Daisy

July 6th, 2009 by Matt

I’m finally home after the 1000 mile post-festival drive.  I’m sure I’ll have more cogent thoughts later, but here are a few of my observations as I look back at this year’s get together.  Please note that this is just one man’s opinion – I don’t speak for the other festival bloggers, and certainly not for the festival itself or JPUSA.

Favorite Show: Anberlin on Main Stage

I realize that it’s horribly, horribly unhip of me to pick a headlining band that’s playing mainstage.  But what can I say?  This was a rock and roll band at the height of its powers.  They were tight, they had great energy and song selection, and really connected with the audience.  Their cover of New Order’s “True Faith” put them over the top.

Shows I Wish I Had Seen: mewithoutyou, Derek Webb, the Lost Dogs

The festival always presents me with tough decisions, and this year was no exception.  I went to main stage for Family Force 5,  Relient K, and Anberlin.  But that meant missing out on the Lost Dogs and Derek Webb.  I usually catch the Dogs at the festival – not only is the music solid, but the banter between them is easily worth the time.   And I would have loved to have heard Derek Webb, as he’s an artist I’ve admired for years.   Finally, I got to main stage late on Friday because I wanted to catch some of Terry Taylor and Ramoth-Gilead (both of whom were great, by the way).  But that meant missing out on mewithoutyou, who had a truly massive crowd.

Artist Development Awards:  Seabird and All the Day Holiday

It’s been a real treat to get to watch these two bands develop as they’ve played the festival the last several years.   The new material that ATDH played is solid, and I look forward to giving the new CD a good long listen.  Seabird has matured as a band tremendously as well.  They’re headed into the studio soon to record their sophomore effort.  I can’t wait to hear what they come up with.

Favorite “Only At Cornerstone” Moment (Part 1)

During The Fold’s set on the Indoor Stage, they launched into a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”  Midway through, they noticed a kid dancing like crazy in the audience and pulled him up on stage.  Whaddya know, he knew just about all of MJ’s steps, right down to the crotch grabs.

Favorite New (to me) Bands:  Owl City, Quiet Science, Don’t Wake Aislin

One of the reasons I go back to Cornerstone year after year is that it’s such a great chance to discover music I’ve never heard before.  So it was with this trio of bands.  Owl City brought their intelligent electronic pop to a packed New Band Showcase and left the audience impressed.    The only disappointment was that they didn’t have their CD with them.  It comes out later this month.  Watch for it.

I think Quiet Science played 23 sets during the festival this year.  I was excited to see them, as the material on their myspace page sounded pretty promising.  But I kept missing them due to schedule conflicts.  I finally caught them on the New Band Showcase and came away impressed.  They mixed influences like U2, Death Cab and the Killers into a melodic but still intense blend that sounded great. . .

read the rest here

i know its not much, but it’s still cool to know that Cornerstone Fest is talking about us. Thanks CSF

via: http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/blog/

So, I’m home from the long drive back from Cornerstone and just starting to sort through my photos and CD’s from the week. It’s been a great week and the organizers of the festival should be saluted for once again giving us a music and arts festival that just barely kisses the edge of chaos, but at the same time gives us the freedom to enjoy music in whatever manner we like, whether it’s moshing in a pit of crazy kids, sitting in our chairs in the back, taking photographs, journaling, or hanging out with our friends before they turn up the amps and crank it to 11 on a stage powered by a generator on the side of the road. Yet, through all of it, things go mostly on schedule and everyone stays safe and has a great time.

Looking back on the week, I wanted to give my list of favorite performances of the week. I already KNOW Anberlin and Family Force 5 were two of the highlights of the week and yes, I’m a fool for missing them. Unfortunately, they were both playing at the same time as friends of mine performing on other stages and friendship is a closer tie than rocking. So, I know I missed some awesomeness at the festival, but at the same time I think my friends appreciated me showing up for their shows and letting them live the “rock star” dream for a day.

