Cornmeal - 07.14.10 - Haddon Lake Park

You may have asked yourself, "Brews and beats... I get the brews, but what's with the beats?" Well, this blog is about my two hobbies, brewing beer and recording live music. I may be a newbie when it comes to the art of brewing, but I'm more than experienced when it comes to recording. I've been capturing live performances from a large array of music for almost a decade. For me and many other "tapers" it's a labor of love. We do it to preserve and document the music we love. Taping is difficult to summarize, but I think Steven Hoffer does a tremendous job in his article, "Audiophile: The live concert taping sub-culture." So from here out I'll label my blog posts with either brews or beats so you can easily identify them as such.

Anyway, onto why I'm posting: Cornmeal! I fell in love with this band the first time I saw them at moe.down in 2008. They've quickly became one of my favorites. So when I discovered they were playing for FREE in my backyard it was ON! I was so worried Mother Nature wasn't going to cooperate since it poured all day. After the "porter incident" early in the week, I needed a release and a chance to get down. Luckily the band and crew were just as determined to give us a great show.


Johnny Miles and his wife Chrissi got the evening started with captivating opening set. For those in the area, Johnny plays with the Waywards. If their performances are anything like Wednesday, I highly recommend you check them out.There's something about Haddon Lake Park because each time I've attended a show the recordings and the performances have smoked. There's magic in that little amphitheater during the summer months, especially when 88.5 XPN plays host.

Cornmeal rewarded the few that ventured out last Wednesday with a blistering eighty minute performance easily highlighted by The Road. This particular twenty minute version left me absolutely floored. Listen to this excurion start to finish, believe me it delivers! The rest of the set was nothing short of perfect. The band showcased their style and gave equal time for Allie, Dave and Kris to take the lead with Chris and JP holding the beat. How many opportunities do you get to see a bluegrass version of the Bee Gee's hit You Should Be Dancin'?

There's alot to be said for a band to travel from Lake Placid to Haddon Heights in horrific weather, setup in the little amount of time they a had, and still have the energy to bring it like they did. For free. My sincerest thanks to the band, but also XPN and the Camden County Board of Freeholders for that. Come back soon. Please. I personally promise to promote the hell out of it next time :)


Download or Listen to my recording at the Live Music Archive