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Saturday finally brought a day of gorgeous summertime weather worthy of the incredible lineup. With a slew of hay laid down on the fields to soak up the extra moisture and keep the mud at bay, the music never stops at Gathering of the Vibes, but it sure is a lot nicer enjoying it in the sunshine.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

The day began with a surprise announcement that State Radio wouldn’t be able to make it for their 5:30 PM slot so all of the morning bands were given a little bit of extra time which seems to put smiles on fan’s faces.

The Ryan Montbleau Band, a festival favorite from Boston – who never disappoint with their blend of silly, soulful songs that can’t help but put a smile on your face – took full advantage of the precious extra minutes. Their setlist included favorites off 2007’s Patience on Friday album including Eggs plus 75 and Sunny as well as Dead favorite Unbroken Chain. Even the wet field couldn’t stop all the pretty girls from hooping along.

• GOTV 2009 Recaps: Day 1, Day 2

READ ON for more from Jeremy and Carla on the Vibes…

Day Two of the Gathering of the Vibes began with sunny skies ominous signs lay ahead. King for a Day kicked off the main stage, a local CT band that has played Vibes for four years now, their set included a lovely Jack-a-Roe. It’s great to see so many area bands taking to the stage here at Vibes – showing and promoting the area’s live music scene.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

Strangefolk hit the stage next and guitarist Jon Trafton’s wife Jennifer came to the stage and sat in on backing vocals for a song. The shout out of the day, however went to Chuck Garvey of moe. who saved Jon’s broken amp and possibly the show.

JJ Grey and Mofro haven’t been to a GOTV in many years since the festival moved from its upstate NY location, but that wasn’t lost on the audience when he started on the classic blues standard I Got My Mojo Workin’. Like they say Vibes is about re-connecting with old friends and turning to your neighbor to make new friends so it’s only fitting that his southern hospitality fits right on in.

Wavy Gravy, a gentleman that has been on the scene for longer than most attendees yet still finds ways to let his clown spirit shine, took to the stage and guided fans through a fun journey as the official MC for the event.

READ ON for more on the Vibes from Carla and Jeremy…

It’s been a while since we’ve had a post on the Felice Brothers, so when Jennifer Kirk told us she shot the band (bang, bang, bang went Jennifer’s Camera) at the Masters Musicians Festival in Somerset, KY; we asked if we could share them with our readers. Let’s take a look…

The Felice Brothers are part of The Big Surprise Tour which kicks off in Hampton Beach, NH on August 4. They’ll be joined by Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine and Justin Townes Earle. The tour runs for two weeks. READ ON to check out the rest of Jennifer’s photos…

As the vibe tribe began to assemble, the faithful flocked to Seaside Park Thursday, seeking out good weather but reinforcing against the threat of rain. The 14th annual Gathering of the Vibes began with blue skies but ultimately couldn’t escape the storms that have plagued the summer.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

Luckily, however, there was enough sunshine to power the wonderful new GreenVibes stage with its partial solar energy requirements. Reckoning, a local band from Long Island lit up the afternoon with its set including hits from The Dead, the Allman Brothers as well as a take on Phish’s Birds of a Feather, putting everyone in the party mindset. Local Artist P.J Pacifico opened the main stage with a folk- tinged roots rock set including a very intimate Beatles cover.

The Donna Jean Godchaux Band (aka the former Zen Tricksters) continued on in the legacy of the Grateful Dead with the former singer giving us a taste of her famous vocals. With Donna’s voice mixing wondrously with Jeff Mattson’s guitar, you are almost transported to a time 30 years ago. Though the rain began to fall, the crowd spun along to new originals and favorite Dead tunes like Sugaree, Scarlet Begonias and Samson & Delilah.

READ ON for more from the 2009 edition of Gathering of the Vibes…

Now to many of you when you hear the words Sloppy Joe you have visions of ground meat in a tomato-ish sauce served on a plain hamburger bun.

Good food for sure but not the Sloppy Joe I am talking about. In Millburn, NJ on Millburn Avenue is a sandwich shop called The Millburn Deli. Their version of the Sloppy Joe is made on fresh, sliced to order rye (yes I said the bread was sliced to order) and your choice/combination of deli meats. There is also a “Friday Joe” created for Lent which is Tuna and Egg Salad. The sandwiches come in two sizes, the regular Sloppy Joe and the Monster Joe. Above is my favorite Monster Joe, Corned Beef Pastrami, Swiss, Cole Slaw and Russian dressing (and butter on the bread).

The Millburn Deli has been open since 1946 and owned by the current owners since 1991. It is one of those places where there is someone who owns the business, but the place is really the community’s. Anyone who grew up in the West Orange, South Orange, Short Hills and Millburn area can recall memories of going to events, etc growing up and seeing Millburn deli Sloppy Joes being served. Just this past weekend my cousin and I rented a zip car and drove from NYC to Millburn just to have Sloppy Joes. This is a very special sandwich and so worth the trip to New Jersey if you have never been.

328 Millburn Ave
Millburn NJ 07041
973.379.5800
Open Monday-Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Every Day

READ ON for other stuff from the foodie-verse this week…

For the name of the eighth festival Phish will throw, the band has come up with about as uncreative name as it gets… Festival 8. Festival 8, the group’s first

This weekend, Fuse debuts a Kanye West concert filmed last month at the Chicago Theatre in the rapper’s hometown. The one-hour special debuts on Saturday night at 8PM and will