Just in case the great official festival photos that you can see in the Photos tab at the top of this page aren't enough, and just in case the great photos that Steve White linked to below aren't enough, I've got yet more photos from the fest on my Flickr page.  Check 'em out, leave some comments, and enjoy!

It’s kind of a Cornerstone tradition for me to come back from the festival with a giant pile of CDs, most of which were usually pretty cheap. And although over the past 11 years I’ve filled in most of the holes in my collection, I can still find some old stuff that I never got around to listening to, and some new stuff that I’ve only just discovered. I’m still working my way through the giant pile of stuff that I bought, but here’s the list.

First, there’s a pretty big pile of stuff that I bought on the way to the festival. I stopped off at a used CD store in Nashville and found the following stuff:

Third Day, Revelation (pre-release) I’m a Third Day fan from WAY back (the very beginning, in fact), so while I’m not as enthusiastic about their music as I once was, it’s always good to hear a new album from them. The Third Day formula is well-established at this point, and this CD doesn’t seem to stray all that far from it, though guest performances by Robert Randolph (pedal steel on “Otherside”) and Flyleaf’s Lacey Moseley (vocals on “Run To You” and “Born Again”) do shake things up a bit. The pre-release skips like crazy, so I’m looking forward to hearing a pristine copy of the disc on July 29th.

Tonio K, Romeo Unchained and Notes from the Lost Civilization An artist I’ve heard a lot about on the fringes of the CCM world over the years, Tonio K wasn’t really what I was expecting. The production is a little dated on these late-80s albums, but the songwriting is strong (bringing to mind Bob Dylan or Mark Heard) and clever (for example, the mildly controversial tracks “I Handle Snakes” and “What Women Want”). The list of players on the albums is eclectic, including names like Tim Chandler, Booker T. Jones, Charlie Sexton, and T Bone Burnett.

The Prayer Chain, Shawl This was a band that I never really “got.” They came to prominence a bit before I really got into the “alternative” side of Christian music, and they were always a little noisy and odd for my tastes. But I saw this disc for cheap and decided to give them another listen, and it wasn’t bad. I need to give it a few more spins, but I think maybe, 15 years (!) too late, I’m starting to see what the fuss was about.

Charlie Peacock, West Coast Diaries Volume 1-3 I’ve never really listened to Peacock, though I’ve been aware of his work for quite a while. I’d never seen him live before this year’s festival, either. So when I saw this set of 3 CDs for $6 (alas, with no cases or liner notes), I decided to give it a shot. I haven’t gotten around to listening to it yet, though.

Kevin Max, The Blood (pre-release) Another one that I decided to take a chance on. I liked him in DC Talk, and some of his solo stuff has been pretty decent (though some of the lyrics still call to mind his book of awful poetry from some years back). This looks like an album of covers of old gospel songs, so it might actually be pretty good. Alas, the CD is scratched to pieces and cracked near the edge, so it may not even be playable. We’ll see.

Over the Rhine, Drunkard’s Prayer (pre-release) I already own the real version of this CD from one of my favorite bands, but these sorts of pre-release things are kind of cool to have. The CD itself is a little bit sedate for my tastes (even by Over the Rhine standards). I liked the fuller sounds of Ohio or Films for Radio a bit better. Some of these songs really come to life in the live setting, though, like “Hush Now (Stella’s Tarantella)” and “Spark.”

The Stone Roses, Second Coming Not CCM in any way, unless you count the messiah complex the band seems to suffer from. Their first CD was pretty good, though, and I like “Love Spreads” well enough, so I decided to pick it up and see how it is.

Tears for Fears, Elemental (single) Another “for collectors only” item, this single features a radio edit and a live version of the title track, a live version of album track “Dog’s A Best Friend’s Dog,” and “New Star,” which previously appeared on the band’s first hits compilation. The first three albums from the band are great; their later albums after Curt Smith’s departure don’t really measure up, but they were still a melodic, welcome relief from the 90s grunge bog.

I acquired a lot of stuff at the festival proper, including some used stuff from the merch tents, stuff I bought directly from bands, and some giveaway stuff:

Liaison, Liaison Mid-tempo keyboard/mullet-rock released in 1989 on Frontline. A friend bought this when I was a teenager, and I always kind of had a soft spot for “Man With A Mission” and “Kick It Down.” They aren’t as good as I remember, but the album’s no worse than any other second-tier CCM rock album of the late 80s.

Seventy Sevens, Holy Ghost Building I loved the 77’s up through their first couple of 90s releases, but they lost me with Tom Tom Blues and their interminable jazz odyssey recordings and shows. They’ve been winning me back of late, though, with a return of some focus (and some oldies) to their live sets. This is an album of gospel covers (at least mostly – the stupid digipak packaging is very light on liner notes), and it’s good. Gospel songs seem to be a bit of a “thing” at the moment, with this album, the Kevin Max album, the Mike Farris album, the NEWWORLDSON album, and others. I don’t mind it a bit; Russ Taff’s earlier entry into that realm, Under Their Influence, remains an all-time favorite of mine.

Run Kid Run, Love at the Core This band really surprised me this year. They were, as I recall, fairly nondescript last year, but their Tooth & Nail Day set this year really impressed me, so I bought their latest CD. “Rescue Me” and “One In A Million” stand out to me after one listen, but the whole album sound pretty consistently good.

Mike Farris, Salvation in Lights Well, there’s just no way that this album of gospel covers (with a couple of originals) could capture the pure awesomeness of his live set, but it’s a strong album start to finish nonetheless. This could be one of those cases where memories of an awesome live performance make me appreciate the album more than I otherwise would, but even if you didn’t see the show (and not many of you did), if you like sweet soul music, this is worth a listen.

Seabird, ‘Til We See the Shore One of the most improved bands of the last year, I think. Last year, their set was good enough to get me to buy their Spread Your Broken Wings and Try EP, but neither the set nor the EP were particularly memorable. Everything was different this year – the live set was tight and impressive, and I’m obsessed with this CD. Singer Aaron Morgan’s voice isn’t for everybody, but if you’re OK with that, this is a strong CD. “Rescue,” “Let Me Go On,” and “Maggie Mahoney” are my favorites, but I keep listening to the album all the way through, and so should you.

Various Artists, Tooth & Nail Records 80s Tribute Volume One $3 at Rad Rockers, as I recall. It’s a collection of previously released 80s covers from various early 00s Tooth & Nail bands, and it’s not really all that good. Stavesacre’s “Fascination Street” is the standout track.

NEWWORLDSON, Salvation Station Another album of old-timey gospel songs, this time a bunch of originals in that style. I was really skeptical of this band going into their set, but they delivered. I haven’t listened to the album yet to see if it does their stuff justice, and I don’t really associate this style with Inpop Records, but we’ll see how it works.

The Hopescope, Bring in the Sun Produced by Jeff Elbel of Ping, who also contributed some lyrics, vocals, guitars, and so forth to the album. I’m not familiar with the band, but Jeff was giving away copies of the CD at the Ping merch table so I figured I could give a good home to a copy. It’s still in the “to be listened to” pile, but it looks interesting.

