First off, I headed over to the New Band Stage, where I had determined to spend a fair amount of time this year.  This was the first year that I wasn’t specifically there for the bands.  Don’t get me wrong; I spent more than my fair share of time in the tents.  But I’d already seen all of the bands I was planning on seeing at least 3-4 times (with a few exceptions).  And besides, one of the few joys that a music writer has is discovering that brand new gem, and then spreading the good word.

So, today started off with Celestial Static.  IIRC, they’d played last year at a campsite stage (how’s that for DIY?), but this year they hit the “big league”.  All in all, a solid band that should have a fairly wide appeal with their noisy pop reminiscent of Veruca Salt or The Breeders.

Then it was over to the Acoustic Stage.  I caught the tale end of The McClurg Family Singers, and was just in time for Ticklepenny Corner.  I’d received one of their older discs (“From The Porch”) for review, which I really liked, and this set was not disappointing at all.  Another nice break from the normal loudness of Cornerstone, with simple, deep folk songs that ooze Americana.  They started off their set with “I Shall Never Doubt”, one of my fave tracks from “From The Porch”, with Beth Reimer’s lovely vocals and fiddle.  All in all, time well spent and a nice refresher.

Then, back over to the New Band Stage to catch Fine China again.  Okay, so they’re not technically “new”, but you just can’t go wrong with a little more Fine China in your diet.  I think this set felt a little better than their one the day before; the band felt a little more relaxed with a bit more interplay with the audience.  As always, watching bassist Markov and keyboardist Joshua Block do their things on stage was just as fun as ever.  As always, a sacrifice had to be made… I missed Starflyer’s second set.  But I had to show love to the China boys.

Tonight promised to be the night of the festival, which was a shame considering it was the first “proper” day of the fest.  Denison Witmer, Ester Drang, Damien Jurado, and Havalina all in one tent, right after another.  Alas, some disappointment was to creep in.

Denison Witmer took the stage, and again, I was floored by how such simple, quiet music can be so arresting and emotional.  I’ve come to find that you either love or hate Witmer’s music.  I love it, and the simple, honest way he deals with the crowd… just before he goes into one of his delicate, nostalgic folk songs.  I was doubly thankful that he played some of my favorites; “I Would Call You Now” and “Stations”.

It did look somewhat humorous to see Witmer surrounded by Ester Drang‘s armada of analog synths, Rhodes, and guitars.  Last year, the Drang’s set was the best set of the festival, an intense wall of sound and noise that was one of the most profound musical/worship experiences I’ve ever had.  As a result, I had pretty high expectations going into this show.  I fear that was an unwise thing to do, because this set left me somewhat disappointed.

But as I watched the video I’d shot, I realized that a “poor” set from Ester Drang is still a remarkable thing; my friend Liz put it best when she described it as “music that helps you forget you exist”.  They incorporated a few new songs into their set, which still flowed seamlessly from one song to the next.  The final song was a bit disappointing, a free-for-all of knob-twiddling and feedback that felt like free jazz more than anything else.

Then came the first big disappointment of the fest.  Actually, I’d heard it earlier in the day, but still… Damien Jurado had cancelled and Skillet was taking his place.  Now, Skillet is another one of those bands that’s just not my cup of tea, but even so, their music just felt completely out of place given the bands sharing the stage that night.

As a gang of youth group kids flooded the tent, nearly knocking down everyone else who had been there for Witmer and Ester Drang, I managed to make it outside.  I stuck around for the first song before walking away.  I think an hour of silence would’ve been just fine.

I was already feeling exhausted from the heat of the day (I don’t know how Mewithoutyou did it), but I made it back for the Havalina set.  As I’ve said before, Havalina’s late night sets are the stuff of legends, but tonight was not to be.  After an inordinately long soundcheck (the first of many times when the heat effed with the sound) Havalina took the stage.  Unfortunately, they only played for about 40 minutes before calling it a night (why, I never was clear about).  And just when I was getting my second wind.

However, the show wasn’t without its moments.  The irrepressible Juan (if you’ve ever been to a Joy Electric show at Cornerstone, you know who I’m talking about) tried his darndest to get his favorite song played, even shining the title on the tent’s ceiling with a portable projector.  And I think every single guy there left the tent heartbroken when it was revealed that vocalist/guitarist Mercedes Stevens was, in fact, married.

