There’s country and there’s gospel, along with all the bubble gum pop for which American Idol is famous. Then there’s James Durbin. He’ll explode onstage with a marching band or leap from a piano as it bursts into flames. He’ll pout, he’ll shriek, he’ll hit notes that will send you rushing to protect your stemware, and his audience—everyone from pre-teen girls to gyrating grandmas and grandpas reliving their wild Woodstock days—will be hanging on the edge of their seats, hollering for more. He’s Santa Cruz’s answer to 21st century rock, and he’ll be coming home for a visit to the Beach Boardwalk this Saturday if everything turns out right. Which is to say if Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart or Lauren Alaina gets the boot from the show this week.
Unless he’s eliminated in this week’s round—which doesn’t seem likely given the consistency of his performances to date—Durbin will come back to Santa Cruz for a hometown tour, a regular Idol feature for the three finalists. The plan is for the White Album Ensemble to take the Boardwalk stage at 4pm, with Durbin joining them at 5pm for a free show.
James Durbin is more than a wannabe pop star on a 10-year-old reality show that critics say may be past its prime. Some claim he’s the lifeblood that’s invigorating Idol after several seasons of bland performances geared more for riding elevators than cruising down Pacific Avenue.
He’s also part and parcel of Santa Cruz. Durbin has his own unique style, whether it’s a bandana wrapped around a fauxhawk or silk scarves spilling out of his backside like a tie-dyed tail. He’s the one performer on the show who can give bad boy rocker and judge Steven Tyler a run for his money.
By now we know the story. Born in Santa Cruz in 1989, Durbin lost his musician father, Willy, to a drug overdose at the age of 9 and was raised by his mom, Judy Settle-Durbin. Soon after his father’s death, James was diagnosed with both Asperger’s and Tourette syndromes. Fortunately he inherited Willy’s musical talent, and thanks to former Doobie Brother Dale Ockerman, he attended Musicscool, going on to perform with two of Ockerman’s groups, the White Album Ensemble and Guitarmy. He also starred in Kids on Broadway’s productions of Beauty and the Beast and Singin’ in the Rain and as Tony in All About Theatre’s West Side Story (though frankly, he should have been a Shark, not a Jet).
This year’s audition was Durbin’s second attempt to appear on Idol. He tried out in 2009, the same year as another hard rocker, Adam Lambert, but didn’t make it past the first stage. This year he’s stunned the judges with his performance of everything from the Shirelles to Judas Priest to Stevie Wonder to Muse, with a heavy dose of the Beatles. When pressed, he admits that he’s even done country. Judge Randy Jackson has said that this year’s contest is Durbin’s to lose.
Maybe it’s his story, maybe it’s his style (or utter lack thereof). Maybe it’s because he got rock idol Sammy Hagar to perform with him or got a challenge from Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy over who could sing “Uprising” in a higher key. (Durbin won, of course.) But this Wednesday, when Santa Cruz fans gather around their TV sets at home or at Pizza My Heart (the unofficial local headquarters of the James Durbin fan club), they’ll be watching along with 20 million Americans, throngs of them rooting for the kid with the hard-luck story and the great big voice.
