If she keeps up this pace, the peppery and charming Ms. Durkin will run away with another festival MVP (following her raft of sit-ins at 10,000 Lakes last weekend). She’s been all over the place, not least with Deep Banana, and also recording segments for Lotus Soundworks, which has the tent next door to ours (it’s a music program where Jen interviews musicians and generally gets down with her bad self in an casual talk setting). Now, Durkin’s onstage slaying the yawning and bleary-eyed early-comers with the Organically Grown Gospel Choir. It’s a sun-baked day, quite hot, and there’s soul-nourishing gospel on Sunday morning. This, folks, would be “agreeable.”
Apropos of nothing, coming into the Vibes today I saw a number of folks who didn’t appear to have tickets or be working for the fest sprawled out on blankets on the University of Bridgeport campus, which surrounds one side of Seaside Park. The stage is so far away it’s impossible to see anything from this distance, but the sound is relatively crisp—you can make out most every vocal inflection, really feel the rhythm section, and leads from the organ and guitar are only slightly watery and a smidge muffled. Honestly, you can hear better out here than on some places within the festival grounds.
Packed afternoon ahead, so I’m about to trade Dunkins for water and sunscreen and get ready for Jackie Greene’s band. Scrapomatic is also going to be holding down the Solar Stage just before Derek and Susan come on with Soul Stew Revival. Soul! Everywhere you look. If you’re not a the Vibes, check out the webcast.