I wonder if she has a sister…

After sitting through a lot of music that, politely speaking, wasn’t my cup of tea, I was hoping for some good shows today.  The first band I caught was The Blamed; I’ve never been a huge fan of their music, but every year, their sets seem to grow on me more and more.

After that was Slow Coming Day, who had just played at my house a few days prior to the fest.  Fairly solid indie/emo-rock, if you’re into that sort of thing, and apparently the crowd was.  After mulling around for a little bit, I headed back to the campsite until Mewithoutyou started.

After getting a ride on one of those cursed golfcarts (yes, I know given my hatred for those things, that makes me a bit of a hypocrite), I made it to the Mewithoutyou show shortly after it had begun.  And what a set it was, as the band delivered a blistering set of songs along the lines of At The Drive-In or ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, with all of their raucous glory.

Clad in black turtlenecks and suitcoats, they sweated more than the crowd in the oppressive heat, especially singer Aaron Weiss, who collapsed time and again as he careened around the stage.  An incredible show, and if this is a sign of things to come from Tooth & Nail, I’d say that’s a good thing.

Then it was immediately over to the other stage to catch Fine China, in all of their pop glory.  Fine China seemed a little worse for the wear, maybe because their Smiths-flavored pop was assaulted in the midst of punk and hardcore.  Vocalist Rob Withem was a bit cheeky, snidely saying that “we’ll back to the growling soon”.

Fine China’s music was a nice contrast to everything else that was going on, something delicate and lovely in the midst of pop-punk.  And they ended the set with “We Rock Hard Than You Ever Knew”; yes, it’s ironic, but in a way, it’s so true.  It seems like bands such Fine China have to work extra hard at Cornerstone, given the abundance of punk/hardcore bands, and hopefully some of their effort is paying off.

For my money, Havalina‘s sets are one of the festival’s highlights.  It’s just fun to see such a unique band take the stage at the fest, and it’s such a shame that they never seem to get the respect they deserve.  Unfortunately, I was backstage so I didn’t get the greatest sound as the band played cuts off their great new album, but it did give me a good view of bassist Orlando’s antics (which included nearly taking the head off of a kid in the crowd).

Bandleader Matt Wignall confessed that Cornerstone was one of the things that kept the band, which always seems to incur bad luck (tour issues, broken engines, label problems), going despite all of their travails.  Hey buddy… anything we can do to help out.

After Havalina, I took the rest of the day off, heading in Macombe for some pizza and air-conditioning with a couple of friends.  Even after just a few days, ice water and central air were luxuries I’d forgotten existed.  On the downside, I missed some stellar sets from Busker Kibuttznick and Ticklepenny Corner (or, that’s what Nolan told me).  But I did make it back in time for Starflyer 59.

Starflyer’s sets are always hit or miss.  When they’re on, it’s incredible, and when they’re off… well… the less said, the better.  But tonight, they were on.  I daresay this was one of the best Starflyer sets I’ve seen yet, rivalled only by their performance at Cornerstone 2000.

Laying on the atmosphere good and thick, the band played selections that spanned their career, including material from Silver.  As an added bonus, Andy Prickett (The Violet Burning, Cush, The Prayer Chain) joined the band on guitar.  At times, the band seemed nice and relaxed, with Jason Martin’s guitar keeping things nice and surfy.  All in all, a fine way to end the night.

I’ll spare you the long arduous trip back home.  Suffice to say we made it, and we were really dirty and stinky. And now, on to the credits…

Big love to the Lincoln campsite, who ruled the fest in full effect: Nolan, Heather, Becky, Michelle, David, Dan, Shiloh, and the others.  To George and Nate, who only came for a few days and missed Ester Drang (suckers!).  To Clint, who wussed out and spent the fest in nice air-conditioned hotel with his Texas homies.  To Heather’s parents, for letting us abuse their minivan.

Props to the Fine Print and Vagrant Cafe crews, who camped a few sites away from us.  It’s always nice to meet some fellow ‘zines in person, if only to know that I’m not the only one fighting the good fight.  And affections to Tricia, for being the trooper she is.

