Calibretto... Oh, Calibretto. This was their last Cornerstone ever! Can you even believe it? Ever!! Of course they were as fantastic as always, but it was a little tough listening to them close the show with “High Five” knowing that I would probably never get to hear it played live again. Thankfully none of my friends caught me weeping uncontrollably. All good things must come to an end I suppose. Rest in peace Calibretto, or Calibretto 13, or whatever you guys are calling yourselves nowadays.

Sad.

The Chariot played what was probably my favorite show of the entire festival right away on Thursday afternoon. They are the new band with former Norma Jean vocalist, Josh Scogin, at the helm, and their set was unbelievably brutal. They were also very witty and fun to watch. Josh kept doing these dorky headstands all the time. It was amazing. Just complete and utter chaos from start to finish. By the time it was all over I had to remind myself where I was. Check these fellas out immediately! You can download the three songs they’ve recorded so far from their website, but you have to see them live to fully appreciate the guys.

We are The Chariot, and we've been known to rock.

Aaaaaaaahhh!!!!

Cool Hand Luke was as purty and worshipful as ever. My favorite part of their shows is always listening to the drummer/vocalist talk in between songs. This year he talked about how easily we forget what Cornerstone is all about. It was really nice to hear a little modesty and wisdom in the midst of all the brash, foolhardy and agonizingly mediocre screamo bands.

The Dark Forest performance was really sweet. It was a great story and had some beautiful music to go along with it. The illustrations were nice too. Do yourself a favor and make it a point to watch this next year. It’ll be one of the most moving performances you’ll see all week.

The lovely and talented Julia Beatrice Zulia.

Divebomber rocked my face off. Seriously. I had trouble finding it at first, but some kind, anonymous soul finally picked it up and handed it back. Just in time for me to witness what was probably one of the best concerts of all time too. And I’m not just saying that because I happen to work for Julia and Conrad. Divebomber is, quite simply, history’s finest band. Twice as good as Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and The Beatles combined. Their “To Hell With the Devil” cover was so good that I had to sit down and reevaluate my life. Pick up the new EP if you’re craving some good old-fashioned rock & roll. And if you think you have the guts.

Check out Conrad's crazy Satan eyes.

Ester Drang was as Drang as they‘ve ever been. You see, “Drang” is the slang term I've designated to bands that are actually pretty good but, at the same time, don’t ever need to be experienced live. Pretty clever, huh? Nothing against Ester Drang or anything--I actually like their albums a lot--but I was almost falling asleep at their show. Maybe I was just tired. Or maybe I was just bored. I have this thing about falling asleep whenever I get really really bored. Especially at night while lying in bed.

Infradig Ensemble played right after Cool Hand Luke. It was just the right dosage of Radiohead-laced funk jams that we were all in desperate need of at the time. Their drummer is seriously unreal! If you’ve ever seen them live before then you understand what I’m saying. It’s like listening to the most complex and crazy beat programming you’ve ever heard, miraculously streaming from one mere mortal’s two mere arms. Amazing.

Joy Electric was as amazing as ever. Ronnie’s dancing accompaniment was also still in place. This year they threw out lots more balloons and candy. I caught some Nerds (num). And the stuff he played off of the new one, Hello Mannequin, was awesome! Easily some of his catchiest tunes since “Monosynth“. This was probably the best Joy Electric show I’ve ever seen, and they’re always a blast. It really helped to ease the sting of Starflyer not being there. Oh man. I was about ready to step in front of a speeding golf cart. Joy Electric saved my life.

Joy Electric is better than you.

And they'll throw tons of balloons at you if you're not careful.

See.

Julia Zulia’s talk was really good. She basically just introduced herself and then gave her testimony. It was all nice and informal, and Julia was very personable. She talked about how God can work through situations that may seem terrible at the time, or that we maybe don’t think we’ll be able to deal with. It was a good reminder that no matter how down and out we get, God is always waiting there patiently, ready to give us a hand if we’ll just ask Him for one.

Kat Jones played early Sunday evening, which was just about the time I was beginning to get a little burnt out on music. Luckily Ms. Jones’ smooth Mazzy Star-y pop ditties provided that little extra kick that I needed to keep me going. Keep an eye on this girl. She’s going places. Career-advancing places.

Ms. Jones throws a little rock our way.

Lovedrug’s show was pretty gall-dern good. You could really tell those guys knew what they were doing. They were all extremely gifted musicians. The singer actually had a really spectacular voice too. They were easily one of the most talented bands I saw all week. If you like Coldplay, but wish they were a little more rock & roll, try to find yourself some Lovedrug.

They'll probably look something like this.

Map was, hands down, one of the best bands at the festival this year. They also played one of the best shows of the week and I’ll be gosh-darned if there were thirty people there to see it. What a crime!! Seriously. You should all go out and buy their newest full-length, Think Like an Owner, right now on principle alone. You’ll thank me later. Honestly. They’re unbelievable! Think Starflyer 59 mixed with The Byrds, with a heavenly assortment of tasteful guitar solos thrown in for your enjoyment. If their tent isn’t packed to the hilt next year, I’m gonna fight every single one of you. And don’t kid yourselves... I’m very powerful.

