It’s time once again for Gathering of the Vibes, four days of spacey jams and, well, good vibes at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. Also, Jane’s Addiction is playing.
With 40 or bands performing, there’s plenty of music to choose from. Here are a few suggestions for potential highlights:
Thursday
The Infamous String Dusters This latter-day bluegrass group has made a name for itself on three albums, including last year’s “Things That Fly.”
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk Funk from New Orleans is just better than funk from elsewhere. It’s somehow funkier, and Neville’s funk band is no exception.
Friday
Levon Helm Band With all due respect to the rest of the roots bands on the bill, this is how it’s done: Helm and his stellar band (which may or may not include daughter Amy, who was very pregnant at the Solid Sound Festival last month) are deeply versed in American musical traditions, from old work songs to blues, folk, a little country and, of course, the Band.
Tedeschi Trucks Band This one was inevitable. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks are musicians, and they’re married, so it was really just a matter of time before they started making music. They generously included nine of their closest friends on their new album, “Revelator,” a collection of bluesy funk jams. Or funky blues jams.
Taj Mahal Trio Not only did Taj (born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks) grow up in Springfield, he’s carved out a lasting career thanks to his firm command of blues, folk, soul and a little weird psychedelia here and there.
Kung Fu There’s a wealth of local talent performing at the festival this year, including this buzzed-about New Haven group fronted by guitarist Tim Palmieri of the Breakfast.
Saturday
Jane’s Addiction Like every band that once broke up, Jane’s Addiction got back together, a reunion that results this fall in a new album, “The Great Escape Artist.” Will it stack up to 1990′s “Ritual de lo Habitual?” Gathering of the Vibes may be the place to get an early listen.
Elvis Costello & the Attractions To put it simply, Costello is one of the best, most consistently interesting singers and songwriters of the past 35 years. Period.
moe. This long-running group experienced a low-key breakthrough with the 2001 album “Dither,” but like most jam bands, moe. is best experienced live.
McLovins Connecticut’s own trio of teenage jam prodigies returns to Gathering of the Vibes for the third year, an impressive achievement for a group whose members are barely older than Gathering of the Vibes.
Sunday
Dr. John & the Lower 911s A rock ‘n’ roll survivor, Dr. John has honed his voodoo dandy persona for decades, dabbling in rock, blues, zydeco and New Orleans funk on a huge catalog of albums that started in 1968 “Gris Gris” and runs right through 2010 with “Tribal.”
Toots & the Maytals The rootsiest of roots reggae, from a band that overshadowed the Wailers at its height and has had a profound influence on Jamaican music for nearly 50 years..
Rubblebucket Formerly known as Rubblebucket Orchestra, this Brooklyn-via-Vermont group makes music comprising a quirky blend of pop hooks, alluring dance beats and bright swaths of horns and synthesizers.
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