Doughboy goodness to Joe, Todd, Nate, and the rest of the Omaha crew for letting us invade their campsite so often.  These guys are true veterans, and it was a blast hanging out with you guys until 2 or 3 in the morning.  I swear, I thought only Nolan and I quoted The Simpsons and Pulp Fiction that much.

As always, thanks to the festival, the bands, and all of the people who work behind the scenes.

And all glory to YHWH.

No love those who hawked all of that Christian-ese/WWJD-esque crap.  I’ll have to check my Bible, but I’m not too sure that a shirt proclaiming “Liars Go To Hell” or comparing someone who has had premarital sex to a used car is a shining example of God’s love.

Luxury

On a small side stage along the dusty festival roads stood 2 hardcore rockers in a water-drinking contest.  The first to drink an entire gallon would be declared the toughest.  It was inevitable, so the trashcans were brought out in order to catch the watery vomit spewed by the two studs.  This was the opening act of the much smaller performance Luxury put on.

It’s difficult to fit five guys with guitars and a drum set on a stage the size of a car top, but Luxury was determined to do so.  You could say that Luxury was in their niche when they played for about 30 kids and a field of tents.  I felt this show was much better than the one they played the day before on the Encore stage.  They played more of their older material and it was a much more personal show.

I spent most of it trying to get the vomiting images out of my mind, however.  They didn’t play any Adam Ant covers as they did the day before, but the set was blessed with cooler temperatures and a cozy feel.

Soul-Junk

Their album is incredible, but their live shows are really next to pitiful.  I really wasn’t too impressed with the show, but I’m glad to know they can play some great songs.  There are many bands out there with extreme studio ability, but not a live show to back the album up.  Unfortunately, Soul Junk is one of them.

The Elevator Division

Not only are they super cool guys, this band thoroughly impressed me at the festival.  They opened up for Ester Drang in K.C. and I saw them here in Lincoln, but they were extremely tight at the festival.  Their sound at the show reminded me a bit of early Police, with angular guitar riffs over clever basslines and lush vocals.  Saturday was by far the hottest, most humid day of the festival.  The drummer actually told me he was near blacking out during the end of the set, as the heat took its toll.  I never would have known.  The sound was actually agreeable during their set, which was fortunate since the New Band Stage was plagued with bad sound for the first few days.

Underoath

I remember last year the keyboardist beating his head with closed fists as the singer roared and threw himself off the drum set onto the stage.  This year was just as intense.  I only caught the last couple songs, but they were as aggressive as a year ago.  I sneaked on stage in order to watch the crowd, which was just as aggressive.  It was almost as if one was trying to outdo the other (crowd vs. band).

Starflyer 59

I’ve always loved each album put out by the ever-so-talented Starflyer, but let’s face it, the live shows are usually sub-par.  However, last year’s surf set was by far the best show I’ve ever seen them play.  The live show has turned around ever since.  Adding keys to the live show this year helped that effort.  Adding another guitarist may be the second step in creating a better live sound.  This year, SF59 further displayed a mature sound that finds the band becoming mellower as they grow older.  Playing mostly tracks from the new album, “Leave Here A Stranger”, they also dove back into the past couple of albums.  We may never again see the day Jason Martin comes out pounding power chords with blazing distortion and never will I complain.

Saviour Machine

Torn between watching SF59 and Saviour Machine, I raced back and forth, but became more and more mesmerized by the latter.  Walking through the clouds created by the numerous smoke machines, a man in black with a white painted face and a jewel imprinted in his forehead made his way to the front of the stage.  Singing in a dark, but gorgeous voice, he gave the music a haunting but spiritual feel.  My first experience with Saviour Machine was an awe-inspiring one.  The show lasted three hours, and I even let it keep me from an hour of Over The Rhine.  I left the show feeling spiritually renewed.

Over The Rhine

Over The Rhine is a Cornerstone tradition.  Each year I end the festival listening to Karin’s beautiful voice in the wee hours of the morning.  This year was no different, but I was a little tardy.  It seems they get better with each year.  This year they have added a steel guitar and played classics and much of the new album, Films For Radio, which has a more country-western feel.  The night grew old as they finished the festival in pleasantry.

It’s always a satisfactory two hours of calming sounds to reflect on life’s greatest week of the year.  Unfortunately, it also symbolizes a sort of sad period of time, the end of Cornerstone.