Jamesburg, NJ
As autumn approaches and the leaves begin to change color, I find myself looking back on summer, longing for those lazy days of flip flops, family barbeques, and the infamous Jersey Shore. The summer of 2005 proved to be the most musically intense summer that I have ever experienced. From the festivals, to the tours, to the countless intimate performances, to the farewells, to the reunions, I can not remember a summer so jam packed with goodness as this one. The festival circuit alone offered a variety of flavors to choose from. One festival, in particular stood apart from the others.
The Purple Door Arts and Music Festival was definitely the best kept secret of summer festivals. Very few people know about it considering it has been going for ten years. This festival was a first for me. I made the discovery early in the spring while browsing through the pages of Me Without You’s website. Little did I know what I was about to stumble upon.
Christian rock festival. That was all I knew as I scheduled my vacation plans to coordinate with The Purple Door Festival. This was the first event I was attending outside of the metropolitan areas I had become so accustomed to. I had no idea what to expect aside from the bands scheduled to perform that weekend. 2005 marked the 10th anniversary for The Purple Door, now a two-day festival of music, art, and culture held in August at Ski Roundtop in Lewisberry, PA with a yearly attendance of close to 10,000. In past years, the festival’s lineup included bands that would read like a “Who’s Who” of Christian music. Over the last decade, Purple Door has been blessed with As I Lay Dying, Zao, Jars of Clay, Five Iron Frenzy, Switchfoot, P.O.D., MXPX, Further Seems Forever, and Pedro the Lion just to name a few. While the stellar lineup draws fans from across the country, as well as Canada, there is something that runs deeper than the music. The sense of community, the joining of people from all walks of life through multiple art forms, is what has held Purple Door so strong all these years. I have always believed in the energy that exists within a group of people, the larger the better. You begin to question what fuels the crowd or what brings these individuals together. The Purple Door Festival illustrates unity through art, music, and Christianity. And while a part of the crowd is non-Christian, the festival provides an openness in which those of us non-believers can feel welcome. Purple Door offers an honest and caring atmosphere where individuals can ask questions and are encouraged to explore the Christian faith. For this, The Purple Door Arts and Music Festival is a unique event, a refreshing addition to the summer. It is unlike any other festival I have ever attended.
Aside from seeing some of my favorite bands that weekend, Purple Door was chock full of other activities and attractions. There was an art gallery, a small skatepark, booths with literature and poetry, and small seminars. The art gallery especially caught my attention. The pieces selected for display were all inspired by Christ in some form or another. I met a group of people in the gallery who were selling T-shirts. Matt, a student from the University of Pennsylvania, and Will, from the band Saxon Shore, created outstanding screen printed T-shirts. The Purple Door Festival was a debut for their designs. They were printed on sweatshop free American Apparel, each T-shirt a “one-of-a-kind.” So, for just 18 bucks you got a work of art all your own.
And how could I forget the music.
The lineup was impressive. Three stages: Main Stage, HM Magazine Stage, and Gallery Stage. Stellar performances by Me Without You, Blindside, Norma Jean, The Beautiful Mistake, Stretch Armstrong, Lovedrug, Anberlin, and Relient K had the crowd roaring from start to finish. Sharing in such memorable moments, as when Matthew of Lovedrug took the stage with brother Cory and Norma Jean, later joined by Aaron of Me Without You, to perform “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste,” was truly inspiring. The camaraderie between artists and the camaraderie between artists and fans was illustrated ten fold in just a few minutes time. Other acts that shined that weekend, all new to me I might add, included Anathallo, Foxhole, The Mint, and Saxon Shore. Anathallo performed an exceptional cover of The Books using sounds from scissors, popping balloons, pots, pans, spoons, and other various everyday utensils. The music played long into the night. Even as I began to leave the festival grounds late Saturday evening, I was drawn back in to a space next to the gallery. A small crowd had gathered for an impromptu jam session and sing along.
The Purple Door Arts and Music Festival was an extraordinary end to the summer of 2005. I spent the bulk of the summer with bands across punk, ska, hardcore, metal, rock, indie, emo and even swing. The Purple Door Festival opened the gateway to yet another realm of music with a scene so incredibly alive and well-Christian rock. The experience was a clear representation of the power of music, the bond between artist and audience, and the forces that inspire us in our day to day lives. And so I ask, what inspires you?