Adam Again and Friends, Live at Cornerstone 2000 This was the Gene Eugene tribute show, which I attended. The band was rocking (especially Jon Knox – oh my, could that guy beat on a drum kit), and the guest vocalists sounded great filling Gene’s shoes. Unfortunately, this recording doesn’t really do the show justice. The recording sounds harsh, poorly mixed, and a little overdriven, which is disappointing. The liner notes, with various artists reminiscing about Gene, are a nice touch, and the new song by Riki Michele is good. The CD also comes with a Greg Lawless solo CD as a bonus. It’s a nice package; it’s just too bad that the audio quality isn’t better for the live set.

Nitengale, Theatres One of the surprise bands of the fest, Nitengale played two solid sets of piano-driven rock. Their late night show compelled me to buy their CD (which I haven’t listened to yet). This is another band where the live show is probably very difficult to capture on disc, but the tracks I’ve heard on MySpace sound pretty good, so I’m looking forward to hearing the CD. When I talked to the band after their late night set, they said they were in Nashville working with Word Records. I’m not sure exactly what that means, and I really can’t imagine this sort of stuff coming from Word. I hope things work out for them, though.

Resurrection Band, Music To Raise the Dead 1972-1998 Box Set I own everything REZ has released, but I’m still psyched to hear this career retrospective all in one package. The detailed booklet and bonus DVD are also great additions to the package. REZ doesn’t seem to attention that bands like Petra or the 77’s have gotten over the years – they kind of exist under the radar of a lot of fans of Christian music. Trust me when I say that if you’re a fan of classic Christian rock, you’ll get your money’s worth out of this box set.

Which Way Is Home, title unknown This was kind of a cool thing – the band Which Way Is Home had a deal where you could either get an EP with packaging or a barebones CD-ROM with all the EP songs plus some new songs for the same price. I elected for the CD-ROM. But they do commit a faux pas that would violate one of my friend Matt’s rules for bands at Cornerstone – they don’t put their band name or the album title on the CD-ROM. All it’s got is a cryptic “WWIH” and illegible band signatures on the disc. Just something to keep in mind if you’re in a band – people here like 100 bands in 5 days at Cornerstone, so make sure you put your info front and center to remind people who you are. As for the CD, it’s still in the “to be listened to” pile.

The Machine, T.R.M. Demo Some guy handed me this CD on the side of the road. He said it was “sung when it needs to be sung, and screamed when it needs to be screamed,” which experience leads me to believe means it’s 98% screaming, but I haven’t listened to it yet. As a counterpoint to the previous CD, this demo does have the band name, the album title, and the MySpace address readily available.

Anberlin, New Surrender bracelet This is kind of a cool idea, so even though I strongly prefer having physical CDs, I decided to support them for trying something different. For $15 you buy a rubber bracelet with the Anberlin logo on it and a USB drive built in. On the USB drive are 4 songs and a link to enter a code (printed on a piece of paper attached to the bracelet) to download the full album when it comes out on September 30th. I was a little disappointed to find that all the songs are remixes, three of which are from previous albums and one of which is on the forthcoming album. It would have been cool to get a bit more of a preview of the album. But still, this is a clever idea.

Finally, after I got home, I downloaded or bought some additional music that I found out about during the festival:

Capital Lights, This Is An Outrage! The graphic design of the album cover really doesn’t match the music, so don’t judge this album of catchy pop-rock by the cover. One thing that’s got to be frustrating to the band – their album came out exactly one week AFTER their performance (to a large, enthusiastic audience) at Cornerstone. Cornerstone’s kind of a big deal to a lot of these bands, so it seems like Tooth & Nail could have worked things out so they’d have some copies to sell at the fest, if only for some gas money. Anyway, this was one of the new bands I was most looking forward to going into the fest, and the live set and the album both live up to my expectations.

shirock, free downloads I’m not really sure how to capitalize their name – I’ve seen it at least three different ways. This band got a lot of pub at the festival, but it didn’t seem to translate to bodies at their set. They’re offering 4 of the 5 songs from their new EP for free download online, so if you’re a fan of (strongly) U2-influenced pop-rock, look them up.

Sixpence None the Richer, My Dear Machine EP Sixpence is back. This 4-song EP, available apparently exclusively for whatever you want to pay for it at noisetrade.com, moves away from the jangly pop shimmer of their radio hits and hearkens back to their somewhat more subdued sound that makes up the bulk of their catalog. “Sooner Than Later” is the standout track, at least on first listen. I’d really prefer to buy a physical CD instead of digital downloads, but other than that, I’m just happy to have the band back together and making music.

Somehow, I escaped Cornerstone Farm this year without buying a whole lot. Here's a bit of what we brought home from Cornerstone this year:

Music:

• Run Kid Run - Love at the Core
• Good disc - captures a lot of the energy from their live show.
• newworldson - Salvation Station
• Beware that their website blasts music when you open it or when you switch pages - can't find a way to permanently turn it off...
• The songs are the same that we heard in concert, but otherwise the album isn't capturing me much -- vocals are too high in the mix, drowning out the excellent instrumentation. Oh well, their live show was excellent and I'd gladly see them again!
• Various from Tooth & Nail - 80s Tribute Volume One
• Was there ever a volume two?
• We bought this for something like $3 - and it is worth at least that much. :)
• The Urban Sophisticates - Live in Concert
• These guys are so much fun - glad to have their live album now.
• We talked to MC Benton James a bit, and I was impressed by how friendly and polite he was -- seemed to glad that people were enjoying their music.
• Nitegale - not sure what the title is. :)
• Enjoyable as a first disc - looking forward to what these guys will put out in the future.
• The album suffers from a bit of sameness, but vocals and instrumentation are interesting and well-done.
• I talked to these guys a bit, too -- seemed to have their heads screwed on tight, so I hope we see more of them in the future.
  

Shirts:

• Anberlin shirt from the 3 for $10 bin. Gotta love that. The other 2 shirts went home with my brother, to share with his new wife.
• Official festival shirt. Another year of great designs. Matt got the black one and I got the grey one. I love pulling out shirts from old fests and adding new ones to our collection.
• Urban Sophisticates shirt - blue with a brown & white angel-like shape on the front.
• Love is the Movement. Matt gave me a black one last year for Christmas, but alas, it was too small. So, this summer I added the white one to my wardrobe.
  

Other items:

• Original watercolor by Jimmy A. A couple of original art pieces and photos were available after the Charlie Peacock show at the Gallery and one just spoke to me. I'm looking forward to putting it up around our house.
• Looking forward to the next Live From Nowhere disc from Over the Rhine, which they mentioned is coming out soon.
• Likewise looking forward to new material from Deas Veil, which was referenced in their show (see Jerry's post below)
• Intrigued by new material (a Christmas album, really?) from Sixpence None the Richer. I'll have to preview that before I buy it...
• I also think I need to pick up some full albums from the Robbie Seay Band and David Crowder Band -- I have a few songs from iTunes, but their shows were both interesting enough to justify getting some more of their music. And, if you haven't yet, be sure to watch the Exclusive Videos on the Cornerstone site for the interview with David Crowder inside their "palatial" tour bus.
  

