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Posted by sprinklerhead on 01-08-2004 at09:25:

 

quote:

Originally posted by zippetydoodaddy Anybody interested in starting a new festival featuring something different? Different, Zip? Whatever could you mean? That's what I want to know. If you could create your own realistic festival, what would you include?

I've been thinking the same thing. In fact, I even contacted C-Stone about doing one of their mini fests in the Austin area. They said that I would need to start working on it two years in advance. I thought that if I could pull together a team of people that were interested in the same thing that we could do it in much less time.

The Texas hill country would be a great open space for something like this. I wasn't thinking mid summer because of the heat. Although, C-Stone last year was miserably hot. Couldn't get any worse than that.

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Posted by Theo on 01-10-2004 at01:46:

  zippidy

Camp CAACONAA Fest.

I'm in.

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Posted by DwDunphy on 01-10-2004 at11:20:

  The thorny issues

I'm liking the retro-tour idea, but here we get into that awful subject that always comes up: a lot of these guys are entrenched in non-music jobs now and localized ministry commitments. I'm sure they'd love to get on board but can they afford to? Here's where it becomes vital that the shows can pay the artists to show.

Yes, there's a certain commitment to represent, knowing there is a strong message behind convening, but volunteering your time and talent is a lot easier whn you can don't have to buy plane tickets to do it...

I know exactly what everyone is saying, that Cornerstone should have a much wider palette of music than just the next big things... I agree on that point, yet I see why Cornerstone is focusing on the newcomers. Add to that the fact that I'd love to see a festival that focuses on my favorites, but there has to be some kind of infrastructure in place to make sure that the artists' time and effort doesn't result in a week of unpaid bills back home, respectively.

DwD

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Posted by Theo on 01-10-2004 at12:35:

  This is how...

We begin with a handful of investors.

Lets say 10 of us with 1 to 2 grand to invest.

We set the stage on Zippidy's church grounds as before, hopefully for free.

We get a number of CA bands (or other West Coast bands willing do with little recompence)

We slate the event for two days only

We gather local volunteers (or others willing to shoulder their own expense to be part of this undertaking)

There are many factors, but a mini Indy Music Fest is very do-able (the more people that add their bit to the Stone Soup the better it will be). But this is incredibly do-able.

Bands I would book that are very achievable:
DA
Stonehill
Elbel
and perhaps even The Surfaris
Starflyer

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Posted by larryl on 01-10-2004 at15:18:

 

interesting thread...i need to get here to the damb more often.......

i was planning to go to c-stone this year, for the simple reason of seeing bands that either very seldom play the south-east(i am in atlanta) or bands that only play at c-stone( as tim says is the case with the choir)..the exclusion of those bands means i will prob not go. the dogs get to the southeast; mallonnee LIVES 3 hours from me, and plays around here all the time....

on the subject of local fests, or a smaller retro fest.....count me in.

there used to be a really cool fest in atlanta, called is-fest.......3 day event, it was my first exposure to the choir, the throes, and many other great bands...in fact that fest is prob why i am here on the damb now......

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Posted by jeffrey k. on 01-10-2004 at16:15:

 

[quote]Originally posted by larryl
i was planning to go to c-stone this year, for the simple reason of seeing bands that either very seldom play the south-east(i am in atlanta) or bands that only play at c-stone( as tim says is the case with the choir)..the exclusion of those bands means i will prob not go. the dogs get to the southeast; mallonnee LIVES 3 hours from me, and plays around here all the time....quote]

I actually had this very discussion with JJT after the fest last July. There was the impression going around that the indie crowd had all but abandoned the fest in large numbers, and they couldn't figure why. I offered that a HUGE reason is that up until maybe 98 or 99 a good portion of the indie bands/artists such as starflyer 59, Pedro The Lion, Ester Drang, Damien Jurado, etc, (and yes I know there are more) well...they really didn't tour that much, if at all. 95% of the "retro" bands didn't tour period, so Cornerstone was THE place to see them.

Well...things are different now. A good portion of these bands got the hint that touring could be good for their careers and took to the road. So now if you live in a major city, or even a fairly cool college town, you have the chance to catch some of these bands 2-3 times a year. So my question was, if thats the case, WHY should someone want to drive to the middle of nowhere, spend huge amounts of money on a ticket, bad food, sleep in a tent, shower in a toilet that pretends to be a shower, go to the toilet in a plastic box, and suffer through heat and rain, when for $10 or less, a lot of people can see a bunch of these bands in the comfort of their own towns a few times a year. Full sets, in climate controlled buildings.

The bottom line, I think the festival has become less important over the years because there isn't the need for such an exclusive festival anymore. We as fans have taken to booking bands we want to see. That was almost unheard of before. You want your favorite artist to record again, well now you can help finance a record and maybe it will happen...and it does.

