So in about 3 weeks, The ONE21 is headed out to Cornerstone Festival 2010. There are hundreds of bands and performers sweating it out from around 11AM to close to 2 in the morning every day. It can be very overwhelming to to take in everything that Cornerstone has to offer, and the sad fact is that you are almost guaranteed to miss a lot.

Well, we are here to help!

With the help of a nifty new website called www.cstoneschedule.com, the four of us attending have been able to begin planning out our Cornerstone experience. Below, I am going to list a few highlights from every day of the festival. Hopefully this will help you plan your week out a little better if you are attending.

Check out my full schedule, and maybe come say hi. I will be the guy with the giant red beard and shaved head. Its kinda hard to miss me. I will have free stickers and buttons for ya!

MONDAY: typically a slow day, but there are a ton of generator shows going on, and you can get very up close and personal with the performers. Also be on the lookout for “surprise” shows. I saw Blindside play a show on the lawn back in 2003. Keep your eyes open!
Love Begotten 3:00PM- Raging Storm/Sancrosanct Stage: the band puts on a wild stage show and seemlessly blend it with a heavy dose of profound ministry.  They were also one of our “Voices Of the Underground”

A Hope For Home 7:30PM- Solace Stage: These guys are one of the more promising bands to come out of the post-hardcore/rock scene in the last few years. They were also one of our “Voices Of The Underground”.

Take It Back! 10:30PM- Solace Stage- This will be my first time seeing the posi-hardcore band that have been blasting through my speakers all year. If you want to see earnest punk/hardcore, you need to be at this show!

Tuesday: The unofficial 1st day of the fest. In past years, Tooth & Nail have run this particular day, but the economy has forced the label to step back. Once again, this may seem like a slow day, but there is still alot going on
Fire From The Gods/Let The Dead 12:00PM/12:45PM- Legacy Stage: These two bands are actually friends of mine from right here in Austin, Texas. Come a behold the next great Texas metal/hardcore superstars!

The Ember Days 9:00 PM- Solace Stage: I am really excited to get to experience the progressive worship of The Ember Days. The band recently relocated to the States from New Zealand, and are working on some new material which hopefully will make it into their set at Cornerstone. They were also one of our “Voices Of The Underground”

Flatfoot 56 10:00PM- Legacy Stage: While everybody else is at Switchfoot on the main stage, I will be getting a rowdy dose of celtic punk with the legendary Flatfoot 56. Once again, this will be the first time seeing these guys despite the fact that I have been a fan for a very long time!

Wednesday: This will be the first official day of Cornerstone Festival 2010, with all the seminars, Bible studies, and events beginning along with the music and the Main stage running all day. The festival gets kind of….crazy from here on out. This will be one of my longest days
So Long Forgotten 12:45- Solace Stage: I have heard that So Long Forgotten‘s live shows are nothing short of amazing, so this will be an amazing way to start my day off. The band’s latest album, The Things We Can See and The Things We Cannot was on our best of the year list from 2009.

Bradley Hathaway 3:15PM- Main Stage: If you dont see Mr. Hathaway at Cornerstone, you havent truely done Cornerstone right. Nuff said!  Bradley also had one of our best albums form 2009.

Levi The Poet 4:00PM-Solace Stage: Levi The Poet is a gifted spoken word artist who’s performances range from quiet recital to wild thrashings as he covers everything from the love of God, self doubt, and pornography addiction. Also, I will finally be able to pick up his CD!

Listener 6:00PM- Jesus Village: THIS IS ONE OF MY MUST SEES! I promise you that this will be one of the best live shows you have ever seen!

mewithoutYou 7:00PM- Main Stage: Once again, if you dont see mewithoutYou at Cornerstone Festival, you havent done Cornerstone right. Nuff said…..again.  Once again, the band’s latest CD was one of the best from 2009.

Sleeping Giant 10:50PM- Underground Stage: This “hardcore” band is known to create an atmosphere of worship that most churches miss by miles. People have given their lives to Christ, been healed, and rebuked demons at these guys shows. At clubs. This is Cornerstone! Of course there will be moshing too, but thats how Sleeping Giant does it! Did I forget to mention that this is a 2 hour show? Well, it is…..