So, add a comment! What did you bring home -- anything the rest of us need to hear about?

We've got tons of photos up on CornerstoneFestival.com. But if you want more, I've posted some of my personal favorites too.

You can look at them here!

Thanks

The last day of the festival, as it always is, was a little bittersweet.  It’s always kind of depressing to see the campsites starting to clear out, and to see all the band fliers everywhere (on the portapotties, on the tent poles, on the ground – pretty much any surface to which a flier can be affixed) that are no longer relevant because all the shows have already happened.  At least this year, however, the grounds seemed to be a bit less deserted on the last day than in years past, probably because Saturday was the big metal night on the Main Stage.  There were also a handful of shows that I was interested in.

I started the day intending to see Homer Hiccolm & the Rocketboys, but I apparently had some bad schedule information, and saw Death Is Not Welcome Here instead.  They’re a little screamier than I prefer, but they weren’t bad – it’s good to see at least a little of that sort of stuff every year, because it’s such a big part of the Cornerstone experience for a lot of people.

Cornerstone had put together an exhibit of photos and old programs and newspaper articles to celebrate the festival’s 25th birthday, so I took some time to wander through the gallery with some friends.  It was fun to play “name that band” when looking at the photos from the 80s, and just a little sad to see the shows that I missed when some of my favorite bands were in their prime.

Next up was Seabird on the Gallery Stage.  They were a very pleasant surprise – I saw their set last year, but they kind of got lost in the shuffle of a lot of similar bands.  Playing on the Gallery with a new album and another year of shows under their belt, the band made their case for “most improved band of 2008.”  They were tight, they were fun, and their new material seemed a little rockier.  I really enjoyed their set.

NEWWORLDSON was the next band on the Gallery.  Going in, it seemed like a show that could either be really cool or a little hokey.  They quickly dispelled my worries, with a set that consisted mostly of funky original material, along the same old-time gospel lines as the Mike Farris set the previous night.  They did a fun, high-energy show with some good tunes, and I’d gladly see them again.


I saw Deas Vail next, for the second time of the festival.  I think I liked this set on the Gallery a bit better than the earlier one on one of the Encore stages – the sound always seems better at the Gallery, and the laid-back last day vibe seemed to fit their style a little better.  They’ve got a lot of new music (an EP and another album) coming out in the next few months, and I look forward to hearing more from them.

A friend and I headed to the Indie Community Stage to catch Thalon, because I liked what I heard from them on their MySpace page – basic rock and roll with a hint of 80s rock mixed in.  Their set was energetic and pretty good, despite the fact that there were only about 5 people watching the show.  That’s got to be a little disheartening, to come all the way to Cornerstone and play to a literally empty tent; I hope their Label Showcase set was better attended.

After sampling a bit of Josh Garrels while I ate dinner, I wrapped up my concert-going with Charlie Peacock and the Lost Dogs.  I’m not a Peacock fan, primarily due to lack of exposure – I’ve just never heard much of his music.  So I was curious to see him play, and he didn’t disappoint.  He opened the set solo (on the piano), and later brought out a band that consisted of Jimmy A on guitar, Steve Hindalong on percussion, and Kevin Max on vocals (plus the ubiquitous Mike Roe on guitar for one song).  The set was fun for the audience and the performers, and packed with songs that I recognized through osmosis over the years – “Big Man’s Hat,” “Down in the Lowlands,” “One Man Gets Around,” and others.

The Lost Dogs wrapped up the evening on the Gallery with a set that was a little more stripped-down compared to last year’s big production (which featured painted backdrops, karaoke, and prop comedy).  This year, the focus was solely on the music (well, the music and some of the same well-worn jokes the band has been using for years), featuring three songs from their latest CD and a lot of the more somber songs from their back catalog (such as “No Room For Us” and “Rebecca Go Home”).  They closed their set with a scorching rendition of “Eleanor, It’s Raining Now” and then returned for the encore with a cover of Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door.”  It was an enjoyable set, but seemed anticlimactic in the 9:00 time slot – the band really needs a midnight slot to cover more of their catalog.


And that was it for another year, with only goodbyes and a long and hard drive left in my festival experience.  But the blogging must go on – stay tuned for some wrap-up posts as I get my feet back on the ground here in the real world.

Post-fest, I always want to write something profound. I want to find some way to express my appreciation to JPUSA for putting this on. I want to share about just how much it renews my soul to spend a week hearing great music and laughing late into the night with friends. I want to build my own personal memory of how much better life is when I'm not stressed out at work. I want to put down in writing my thanks to God for letting me get a little taste of heaven in the cornfields of western Illinois.

But, saying all of those things the way I want to will have to wait. For us, 1000 miles separates today from tomorrow.

So, more blogging to come - I know we all have plenty to add yet about our favorite bands and other great moments from Cornerstone 2008. Help us get started by posting a comment about your favorite moments.

If you were here, I hope you make it home safely. If you were not here, I wish you (as friend & fellow blogger Chris Parks said last night): "Next year outside of Bushnell, IL."

Happy 25th!

25 years ago, a Jesus-loving, musically-rocking group put on the very first Cornerstone festival at a county park near Chicago. Last night we got together to celebrate - but not to celebrate those people, but to celebrate the One who really started it all.

The 25th birthday party was an ecelctic mix, celebrating the creativity of God's people with thier varied forms of art, worshipping God for His goodness, finding community in the strangers-yet-family around us, and considering how our worship extends beyond music into action.

The night started with Flatfoot 56. They're insane (in the very best way) - a ton of fun and the crowds love their punk-inspired style (and everybody always sings along to Amazing Grace). The next few acts mixed together everything from "sacred steel" Gospel songs to driving rock-and-roll. Through it, we were also treated to moments from some people with ties to classic Cornerstone and quite a few first-timers (who I sincerely hope will return year after year).

We had moments sponsored by Compassion International, too. Sometimes, those little talks can sound more like a sales pitch than anything else. Yet, last night, I think they went in a better direction - helping us think about how our worship is not just something we do with our voices or with our emotions, but something we must do with our hands. As people like Robbie Seay talked about meeting the children they sponsor through Compassion, I thought about the letters our sponsored kids send us and how much joy they bring to me.

We continued to join together in worship as Charlie Peacock and others led communion - with readings and songs. We took the elements together, in what has got to be the biggest church service I've ever been part of. Peacock then sang a beautiful acoustic rendition of "In the Light" as we (re)lit our candles to celebrate.

David Crowder wrapped up the night with a high-energy, sing-along, dance-along worship set. Big crowd singing along -- not a bad way to end a birthday party!

Overall, Cornerstone's 25th birthday party felt like a bit of a grown-up moment -- grown-up in the sense of growing in maturity and understanding where we fit in the world. Somehow, it was still a child-like moment, having fun, smiling and laughing togehter.

Here's to another 25!

Yesterday’s main event was the Main Stage birthday bash, celebrating 25 years of Cornerstone, but there were a lot of other great shows going on throughout the day as well.  My day started out with Which Way Is Home on the New Band Showcase.  The 4-piece from Detroit was very tight and played a great set that, like many on the New Band Showcase, was woefully under attended.  If you like straight up melodic rock, check them out.

