve , but he does play in a way that reminds me of William , but Steve Potter has his own style/way of playing . In the band you have Steve Potter on vocals and harp , Scott Mattern on guitar , Andy Margileth on bass and Joe Castelhano on drums .

Steve starts off this CD with a solo accoustic thing that really kicks some serious butt, and then all of a sudden flows right into a full electrified band that really swings. As I stated in my previous review of Steve's first CD , he has the feel and timing of Little Walter but plays with the passion of an early William Clarke , the tone is what sets Steve Potter apart from many of todays players . You can especially hear what I mean on the tunes "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "Blue Midnight" . I am so happy that there are harp players out there to stand in and take up the torch when the older statesmen and others before their time leave us .

If you are a fan of blues/swing amplified harp and the blues/boogie in general you will absolutely love this first CD by Steve Potter , I put my personal seal of approval on this one my little boogie-woogie cillin's . I give Steve Potter's harp playing my very coveted "Nasty Harp" Award , yeah baby , that sound tells it all , chill bumps and hair standing on end stuff . I once told a friend at a bar where we were listening to this kickass blues band that was how I judged some of my music to a certain point , how much does the music move ya ? I think that some of you readers out there have experienced some killer blues/boogie that would either give ya chill bumps all over or make the hair on your arms and neck stand on end !

Well , that is what Steve Potter's music will do to ya , and along with the "Nasty Harp" Award I also give this CD a (7) Harp Salute , top drawer stuff baby . Go to Steve's website and get this and his second CD , you will not be dissappointed . Steve "Big Daddy" Harvell - "BluzHarp"=Guide To The Best Of Blues Harmonica!

Steve Potter: Grotto Says!
This one's for the harp player in us and it's always a pleasure to hear guys (or gals), who have been out there blowing their blues from club to club for years, finally make it to disc. They're out there sweating and wringing the blues out night after night, simply for the pure love of playing the music with very little monetary compensation. Of course, self-released products can be a mixed bag, from poor production to just poor talent skills. Steve Potter has the talent and has produced a fine example of what he can do with traditional Chicago/West Coast style harp blowing on his foray into the fray with Grotto Says! He alternates between the two styles with swinging, jump rhythms one moment and low down blues moods the next.Hailing from the Washington, D.C. area, Potter is a pretty solid blues harpman with a fine, fat toned sound augmented in the studio by splitting his microphone signal into a 1960 Gibson GA20 and a 1959 Silvertone 1481 amplifier to give him that squashed, nasty Chicago style distortion. Thanking Little Walter and William Clarke in his liner notes pretty much gives away who his main influences are and slivers of their technique flow throughout his playing. He bounces back and forth between the diatonic harp and the chromatic with equal flair and he has good command over the instruments from the low notes to the high end and displays a deep tonal vibrato that seperates the men from the boys. Check out his tribute to George "Harmonica" Smith (a chromatic blues master) on "G.S. Blues" for a prime example.Even though he tackles a couple of covers of Little Walter's, he adds enough of his own technique that changes them up enough to provide evidence that he is not content on being a mere copyist. His take on "Key To The Highway" is performed with unamplified harp and he shows off his high end skills. He seques seemlessly into some dirty amplified grit halfway through his solo and finishes it off acoustically. (Yeah, I know that this was Big Bill Broonzy's, but Little Walter arguably put out the definitive version). He does a swinging version of "I Just Keep Loving Her" and where Walter's harp was acoustic, Potter plays it amped up. He uses a low keyed harp on the tune that keeps a little variety happening. He also amplifies Rice Miller's "Born Blind" into distorted bliss with an intro that kicks butt and keeps it from being a stale cover. This one and his version of Jimmy Rogers' "What Have I Done" get some of his finest amplified tones going. He gets even nastier on the original "Your Sweet Love". Also, check out what he does to "When The Saints" in closing out the cd that folks down in New Orleans just may want to adopt.Six of the eleven cuts are solid original tunes that swing out or head down in the alley of the blues. Nothing ground breakingly new, lyrically, just songs that fit and belong to the genres that are well played by a crack band of musicians. I don't know who Potter carries with him into the clubs, but if it's this band then they are a must see. Mike Dutton has to have made a name for himself as a blues guitarist in the D.C. area. He's just too good not to have been noticed. His intros, solos, and outtros flat shine and highlight Potter's cd throughout the mix, very reminiscent to the type of stuff a Kid Ramos or an Anson Funderburgh put down--tasty and REAL blues guitar without pretention. His partners in chime are just as accomplished. Bassman Jeff Sarli can really get the upright strings popping and snapping on the jump stuff and brings the bottom up on the blues and I can't think of anyone that swings drums better than Jeff Lodsun does for Potter as he rolls across the skins with quick deft strokes. Liz Lohr's piano is pretty much kept within the ensemble sound of the tunes and helps carry the rhythmic flow. Great band.Vocally, Potter has a low key, usassuming style that's effective and not affected. His singing fits some of his songs better than others. His best vocal turn is on the Jimmy Rogers' cover where he displays a little more dynamic force and grit than is exhibited elsewhere.It's my bet that Steve Potter is a pretty good draw in the clubs on the East Coast and Grotto Says! should go far in extending his popularity beyond his own playground. - Richard Bush
The Delta Snake: International Blues Beat

"Steve Potter is one of the rising stars of the new wave of younger blues artists and given the talent he displays it's safe to say we'll be hearing much more from him"..............Real Blues Magazine