HarvestMoon 2004

< Continued from page 1

2004 saw a second day added, for the first time in HarvestMoon's history. The morning consisted of worship and speakers, while things got rocking again the afternoon with Stereotrap, an indie favorite from Saskatchewan. Clear lyrics and a clear message of faith rang strongly throughout their performance. These four young guys were definitely one of the unexpected highlights of the weekend.

Next up was Pigeon John, a California hip-hop artist whose energetic and physical stage presence intertwines with socially-conscious lyrics about learning to accept oneself as being fearfully and wonderfully made, as well as issues of prejudice that he encountered while growing up biracial.

"I was born in Nebraska and had some racism growing up in the 80's. And then I moved to L.A. and had some racism on the other side. In Nebraska I was the darkest person there, and in Inglewood I was the lightest person there. As a kid you soak everything up and it defines who you are as a grownup," Pigeon John said during an interview session. He was talking about the song "Identity Crisis" on his album, Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister.

Despite the seriousness of many of his themes, Pigeon John also incorporates humor into his songs and stage presence.

"There's a lot of people that are open to that kind of humor and open to looking at the experience of being a Christian from multi-dimensions. I have to stay true to whatever is in my heart, I have to put it out there and just try to write the best songs that I can," he said.

The last band to take to the Shine Stage on Sunday afternoon was Brave St. Saturn, another Five Iron Frenzy spinoff with Reese Roper on vocals again. The band's sound was more melodic and pop than the heavy sounds of Roper.

Despite some initial technical difficulties, the band pulled off a solid set of tunes from their forthcoming album.

It was a Christian hippy weekend coming to a close, as the audience headed out the gates past the muddy grass, food stands, t-shirt and craft vendors, and back into the world. A world which these young people will hopefully help shape with their values and faith in the years to come.

Special thanks to Derek Turner from the University of Saskatchewan's The Sheaf, who took part in conducting the interviews.

All Photos Copyright 2004 Paula E. Kirman