Cornerstone Memories

I returned from the Cornerstone festival after a two day drive. I have to admit that it was nice to be in my own bed in air conditioned comfort and a private washroom only steps away.  This post is all about the special moments I had at Cornerstone. This list isn't in any particular order, just reminiscences.

Great moments:

• Meeting up with old friends from Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk and Kiros.
• Late night talks with Mike from Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk, who crashed in my tent trailer for a few nights instead of sharing a tent with his band mates
• Cooling off with an ice coffee from the on site Chelsea Cafe
• Making new friends: Dave the hitchhiker from Florida, Chris from The Scurvies, Dave and all the band members from The Skies Revolt, David of CKCU 93.1 FM Ottawa, Richard a professor of  philosophy and apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary, all of the members of Those Know-It-Alls & Their Mighty Causes, and so many others whose names I can't recall.
• The in depth conversations with Neph and Matt of Photoside Cafe and the band members of La De Les
• All of the bands that put up with my inane interview questions and answered with such alacrity: Squad Five-O, La De Les, The Kings Kids, Ilia, Photoside Cafe, Kiros, The Scurvies, and Ravenhill
• Enjoying my twice a day freezie from the Rotary club booth
• Listening to Mike Sales and Leanor Ortega Till's seminars on Scum of the Earth Church
• The incredible bargains to be found on CD's at the radrockers.com booth
• The First Baptist Church of Busnhell, Illinois who offered free internet access and a wonderfully air-conditioned building to relax in. Allowing me to use their phone. Best of all, homemade ice cream!
• The Free Ramen tent. A great place to find a comfy chair, shade, company, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and, of course, ramen noodles. All for free.  Thanks to the friendly bunch who set this up!
• The ladies at the Cornerstone office who prayed for the return of my lost wallet. Praise report: it was found!
• Finally being able to meet in person, artists and industry people I've only been in contact with by phone or email: Michael Pritzl of The Violet Burning, Dave Prindle of The Skies Revolt, Josh of  Ravenhill, Doug Van Pelt of HM magazine
• Movie viewing and intelligent discussion of such at the Imaginarium
• Best of all, the amazing concerts by tremendously talented bands 

Lauren Mann & the Fairly Odd Folk

The blessing of free ramen

Free internet and homemade ice cream at the First Baptist Church

Chris of The Scurvies after his annual shave at Cornerstone

Beach wear attire for the Flatfoot 56 concert

Must Build Jacuzzi on stage

Jeremy and Hammer of LM&TFOF after Flatfoot's set

Things I'm not missing:

• Porta-potties. I know they were clean and didn't stink, but using one during a heat wave is near the bottom of my fun thing to do list
• Trying to find shade under the blazing sun
• Clouds of dust from the dry roads
• Having to pre-pay for gas at American gas stations who don't know how to handle Canadian credit cards
• Temperatures so warm that you don't want to eat a thing
• The 15 hour drive to get to Cornerstone
• Having only 2 - 5 hours of sleep per night because there are so many things to do.

125 degree porta-potties

This shirt said it all about the weather

The only negative aspect of Cornerstone is wanting (or needing) to be in three places at the same time. Now for a list of the things I never had time to do:

• Falling asleep in the tent trailer instead of seeing Norma Jean perform
• Not being able to watch the series of Batman movies that  ranged from the era of the campy TV show to The Dark Knight
• Missing The Skies Revolt second show
• Not seeing The Burial perform with an operating microphone
• The burning of the Viking ship (email me if you want more details of why this took place)

The Antidote - Show 41 - Squad Five-O / Cornerstone Eulogy

The final Cornerstone festival was quite and experience and I'm glad that I had a chance to experience it. This episode of The Antidote pays tribute to the Cornerstone festival and airs songs by a number of the artist who performed there.

A big treat with attending Cornerstone was the chance to speak with John and Jeff of Squad Five-O.  This great ska/punk/rock band came back to perform at Cornerstone. Listen in to the show and the interview with Squad Five-O.


Listen to or download The Antidote featuring Squad Five-O and a Cornerstone Eulogy


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 39 - Cornerstone

I was off into the burning heat of Southern Illinois last week, but I couldn't let down the regular listeners to The Antidote.  I'd prepared a prerecorded show that was aired as I was off listening to a huge number of somewhat underground Christian bands.  When I mentioned about the heat, it was no joke. 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit)  with a humidex reaching the low 50"s (120 Fahrenheit) each and every day. Even some highway pavement buckled. It was worth the trials I encountered!

This prerecorded show includes many of the artists I saw at Cornerstone. Hopefully this will make it up to those music fans who were unable to attend what was to be the very last Cornerstone festival.

Listen to or download this week's show, Cornerstone- The Soundtrack

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Demise of Cornerstone Festival

A sad day in world of Christian music. The largest and most influential of all Christian music festivals has decided to call it quits after 28 years.

Cornerstone Festival was the place to go for any established, newbie, or resurrected band. The 6 day festival typically included 300 bands playing multiple stages in the sweltering summer heat of Southern Illinois with an audience of 25,000 music fans. Untold numbers of bands began their careers when they were "discovered" at Cornerstone. 2012 will be the last year for this musical legacy. The Christian music scene will never be the same.

We are so grateful to have been able to share with you the gift that has been Cornerstone Festival all these years. Our annual gathering in this truly special community has shaped and illuminated our journeys together and apart, beginning in 1984, when the first Cornerstone drew 5000 people to a small fairgrounds outside Chicago.

Through our peak years in the 90s when tens of thousands celebrated this festival's amazing unity-in-diversity amid the Midwestern countryside, to more recent belt-tightening days, we've traveled our ups and downs together in a way that will be a part of our lives forever.

In 2012, we'll be celebrating one final Cornerstone Festival together. Based on a range of factors – including changes in the market and a difficult economy – the timing seems right. This was obviously a hard decision, wrestled with over years and particularly over recent months. But with the decision made, we have the opportunity to come together one last time and bring to a happy, grateful – if tearful – close to this chapter of our lives.

In the days ahead we'll be making some changes to the lineup and schedule that reflect an adjusted budget. We hope to make this a special gathering to remember, to share stories and encourage one another with the vision of Cornerstone in ways that look back and ahead toward new things God is doing. Along with activities like art workshops, kids' programs, seminars, games, movies – and MUSIC, of course – Cornerstone 2012 promises to be a time of thankful reflection and sharing among people who've walked this significant part of their life's journey together.

Keep checking our website and Facebook page for changes and latest information.

Most of you know that Cornerstone Festival grew out of a labor of love from our church and community, Jesus People USA. The festival emerged from JPUSA's Cornerstone magazine and Resurrection Band. Our community continues to operate one of Chicago's largest homeless shelters, also bearing the name Cornerstone. We remain confident in God's faithfulness and grace to lead us on to new chapters in our ongoing journey.

Thanks again to everyone who's been a part of this amazing journey with us! What a privilege it's been. Most of all, thanks to Jesus: the stone rejected that became the true Cornerstone. Amen!

We look forward with mixed sadness and joy to seeing you all this summer, one last time on our Bushnell campground, for a very special Cornerstone Festival 2012.

In His grace, John Herrin, Board President,and The Cornerstone Festival Staff, Genesis Winter and Scott Stahnke, directors