The Summer of Rock!
(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).
