Copious Notes

The first day of Ichthus 2009, the 40th edition of the Wilmore Christian music event, included rain and mud, a battle of the bands with mostly Kentucky acts, and an evening bill of Family Force 5 and Hawk Nelson.

Solomon Olds leads Family Force 5 at Ichths, Thursday. Photos by Rich Copley.

Toward the end of Family Force 5’s evening-ending performance at the Ichthus Festival Thursday night, frontman Solomon Olds asked how many people in the crowd had seen the Peach State band a few years ago, when it was playing one of Ichthus’ smaller stages.

There were a lot of cheers, which is totally plausible, because FF5 has been a buzz band at Ichthus for years, even earning an on-stage shout out from Relient K’s Matt Thiessen one year when the group was still playing small stages.

Jason Dunn leads Hawk Nelson on the Ichthus stage.

Similarly, Hawk Nelson has risen through the ranks, starting off with an appearance on an NBC drama as its calling card and taking early afternoon slots.

Thursday night, Hawk and Family Force 5 took rightful places among Ichthus headliners — acts that make slogging through a day of rain and mud worth it.

And they were worth it. Hawk Nelson sported a newfound maturity, particularly in frontman Jason Dunn, that made them seem right at home in the nighttime slot. And FF5 may have risen through the ranks, but when the band stepped on stage to close the night out, they seemed like they belonged there.

Thursday night, on the main stage, we saw the fruits of years of work paying off for two patient bands, and we saw two great performances.

Stay tuned: Herald-Leader videographer Jason Morrow spent Thursday hanging out with Hawk Nelson, and he had his video camera with him. Watch out for his film later this weekend.

Disciple lead singer Kevin Young plays to an appreciative crowd. By Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

Ichthus has had a hard time getting going today.

First, it was delayed by cleanup and set up after the thunderstorms that swept through earlier today and yesterday. Then, the festival shut down around 1:30 for about an hour due to rain and storms, though nothing serious came through. That put the festival about an hour behind.

Justin Lookadoo is now doing his talk at 8 p.m. that was supposed to start around 7. It could be a late evening with Family Force 5. That is, if more storms don’t come through. Ichthus just sent out a text advising us to be ready to seek shelter, as there are storms in the area.

Judging by the Twittersphere, Disciple is the band that kicked the festival into gear.

Ichthus Farm looked peacful Friday afternoon. It won't look that way next Friday. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

Ichthus, has it really been 10 years?

The first year I covered the Ichthus Festival was 1999. The festival, which returns next week with its 40th edition, had just made the move out from the campground in Wilmore to the Ichthus Farm on U.S. 68, just outside town. It was still primarily run by student volunteers from Asbury College and seminary, and Christian pop was in the midst of tasting a steady stream of mainstream success.

In the ensuing 10 years, a lot of bands have crossed the stage: That’s about 30 headliners over the past decade, and lots of acts on the under-cards that certainly made a mark. So, with this personal anniversary and 10 years at the farm in mind, here’s my list of best-and-or most memorable performances at Ichthus over the past decade.

1. P.O.D., 2000: Before Satellite put P.O.D. atop the rock charts in 2001, the San Diego band came to Ichthus to play a late Friday afternoon set. Many people knew who they were before the set, but everyone was aware by the time it was over.

We said the Boys from the South played “the kind of show that makes you wonder whether the performers dropped dead when they walked off the stage.”

The band, which usually tours with hard-core mainstream metal bands, played an impassioned set, primarily from the album The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, seemingly fueled by the embrace of a Christian crowd.

Michael W. Smith on stage, in the snow, at Ichthus 2005. Photo courtesy of Ichthus.

2. Michael W. Smith, 2005: This was the final set on the day that changed Ichthus forever. Friday of the 2005 fest was warm and sunny until the evening, when severe thunderstorms ripped through, shredding the campsite and scuttling an evening lineup of TobyMac and Audio Adrenaline. The next day, temperatures plunged into the low 40s.

By the time Smith took the stage, snow was falling over Ichthus.

He was playing piano wearing gloves with the fingertips clipped off and a winter cap from his merchandise table. The worship set with Watermark was seen by few, but will never be forgotten by those who stuck it out.

The next year, Ichthus moved to June.

3. Audio Adrenaline, 2006: After this show, Audio A made one more Central Kentucky stop, at Rupp Arena, before breaking up for good in 2007. But this was the last time we saw together the core of the group, which formed at Kentucky Christian College.

Ichthus was Audio Adrenline’s first festival when the band was starting out, looking to be heard. Many, many hit songs later, playing the festival-closing main-stage gig, it was clear that the band remembered where it came from and appreciated that playing Ichthus for the last time was closing a major chapter in its career.

TobyMac in his 2002 Ichthus performance. Photo by Janet Worne.

4. TobyMac, 2002: Up until this year, Toby has played every Ichthus since releasing his first solo album — well, he’s been scheduled to play, as he’s been rained out twice. Those have included some great sets such as a Saturday night throwdown in 2007.

But his first solo gig at Ichthus, under chilly rainy skies with fans standing ankle deep in mud, was noteworthy in its scrappiness.

Not too far removed from his headlining days with dc talk, this slot and these circumstances could have seemed like a comedown to Toby. But he and his band attacked their set with an energy that warmed the soggy amphitheater. Giving it up for crowds like this is probably a big reason why Toby has returned to headliner status.

