Doug (one of the contributors at HXCChristian.com) did a pre-show in Campbellsville, KY the Sunday before Cornerstone.  I drove 9 hours to get to Campbellsville, it was an easy trip.  The show was awesome.  Doug is working with the University to put on show for all the kids and peeps in the area.  Apparently, like most small towns, there isn’t a whole lot to do there, so putting on shows is a great way to blow off steam and stay out of trouble.  The lineup was Restore the Roar (Doug’s band), Debtor (Philly hardcore), Worker (Tennessee hardcore), Dead Icons (Lexington hardcore), and The Showdown (Metal).  I was really impressed with Debtor and Worker (Debtor is a Christian band, Worker is not although their message is positive, and the dudes in the band are really cool).  It was a fun show, and I was glad that HXCChristian.com could be part of it.  After the show, RJ (HXCChristian.com contributor) thought it would best to drive straight through the night to Cornerstone.  I think Doug and I could have strangled RJ when we got to Cornerstone at 6:30 AM and the gates weren’t open, but we forgive RJ (just kidding RJ).  When we got in, we immediately found our tent and started to setup.  We made homemade Gatorade (DIY hardcore style baby) and were a place to just come and hang.  We later became known as the place that made good food and usually had leftovers.

General Mayhem and Trouble from the HXCChristian.com at Cornerstone 2010

Click here to view the embedded video.

The first couple of days were a blur, meeting people and going to shows, sleep deprivation.  In the first couple of days, I saw Debtor, Call To Preserve, Send out the Scuds, True Liberty, The Meek Estate, and probably one of my favorite shows The Great Commission (where I decided to throw my old butt off the stage).  My man Micah at The Legacy Stage really put on a lot of the best shows, he kept the stage limited to traditional hardcore for the most part.  Good job Micah!  Look for good stuff from this stage next year.  Thin Ice and Dependency (new to Blood & Ink records) both played multiple shows and were fantastic.  I highly recommend picking up their albums from Blood & Ink, well worth it.  I was fortunate to catch the Grave Robber show at midnight at the Sanctuary stage which was right next to us.  It was hard to miss it actually, quite and interesting band, if you like The Misfits and other type horror punk, then these guys will make you happy, plus their stage act is really unique.

Check out the Cornerstone 2010 Video Page

The second half the week I started to get used to the confusion and get my wits about me.  I was tired from getting into the pit, and I proved to myself that a 35 year old dude can still throw down in the pit and handle himself.  I think I even out danced some of the younger kids!  The Sleeping Giant show was awesome, I had a run in with the Holy Spirit, I am sure people thought I was crazy, but I was moved, and God touched me.  Their set was great as usual, and they played a new song, and honestly, I was not that crazy about it.  However, sometimes playing new material live is tough because you cannot get a feel for what a clean recording of it sounds like. Look for new stuff from Thom Green and the gang soon.   Also, the Great Commission rocked another show on the Undergound Stage, it was awesome, they also played a new song, it was decent.  I think there is some big stuff coming down the pike from these guys, I think they have been working on new material.  The last day was the craziest, I went from show to show to show.  Mason Summers (my punk friends), to Thin Ice, to Sovereign Strength, to All Or Nothing (what up Laz?), to Call To Preserve, back to back to back.  Then, it seemed as soon as we got there, we were gone.  Doug and I traveled together from Kentucky.  Doug is a cool dude, and we laughed the whole way home and told stories about shows and the people we met.

I think that the best stuff of the week was some of the punk bands, True Liberty, Desiring Dead Flesh, The Meek Estate, The Last Hope, Flatfoot 56, Mason Summers.  The only ska band there, Send Out The Scuds (I love these guys, and girl!)  had to get my skanking in, and I miss good ska! In the hardcore world, I don’t think I saw one bad band.  Thin Ice, Dependency, The Great Commission, Call To Preserve, Wild at Heart, Strengthen What Remains, Strength Within, Sovereign Strength, Debtor, Venia, All Or Nothing, Take It Back.  All bands that you need to check out.  One band in particular from Pittsburg, Those Who Fear.  I was happy to hear a band that is still playing old style beatdown hardcore.  These guys are awesome, and the dudes in the band are cool guys, so check them out.  Plus they had a turtle named XSteveX.  They kept me entertained.

We were lucky to have meet and greets with some of the bands, Andy from A Plea For Purging came by in the morning to discuss the band and life in general, it was cool.  Leroy the singer from War Of Ages also came out and did a meet and greet, great guy with a great story.  On Wednesday night we decided to do a spaghetti dinner, I think we cooked 30 pounds of spaghetti and made about 10 gallons of sauce.  I think everyone enjoyed the meal and fellowship.  I think we fed about 200 people.  On Thursday morning we did a meet and greet with Harbor from Call to Preserve and a pancake breakfast. Again, we had a huge turnout, more people that pancakes, but again, it was a huge success.  I am glad that we could be a blessing to the people and bands.  That was our mission, and I am glad that we accomplished it.

We had to leave a day early.  My family was sick at home.  Funny how Satan can attacks your weak spots when you are closest to God, he was attacking my family, coward.  The ride home was long, but gave me a lot of time to decompress and think about the experience.  I realized that Cornerstone is not really about the music, but about the people.  The people are what makes it worthwhile.  I met a lot of great people and even talked to people who were not Christians about Christ.  On the long trip back after I dropped off Doug in Kentucky,  I cried, half tears of happiness that I would be seeing my wife and two beautiful sons, the other half for the all the new friends that I would not see perhaps until next year.

