Entertainment

It’s not a church camp. ‘It’s a rock festival’

Take the farm setting of Woodstock, mix in the multi-stage, camping feel of Bonnaroo then top it all with singing hymns at a Sunday sermon and the Cornerstone Festival begins to take shape – but don’t forget to add the tattooed and pierced, hardcore Christian metal bands.

"I always felt there was a need for a Christian festival that was a little more edgy," said John Herrin, director of the Cornerstone Festival, which begins its 26th year on Monday and runs through July 4 on a 700-acre farm near Bushnell.

The festival has booked about 200 bands this year, including Los Lonely Boys, former Korn member Brian "Head" Welch, Shiny Toy Guns and Relient K. Another 400 bands will perform on 30 stages across the grounds, Herrin said.

"It’s almost like going to a farmer’s market, but instead of food stalls you have music stalls," he said. "Some of them have become quite elaborate."

The festival is different from other Christian music festivals because it brings in bands that aren’t necessarily in the "Christian rock" genre, but their members are Christians in their personal lives, Herrin said.

"It’s not a church camp. It’s a rock festival," he said. "For the kid who thought Christian music was kind of dumb, we have metal bands, hardcore bands."

The focus of the festival is God, but not in a pushy way, Herrin added.

"(Attendees) explore the Christian faith on their own instead of having it force-fed to them," he said. "We want to be a help to the church."

In addition to the music, the festival will feature 200 hours of workshops, seminars, a film fest, soccer, basketball and volleyball tournaments and other events.

In years past, the number of attendees has reached upwards of 21,000, but figures for this year may not be as high.

"This is our first event in this suffering economy," Herrin said. "But we have a pretty good base. I think we’ll do all right."

Kevin Sampier can be reached at 686-3041 or moc.ratsjpnull@etats.