Here’s my Top 5, in no particular order of the shows I actually did see:

* The Square Peg Alliance – 4 hours was a lot of time for them to fill, but fortunately each of these talented artists has a pretty extensive library of songs to draw from. I love the comraderie and friendship these guys and gal have with each other and it shows on stage.
* Copeland – They brought out the more rock side of their music and I appreciated that. The band sounded great and the new stuff from their latest album mixed well with their classic material. This was, to me, one of the best examples of a midnight show at Cornerstone.
* All The Day Holiday – I really liked the material from their new album from the show and I can’t wait to hear it. They were dedicated in promoting their shows during the week and a large crowd showed up in response. They didn’t disappoint us.
* Terry Taylor – Great, intimate show where Taylor reinterpreted some of his older 80’s material in an acoustic setting. It was very cool to see his own son join him on stage on bass and watch the father/son interaction.
* Nitengale – My friends raved about this show last year and I’m glad I got a chance to see them this year. For the few of us not at the legendary The Devil Wears Prada show at the Gallery down the street, I think this show will hold fond memories.

Oh, why not, I’ll give you the next five favorite shows I that I saw too:

* Deas Vail – Indie Community tent show with an excited buzzing crowd was great, but the one at the Indoor Stage may have been even better.
* Jeff Elbel + Ping – fun, loose set at the Jesus Village stage.
* Lost Dogs – I’m loving the new route 66 material, I wish I could’ve stayed longer for this show.
* Quiet Science – Fun new band with a lot of energy and they draw from great influences (U2, Death Cab for Cutie, The Cure)
* Seabird – Fantastic way to end the festival with some intelligent piano-based rock music.

So, there you go, Cornerstone 2009 is over! Thanks to everyone in the media trailer who worked so hard this week. These folks essentially pulled all-nighters every day of the week to deliver videos, photos, and more to you almost immediately after things happened. Take a chance to surf around the site and take it all in and send them an e-mail of thanks.

I’ve uploaded many photos to my Flickr site and I’ll be upload more in the next couple of days, check them out and leave some comments!

Sum up your Cornerstone, what were your favorite shows of the week?

via: http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/blog/

i think it is time we said goodbye
to the dim
the dark
these soft electric lights

there is little left of dreams
when’s are never will be’s
and these half-closed venetian skies
aren’t as brilliant as i remembered them to be

oh, ben
have you no centurion?
i am yours
because ben,
i think it is time you left behind
that borrowed bed
and i would leave your bedside

It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to the rockin’ band members…

Mark Nathan – Vocals, Lyrics, Guitar.
Robert Wesley – Bass.
Daisy Elisabeth – Synth, Piano, Organ, Bgv.
Charles Barrett – Drums.

If you would like to learn more about this sweet band then please visit them at www.quietsciencemusic.com. On their website you have the chance to listen to their latest songs. If you like what you hear than you can download their music on iTunes. How awesome is that? I don’t know about you but I think it is cool to know someone that is on iTunes. If they come to your town for a show, I would highly recommend attending their show.

I give them

****Breaking News****

Quiet Science was scheduled to perform at a music festival in Illinois. Upon arrival they were moved from the small stage to the big stage. Hundreds of people within the stage’s distance flocked towards the big stage. All these people were hypnotized by the sweet sounds they were hearing. Reports even say that many people suffered from what is known simply as Eargasms. As a result of their awesomeness on stage, it has been reported that Quiet Science is meeting with a record label. So show some support and make sure you buy up all their good stuff on iTunes or visit their site at www.quietsciencemusic.com

Link to Original: http://manbehindtheclouds.com/2009/06/30/quiet-science/

Besides burning the palet of skin between my chest and stomach while at the beach, today was a good day. Tonight Carlie, her mother, and I ventured over to Orlando to watch our new favorite band Quiet Science perform. Carlie’s brother, Barrett, is their keeper of beats/drummer. I cannot even guesstimate how many times I’ve listened to their album over these last few months. They have a nack for writing insanely catchy synth-infused Euro-pop anthems. I don’t know if that is a very good description but it is all I can muster at this hour. You simply just need to listen to their stuff. The Last Satellite is my favorite. All I know is that I cannot remember the last time when I sang along with most songs from a concert- especially when it was my first time to see them live. They will soon be appearring on the compilation that we are working on. Show them much love and support. Buy a CD, a shirt, a button, and move to Florida so you can catch all of their shows. It is worth the uhaul.

Link to original: http://beggartown.org/blog/?p=661