The Chariot 12AM- Encore Stage: If you happen to leave Sleeping Giant early, or are able to still walk afterwards, go catch the last 30 or minutes of The Chariot. Their live show is nothing short of insane!  they also had one of our best albums from 2009 along with being one of our “Voices of The Underground”

Thursday Day two of the festival in full swing slows things down a little for me, but Thursday is possiably my most diverse day.
John Reuben 3:15PM- Main Stage: Regrettably, there isn’t a whole lot of hip-hop at Cornerstone this year, so I am going to be sure and not miss one of my all time favorites. Hey John, if you happen to read this, play “Doin’”, I will lose my mind over that song!

Brooke Waggoner 4:15PM- Gallery Stage: THIS IS A MUST SEE! We met Brooke Waggoner in 2009 at SXSW, and her live show made me a life long fan. If anything, you need to see this girl play piano, it will blow you away.  She was also featured in the original series of “Voices of The Underground”.

Hands 7:30PM- Underground Stage: i have already told the entire staff that Hands is the band I am most excited to see this year. They combine prog metal with worship music, and they never come around Austin. This will most likely be the highlight of my week.  They also had one of our best albums from 2009.

The Farewell Drifters 8:35PM- Gallery Stage: Sue me, I love folk/bluegrass music. The Farewell Drifters are one of the better bands today doing it. Therefore, I will be there.

For Today 10:35- Underground Stage: Like Sleeping Giant the night before, For Today bring a worshipful experience that just happens to be in the for of metal/hardcore. These guys speak truth, and this is one of those shows that can really have an impact.

Friday By this point most of yall will be getting tired, but dont snooze just yet because some great stuff is yet to be seen.
Timbre 2:05PM- Gallery Stage: What a great way to get things going with some soothing progressive harp music. Yep, I said harp….

Dignan 6:00PM- Gallery Stage: Once again, we met Dignan at SXSW in 2009 and were intimidately taken away with their dark , progressive indie rock. Haven’t had a chance to catch them again, so this will be a treat for sure.  They also released one of our best albums from 2009.

Paper Route 7:15PM- Gallery Stage: Would you like a little electronic dance music with your rock? Of course you would.  They also had one of our best albums from 2009.

Children 18:3 9:00PM- Underground Stage: This is possibly the best pop-punk band in the music scene today. we saw them at Red letter Rock Fest last year, and I am not going to miss this show.

Eisley 10:00PM- Gallery Stage: Ironically, the last time Chuck and I saw Eisley (known as Moss Eisley then) was the FIRST time we attended Cornerstone Fest in 2002. Some of the members were in their early teens, and they apologized after every song. Most of them are married now, and we have fallen in love with their music over and over again since. This will be a great reunion.

White Collar Sideshow 12AM- Underground Stage: I will end my day with a performance that has the ability to cut to the core of any person struggling with themselves. Besides the fact that the members of White Collar Sideshow are some of the coolest people ever, but their show will make you take a deep look within, and let change fill you up.

Saturday Last day, keep your head up, you are almost there.
Starting at about 1PM, The Legacy Stage is going to have a mini Hip-Hop showcase featuring some amazing talent including Odd Thomas, Propoganda, and Theory Hazit. If you are a fan of Hip-Hop, this would be a great place to hang out on Saturday.

O’Brother 6:00PM- Gallery Stage: I saw these guys with Manchester Orchestra, and I don’t think I’m stretching too much to say that they blew the crowd away. They are the heaviest indie rock band I have ever hear, and I am ready for round two.

August Burns Red 7:00PM- Main Stage: ABR is kind of another one of those bands that if you haven’t seen them at Cornerstone, then you haven’t really seen them. It is not too much to say that they owned Cornerstone 07 like nobodies business.

Seabird 10:00PM- Gallery Stage: My Cornerstone experience will end with the power pop/rock of Seabird. I saw them at SXSW, and now that I know their music a little better I know this will be the perfect closer to my week.

Thats about it, but certainly not my entire plan for the week. Go check my full schedule to see all the other shows I am going to try and hit. See you there!