Mercury Radio Theater’s set was pretty interesting. Their sound is a really clever, quirky mixture of punk rock and spoken word. And the narration they played in between songs was skillfully voiced by none other than Joe Genaro of the Dead Milkmen. It was nice to see something creative and different at that point in the festival. Check these guys out live if you ever get the chance.

Mewithoutyou was one of my favorite shows of the week. The songs they played off their new album sounded phenomenal!! I was seriously blown away by how good these guys have gotten (not that they were ever bad). The new material has a real Interpol feel to it, but not so much that they could be accused of ripping them off. It’s very spacey sounding and really uplifting too. When their new album comes out September 21st, buy it!!! I dare you.

Glorious...

Just glorious.

MxPx’s show was pretty much a carbon copy of every other show I’ve ever seen them play. They sang the same songs (for the most part), maintained the same energy and, as usual, kept it all interesting but not mind-blowing. It was nice to sing along to a few classics like “Punk Rawk Show” and “Chick Magnet”, but there was nothing about the show worth writing home about really.

Norma Jean’s set was alright. The best parts of the show, however, were when Josh (their old singer) and Aaron (Mewithoutyou’s frontman) came out to do guest vocals, which isn’t saying much for the actual band. But they were very tight, and the new vocalist sounds pretty decent. They played some new stuff, but I can’t remember if it was amazing or not, so it probably wasn’t.

Pedro the Lion played the worst show I’ve ever seen them play, and I’ve been to a lot of Pedro the Lion shows. Dave’s voice just sounded really hoarse, and his playing was abnormally sloppy. Though it’s possible that he may have just had a nasty cold and a 24-hour carpal tunnel bug or something, his poor performance was more than likely due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed before the set. Not that he was slobbering drunk or anything, but it was pretty obvious that he had downed a few. Luckily this didn’t take away any from his signature Q&A sessions between songs. He had a few interesting things to say and surprisingly toned down quite a bit on the Bush-bashing this year. Overall, despite it being the worst Pedro show I’ve ever seen, it was still pretty enjoyable. You just gotta love that crazy ol’ Dave Bazan.

"Politics, politics, concept albums, #$&%, murder, politics..."

P.O.D. was P.O.D.

Project 86 played a pretty good show Thursday night. They were the least theatrical and showy that I’ve ever seen them, and it really helped to make the show more easy-going and fun. They played a good mix of older and newer tracks, ending on “Stein’s Theme” and letting the audience do all the singing (kinda weird, but kinda rad).

The Promise Book was easily the worst of all the Joy Electric wannabe bands at Cornerstone this year. Not that they weren’t fun to watch however. They were actually really funny guys, and come to think of it, even their music seemed a little tongue-in-cheek. The singer kept going nuts on his key-tar, to the point where it would get unplugged or messed up somehow, and we would have to sit there watching him fix it for five minutes. Then when it would finally get working again, he would do the same exact thing. We decided to leave early.

Red Orchestra was about as mediocre as this year’s crop of Joy Electric wannabes came. The singer was almost difficult to watch--strutting around like he owned the place to some ultra-bland synth pop. It was kind of fun, however, watching his poker-faced bandmates try not to snicker at his unruly antics. Their capes were pretty sweet too.

Harry Potter rippin' it up on the key-tar.

Showbread’s shows were both fantastic. Their new stuff sounds superb. Much more Rolling Stones and a lot less Refused. The guys were also as fun to watch as always. The kid on the key-tar was flipping out like crazy (and who could blame him). Check out their new album, No Sir, Nihilism is not Practical, in October. You won’t be disappointed.

A whole lot of key-tar going on.

Squad Five-O’s show was actually pretty mediocre. It’s sometimes difficult to tell with shows that you didn’t really like at Cornerstone whether the band was actually bad, or if you were just too “music-ed out” by that point. I think in this case it was a little of both. They just lacked the energy and humor that usually makes their shows so much fun to watch. They certainly weren’t horrible though. Just disappointing.

Believe it or not, Travelogue was the only band I observed at Cornerstone this year that used a rotating saw blade as a musical instrument. They, or rather “he”, was also the best of all the Joy Electric wannabe groups in attendance. And he was a really cool guy too. Try to find his newest single “Hospital” if you can. It’s alarmingly catchy.

Unwed Sailor was all fine and good, but they lacked the unpredictability and energy of previous Cornerstone sets. They played a few new songs that were pretty decent but not spectacular. The new stuff seemed a little more guitar-heavy and Pink Floyd-ish, so it should be interesting to hear how their next album turns out.

Just one of Johnathon Ford's 47 bands.

Zao was Zao (minus all of their original members and most of their creative talent).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And there you have it.  Until next year...