Cornerstone Fest announces Jesus Rally

CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL continues to be a truly unique Christian Festival.  Not only in that their focus includes seminars, art, sports, film and discussion, but in their commitment to bring together all ages and genres of music.

This year continues that tradition with an unprecedented JESUS RALLY, with artists more common to the genre in the 70s and 80s.  As the festival itself was groundbreaking in bringing a voice to some of the more creative and fringe artists in the genre, for 2011 Cornerstone decided to bring a new audience to the artists of the Jesus Music Movement that made the genre possible.

Forty years ago this summer, on June 21, 1971, TIME MAGAZINE decided to feature a psychedelic Jesus on their cover, highlighting the incredible impact The Jesus Revolution was making on popular culture.  Cornerstone Festival plans to not only celebrate this anniversary, but truly explore what the movement entailed, and how it still impacts us today.  Much of our current church culture was shaped during this time, but often The Jesus Movement isn’t given the credit due in church history.

Featured artists for this special event include CLASSIC PETRA, BARRY McGUIRE, DANIEL AMOS (D.A.), PHIL KEAGGY, RANDY STONEHILL, REZ BAND, THE E BAND, SERVANT and SHEEP.  The majority of these shows will be featured on the Main Stage, but the music and discussion will continue throughout the grounds on stages and in the University setting.

“Between 1976 and 1990 Servant released six records and toured relentlessly. At that time there were only a handful of bands & artists traveling and playing their music,” explain OWEN BROCK of the band SERVANT. “We had been involved in the first Greenbelt Festival in England, providing an environment for many to gather and share their love for God and the arts. In the US, the Cornerstone Festival echoed that important expression, drawing people from all over North America. Servant as well as other bands and listeners found the Cornerstone Festival to be a favorite experience offering diverse music, teaching and artistic expressions.

“Twenty years ago Servant played its last concert. When Cornerstone contacted us about the idea of the Jesus Movement reunion we were both interested and challenged by what it might take to pull this off well.  We are currently immersing ourselves in the music again and we are very excited about performing at Cornerstone 2011.”

BARRY McGUIRE, most known for his classic song Eve of Destruction, has never had the opportunity to play the festival before, but is eager to perform in this unique setting.  “I’m truly looking forward to being there, with so many artists who have made such an impact,” he states.  “I love new experiences.”

GREG X VOLZ will be performing at the festival, not only with CLASSIC PETRA, but with his original Jesus Rock band, THE E BAND, which was formed in 1968.  “I’m personally very excited to be back playing at Cornerstone. It’s been 25 years since I last played the fest with Petra, but I have to admit that I’m thrilled to be playing with The E Band again. We haven’t played together in 40 years, and it seems fitting that Cornerstone is the reason to re-unite.”

Since 1984, Cornerstone Festival has spent 28 years pushing boundaries and challenging the concept of what a Christian Festival “should” look like. Cornerstone is an annual pilgrimage for people of faith of all ages, styles, and denominations from around the world. Attendees join together 20,000 strong in the hills of Western Illinois for a week-long celebration that invigorates belief, inspires creativity, and showcases the best in pop culture, faith-based entertainment, spiritual engagement, and fun activities.

Cornerstone Festival 2011 will take place June 30 – July 3 at Cornerstone Farm outside of Bushnell, Illinois. Tickets for Cornerstone Festival are available through www.iTickets.com.  Full event, group and family options are available. As always, tent camping is free, and RV spaces can be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

About Cornerstone Festival:

Cornerstone launched in 1984 to meet the needs of a new generation of music lovers and spiritual seekers, with the hope of bringing together great music, art, film, and intelligent Christian thinking on family, worship, and play. For too long the Christian community had neglected Christian artists and musicians that didn’t fit into a narrow mold, and tackling real life issues was not a regular part of the Christian music festival agenda. Since inception, Cornerstone has highlighted music that was screaming to be heard and provided thousands of hours of seminars and workshops covering everything from personal life issues (sex, homosexuality, accountability, etc.) to social justice, being part of the global Christian community, caring for the poor, mission business, and hundreds of other topics over the years. People travel from all over the world to Cornerstone to hear and see the very best and most creative artists in the faith community across multiple artistic disciplines. Cornerstone fans are cultivating a way of engaging with the world that opens a path to a lifetime of individual growth and community.

Cornerstone is hosted each year by Jesus People USA, an inner city mission organization based in Chicago, and is held at Cornerstone Farm, 23325 N Cornerstone Road, Marietta, Illinois 61459.  The 2011 event will be held June 30-July 3. Cornerstone is part of the FrontGate Media group.

Cornerstone Festival (www.CornerstoneFestival.com) has been a fixture on the Christian Music scene for 28 years. Originally based 45 minutes north of Chicago, this annual event moved to its current 650-acre campground located in Central Illinois in 1991.