Next up was a personal favorite that I rarely get to see outside of Cornerstone, the Urban Sophisticates.  This live hip-hop band features brothers Aaron and Benton James singing and rapping, backed up by live guitar, drums, bass, trumpet, and trombone.  The band sounds amazing, the songs are catchy and clever, and the style is unique at Cornerstone (which is quite an accomplishment when you consider the diversity of this festival).  They played a lot of new material, which sounded great.

I took a flyer on a band that’s a bit out of the norm for me, Grave Robber.  I don’t spend a lot of time around the Sanctuary metal stage, and when I first loaded this band’s MySpace page, I figured they were really not for me.  But then “I Want To Kill You” started playing, and I found myself enjoying (and singing along with) a band that performs in full corpse costumes.  They’re fun, and despite the shtick, also had some good tunes.

Continuing the musical whiplash, I went back to the New Band Showcase for SHIROCK.  This band has been promoted to death around the fest, with fliers everywhere, ads on Main Stage, everything you can do, but they still only had a few dozen people at their show, which was really too bad.  They wear their heavy U2 influence on their sleeves (the singer wore Fly shades, moved like Bono, and even sounds a bit like Bono; plus, they sound-checked with “With or Without You”), but U2’s one of my all-time favorite bands, so that’s not a bad thing.  Their songs rocked and the performance was good – I just wish more people had been there to see it.

That brings us to the main event down on Main Stage.  It’s amazing to think of all the great bands that have played on the Cornerstone grounds over the years, and even more amazing to think that a lot of the bands that played the first Cornerstone are still around and doing music – the 77’s just put out a new album, the Choir still get together to play occasionally (and Steve and Derri work on a lot of other folks’ music, too), Terry Taylor’s bands still do their thing from time to time (most recently a new Swirling Eddies album).  But it’s also sobering to think of all the people who have played Cornerstone in the past that are no longer with us – Larry Norman, Gene Eugene, Rich Mullins, Mark Heard, and others.  The birthday show was a celebration of the rich history of Cornerstone.

Logistically, the show was very impressive.  The stage was divided into three zones (left, right, and the end of the catwalk), and while one band played, the stage crew set up for the next.  The whole thing went off almost without a hitch.  Flatfoot 56 opened things up, and gave us one of the biggest circle pits I’ve personally witnessed at the fest.  More bands followed, with each band doing 15- or 20-minute sets.  Personal highlights included the Lee Boys, whose “sacred steel” style is another sound that’s unique at Cornerstone; the 77’s, who brought the rock with a thunderous cover of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”; Charlie Peacock, who led the crowd in a Communion service and played a couple of his songs as well; and the David Crowder Band, who played a full set to close the night, and rocked enough to transcend the worship music genre, which I usually find kind of boring.

But the most compelling set, in my opinion, was delivered by Over the Rhine.  I expected to see Karin and Linford do a couple of songs, but they brought the full band out to the platform at the end of the catwalk – upright bass, mandolin, a little drum and cymbal kit, piano, and guitar.  The music was beautiful, even by Over the Rhine standards, highlighted by an old spiritual tune and a cover of Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl.”  People jumped the gun on lighting their candles (which were intended for the Communion service), but it made for a beautiful scene as the hillside was illuminated by “substitute fireflies.”


I stopped to watch the fireworks over the lake on the walk back to the grounds, which, although they were pretty, turned out to be an unfortunate mistake.  Little did I know that back on the Gallery Stage, Mike Farris was bringing down the house with the show of the fest.  Thankfully, I still managed to catch about an hour of his set, and like I said last night, it was amazing.  If that set didn’t get you excited, you might be dead. Every year there seems to be one show that just comes out of nowhere to blow me away, and I can’t say enough how fantastic this show was.  He set the bar pretty high for today’s performances, and it’s truly tragic that so few people saw him play.  He said he usually has an 11-piece band, but only brought 6 up with him this year.  Hopefully he’ll be back next year.


Sadly, though, today is the last day of the fest, but with people like Charlie Peacock and the Lost Dogs playing, it’s bound to be a good one.

Mike Farris broke my brain. 

It's almost 3:30 in the morning, but I can't put my head down without  writing about the incredible day and night of music I just experienced.  The day was great, even though I didn't catch half of the bands that I had hoped to see.  I still managed to hear at least a little bit of hard rock band Ilia, live band hip hop outfit the Urban Sophisticates (highly recommended), new modern pop/rock band Which Way Is Home, theatrical deathpunk band Grave Robber and the much advertised Shirock.    It was a good day.  But it paled next to the night.

The night began with the long trek down to mainstage for the grand celebration of Cornerstone Festival's 25th birthday.  And the birthday celebration delivered.  The incredible diversity and worship (where else do you see Flatfoot 56, The Lee Boys, Over The Rhine, The Lost Dogs and David Crowder sharing a stage) put the focus exactly where it needed to be on this big night.  Not on the importance or success of the festival, but instead on the God behind it all.   It's too late at night to go into a lot of detail about the individual performances.  Suffice to say that it felt a little like heaven as thousands and thousands of believers suddenly realized that they were surrounded by their brothers and sisters.

And then I got to the really incredible part.  I don't know what to say about Mike Farris's performance except to say that if you weren't there - and the crowd wasn't that big, so the odds are good that you weren't - I'm sorry for you.  This was one of those signature Cornerstone performances, the kind that still makes you smile years later.  Farris's band was tight and his material - classic gospel tunes from back in the day - was a fitting capper.  There was something about hearing songs like The Staples Singers "I'll Take You There" and Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" that seemed utterly fitting for a gathering of believers in America on July 4th.  This is music that is richly woven into the American experience, even while it speaks to something that is bigger than just this country.  And, seriously, the band was tight. 

I have got to get some sleep now.  But if you see me a couple months from now and I have a far away look in my  eyes and a silly grin on my face, you'll know.  I'm probably thinking back to this night.

I know we've still got one day to go, and there have already been a lot of contenders, but I'm pretty sure I saw the show of the fest tonight from Mike Farris. Despite the small crowd at the Gallery, Farris and his band (including a sax player he saw playing by the side of the road today and asked him to sit in with the band) put on an unbelievable show. I've never had a show that literally made me want to get up out of my chair and do cartwheels down the aisle like a Blues Brother before tonight. I don't think I've ever seen a singer in concert with a better voice. If anything tomorrow tops the show from tonight, my head might explode.

After five years away, Living Sacrifice came back and gave Cornerstone an great set. It's been a long time coming. Originally known for being the heaviest Christian metal band around back in the early '90s, their reformation in 1996 gave the band a chance to update their Slayer influences with the math metal of Meshuggah. The result was startling; their new sound was more melodic than the latter, but still insanely technical. The pinnacle of the band's second go-round was The Hammering Process, which mixes in some Fear Factory-esque melodic power chords-intensive interludes to great effect. With  Conceived in Fire, however, the off-kilter time signatures and jazz influences were less evident, and the band went out with a whimper at their 2003 farewell show due to a couple of last minute lineup changes.

