Grace Potter talks about life on the road and creative growth on the XPN Morning Show

There are many levels of meaning to the title of XPN favorite Grace Potter‘s most recent album Mother Road. It’s a reference to her becoming a mother in recent years (her son just turned six) and it’s a reference to the way she grew up as a touring musician, the way the road raised her so to speak. We got into chatting about all of these things — touring, life, staying creatively active — when Potter called in to the XPN Morning Show today. She was spending some time in New York and getting ready to do a taping for Kelly & Mark before heading down I-95 to headline The Fillmore Philly with Brittany Spencer this Friday, February 26th. Listen to our conversation in the player above and read some highlights down below; for tickets and more information on this weekend’s show, head to WXPN’s Concert Calendar.

…on what she loves about playing Philly.

It is, by far, the town that first made me feel like a hometown girl, even though I wasn’t one. And a true rock and roll city, it just really feels like home when I’m there. And I know XPN has a bit to do with that, but it’s just always been one of my flagship stops on tour.

…in growing up as a touring musician.

In many ways, I mean, I started out on tour as a teenager, you know? know, and really was raised in all the swashbuckling ways that you learn to grow up fast on the road. I loved and experienced so many more things very quickly in quick succession while being out on the road that it sort of thrust me into a world that I hadn’t really gone back and reflected on until this record and until the drives that I took back and forth across the country.

…on turning 40 last year.

I always say it’s like being caped, you know? I was worried about 40, and now that I’m 40, it’s so much fun. 30s was hard, 40s is great. I feel like James Brown, you know? There was just so much hustle and so much time and energy and just love put into understanding my fans gaining new fans and getting to know my audience but also getting to them myself and I think 40 has really congealed my understanding of where I fit in the rock and roll world but also in just in music and and how much these songs are going to sit with people. They feel really honest for me but I think that also reflects back to people when they hear the record and have come to me and said this is my favorite thing you’ve ever done.

…on expanding her creative endeavors into film and beyond.

Mother Road is I think kind of the scaffolding for what I hope the second part of my career entails, which is a combination of creative endeavors that aren’t just touring. You know, I think if you just live on the road and you just exist in this vacuum of, I mean I’ve mentioned the word rock and roll many times here, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people have moved on from rock and roll and it doesn’t mean that it’s dead, but it does mean that there are only a few of us holding on to that torch, so I will never stop touring. But when I’m off the road, there’s so many other adventures I want to go on and I’m excited to tie the room together, you know, like the rug in The Big Lebowski. You got to find a place for your creativity to land when you’re not on the road.