Anberlin

Anberlin, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

If you need a new music fix this Christmas, Anberlin's new album _New Surrender_ is available to download for $3.99 from Amazon for a limited time.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GO790S?tag=absolutepunk-20

If you want a sample, check out "Feel Good Drag"

Cornerstone: We're here!

There's my ginormous new tent. It already got rained on, for all of two minutes. And it held up!

iPods killed the video star

Seriously, when did rock 'n roll die?

Apparently the ability to play instruments factors little into today's pop music, or so the annual MTV Video Music Awards would lead one to believe.

We didn't get to see a complete song from a single rock act. And those we did hear snippets from either peaked ten years ago (Foo Fighters) or will be quickly forgotten (Fall Out Boy).

There's really not a band even nearing the same level as U2 or Bon Jovi, let alone Red Hot Chili Peppers or Coldplay.

That's not all bad. A lot of arena rock and stadium rock bands of the past frankly stunk.

And there are tons of decent bands that either play regionally or rely on an internet fan base. They don't need label support, radio play, and heavy rotation on MTV. I think we're officially beyond that.

A killer live show coupled with a strong web presence is enough to get by. Not Aerosmithian fame, but not fleeting like some quickly forgotten flavor of the month.

I think of bands I like, like Mute Math, Anberlin, and Mae. I think these are bands that will put out more than an album or two (and mostly have). I think these are bands that continue to play for a while. I think we're going to see a lot of these mid-level bands, and fewer acts reaching U2's stratosphere.

(That's not a knock on U2, after all they are still my favorite band of all time).

But as Sara and I were talking during this farce on MTV, honoring videos no one has seen, the iPod may have killed the video star.

Of course, these things are cyclical. Britney certainly appears done. That turn of the millennium pop is out, thank goodness.

Hip hop certainly has proven its staying power, but it does feel very clean and poppy. When it gets too safe for suburban America, the tide could change.

So, as expected, the VMAs pretty well sucked. But then again, I loose all credibility when I suggest they should have graphics up telling me who these performers are. When you have to ask, you're too old.

We'll have our Fall Out Boys and My Chemical Romances, but for each of them we'll have a bunch of quality acts too. And those will be artists we don't have to shell out $150 bucks to see in an arena. So maybe the rock isn't dead after all; It's just gone to television purgatory.

Fist pounding rawk!

Fist pounding rawk!, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

I've got more than 200 pics from Cornerstone up!! Check them out now!!

Cornerstone Live Coverage

Cornerstone Live Blog is up! Check it out now :)

Waiting in line

Waiting in line, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Instead of having cars line up down the road and out onto the highway, Cornerstone had them file into a grass lot, then proceed on to registration.

Camp Cornerstone

With my camera wrapped around a tree, Brian wondered if I was a stalker. No, just doing a little photo surveillance of adventures setting up the tent.

And with that, my Cornerstone blogging is underway! Stay tuned here, and at cornerstonefestival.com for all the goings on.

Mute Math

Mute Math, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

I'm so excited! Mute Math is coming to Nebraska in a few weeks! W00t!!

If you haven't seen these guys, you owe it to yourself. I've seen them twice before. And I saw the band that the lead singer used to be in. These guys are on the cusp of something huge. It's electro-alt-rock, or something like that.

And I like taking pictures of them. 300 shots in 15 minutes is my current record.

It's been a good week for pictures I took last year at Cornerstone. Now one of my pictures has cracked the top 500 at Flickr, on their scale of "interestingness."

But you'll have to follow this link to actually see it. Gotta keep driving numbers there :)

Look familiar? This shot graces the cover of the Cornerstone Festival 2007 brochure that arrived in my mailbox today.

I thought I'd shot it, but had to look through thousands of shots to see if I really did. Yup. I did. And here it is. Actually, I count no fewer than six shots in the mailer that came out.

So if you get a Cornerstone mailing, look for the inset shot of Relient K on the front cover and that's my handiwork :)