The Summer of Rock!
By Andy Argyrakis, senior music editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
Now that the long Memorial Day weekend is over, the nights are getting longer and the smell of barbeque is in the air, summer’s officially in full swing. But the true barometer of the season is unquestionably the festival circuit, which is once again overflowing with a series of red-hot rock acts from the past and present. While certain soirées are regular Christian music fixtures (such as Creation, Cornerstone, Kingdom Bound, Ichthus, Alive and Atlanta Fest), a recent poll of artists indicated several under-the-radar festivals gaining newfound momentum. So with that, here’s a sampling of where to catch ample amounts of rock in an outdoor environment anchored in the gospel.
Purple Door’s a powerhouse
For the past 14 years, Lewisberry, Penn.’s Purple Door festival has steadily ascended from a small regional celebration to a national destination. This year, fans from across the country can descend upon the Ski Roundtop from August 14–15, taking in sets from a slew of crossover favorites and core Christian market rock n’ rollers. Anberlin, Family Force 5 and mewithoutyou lead, alongside a stellar supporting cast including Disciple, Project 86, Fireflight, Seabird and Spoken.
“Purple Door is purposely designed and booked to reach today’s generation featuring many styles of music – hardcore, punk, rock, rap, hip-hop, emo, acoustic and on and on – as well as many [crossover] acts,” says festival producer Chris Strayer, indicating the secret of the event’s success. “You tie this together with seminars and speaking and you have something for everyone. Oh yeah, we dropped our ticket prices. We realize that times are hard so we wanted to do our part. The price of our tickets, including the gate price, is the cheapest since 2004!”
Fans are sure to get even more bang for their buck considering several artists will also be speaking, including Project 86 frontman-turned-author Andrew Schwab. In addition to debuting tunes from the band’s forthcoming Picket Fence Cartel, he promises to create a uniquely intimate experience for the fans.
“It’s always cool to have that type of interaction with people alongside the stage performance of the band,” he muses. “You can connect with people and say things in a completely different way than just yelling at them!”
Disciple’s leader Kevin Young is also ready for double duty at Purple Door, which he explains won’t be much different than the regular dialogue already a part of the band’s concert performances. “I do a lot of speaking anyway so it shouldn’t be hard to balance,” he suggests. “As far as what I will speak about, I might give my testimony [but] I’m not sure yet. You’ll have to be there to find out.” (continued from page 1)
Festival spokesperson and Springboard Entertainment owner Anita Crawford notices buzz surrounding the event is at an all-time high, especially considering this year’s headliners rarely play Christian market events anymore, thanks to the demand of the mainstream market. That coup has prompted additional media attention and swelling audience sizes, which in a time of economic instability, further brands Purple Door as an interesting anomaly.
“Each year is bigger and better and has an amazing line up,” she confirms. “Purple Door strives to present ‘heavy-hitting’ artists who are making an impact in music and culture. Many of these bands are also playing primarily in the general market. Publicity from prominent outlets gives exposure on a larger scale, exposing a wider audience to the event and giving more music fans the option to attend.”
Ignite Chicago’s post Cornerstone bash
In just three years, Ignite Chicago’s ballooned from just a single-day event to a weekend worth of activities set in a prominent minor league baseball stadium that’s also hosted recent tours by Def Leppard and Willie Nelson. Coming to Alexian Field in Schaumburg (literally a stone’s throw from O’Hare Airport) from July 18–19, the 18-band affair is stacked with tobyMac, Relient K, Skillet, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Seventh Day Slumber, Addison Road and many more.
“To those in the area, it’s often considered a ‘stay-cation,’ while it’s really easy for those coming from out of town since Chicago is the center of the Midwest,” notes Ed Lomnicki, president of Edan Concerts and co-founder of Ignite. “[The venue] is like a mini-Wrigley Field with 7,000 seats in the grandstand and a field full of grass.”
Given the event’s relatively recent start-up, it’s astounding to think those spacious stands will be full by show time, but between the already established acts, highly buzzed about newcomers and heavy promotion, it’s quickly becoming a reality. While the bill’s leaders have blown through the Windy City several times already, fresh faces like Addison Road have the advantage of a built-in crowd and a coveted chance to win over the masses.
“Ignite Chicago should be fantastic thanks to such a great line-up,” observes the group’s guitarist Ryan Simmons. “We are just so excited we get to be a small part of the festival. The crowds always have such great energy and you get to meet up with other bands and reconnect. I think the best part is just getting to be around so many people. Festivals are always such a great change of pace from what we have been doing the rest of the year.”
(continued from page 2)
Ramping up for Rock the Desert
The third in this year’s trilogy of sizzling summer shows is Rock the Desert, descending upon Midland, Texas’ Festival Field August 7–8. The intense line-up is centered around Switchfoot, but also includes a reprise performance from Disciple, plus breakout bands NEEDTOBREATHE, Manic Drive, 33 Miles, Stellar Kart, Bluetree and loads of others.
“We played at the very first Rock the Desert festival, so it will always have a special place in my heart,” recalls Young of Disciple’s debut in 2000. “I love that there are so many bands at the festivals. It’s always great to see all of our friends from the other
bands.”
In the case of Canada’s Manic Drive, an event of this magnitude also allows the guys to spread their message to a wider audience, which in the case of Rock the Desert, could top off at 100,000 concertgoers.
“It’s very motivating for people to see large groups of artists in front of thousands encouraging them to live for God,” says drummer Anthony Moreino. “We hope to connect in a way that radically encourages the audience. Sure we want to give them an energetic rock show, but we are excited to boldly get Christians involved and start making a move in their faith.”
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About the Writer
Andy Argyrakis is a Chicago-based entertainment writer/photographer who appears in the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Entertainer, Daily Journal, Concert Livewire, Hear/Say Magazine and Image Chicago (to name few). His record label writing credits include Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Curb, EMI and Universal, with additional photo credits for Fuse TV, Live Nation, Nikon, Pollstar, Celebrity Access, Paste Magazine, MTV.com and Vibe.com. He’s also the author/narrator of “Access Matthews” (an audio CD tracing the career of Dave Matthews Band) and spends considerable time on tour, including outings with Arlo Guthrie, The Guess Who, Madina Lake (on Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution) and Gospel Music Channel’s very own “Gospel Dream” (where he served as season one judge).
