Since 1996 |
  
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Purple
2009
Bus after van after car convoy brought youth group members and Christian rock music fans from the 200+ miles that surround Round Top Ski Resort, the current home of Purple Door, a 1.5 day event in its 14th year that still manages to balance a bit of art, thought, hard rock and out-there performers with the heavier end of mainstream Christian music. Second and third generation youth group leaders find Purple Door to be an accessible, affordable way to marshal the troops to close out the summer and kick off their fall program and there are plenty of attractions for the high school crowd for a now-traditional farewell to summer/back-to-school-and-regular-church-activities welcome that features 37 bands on 3 stages. I've always considered Purple Door to be be "Cornerstone Lite" thanks to HM Magazine sponsoring a stage at both events, naming the cool stage the "Gallery" and both hosting an art exhibit, seminars, special considerations for youth group leaders, the presence of RadRockers for all your out-of-print music needs, a skateboard park, and more bands than an single person can see in the allotted time. But there are important differences. Camping isn't permitted at the ski resort, which leads to a cleaner, higher energy audience. Purple Door publishes "The Hinge" every year, a chapbook of poems and short stories. There is no soccer field or beach, but the participants scamper like young goats between the three stages and parking lot, perched on the next hill over. And they get the music. The kids dug Mewithouyou as much as Disciple and Anberlin on the Main Stage. The Gallery Stage welcomed dual-fiddling Reilly as enthusiastically as Gottee Records' personable white rapper B.Reith, deeply appreciated a reunion show by Rainchildren, the intense lyrics and sonics of John Mark McMillan with full band, Deas Vail and Seabird, then hung on Bradley Hataway's solo performance as he burned through borrowed guitars. Nearby Warehouse 54, a ministry venue, provided six band contest winners of decent ability. This is a savvy way to build interest in PD while lending a hand in developing the next generation of musicians and their fans. Kudos to Rescue is Possible, Hyland, The Pledge, Receiving the Ghost, Ace Augustine, and Oceans in Love. The future looks bright. Sandy Cove, a Christian camp on the Chesapeake Bay, hosted a special indoor lounge for youth leaders who could occasionally mingle with some of the headliners. The schedule makes the most of precious time, kicking off the Main Stage on Saturday at 10 a.m. on with contest winner Oceans in Love, followed by up-and-comers Farewell Flight, and High Flight Society before lunchtime to modest crowds in full sun. An exercise in futility? Perhaps, but Friday night's closers, Family Force 5, remembered their first appearance in a morning slot with fondness. It's all part of paying dues, and, for the fans, earning some mud & sunburn cred. Purple Door will return August 13th & 14th, 2010, to Ski Roundtop to celebrate 15 years ushering in another school year, keeping the mid-Atlantic region in touch with the funk and spiritual commitment of alternative Christian rockers. For Tollbooth video coverage, go to: |
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