So what am I saying...well Cornerstone has become more of a "take it or leave it" event, where before if you missed it, you missed something huge. Now....not so much. Sad really.

I say do your own shows...book who you want....lose a bunch of money, but at least you will see who you want and have fun!

jeffrey k.

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Posted by larryl on 01-10-2004 at16:24:

 

quote:

Originally posted by jeffrey k. So what am I saying...well Cornerstone has become more of a "take it or leave it" event, where before if you missed it, you missed something huge. Now....not so much. Sad really. I say do your own shows...book who you want....lose a bunch of money, but at least you will see who you want and have fun! jeffrey k.

sounds cool....i really liked how terry and mike did the bar-b-ques last year, even though i missed it due to car problems....but the concept...."if you wanna see us so bad, we'll come, just pay us, and set it up" i am in on that.

as far as c-stone, yea i look at past years and think//"man!! i wishy i could have seen that!!!!" like steve taylor's last show there, or knott w/cush, i could go on and on......i look at this years list and say "wow...i wish i had gone before...."..i always used to hear about the spontaneous shows that happened with cool people, and most of those people won't even be there to show up on stage with each other...o well......

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Posted by audiori on 01-10-2004 at18:53:

 

I agreee with the assessment, but not sure which came first the chicken
or the egg so to speak. Did Cornerstone not book the indie artists,
in favor of more non-indie-artists...to draw a bigger crowd which resulted
in the indie-artists finding somewhere else to play to have income?

Or did the indie-artists find somewhere else to play, causing the indie
fans to see them elsewhere and not Cornerstone creating the lack of
interest at Cornerstone?

I do know in the DA, Dogs, 77s area... if you book the Dogs or
Terry or Mike solo at Cstone, you will not get as many fans to show
up as you will for DA or the 77s...or Swirling Eddies.

DA played in 1993, and not again until 2000. The two Terry and freinds
sets in the late 90's were great, but not going to cause people to
drive hundreds of miles. It wouldn't surprise me much if a lot of DA
fans that used to go to Cstone every year stopped going at all
through this time period.

For the exact reason you give, Terry, the Dogs and Mike play shows
still all over since the mid 90s.... people can see them in their own town.

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Posted by Joey T. on 01-10-2004 at19:59:



bottom line.... i wouldn't even consider making the 1800 mile trip unless Da or the Eddies were playing....

theo, set up the LA thing, and i'll be there for that! )

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Posted by JJT on 01-11-2004 at23:21:

  Cornerstone Flogging

Hey all.. yeah, it's me. I read these lists from time to time, but I just get too swamped to write in...

I got a wireless card for my laptop and was doing some casual browsing for a change, mostly because I just can't handle any more Trading Spaces... but my wife is sick and she gets the remote!

I understand where you're coming from, and I am in the same boat *personally* as almost everyone here. I have been out of the loop quite a bit this fall, but I'm meeting with John Herrin soon to download some booking thoughts.

The bottom line is that for all the committment Cstone has had for the veteran artists, the demographics of the fest have shifted... or maybe they have stayed the same and we have grown up... whatever. I know that the fest never targetted any particular audience, but over the last few years I did some surveying and we were surprised at who was coming. Agerage age: 18, Average Number of Years at the Fest: 1.8... not really a dominant youth group demo either (though I have been trying to increase that particular niche.) The unfortunate fact is that the younger artists are not clicking with the great music being made by the vets. Also, though there are certainly some exceptions in this group, for the most part the fans of the veteran acts are not coming to the fest the way they used to. I don't think that can be blamed on the fest, as the bands have been booked consistently for years. The fans have gotten older too and they just don't care as much about the fest. That's OK though...

I will suggest that each of you send personal notes to the fest (info@cornerstonefestival.com) and let them know your plans and concerns. I will also remind you that the line-up announced in December is never the final thing. And finally I will confirm that budget concerns and scale-backs are definitely a factor. Also I would ask you to pray for the event and the staff as this is a critical time. Whether I like any of the bands anymore or not, I believe in the ministry and hope the event continues for another twenty years.

I hope some of you come and play your DA CDs at your campsites and meet kids with lip-rings and befriend them and hip them to the amazing treasure of music by them and the Sevens and The Choir and everyone else. This scene needs to deepen, and if the hardest core fans don't make an effort to pass the torch onto the next generations the flame will go out. We don't have radio, print, distribution.... anything. All we have is word-of-mouth and the net.

And if there is a drop-off this year I hope next year the whole crew is back and there is some real excitement about it all. I remember several years with no 77s, or no DA, or no Adam Again... they just made me that much more excited for the next year. Also, I hope you check out some of the other smaller bands like Anathallo, Airline, Eisley, Jacobstone (RIP,) Ester Drang, etc... there are some great young bands out there. We need to find the next generation of classic artists.

Sorry for being so long-winded. I'll try to check back here, but if you want to make sure I get your email you might want to send it to me off-list.