They definitely seemed refreshed at tonight's show, however, and played with the chops of an act that has been touring for the past few months. Selections mostly came from Reborn,The Hammering Process, and Conceived in Fire, with "Enthroned" (from Nonexistant) thrown in as a nod to the older fans. I'd never noticed how much of the drumming for their first few albums had merely been insanely fast trapping; with their newer work, Lance Garvin, their drummer, is certainly given more of a challenge (which he handles with aplomb.).

Their one new song, "Death Machine", brings them full-circle. With the critical acclaim bands like Mastodon have received, highly-technical hardcore (or "metalcore," a genre title that just rolls off the tongue) is next logical influence for the Sac Posse to incorporate into their music, and "Death Machine" features an old-school heavy punk call-and-response chorus, of the kind that would do bands like Slayer proud.

Good to have Bruce Fitzhugh and Co. back.

Today’s seminars were simply monstrous. And i mean that in a good way.

Andy Whitman’s sessions considered how music helps us understand evil in the world and in ourselves...the enemy (or the monster) without, and within. Songs from different artists help us understand the fallen nature of the world, and ourselves as “screwups loved by God.”

J Gordon Melton began his exploration of the character Dracula, myth and fact, how the historic Vlad the Impaler became the vampire Dracula and what that means in today’s culture. Sessions tomorrow will consider the popularity of the vampire in contemporary culture.

J Robert Parks wrapped up his presentation on colonialism, empire and myth with reflections on how contemporary culture treats “otherness.”

Daniel Otto Jack Petersen (aka “Otto No Bot” of the Voice of the Mysterons) took the time to ponder what’s up with all the references to monsters (leviathans, behemoths etc) in the Bible. Unfortunately, he had too much material for a single session. It's a topic that we don't often consider, and one that could lead to useful reflections about ourselves and how we relate to God and to each other.

I’ll take away a lot of things to think about when i head home...along with a renewed appreciation for monsters.

Friday afternoon and sleep deprivation is finally catching up with me. So, while I could be out there checking out all sorts of great new music, I have instead decided to stop by the web trailer and come up with something to blog about. Topic of the day: my favorite ways to beat the heat (not that it's too hot today, but hot enough for me to be craving some A/C!).

• Visit the grocery store tent in the midway and pick yourself a cold bottle of soda or water. Don't just get one from the refrigerated cases, get one from the ice-filled tubs. And, of course, you'll have to plunge your hand in deep, up to the elbow in ice, to really make sure you got the coldest bottle possible.
• Get a shave ice. The shave ice vendor in the midway makes the best shave ice I've ever had in the continental US (sorry, the classic places on Hawaii's north shore are still better). The ice is well shaved, much more like snow than ice bullets. If shave ice isn't your thing, the Bushnell Rotary sells huge freezies for just $1. Buy extras and give them to your friends.
• Stay away from the Sanctuary tent. haha. They lined the top of the tent with black plastic - so it's even hotter in there than elsewhere.
• Worst-case, buy yourself a bag of ice and walk around with it on your head!

"Ideas are not neutral"

That phrase, "Ideas are not neutral," was uttered by Charlie Peacock yesterday afternoon in seminar tent X4. I found that it not only summed up his seminar but also summed up an important big idea I've been observing lately, especially here at Cornerstone.

Regarding the seminar, Peacock read an excerpt from his forthcoming book and talked a bit about how do we know what we know. How do we take ideas, especially in our postmodern world, and reconcile them with what it means to be a follower of Jesus? What does it look like to take ideas about music, devestating loss (i.e. Katrina), war, family, or politics and put them together with "covenant epistemology" involving revelation and responsibility? How do we wrap our heads around God's revelation and our responsibility? What if we know in order to love and love in order to know?

I see some of these same big ideas coming up more and more around the artists and fans at Cornerstone. Groups like To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) & Faceless international (which, as Steve said, both came up prominently at main stage last night), seem to be examples of living out this covenant view of "ideas are not neutral." TWLOHA founders knew from close-up the pain of depression, self-injury and suicide. They were not content to believe that idea was neutral - instead they took responsibility for what they knew and are now proclaiming that "Love is the Movement." Anberlin frontman Stephen Christian saw needs among the poor worldwide and took responsibility to use his influence to help.

Those are just two of so many groups I've seen around Cornerstone who are taking ideas seriously. You see it in the arts exhibits, in the films that are screened, in the other seminars that are put on. All over the fest grounds, you see people walking around with t-shirts from groups like these. Yeah, they want to buy shirts from their favorite bands, too, but I think it's really true that they want to be part of something bigger. There are still plenty of "preaching to the choir" type shirts (with cute phrases on the back which probably do more to identify the wearer to others of his or her same "tribe" than reach out), but more and more, I see people getting excited by ideas like Love being the movement, or by ideas like taking responsibility to care for others.

I think those are ideas I can get behind. Thanks for inspiring me.

Yesterday was a bit of a rarity for me in that I spent almost the entire day at one stage.  My attention span can get pretty short at Cornerstone, because there’s so much that I want to see and do and I don’t want to miss any of it.  But the Gallery Stage lineup was so packed with classic bands (most of whom rarely if ever play together anymore) that I just couldn’t miss it.

I started the day with Deas Vail, a band I first heard last year at the fest.  I probably talked about this last year, but I’m really glad to see things like keyboards and melody and background vocals starting to return to prominence with new bands, and Deas Vail is a good example of that.

I surfed among a few stages for a while, catching Dear Future, another band I first heard last year, on a generator stage, as well as a few songs each from Motorist Jones and We Shot the Moon.  Then it was time to settle down and work for my ticket – I headed over to the Gallery Stage to set up and work the merch table for my friend Jeff Elbel’s band Ping.

It’s surprisingly heard to actually listen to bands play when you’re talking to people and selling CDs, but the Ping set sounded quite good.  A highlight of the set was Jeff’s daughter, no doubt a future rock star, joining her dad on “Bark Along With Cody.”  Jeff had a bunch of people recording the show, so hopefully I’ll get to actually see and/or hear it at some point.

After that, it was time to grit my teeth and make a decision.  There was a great lineup on Main Stage, with some bands I really like (Jonezetta, Hawk Nelson, and especially Anberlin), but it’s a lot easier to see those bands than it is to see the bands that were playing the Gallery, so I stayed put for an evening of awesome classic Christian rock.

Resurrection Band kicked off the evening, and they rocked my face, playing great song after great song.  “Waves,” “Light Light,” “Right On Time,” “White Noise,” “Love Comes Down,” song after awesome song.  Glenn broke out an old denim vest and painter cap, and for a little while it looked like the 80s again.  It was a great set, and I look forward to seeing it again on the video that Grrr Records was recording.

Next up was the 77’s, with Dave Leonhardt playing with the band for the first time in a while.  I missed a recent 77’s show in my hometown (Atlanta), and was crushed when I saw the setlist with a bunch of classics like “Ba Ba Ba Ba” in it.  The short set last night unfortunately squeezed out most of the older stuff, but the stuff from their new album Holy Ghost Building sounded really good.

