This will one of a few posts covering my day at the Lifest Christian Music Festival in Oshkosh, WI.
As I said in my first posting about Lifest, even if you’re not a fan of Christian music or even if you’re not a Christian, I ask you to read on. These posts are about the music as music, as well as how that music deals with the Christian faith.
Hard Rock: Thousand Foot Krutch
When I saw how many people showed up after the afternoon break to watch Thousand Foot Krutch, I realized that this must be one the bands to be taking the scene by storm. As if in answer to one of my main interview questions, the lead singer was wearing a Ramones T-shirt, advertising a major influence on Thousand Foot Krutch’s music.
Despite the hubbub and enthusiastic crowd, I quickly felt like I was listening to P.O.D. or 38th Parallel, except with more fuzz. The songs didn’t seem to have a distinct sound or melody. P.O.D. is as hard-hitting as they come, but there’s still hooks that grab you. I didn’t hear that in Thousand Foot Krutch’s songs. Perhaps if I have a chance to review the album, I’ll be corrected on this.
American Folk: Steven Delopoulos
Back to the small setting of the Café Stage tent to see Steven Delopoulos, a singer/songwriter formerly with Burlap to Cashmere. I was thrilled when I saw his name on Friday’s schedule, because his solo work had come to my attention when Paste magazine included his “Me Died Blue” on a CD for one of their issues last year.
Delopoulos finally answers my question as to where have all the Christian folk singers gone. I continually find such enrichment, soul-searching, beauty, and introspection through folk music, so I always wondered what a Christian could do if he or she was a true folk singer. However, I think part of the problem may be in the audience expectation in the Christian music world. Delopoulos is up on stage, solo, with an acoustic guitar. There’s a certain expectation that at a Christian festival, this will means a performer who will lead the crowd in various praise songs. That’s not a folk concert then, and thankfully, that’s not what we have in Delopoulos.
There’s a combination of New Jersey and Greek accents in Delopoulos’ vocals. In many ways, though, his voice is very reminiscent of Cat Stevens, the way his voice opens up and then flattens out at the end of each line. A comparison to fellow Jerseyite John Gorka’s balladic voice wouldn’t be out of line either. Finally, Delopoulos adds many syllabic singing verses, which if pursued even more, would be similar to Pierre Bensusan. Bensusan is inclined towards the jazz end of the Spectrum, and there’s a jazzy quality to Delopoulos’ folk.
Delopoulos’ fingerstyle guitar playing is at once Mediterranean and American folk. On the song “People Come and Go,” he added a bit of a mariachi flourish.
Delopoulos’ set was burdened a bit by location (echoes from other stages easily fought their way into the Café Stage tent) and also by his own hard week. He mentioned this a few times, and you could hear it in the music. Even on the songs which weren’t necessarily melancholy, the feeling of being in a tough place hung over the songs in how he played them. Songs like “Me Died Blue” and “Digge Dime” pulled against this, pulling him out of the “things in his head” as he himself said.
A brand new song towards the end of the set, “Ruin of the Beast,” works like a Peter Mayer song, both as a story and stylisitically. “Ruin of the Beast” is a funny fantasy story that immediately sets you up to realize that the song is talking to you.
I hope to get a chance to review the album Me Died Blue soon.
Folk influenced IRE/UK Rock: Flatfoot 56
While I did interview Matt Dally of Superchic(k), I decided to skip their set and head over to support the young Chicago band, Flatfoot 56. (I’ll get a chance to review Superchic(k) live in a couple of weeks while at a national youth gathering). When I asked Josh and Kyle of Flatfoot why I should be at their show rather than Superchic(k), they explained it this way: “At the Superchic(k) show, you could dance, but you could also sit in a lawnchair. There won’t be an option for lawnchairs at our show.” Enough said! I went to Stage X for Flatfoot.
Flatfoot 56 is a Celtic punk band fusing all of the energy of the Clash with the traditional sounds of Ireland, Scotland, and England. In talking with Kyle Bawinkel (bass/gang vocals) and Josh Robieson (mandolin/bagpipes/lead guitar), they said their Celtic influences were the Pogues, the Dubliners, the Tossers, the Porters, and Flogging Molly. When I first heard their album, Knuckles Up, I immediately thought of the Pogues. Flatfoot is more stripped down than the Pogues large band, multiple instrument approach, but the raw energy, the punked-up tradition comes through in this new generation of Chicagoan Celts.
While Josh and Kyle weren’t sure how many people they’d gather for their set, the Stage X turned out to be pretty good, a lot ready to mosh, dance, and raise a fist. They played a lot from their album with a few covers thrown in.
Justin Bawinkel’s drums bring out the traditional sound even when he’s flying and cracking those heads. Robieson’s mandolin and bagpipes are top notch—not just some gimmicky add-on. My only wish is that he had an electric pickup for the bagpipes rather than relying on a microphone; the sound needs some help getting on top of the pounding rock of the band.
On “That’s OK,” lead singer Tobin Bawinkel encouraged the crowd to join in for a “good old fashioned Scottish dance,” opening up the crowd into a circle with a dance competition for a couple of free CDs. The dancing was that great blend of attempts at traditional step dancing and punk pogoing.
Flatfoot 56 could be set to do what the Supertones did who brought ska into the mix of contemporary Christian music. Flatfoot, if they hold to their style, will distinguish themselves from the rest of the mush of Christian pop. The pitfall that swallows so many Christian groups is that the music becomes blah, lacking style. Flatfoot 56 is clearly avoiding this right now, and seriously, I pray that they will continue to avoid this. You can never get enough of punkified tradition!
Hard Rock: Everyday Sunday
Everyday Sunday launched into a good set on the Pit Stage. The songs from their new album, Anthems for the Imperfect really move, matching the band’s frantic stage presence. Those songs made me feel as if their sound was bigger than the low ceiling Pit Stage.
Everyday Sunday’s rock sound is kept alive by Chris Hines on the drums. When I heard Anthems for the Imperfect, Hines’ fills, breaks, and patterns were what made me continue to listen. Hines played that same role in their live set. Where the band’s sound could easily slip into sameness, Hines kicks, hits, and breaks his way out of that cage. I will keep listening to Everyday Sunday just because of Hines.
Trey Pearson’s lead vocals sound a bit something right for Green Day. I also at times hear Jonathan Rundman or Lost & Found vocals over the band’s hard rock. That combination of Pearson’s unique voice, energy on stage, and the band’s pulse are when Everyday Sunday rises to the occasion. However, when they went back to play the single from the previous album, “Stand Up,” they fell into the “Smalltown Poets Vortex.”
The Smalltown Poets Vortex is a concept I plan on writing about in-depth, but for now, it is the problem of many Christian bands falling into a similar pattern, sound, and style. “Stand Up” had that quality on stage at Lifest—a standard Christian, vocal-heavy, pop-rock song, a song you can hear over and over again as more artists fall into the vortex, the trap of all sounding like the next Smalltown Poets. (Watch for more on this, because despite the moniker, I enjoy the Smalltown Poets even while identifying this problem with them).
Thanks to Brian and the Media Relations people at Life Promotions and to all of the bands, labels, and managers for their help.
More Lifest reviews to come, featuring Skillet, Blindside, and Third Day.