I'd also like to hear your opinions of the Twenty Years DVD. We got some great old DA footage and a wonderful interview with Terry and Mike. It's not perfect, but it is what it is what it is...

Peace
JJT

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Posted by DaLe on 01-12-2004 at13:06:

  RE: Cornerstone Flogging

quote:

Originally posted by JJT . . . but it is what it is what it is... Peace JJT

thanks for dropping by JJT
great first post,

quote:

Originally posted by JJT The fans have gotten older too and they just don't care as much about the fest. That's OK though...

I think another reason (more than not caring as much) is, it is Alot harder to come to Cstone now that WE have families, Jobs, involved in more "extra" stuff at church, kids sports etc... I think Cornerstone is consistantly the Best festival line-up every year & some years (like last year) it is impossible to stay away. other years (like this year) it may be to hard to justify the time away from family, work, etc to make the trip. time will tell... maybe see you there. TaKe CaRe

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Posted by audiori on 01-12-2004 at23:24:

 

We agree with what your saying, and yes we know DA used to be booked
every couple years or so... 84, 85, 87, 88, 93......then 2000. There was
a gap in the 90's there. In the 90's it was booked as Terry and friends,
which will not bring the crowd DA would. Even though it basically was DA
minus maybe one person.

I guess, we all don't want Cornerstone to change direction if that means
dropping the old favorites that are featured on the Cornerstone DVD
(which is an awesome compilation by the way) for a Creation style
line-up. Not saying they are, but I've heard allusions to thinking about
a new direction for the fest from people over the years.

Especially if that idea is fostered by low turn out for bands like DA,
considering what we mentioned above. DA billed as Terry and friends.
And there are many other aspects, people are getting older and all that.
I also think the last few years have been miserably hot, which causes
some of the agedly-challenged of us to stay away after dealing with it
a previous year.

I agree with what people on the DVD say, when they say Cornerstone
is like going home. It is for us as well, it's like a family reunion. And
thats what we don't want to change I guess.

Oh and by the way JJT, we should send you a list of what Cornerstone
footage we have if you need any more for the bonus disc thing.
Or do you have enough?

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Posted by DaLe on 04-02-2004 at09:30:

RE: Cornerstone 2004

quote:

Originally posted by DaLe Lost Dogs ) I know these lists always change a little in the next SiX months but here it is... C0RNERSTONE 2004 BANDS a few I would like to see, I hope they are all on the same day or two...

NoW you can

View Bands by Day - Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun

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Posted by DaLe on 06-17-2004 at09:39:



Gallery Stage

1:00 PM The Wayside
2:05 PM Jonathan Rundman & Beki Hemingway
3:10 PM Annie Quick
4:15 PM Brindley Brothers
9:30 PM Bill Mallonee of V.O.L.
10:35 PM Lost Dogs
12:00 AM The Alarm

there is a slim chance I may go to Cstone
on Saturday - 07.03.04 for these ^ shows

who all is going to Ctone this year ?
if I do go I want to meet some DAmb people...

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Posted by Joey T. on 06-17-2004 at10:07:

 

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Posted by Ben on 06-17-2004 at12:13:

  cornerstone 2004

What would happen if they held a music fest and DA (the best band in the world) didn't come?

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Posted by joey on 06-17-2004 at12:25:

RE: cornerstone 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Ben What would happen if they held a music fest and DA (the best band in the world) didn't come?

i wouldn't go......

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Posted by John Foxe on 06-17-2004 at12:41:

 

I know of many in my own church that are not going this year. It's a combination of different factors, raging from price to content.

I'm not going for the first time in years. The increased $$'s is a factor. The focus toward the newer demographics is another. Plus DA and some regular others will be missing for the second year in a row. One Dogs show isn't enough to draw me.


John

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Posted by Mountain Fan on 06-17-2004 at12:44:

 

quote:

Originally posted by John Foxe I know of many in my own church that are not going this year. It's a combination of different factors, raging from price to content. I'm not going for the first time in years. The increased $$'s is a factor. The focus toward the newer demographics is another. Plus DA and some regular others will be missing for the second year in a row. One Dogs show isn't enough to draw me. John

Thinking of giving them the bird, someone musta sent them pigeons instead of doves this year!

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Posted by bereal on 06-17-2004 at14:19:

 

quote:

Originally posted by John Foxe ... DA and some regular others will be missing for the second year in a row. One Dogs show isn't enough to draw me. John

Actually, one Dogs show would be enough to draw me, as I have family within about 20 minutes of Bushnell, IL (in Canton) and friends in Fiatt, IL, just down the road from Bushnell on the way to Canton. (I was actually born in Canton, IL!) )

But since we be goin to the Dogs show on the 30th in Knoxville, TN, don't have any need to take a trip all the way up there this summer.

Now next summer, if DA, SE, LD, and carl's personal favorite The Choir make it to Cstone, we'll be there!