A big surprise entry on the schedule, a reunited DeGarmo & Key, played next, and they sounded as good as they ever did.  I used to be a big fan of their music, but haven’t listened in quite a while.  It was good to hear songs like “Addey” and “Ready or Not” and “Destined To Win” again, as well as stuff like “Long Distance Runner” that was a bit before my time.  It was a very impressive set, and I was glad to see that a nice, big Cornerstone crowd welcomed them back.

Closing out the night, as is the custom around here, was Over the Rhine.  The band was playing as a five-piece, with Karen Bergquist on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Linford Detweiler on keyboard, guitar, bass, and vocals; the amazing Mickey Grimm on drums and percussion; Jake Bradley on bass, upright bass, and guitar; and special guest Kenny Hutson on guitar, pedal steel, dobro, and mandolin.  It’s safe to say that the band had a lot of equipment on the stage.


I was sitting right in front, in front of Jake, with my feet propped up on the stage and a giant bowl of ice cream in my hand.  If there’s a better way to spend a night than that, I don’t know what it is.

The setlist was similar to what the band’s been playing lately, focusing on tracks from The Trumpet Child, Drunkard’s Prayer, and Ohio.  Covers of Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio” and the Pretenders’ “My City Was Gone” spiced things up a bit, and the latter brought a giant smile to my face as Jake and Kenny traded off lead guitar riffs at the end of the song.  For a longtime Vigilantes of Love fan, that was just about the coolest thing ever.  It was a great set, and a great way to cap off a day of classic bands.

Today’s big thing is the 25th birthday celebration at Main Stage, with a bunch of bands playing short sets throughout the night.  Should be a lot of fun.

A lot of people see my camera and "all access" pass and ask if they can take pictures for Cornerstone. Sounds like a great gig... go right up to the front of the stage and take pictures of your favorite bands.

That would be awesome.

And it is.

But it's a lot of work. I put in more hours after 5pm Thursday than I do on a normal day of work. And my day didn't start at 5, but closer to 10am. It was like a 16 hour day. So volunteering's not as glamorous as you might think.

But Thursday was definitely one of those nights I don't mind being assigned to main stage. A couple of bands I really like were playing, especially Anberlin and Hawk Nelson, and I almost forgot Jonezetta.

But the bands I hadn't seen before were really good too. I wandered by Leeland at the Gallery Stage last year I think, but didn't hang around for it. But they did a nice job in the main stage spotlight. The other band I was curious about was The Almost. I know Aaron from Underoath was fronting this band, and I was pleasantly surprised. They did some really cool worship stuff, and Aaron talked about being honest and authentic as Christians.

The "to write love on her arms" guy followed that thought. He gave props to Aaron, a guy who's got standing to play those songs on the Warped Tour. I think that's pretty cool.

One of the things I appreciate about bands like The Almost and Anberlin is their support of things like TWLOHA and Faceless International. The latter was started by Stephen of Anberlin to tell the story of poverty and human trafficking. Their lives extend behind the stage. But they use their voices to point  out injustices in the world we as Christians should care about. A video highlighted some of that.

Then it was back to the rocking-my-face-off part of the night.

I've seen Anberlin a bunch of times this year, and if nothing, they're consistent. They seem happy to play every time in every situation. They played two shows in one day Thursday -- once on the Warped Tour and once at Cornerstone. That's cool to see them make that effort to get here.

Then I closed off the night by copying about 1000 pictures to my laptop, and still had time to catch part of the Over the Rhine set at Cornerstone, just in time to see "Changes Come" maybe my favorite song of theirs.

One of the great advantages of an experience like Cornerstone is an opportunity to step aside from the pressures of "normal" life and think about things...things that slip past us in the business of everyday life.

We interpret all of life from our personal philosophies, our understandings of the world and “how it works.” Our attention is focused not on our philosophies but on what is happening, and we apply our philosophies to what we see and hear and do almost without thinking. Our successes and failures at making sense of what is happening depend in large part on those philosophies, and yet we do not often think about the philosophies themselves. Taking the time to look at those philosophies can make a world of difference, but we do not often do it.

At their best, the seminars at Cornerstone are perfect examples of what happens when we do take the time. As the seminars started only today, i've not heard more than the beginnings of the seminars i've been attending. But in those initial sessions, the presenters have explained the basics, laying the groundwork that will allow us to think clearly about the topics covered. We've had definitions of terms and declarations of where the presenters are coming from.

Andy Whitman (andywhitman.blogspot.com) values music as a means of understanding himself and others, in all their gloriously messy human complexity. For him, music is a means of understanding and connecting to joy. In future sessions, he will be playing songs as examples of his themes, and the rest of us will talk about those topics.

J Robert Parks provided definitions and examples of three key terms in his seminar on colonialism, empire and myth. Those definitions and examples will help us understand how the "stories we tell ourselves" in our cultures subtly shape our thinking and our actions, turning a passive reception of the ideas and concepts that underlie our culture into a conscious, explicit examination of those ideas and concepts. Or so we all hope.


  

Every year, I choose a seminar or two that I'd like to check out. The seminar offerings at Cornerstone are really quite good and cover topics of interest to pretty much anybody (from dating/marriage to theology to social justice and more). Yet, most years my best laid plans get pushed aside in favor of catching a great band, getting a snack or taking a much-needed afternoon nap.

This year, the seminar that I'd like to catch is with Charlie Peacock. It'll be today at 2pm. I checked the schedule and it looks like I should be able to make it.  I figured I'd add this to the blog so you all can hold me accountable to sit down and fill my brain with some other than just music this afternoon.

I was a late-comer to Charlie Peacock's music - first hearing it when my brother loaned me In the Light (the best-of) at some point during college. Then I met my husband, and turns out he owns pretty much every one of the older albums. These days, we enjoy putting on the ipod while driving and singing along together.

I thoroughly enjoyed Peacock's first book, At the Crossroads. Others I've talked to about it don't always get it -- why would a book about the history of Christian music get me (a non-musician) so much? I think it's because it presented such a well-rounded view of life and theology. New Way to Be Human brought even better writing and more applicable topics. I hear that there may be another book forthcoming - looking forward to getting a taste of it this afternoon.

Wednesday at the fest was one of those days where there’s so much good stuff going on that you hate to miss any of it, and because it’s early in the week, you’re not yet too tired to care.  It also goes to show that no matter how much you plan and prepare, the best shows almost always come as a surprise (sometimes even twice).

Every year my friends and I spend a long time pre-fest listening to a bunch of bands on MySpace and put together our own program, with our favorite bands highlighted in green, the next best in blue, and the next in yellow.  We screen out the stuff that just isn’t our style, and we’re left with a pretty good roadmap for our days.
Yesterday one “blue band” was a no-show at their scheduled time, but I caught the sound check for a “yellow band” called One Star Story that turned out to sound pretty good.  So I stuck around and listened to them, and the set turned out to be pretty good.  Hard to photograph, as evidenced by the fact that I took about 70 photos and got maybe 3 that were any good, but very listenable.

Their set overlapped with a couple of other bands that I’d planned on seeing, which threw things out of whack a bit.  I ended up at the Gallery listening to Nitengale, a band I was a bit on the fence about based on a quick listen to their music online.  They hit a home run, though, with their energetic, passionate performance that was driven by piano but also featured some very cool sounding guitar work.  I love it when a band goes from “not sure I want to see them” to “where can I buy the CD” in the span of one performance.

