What can I say about Driftwood, year two? It was kind of perfect, in that way that throwing the same party all over again never is. I suppose the setup is part of it, so I’ll start there. In the hottest part of the year, out on the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta (“The Delta” to its friends), we all got together again for a weekend of swimming in and floating on the water, music and friends and good times.
To get there, you drive onto a car ferry because there’s no bridge. There was cell phone signal this year, but it’s pretty far removed from the world. Haul in your water, food, ice, tent, floaties, party favors, and haul out your trash. Our friend Jack has a plot on Bradford Island he graciously lets us come out to.
Jack’s place burned over the winter; the outhouse he had was gone, and a lot of his infrastructure was damaged, but he still had some solar, and threw up a new bathroom in a better spot. It was a lot clearer this year. kind of bigger open space, as opposed to just having a little area cleared. The main structure he had, an elevated deck and cabin, also made it through the fire, so we still had a place to cook and put up the PA.
It was also the first time Sophia played a set in ‘public’. Half an hour, in front of a dozen people, but I think it counts. She played for… 45 minutes? But all recordings of sets at Driftwood are cursed, so you’ll just have to imagine a 45 minute drum and bass set. Or you can go to this SoundCloud Mix where she recreated it later.
Speaking of cursed recordings, OTHA played for four? six? hours after that, just a truly epic journey of a set. We laughed, we cried, we sat and stared at the stars. Then, his hard drive crashed. Possibly after we left the island, I’m not clear on the finer points of it all. Technology. So you’ll also have to imagine the rest, too.