5. The Ascenxion Band, 2006: Contemporary Christian music fans known so much about everyone on stage at Ichthus, it is rare to find an act that can totally catch you by surprise. But that’s what Ascenxion did when they took the stage at Ichthus 2006.

The “all-star” act of Nashville session players was basically a set of unknowns to festivalgoers. But they quickly had everybody’s attention with stellar musicianship.

Ascenxion has returned to the fest each year since and delivered fabulous performances. But the surprise of that first outing made that set unforgettable.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot at Ichthus 2007. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

6. Switchfoot and Relient K, 2007: A dream lineup of crossover acts topped the ’07 fest with sets that showed why the bands have such broad appeal. Striking in the showcases were often goofy Relient K’s virtuosity and how clearly Switchfoot’s social justice and personal responsibility messages rang through the rock ’n’ roll.

7. Jennifer Knapp, 2001: The bluesy rocker’s amazing Ichthus set is one of the main reasons I keep wondering whatever happened to her.

8. David Crowder Band, 2008: Is there a group better tailored to bring worship music to a crowd of 18,000?

David Crowder performs at Ichthus 2008. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

What’s amazing is how Crowder can have you laughing at a keytar (one of those guitar-looking contraptions with a keyboard) one minute and lost in a song like O Praise Him the next.

9. OC Supertones, 2001: The ’Tones were a big act in ’01, big enough that they were invited to play the Dove Awards that year. Problem was, the Supertones were also booked to headline Ichthus the same night.

They played the Doves, but the next night, they came to play Ichthus. There was no room on the main stage, so they played the second stage (there was only one, back then) giving fans as intimate a Supertones show as they could ask for, back then.

John Varnadeau (Xanadu) of Atlanta, Georgia, dances with Family Force 5 on the Main Stage at ichthus in Wilmore, Ky., on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Photo by Emily Spence | Staff.

10. Family Force 5, 2008: What better band for a Saturday afternoon party than the boys from Marietta, Ga. The band that has quickly become a fan favorite put an any early punctuation mark on Ichthus ’08 with its late afternoon set featuring bright renditions of well-worn tracks from its album Business Up Front, Party in the Back and some new stuff.

This year, FF5 closes out the proceedings Thursday night. Will it be another set for the decades?

Skillet bassist and frontman John Cooper performed at Ichthus' opening night in 2008. They'll be back, this year. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.

The Ichthus Festival is still working on the overall schedule for its 40th edition, but it has locked in the headliners.

The nighttime pairings bring distinct flavors to each evening.  June 11 is very youthful, dancy rock with Family Force 5 and Hawk Nelson. June 12 looks to be rock night with Skillet and Kutless, and then things get worshipful on the closing night with Israel Houghton and New Breed and Delirious. Festival director Jeff James says they plan to make a big deal out of the Delirious set, as it will be the band’s last festival appearance. The groundbreaking worship band is splitting up later this year.

Other bands already announced include Fireflight, Disciple, Stellar Kart, and The Afters. We’ll let you know when acts are added.

Speakers already announced include Justin Lookadoo, whose Saturday talk last year included a skydiver, and Shane Claiborne, a Philadelphia-based minister whose Ordinary Radicals ministry was profiled in a film by the same name, which played at the Kentucky Theatre last year.

If you’re already planning to go, there are just a couple of weeks left before the next ticket price increase, March 14.

Ichthus and Winter Jam: Ichthus is also partnering with Winter Jam, which comes to Rupp Arena March 7, to round up volunteers. According to an Ichthus e-mail, the volunteer period would be from 3:30 p.m. until the end of the evening. If you’re interested, e-mail contactus@ichthus.org. Winter Jam features TobyMac, Hawk Nelson and others. We had a good interview with Toby that we’ll bring you next week here and in the paper.

Chris Tomlin's "Hello Love" earned the worship leader seven Dove Award nominations. Photo courtesy of EMI Christian Music Group.

Dove nominations: Late last week, the Gospel Music Association announced nominees for the 2009 Dove Awards, and once again, Chris Tomlin leads the pack. His most recent effort, Hello Love, helped him garner seven nominations and further solidifies his place as his generation’s Michael W. Smith.  Close behind the Texan are Natalie Grant and newcomer Francesca Battistelli, with five each.

Battistelli, by the way, is on the Winter Jam lineup. She made a big splash last year with I’m Letting Go.

This year, the awards are letting viewers weigh in on two key categories: Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Voting in these categories will begin Feb. 26 and go through the broadcast at 8 p.m. April 23. The fan vote will count as one-third of the overall vote in those categories. Here are those nominees:

• Artist of the Year: Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, Fireflight, Marvin Sapp, Third Day, TobyMac, and Chris Tomlin.
• New Artist of the Year: Addison Road, Francesca Battistelli, Fee, Jonathan Nelson, Remedy Drive, Chris Sligh, and Tenth Avenue North.

Click here for a complete list of nominees.

Once again, the Doves will be carried on the Gospel Music Channel, which is not available in Lexington on Insight cable. It is available on Dish Network at Channel 338. Click here if you’d like to send Insight a notice that you’d like to see GMC added to the lineup. Gospel Music Channel is available on other Central Kentucky cable systems.