Then came the hard labor portion of the day – my friends and I hauled a bunch of food and stuff from the parking lot way back into the wooded camping area to have a cookout.  The food was great, even the stuff that fell on the ground (thanks to Matt, the lord of the pork chop), and it was nice to have a conversation without shouting for an hour or two.

But Cornerstone is, ultimately, about the music, so we cleaned up and headed for Main Stage for Family Force 5.  Along the way, we almost met a strange death, though.  After years of dodging golf carts recklessly driven by kids (a problem that eventually led to tighter restrictions on golf carts at the fest a few years back, if I remember correctly), we were almost done in by a middle-aged man on a golf cart.  The road out of the camping area is a steep, narrow gravel path, and as we were walking down it, a guy on a golf cart carrying about 40 people skidded and swerved out of control down the hill, forcing us to scurry for safety.  Thanks a lot, middle-aged guy.

All was forgotten when Family Force 5 took the stage, though.  There are deeper bands at Cornerstone, and there are more technically proficient bands at Cornerstone, but you’d be hard pressed to find a “funner” band at Cornerstone.  Despite a rough night that saw them fly from the Warped Tour date in St. Louis to Chicago then drive to the fest (good planning, that…), they put on a great show that featured a couple of new songs from their forthcoming Dance or Die album.

Back at the Gallery, Gasoline Heart did an energetic show that featured the first guitar smashing of the festival.  Then the reunited Sixpence None the Richer took the stage.  The band featured Leigh Nash and Matt Slocum on vocals and guitar, respectively, along with Will Sayles on drums, Justin Carey on bass, Sam Ashworth on acoustic guitar, and a keyboard/accordion player whose name I didn’t catch.  The band sounded great as they played through songs from Divine Discontent, plus some new material (the band has a Christmas album coming soon, and a regular album to follow), a couple of songs from Leigh’s solo album, and of course their big hits, “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes.”  I’m still surprised and happy to see how much Leigh has grown up as the frontwoman of the band since their early days when she was rather humorously timid on stage.  She was funny and charming during the set last night, joking about her out of control hair and her poor clothing choices (she was wearing a long wool dress).  I would have liked to have seen at least a song or two from the first couple of albums in the set, but that’s a minor complaint about an otherwise very entertaining show.


After midnight, I sampled a variety of shows – the punk rock toga party that Flatfoot 56 was hosting, the peaceful bhajans of Aradhna, and finally, as Becky described earlier, an encore performance from Nitengale.  I was tired and ready to go home when we ducked into the Jesus Village to see what was going on.  Then I realized it was Nitengale, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to get pulled into another show.  But after a couple of songs, I was hooked – despite some technical problems and a PA that’s not as good as the Gallery, they played another amazing set, even better than the first one.  It’s pretty cool when a band can blow you away twice in the same day.

Today’s another big day at the fest, with too many good bands to list (or see, unfortunately).  Check out a few photos on my Flickr page, and keep checking the blog for more updates!

Yesterday went down as one of those all-around good days at Cornerstone. The afternoon gave us opportunities to go merching (I snagged some Anberlin shirts in a clearance bin). Dinner gave time to laugh with friends I don't see nearly enough. The storms held off until late into the evening shows (when at least some of us were happily inside nice dry tents), and passed quickly. Main stage hosted a bit of a party for Jesus with Family Force 5 (when a single show makes the walk to main stage worth it, I'm happy). The Gallery saw the return of Sixpence None the Richer. Midnight brought out the energetic fans of Flatfoot 56 for circle pits, toga parties, and tons of fun.

The highlight of the day for me, musically-speaking, was probably catching an unexpected post-midnight show by Nitengale - a 4-piece piano-driven band out of Fairbanks, Alaska (now residing in Nashvile, apparently). Walking by the tent, I was sure it was just somebody checking the sound system by playing a CD because there were so few people inside the tent. But, we took the risk and popped inside, and I'm glad we did. This was a rare Cornerstone treat - despite technical troubles with their keyboard (housed inside an antique piano case), Nitengale carried on, winning at least a few new fans. I'm hopeful that the CD I bought captures even just a little of the energy and beauty I was blessed to see late into the night..

We left the fest grounds after 2am. I'm sure I'll be catching a nap during some afternoon show today, but I'm so very glad we stuck it out thru the rain last night. The Nitengale show was a rare treat - and capped off an all-around good day at Cornerstone.

A hit single all over the radio.

Seen as an overnight sensation, but years in the making as we at Cornerstone know.

A female singer fronting a band from Texas, learning to be comfortable in her own skin while on stage.

Where have I heard this story before?

Flyleaf has one of the biggest songs on radio this year, in "All Around Me".

But just a decade ago, it was another young Texan in the Cornerstone spotlight.

Leigh Nash, Matt Slocum, and the rest of Sixpence None the Richer had been toiling for years. Then a little pop tune called "Kiss Me" got placed in the right TV shows and movies, and the band was on its way to international fame.

But it didn't last. Record label politics killed the band's chances. Sixpence broke up, Nash got married and broke up. She went solo, and came back to the band. Partnered with Slocum's music again, Nash came back to the festival tonight where they once won the New Band Showcase.

Leigh Nash could probably teach Lacey Mosely a few things. What's it like to be a female lead singer in a male dominated world? How do you deal with the spotlight that's inevitably on you, not the band? How do you deal with the pressure to come up with more hits? And what about this "Christian rock" label you've been given? And how do Christians handle fame with a humble faith?

On Wednesday these stories converged at Cornerstone.

Mosely and her bandmates played main stage, while Nash played old songs and new in the Gallery.

Both women were back at a festival they love. And both sing the praises of the One who does more than we ask or imagine. I don't know if either of these singers asked for the fame. And I don't know either could have imagined the journey.

So srike up the band and make the fireflies dance.

Hello. I'm Chris Parks...a Cornerstone veteran of many years. This year, I've joined the live blogging team and will be contributing some entries on the seminars offered here at Cornerstone. I am particularly looking forward to Andy Whitman's sessions on the intersection of music and life, and J Robert Parks's (no relation) sessions on colonialism, empire and myth. That's all for now...

Since my fellow bloggers gave a good run-down of most of the same bands that I saw yesterday (the best show of the day for me was Run Kid Run), I thought that I'd take this opportunity to give those of you who have never been to the fest an idea what things are like here.

Cornerstone Festival is held outside the town of Bushnell, IL - population about 3,000. It is held on a large piece of property, which is basically farm land, but with more trees, hills, and small ponds than the surrounding land. The trees provide good shade when camping. The hills provide some natural sound-buffering, and the ponds provide a challenge to campers.

The grounds are covered by tents of all shapes & sizes. Ok, you may have been expecting camping tents - but at least my first time here I wasn't expecting the huge tents used for most of of the stages. Almost every "real" stage is held in a huge red & white striped tent. I love these tents - provide much-needed protection from the sun & rain (and it sounds like we may have rain today).

