Deep in the heart of Illinois, there lies the quaint, little town of Bushnell. 360 days a year, this rural settlement is home to little more than farmers, silos, and the occasional tumbleweed. But from June 30- July 4 this lonesome village becomes the stomping ground for scenesters, rockers, parents, pastors, and the customary abundance of youth group kids. Yes, I am talking about Cornerstone, Christian music's answer to Woodstock (only with more clothing and less rioting). Each year, festival visitors travel from all across the country to share in and enjoy a week of music, seminars, and fellowship with one another.

The festival has five stages, two of which undergo mysterious name changes in the evening hours, making for a grand total of seven stages. Throughout the grounds there are also about 50 generator stages, which emanate everything from introspective ballads to manic screaming (the latter seemed somewhat prevalent this year). For those of you that are not familiar with the festival, you must understand that Cornerstone specifically caters to the alternative music scene, thus you will not find Carmen rockin' the Main Stage or Toby Mac bustin' out his sweet rhymes on the mic. This is a good thing.

Another great thing about Cornerstone is that it truly does have something for everyone: for the movie fan- flickrings, for the searching- seminars, for the shoppers-merch tents, for the adventurous- onsite camping, for the hygienically-minded- showers, for the hungry- a well-stocked grocery store, and for the music fans- hundreds of bands, both young and old, ready to sing/scream/whine their little hearts out all for your listening pleasure.

Now while I spent a fair amount of time wandering the grounds, surveying the merchandise, and even indulging in the occasional burrito at the food court, I was able to catch quite a few shows. Here are some of the highlights:

Duvall- Do you remember the Smoking Popes? Well this is Josh Caterer's new band, and they put on a great show. The band was really tight throughout their entire set. They played a few songs off of their debut full-length, Volume & Density, a Smoking Popes cover, and a song off of their upcoming Christmas album. The fact that they can pull off all of the guitar solos and harmonies live almost as well as in the studio was impressive. And Josh's crooning, vibrato vocals were amazing, as usual. If you haven't heard these guys you should definitely check them out on their upcoming national tour in support of the new album.

Divebomber- Walking around Cornerstone I found it amazing that the exact same metalcore band was playing at every stage at the exact same time. However, the amazement quickly faded and it just became tiresome to hear the oppressive screaming of angst-ridden hardcore kids everywhere I went. Luckily, there were bands like Divebomber at Cornerstone to break the monotony. Without pretense, Divebomber was one of the most fun shows I saw there, because they didn't take themselves too seriously. Conrad's guitar playing/dancing/modeling was great and Julia sounded like an angel. They also enlisted the help of Aaron (bass) and Christopher (drums) of Calibretto to help with their set. After a few songs with topics ranging from mini-vans to evil robots, the band closed out their set with an epic cover of "To Hell With The Devil". Much fun was had by all.

Calibretto- Sadly, this year marked Calibretto's last Cornerstone performance ever, but you never would have guessed by watching the smiling multitudes singing along with every word. The band played a nice mix of old and new songs, including a cover song from the upcoming album by Harley Poe, which is actually the members of Calibretto under a different moniker. The whole band played very well, and the energy from onstage seemed to infect everyone out in the crowd. Not even Christopher's disturbing between-song tales of his exploits at roadside rest stops, could dampen the crowds spirits. People were there to have a good time and sing along with some of their old favorites, and I don't recall hearing anyone the least bit let down by their performance. If they are coming to your area on their farewell tour, I encourage you to go see them play- you won't be disappointed.

Josh Caterer- Duvall frontman, Josh Caterer, also played a solo acoustic set at Cornerstone this year. The setting was much more intimate than the Duvall show, giving Josh a chance to open up and talk about some of the songs and what they mean. He played some Duvall cover songs, some songs off of his solo EP, and even some new songs that he had written more recently. As he played, the honesty in everything he said and sang was so evident. You could tell that he meant what he was saying. It was a stirring experience. Oh, and the vocals were just as amazing as they were during the Duvall set.

The Dark Forest- This really was one of my favorite "sets" throughout the entire festival this year, mostly because it was so different than everything else going on. If you aren't familiar with it, the Dark Forest is a dark orchestral opera that tells a fairy tale story about sacrifice and love. Watching the whole thing unfold live is a very moving experience. The music is dark, but absolutely beautiful. The cast includes John Johnson as the woodcutter, Julia Zulia as the woodcutter's daughter, and Peter Kusek as the Dark Elf. All of the above did a fantastic job vocally, in spite of the regrettable absence of John Johnson. Conrad, who produced, wrote, composed, and directed the Dark Forest really did a great job putting it all together. The cd version of the Dark Forest will be available here at Decapolis.com in the near future.

Pedro the Lion- This was the first time I was able to see Pedro the Lion live, and I was very impressed, though I have heard it was not nearly his best performance. David Bazaan, the man behind the moniker, put on a great show, full of old and new favorites. Watching the crowd sing along, as if every lyric was what they wanted to say, but couldn't find words of their own, was an emotive encounter. But the best part of Pedro the Lion's set was the usual between-song question and answer times. Bazaan is very vocal about his opinions, theologically and politically, but his manner as he discusses some sensitive areas is what is really intriguing. He talked about the way Americans think, and what influences our decisions. He also shared what he thought Jesus would really want us to be doing with our time and money today. Even if you don't agree with some of the things he says, you still have to respect a man who is so eager to find out what it truly means to be a Christian in this present day and age.

Cornerstone was easily the highlight of my summer. The people that I met there, the bands that I got to see, the few seminars I was able to get to, and just the general atmosphere of the festival were all very uplifting. I can honestly say I walked away from my experience there having learned a lot about myself, others, and God, which is truly rewarding. If you have never been able to attend Cornerstone, I strongly recommend that you make it out for at least one year. It is worth sacrificing warm showers and decent personal hygiene for the chance to see some good bands, to hear some insightful speakers, and to enjoy some time in fellowship with other Christians.