This is a combination festival review/journal of my experience at
Cornerstone 2001. One word of warning is in order, though. If you don't like my review of a particular band, keep in mind that I often did not get to see each band's complete show. Because of scheduling conflicts, I wasn't able to attend the entire performance of quite a few of the bands I reviewed.
Also, my musical tastes lean more towards the acoustic/roots music side of things. I listen to other genres and enjoy some of them, but my knowledge of them is limited.
As to my numerical ratings, they range from 5.0 (magical--I'll never forget the night) to 0.5 (only their mothers liked the band's show).
Thanks go to the Cornerstone staff and to all the Jesus People for blessing me (and thousands of others) with a small taste of what heaven must be like.
| Day One - (Tooth & Nail Day) |
Getting to Cornerstone…
My journey to Cornerstone was definitely interesting. A few days before the big week, I flew from Oklahoma City, OK to New York City to visit with an old friend, eat soul food, ride the Staten Island Ferry, and take in some of the world's finest art. Then on the Sunday before C-stone, I caught a 2 a.m. train near Times Square to Islip Airport on Long Island. After having an interesting conversation about the death penalty with a cute girl from Germany, I caught a cheap flight to Chicago. From there I hung out for an afternoon downtown in my sleep-deprived state before catching an Amtrak to Macomb, IL.
I thought I was going to need to hitchhike the last leg to Cornerstone, but--thanks be to God!--there were some awesome folks from the
Bushnell Christian Church who gave me (and about 15 others from several states and three countries) a ride to Bushnell. After I got to the festival, I found a place to camp, pitched my tent, and crashed hard. As the rain began to fall, I laughed in my tent at the thought that 24 hours ago, I was sitting smack dab in the middle of Times Square, and now I was sleeping in the middle of a rural Illinois pasture.
Day One - (Tooth & Nail Day)
Havalina Rail Company (4.5) - The crowd was charged up. Maybe it was the electricity in the clouds; maybe it was the electricity in the band itself. Whatever the case, neither the rain nor the early morning time slot put a damper on the festive mood at Havalina Rail Co.'s show.
Even during the sound check, the crowd went nuts, as Orlando started playing his bass. Throughout the show, Orlando reigned supreme on bass. He is a true artist, providing a well-defined melody and rhythm in the bass line throughout the morning's performance. But Orlando wasn't the only Havalina member ready to rock-the whole band seemed primed to play, no matter how early it was. They poured their hearts out both musically and in their frantic, frenzied dancing. At one point in particular, Matt danced like a drunken sailor and Orlando danced like a robot gone mad.
HRC started off with "Planets from the Sun," which featured some unusual organ effects and a catchy melody. I didn't catch the name of the second song, but the third one, "I feel nothing," portrayed a very moving view of apathy. The fourth song was "Space and Mexico" off the new EP A Bullfighter's Guide to Space and Love. From there, they performed a song from Russian Lullabies, followed by the best song of the performance, "These are the worst day of my life," closing with the old favorite "Twilight Time."
Throughout the performance, the band's dancing and musicianship were very sensual, though not in a vulgar way. Rather, a kind of primal, organic energy infused the show, making the songs as earthy and real as the dirt beneath our feet.
A final note-the band broke the news that they signed to Tooth & Nail Records. It's good to see that they will be getting solid nationwide distribution, but I still miss the creative albums put out by Matt Wignall's own label, Jackson Rubio. Here's my plug to T&N-let Matt play a role at the label in signing some better bands! [
www.havalinaland.com]
Ace Troubleshooter (4.0) - I heard only the last song, but it was incredible! Driving rock and roll that was solid and melodic. [
ww.acetroubleshooter.com]
After Ace Troubleshooter, I headed back to camp for a long afternoon nap. The rain definitely made me sleepy.
Calibretto 13 (4.5) - I arrived late, which was sad, since the show was so good.
When I got there, they were playing "Sleep Around," a song off their new EP, From the Secret Files of the Danger Brigade. While the lyrics were a bit preachy (like much of their music), the band's kid-like spirit kept it from seeming oppressive. Though this song is from the new EP, most of the other songs they played were taken from their last full-length album.
This band's very devoted audience turned out for the show, forming a small mosh pit that included a guy in the very middle sporting a giant flag of Mr. T's face. When the band eventually closed with "High 5," the entire crowd began singing and dancing as we all reveled in our collective nerdiness. As they left the stage, the band shouted their final battle cry: "We're Calibretto 13. We want to own you! And punk rock is dead!"
Before the show, I liked Calibretto's album, but now, I'm even more impressed after seeing them live. They're all very talented, but I felt that the drummer stole the show. His vigorous but accurate playing and his effective use of the entire trap set were quite unique and made the show that much more enjoyable. [
www.calibretto13.com]
After leaving the Calibretto show, I headed across the festival grounds to the food court to buy a delicious Rib-Eye sandwich from the folks at
The Bushnell Locker (the local butcher shop). While walking through the mass of people, I carried my umbrella (bought a couple days previous in New York's Chinatown for $3), since it was raining. Then suddenly, I felt an electric shock go through my umbrella. It wasn't a strong jolt, but it was stronger than a static shock. Then--BOOM!!! Lightning struck fifty feet from me!
As far as I know, nobody was hurt by the incident, but everyone in the vicinity was shook-up, and many felt the shock like I did. I don't think I'll ever forget that C-stone experience!
Later in the afternoon, I went to hear
JPUSA-based band
Busker Kibbutznik (4.7). Busker features a guy who does a spoken word thing while backed by aggressive acoustic music (a la Madison Greene or Seeds). Looking back at my notes, I can tell I really enjoyed this show because my notes are all jumbled up! Here's the best description that I can decipher:
The sound of Kibbutznik is mysteriously exotic and seems to blend Middle Eastern and South Asian influences, along with many others.
The show was a wonderful time of dancing by hippies (and hippies at heart!), which included a giant, yellow, 10-person centipede that danced its way through the tent.
At the beginning of the show, flutes, drums, filddle, and didj were featured along with Irish step dancers. Later, Scott--the red-haired, multi-instrument virtuoso of Seeds--joined in the fun by playing an unidentifiable instrument (either a sitar or something akin to a mandolin). Another guest musician, Jason Beck of Madison Greene, showed up playing his thunderous West African drums.
As the show progressed, the vibe began to have more of a Jewish sound, and a recorder and bagpipes (!!!) were added to the mix. It seemed as if the bagpipes and recorder were singing together joyfully while the people danced in response. It was truly joyous, jubilant music!
Lyrically, Busker Kibbutznik was challenging and thought provoking. Here are a few lines that I jotted down:
The difference between Christians and cannibals is that we eat what is alive!
I went to a funeral for Mardi Gras this year. I gave them up for lent.
Every time I take communion, I remember the Man is alive!
The last song told what it might have been like for the shepherds who saw Jesus as an infant and then had to wait thirty years to see his ministry begin. This was followed by a beautiful jam session for an encore. [
http://www.enteract.com/~lfront/buski/]
Go to Day 2
Seeking Truth Now is (c)2002 Daniel M. Branum. Comments: seekingtruthnow@yahoo.com.
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