In addition to those "real" stages, the past few years have brought "generator stages." These run the length of the main road thru the fest grounds. I like to walk along on the road and listen to a very real battle of the bands, as sounds from one compete with those around. Admittedly, not all generator bands are great, but some are surprisingly well-polished.

Amidst the red & white tents are some other tents used for merch, a grocery store, etc. Up in that area is also a midway area with food vendors, sports courts (volleyball, skate ramp, etc.), smaller tents for seminars, art exhibits, etc.

As you head back to the main road and continue enjoying the eclectic mix of music that are the generators, you arrive at the lake (which has a swimming beach, but which I must admit I've never used). You then walk near the lake for a little while and come to a big hill. This hill creates a natural amphitheatre used for main stage. We walked to main stage yesterday just to see what's happening (answer, not a lot), so I look forward to cresting the hill tonight and taking in the crowds. That's always a beautiful moment for me.

All around these major elements are camping areas. Most long-time campers have "their" spots -- my friends mostly camp off to the west side in a shaded area that stays pretty quiet at night (a sharp contrast to the years I camped right behind two of the largest stages, one of which had a coffee shop which had a loud truck running all night!). Cornerstone campsites are fun & eclectic. You see the hard-core campers with all the "right" gear. You see the highly-organized youth group sites with large covered areas for shade. You also see people who seem to be sleeping in their cars, or on old mattresses lying directly on the ground (oh, I hope for thier sake it doesn't rain!). There's a real community spirit in the camping areas - meeting neighbors, getting free hugs (yes, "free hug" signs abound), sharing food, singing worship songs together, or talking late into the night.

As photos start to get posted on the Live Coverage site, pretend you were there -- surrounded by the hills, trees, ponds, tents, and great people that make up the lay of the land.

If my math is right, it was exactly 10 years ago today that I met the woman who would eventually become my wife.    Yes, we were both attending the festival.  Contrary to what you may have heard, Cornerstone romances can work.  They usually don't, of course.  But it can happen.

And if it does, you know your significant other won't mind coming back to Cornerstone every year. 

Hi, my name is Glenn. I live in Nashville and mostly listen to Pitchfork-type stuff and melodic death metal. I've attended Cstone off and on since '96, but this is my first time here since 2004, and as such am unfamiliar with many of the newer bands here.

What I've been most impressed by my first day back has been the elevated proficiency of the bands performing. Some of the bands didn't grab me, and some played in genres I usually try to avoid (post-emo, I'm looking at you), but they all put on a good show and had a clear idea of how to engage a crowd with their music. This hasn't always been the case in previous festivals I've attended, even on the label showcase days. I think the uptick in average quality can be attributed to Myspace's effect on music. With all bands making their best songs freely available, not only can the listener pick out preferred artists more effectively, but also artists themselves are obliged make themselves stand out from the vast multitude. So the end result of a classic economic competition is a happier Joe Festivalgoer.

Okay, enough of that. I'll post my impressions of the bands in a bit.

Tooth & Nail Day at Cornerstone is the concert equivalent of those Tooth & Nail sampler CDs I used to pick up from time to time.  You get a small taste of a lot of different stuff, and if there’s something you don’t like, it’s easy to skip to the next one.  Bands play on the two Encore stages, with a new band starting every 30 minutes from morning until, well, morning again.  It’s got to be a logistical nightmare getting all those bands on and off the stage so quickly (and always on time), so a tip of the hat to the sound guys and stage managers is definitely in order.  The only trick to Tooth & Nail Day is to not believe any schedule information you see that wasn’t written with a Sharpie more than an hour before.

Breaking the Silence kicked off the day for me.  They’re a husband and wife fronting a band that plays some pretty heavy, but hooky, rock music.  I’m learning to use a new camera, and they were a very active, energetic, photogenic band that was good for practicing photography and also enjoyable to listen to.


From that point on, things become kind of a blur of running back and forth between the two stages, but I jotted down a few notes.  There were a couple of bands (The Ember Days, Search the City) that I was looking forward to going into the day, but it was hard to tell just how good they were because they were hindered by sound problems.  The PA on Encore 1 never really seems to be up to par for the kinds of bands that I tend to see there.

Stephen and the Lion Tamers and Ruth both opened with strong tunes, but didn’t quite sustain that strength through their entire sets.  I loved the guitar riff (simple and catchy, reminiscent of some early U2 stuff to my ears) of the first Lion Tamers song – if anybody knows the title of that song, leave a comment.  Ruth’s opener was “Secondhand Dreaming,” another catchy guitar tune that I liked a lot.  I’d love to hear more of that sort of stuff.  All the Day Holiday also played a solid set.  I bought their CD last year, and need to give it another listen.

I only saw the last few songs from Ivoryline, but I liked what I heard.  It’s rare that I enjoy a band with a drummer that uses a double bass drum pedal, but they were pretty good.  I wish I’d caught their whole set, but you have to take a dinner break where you can, and ice cream was taking priority.  (The big $3 bowls of ice cream at the grilled meat place are fantastic, by the way.)

I wandered over to the Indie Community Stage briefly, just to see what was going on.  A 17-year-old rapper from Birmingham, Alabama called Yungtown was playing.  I know less about hip-hop than I do about metal, but he was pretty good – clever, self-effacing, and funny.

The best two shows of the day were by bands that I really didn’t know, Capital Lights and Run Kid Run.  Both bands did high-energy sets with fun, hooky, melodic, energetic songs.  Run Kid Run was especially notable for their vocal harmonies.  I bought the new Run Kid Run CD, and I’ll grab the Capital Lights CD when it comes out on the 8th.  I look forward to seeing both of those bands again later in the week.

Jonezetta and Spoken played to the biggest crowds of any bands that I saw yesterday.  Jonezetta’s set featured a couple of new songs from their forthcoming album (September 16th, I believe).  Their sound has evolved a bit since I first saw them in 2006, with the addition of a live keyboard player.  The new arrangement of “Communicate” was particularly cool.  Spoken is an oddity for me – a screamy band that I actually enjoy.  They seem to have a sense of humor, walking onstage to “Bootylicious,” and the singer has a good presence on stage, shredding his larynx during the songs but having a very sincere, gentle voice when talking between songs.  I’d like to see them play a longer set sometime – the last couple of years, they’ve only played on Tooth & Nail Day.

There’s an eclectic list of bands I’m looking forward to today: Family Force 5, Grave Robber, Flatfoot 56, and Sixpence None the Richer, among others.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime, I’ve uploaded a few photos to my Flickr page, so check those out.

Just a quick picture I snapped of some girls who were playing with light-up hula hoops during some of the evening sets today.  Pictures like this make me sad.  As happy as I am with it, I know what a really good photographer (like the ones shooting for the festival, for example) could do with this.  Ah well, here's a short snippet of life on the grounds.  Wish you were here.

I can't believe the festival has already started.  It's great to be back in Bushnell - my 12th time to go to Cornerstone (my first year was '95).  The weather for Tooth and Nail day was great - sweaty, but you never felt like you were trying to breathe chocolate cake like in some years.   Beyond the weather, I saw some really good bands (Capitol Lights and Run Kid Run stood out for me).

Oh, and the lemon shakeups really are quite good this year.