Friday, August 1, 2008

DEEP....

As I sit and listen to Deep Banana Blackout elevate themselves further into funk and groove I am in awe at how a physically small a woman lead singer Jen Durkin is compared to how enormous of a musical force she is.

As I become more exposed to different types of music throughout my life I realize what I crave in a musical performance - music that by stretching the limit of expectation and regularity, transports one into a blissful state - DBB satisfies this craving for me. Growing older we become less tolerant or coherant to the sounds that don't 'speak' to us - and more in tune with the ones that do. I hope music appreciators out there who have not afforded themselves the opportunity of experiencing DBB live will soon make the effort to do so.

Speaking in terms of vocal ability I believe Jen Durkin ranks as one of the great vocalists of the last couple of decades. Her precise intonation, vocal agility, control and range are in my opinion matched by only few. Her vocal style allow her to stand up tall to the roaring and serious grooves that DBB provides her.

It is truly inspiring to watch the dynamic level of Deep Banana Blackout endure as they brew a set-list full of soul, latin, R&B and funk inspired grooves into their own design - I could only imagine the adrenaline rush it must yield to be part of something so extraordinary.

The Black Crowes are the last band to grace the main stage tonight. Beginning their two hour set with a slowly crescendoing mantra, Chris Robinson insures us that, 'its alright sister, its alright brother' speaking the language of the spirit of the Vibes festival.

"Daughters of the Revolution" from their lastest album follows and has the crowd around me rocking out. When finished Robinson remarks that its good to be part of the Vibes for the first time

1 comment:

Chris Hrusa said...

Hi,

I am kind of bummed becuase I got the call to volunteer at the vibes by Shawn and called the number he told me to get the plans set up. I was calling for a week and a half and my buddy and I were so excited to help and my phone calls never got returned. It was my only shot at going to the vibes this year sine I lost my6 job. Thank you for the blog and the live radio feed it gives me some kind of connection yet is kind of sad also., But thanks for your work.

Chris Hrusa
41 ingleside Ave
Norwalk ct 06850
chrusa@gmail.com 203-515-6043
http://www.myspace.com/chrusa