Lifest Christian Music Festival, Oshkosh, WI, Friday, July 9, 2004 Reviews - Part 1

This will one of a few posts covering my day at the Lifest Christian Music Festival in Oshkosh, WI. I’m not whole-heartedly sold on Contemporary Christian Music, however, a festival like this gives you a chance to experience the many different types of music currently in Christian popular music.

Even if you’re not a fan of Christian music or even if you’re not a Christian, I ask you to read on. Lifest also happened to be my first time getting an official Media Pass, access to the Media Room, and chances to interview artists. These posts will be both about the music, my experience at the festival, and the reflections on the Christian music scene.


Hard Rock: Kids in the Way
I started the day with a few songs from Kids in the Way—melodic hard rock with growled out metal vocals. The second vocalist comes in for an interesting combination. 38th Parallel combines rap and melodic vocals; Kids in the Way combines growled vocals and melody. It is a double guitar attack with a really tight rhythm section (drums/bass).

However, there were uneven lead vocal sound levels due to the use of the microphone. They sounded good but not good enough to keep from walking to another stage after 3 or 4 songs.


Garage Rock: Hawk Nelson
Headed over for the end of Hawk Nelson’s set. I’ll admit that I ignored them in the Media Room thinking their wide-eyed youngster act wouldn’t yield much. Oh, quote St. Paul to me now, “Let no one despise you for your youth” (1 Timothy). [I apologize to the guys in the band].

Hawk Nelson takes Relient K vocals, a garage rock pop with a bit harder edge. It is good pogo-ing music. They’ve got a great stage presence with tons of energy. They led the crowd in a “do do do” sing along which transitioned really well into a song with a bit of a hip hop/funk attitude on top of the garage rock.

I look forward to hearing the new album.


Hip Hop/Rap: John Reuben
John Reuben’s band took the stage, and the drummer threw up a little test rhythm. I immediately thought of the little soundclip from D.C. Talk’s Jesus Freak, “That’s a live drummer we got over there.” The band really kicks up a great set.

Reuben is a Hip Hop missionary, bringing Hip Hop to the mainly white crowd at Lifest. He works the crowd like a youth speaker can only wish to do—commanding participation (“hands in the air,” “everybody jump,” “listen up”).

However, Reuben is also constantly teaching humility through his raps and his stage presence. He leads the crowd in repeating over and over again this sentence: “Regardless of whether I like the next song, when the beat drops, I will cause as much ruckus as legally possible.” Leading into “Doin’,” he said, “This is the dumbest song I’ve ever written.”

The set pulled from the previous albums and the newest, Professional Rapper. “Do Not” came a few songs into the concert, the first one to bring DJ Manuel forward for a double MC. The crowd found the older songs easiest to sing along with—as on “Gather In” (“Whoa/da-da-da-dah-da-da”). That quality is missing a bit with the newer ones except the closer “Life is What You Make It.”

DJ Manuel adds a lot. He breakdances, lays down great grooves, backup MCs, and he had a great scratch break. However, Reuben followed that up with a stage talk that brought the momentum to a screeching halt. The song was a new one, hard driven, and would’ve been a good follow up to the DJ’s scratching.

In interviewing Reuben, he said when he was 13, he was listening to Snoop Dogg in the G-Funk era. Is Snoop a major influence? “Naw, he’s more like a mentor.” Where does Reuben think his music fits into the Spectrum? “Next to the Cure. . .near Nickelback, Puddle of Mud, Sarah McLachlan.” Really, though, he said he grabs elements from a lot of different kinds of music. He’s a “genre bender,” he said. (No, that’s genre bender not gender bender).


World Folk: Madison Greene
I don’t know why—even though it was their second show of the festival—I don’t know why they confined a Madison Greene crowd to the Café Stage tent. It was packed with the healthy following this group from Michigan has gained. Plus, the festival should’ve provided a bigger sound crew for this diverse, large band, because the time dwindled away due to sound problems.

When they began, though, Madison Greene shows what worship music really can be. It isn’t hymns; it isn’t praise choruses. They take the rhythms from the Celts, the tribes of Africa, the North American Indians, and rock ‘n’ roll. They take those rhythms and really use them to fully proclaim our prayers—anguish and joy, dim earthbound view and heavenly chorus.

It’s been about a year since lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Michael Blair relaunched Madison Greene with a new lineup. They’ve relied on the songs of the back catalog as the band has come together. Now they’re comfortable with that, moving on to try their hand at something new together—traditional songs of Africa.

A review of the new album, Guinea Greene Style, is forthcoming, but it is definitely a return to the roots, the drums, the rhythms, out of which I hope will emerge that amalgam again of rhythm and rock, traditional and something new.

Blair’s commentary on society may have been lost on three-quarters of the crowd. He speaks about true pain. The band looks like hippies. They look contrary to the middle class, “Christian family radio” culture. It is akin to Jay Bakkar’s ministry to the skaters, the tattooed and pierced youth. Bakkar and Madison Greene bring God’s Word to corners we might forget.

The announcer interrupted to say that rain, possibly lightning, was coming. Like a rain dance, these beautiful songs were calling out the Creator who brings sun and rain. As they went into the last song, “Djloe,” a tender melody and drumming from the Temine border region of Guinea, it was like they brought in the rain. As band member Leila Webb said, “It was perfect for dancing in the rain.”

Webb dances like a sprite on stage, raising the spirit to worship. And all I can think of is how David danced before the Lord.

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, Flatfoot 56, Steven Delopoulos and Third Day.