Take a Look at the HXCChristian.com Cornerstone 2010 Photos

Takeaways – Lots of cool people, finding out that different genres of people still have the same core beliefs, that Christ is King.  Great shows, I can still throwdown in the pit.  People love free food, especially Eastern style BBQ (NC BBQ).  The bands are really cool and fun to hang out with, if there is a band coming to your area, go hang with them.  They usually hang in the parking lot behind the venue, go introduce yourself.  Bring them some goodies, food, baby wipes, stuff they might need, let them crash at your place, have a shower, do laundry, etc. help them load and unload their gear.  Metalcore and screamo still suck.  Ska needs to make a comeback.  Punk is alive and well.  Don’t use megaphones at Cornerstone or security will come and cart you away (see below). Have fun and fellowship with you future neighbors in heaven, after all, we will all be together in heaven forever!

God bless and thanks for everyone who came out and visited us.  See you next year.  Join the forum.

Josh

Band Name: Mason Summers
Music Style: Punk
Location (Home Base): College Park, MD

Q: When did Mason Summers form as a band, did you really name the band after one of your friends? Please share that story!

A: We formed about three years ago. At that time MAC didn’t play much drums and Lydia had barely begun to learn bass. We definitely did name ourselves after a friend. With a name like Mason Summers, how could you not name your band after this guy?

Q: Mason Summers has a very unique sound in the punk scene, when I listen to your music, I can hear the influence of the late 70′s early 80′s punk like the Ramones and maybe some Still Little Fingers, and The Clash, and then also, the Rock-A-Billy influence, can you tell us about where you get influence as a band?

A: You pretty much nailed it on the head. We definitely are big into the whole 70′s punk thing, especially the European sound but also the Ramones of course. And The Clash had a love of rockabilly which inspired us to look deeper into that style and it became a second musical love for us after punk.

Q: Tell us what everyone in the band does when they are not playing.

A: Mikey and Lydia are into old black and white films and shows and MAC actually does spend all his time drumming outside of the band. He’s a drumming fool!

Q: Can Lydia (who plays bass for Mason Summers) really juggle flaming torches like her bio page says?

A: She can and she does! We can’t imagine why a band would ever hire a bassist who couldn’t juggle flaming torches!

Q: Tell us something about Mason Summers that nobody else would know.

A: We are probably the most misanthropic band in Christian rock. We want people saved and we formed to see that happen but we’re hardly “people persons”. You’ve basically got three introverts who made the wong decision of learning to play music.

Q: You guys don’t hide the fact that you are a Christian band, how is your music influenced by the Bible?

A: I don’t like when Christian bands hide the fact that they’re a Christian band. More and more frequently these bands are doing that. We proudly say we’re a Christian band. Lyrically we don’t include many Biblical references but we always sing about dealing with Christian life.

Q: Being in the punk scene, does Mason Summers catch a lot of heat for being a Christian band?

A: Not at all! Probably about half our fans that come to shows aren’t Christians and they’ve never expressed any complaints when we share our faith. Neither do the secular bands we play with. They seem to respect us and regard us as one of them.

Q: Have you had kids approach you after shows to discuss Christ or get saved at a show?

A: We do have many conversations with kids about serious issues in their lives at which time we steer the conversation towards Jesus. We have heard about kids getting saved at our shows though we’re not sure we’ve actually seen them take that step. It’s wonderful to hear they have though.

Q: Share with us some bands that you have played with, what are some bands that Mason Summers would like to play with in the future?

A: Two of our favorite bands to play with are relatively local to us; 180 Out and Upperdeck. They are all about seeing people saved and they both put on high-energy, exciting shows. In the future it would be amazing to play with some of the punk bands we’ve been influenced by. But all those 70′s bands have broken up of course, but there’s Rancid, The Living End, and Green Day who took a lot from that 70′s sound as well. It would be great to play with them.

Q: Do regular “church folks” look at you guys funny when you tell them your are in a Christian punk band?

A: We haven’t experienced that. I think that people are so used to Christian alternative music now that it doesn’t phase anyone anymore. Like I said, even the non-Christians hardly bat an eyelash when I tell them who we play for.

Q: What was the best show you guys have ever played and why?

A: We had a wonderful experience in a very small town, actually, called Denton, MD. It was an outdoor show, which usually goes horribly because the weather either goes bad or people are too easily distracted from the band by the sights around them and they go wandering off. But in this case there was a crowd of really enthusiastic listeners who were really in tune with our music and message.

Q: Mason Summers has an album called “Gain The World” do you plan on putting out other albums? What tracks on the album is the band most proud of?

A: We certainly do plan on putting out other albums. We haven’t begun to consider when we’ll begin that process though. The tracks were most proud of are “Goodbye, Friend”, “The Bottom Line”, and “Scream”. Mikey and Lydia are also proud of a song called “Rock ‘n Roll” though for some reason MAC can’t stand the song. He must be crazy, because it is so good. (You can buy the album HERE).

Q: You guys are located in Maryland, any plans on touring?

A: We did an East Coast summer tour with 180 Out but would love to head West for our next tour.

Q: What are the future plans for the band?

A: Well, all the best bands have one thing in common; a period of spectacular demise. We greatly look forward to ours.

Q: If you could share one message with the punk scene, what would that be?

A: Lighten up. Jesus loves you.

Q: Any thing else you guys want to add about the band?

A: Please check us out at www. masonsummers. com, or on our myspace page, and look us up on iTunes.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to support bands like Mason Summers, if they come your way, go and see them! Also, don’t forget to visit the forum where you can discuss Christian hardcore, punk, ska, and Oi! (click the image below and post away)