Cornerstone 2004
Kate and I have made it a tradition to go to the Cornerstone Music Festival for 3-5 days during the first week of July. It’s hard to accurately describe the fest… In the simplest terms it’s a Christian music festival — but that doesn’t seem adequate because it differs greatly from any other Christian music event that I’ve ever been exposed to.
This festival primarily features bands that are outside the official CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) scene — these tend to be bands that are comprised of Christians… but not necessarily “Christian bands,” if that makes any sense. (Besides, I’m of the opinion that only people can be Christians — it’s a noun, not an adjective in my vocabulary. So I’m always a little wary when bands, movies, books, and other “stuff” tries to label itself as “Christian.”) Most of the bands here are not sold in Christian bookstores, not nominated for Dove awards, not signed to Christian labels… and unfortunately, not often heard in mainstream circles either (with some exceptions). So, it’s a unique opportunity to see and hear from a lot of artists that I might not otherwise ever know about.
The festival typically draws a crowd of 20,000 people or more and over 300 bands, plus speakers, a film festival, and other activities all rolled in with it. And the seminar topics often center around ideas for church reform, social justice, protecting the environment, and other topics that often don’t get enough attention in the daily life of your average church.
At least, those are the types of things that attract me to the festival each year. With so much going on, you could easily spend several very full days at the fest without going to any of the same events as another person — so I imagine that other attendees walk away with a different impression than I do. To be honest, there are some bands and seminars on the schedule that I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. But even that is kind of cool. Cool that people with different views of the world can hang out together, and maybe even learn to understand each other.
Here are a couple of pictures of our campsite and an afternoon performance by Beki Hemingway. I fully intended to take lots of pictures this year, but the weather turned really rainy and I kept the camera packed away most of the time. It was so rainy and muddy, in fact, that we only lasted for two days and one night! Yep, I’m a wimp when it comes to camping in the rain.
The biggest musical highlights of the festival: Over the Rhine (my most absolute, favorite band in the world — drool, drool) & Bill Mallonnee. Check ‘em out sometime at their respective homepages and/or on Paste Music, which is a very cool site with lots of worthwhile music from bands that are a little bit off the beaten path.
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