Rock For A Reason/CFTC-McPherson

     It was another first for Concerts For The Cause on Saturday night, as the organization had two concerts going on in two different towns in two different parks at approximately the same time.  And somehow, it all worked.

James Lowe, one of the organizers of the event, poses with Conquer The Pacific

      At 5:00 pm, Saturday, the McPherson concert kicked off the evening with Conquer The Pacific, a band created by students at Central Christian College.  This heavy metal band consisting of bandmates: Aaron Hoover, Alan Barker, Dereck Limones, and Victoria Rigel, and would seem to be a bit out of the realm of possibility coming from a Christian college school.  But the band assured me that the powers that be at the college are enthusiastic about music of all kinds and are solidly behind the bands efforts.  They've even recorded their EP at the college in the on campus studio.  The set that they played was a short one but all four of the bandmates were troupers to the end.  Conquer The Pacific had to contend with a blazing hot sun beating down on them as the band-shell in Lakeside Park faces west and they were the first band on the bill for the evening.  Their crowd was smaller, too, as folks fought for shady spots.  The crowd might have been small but they were enthusiastic, and solidly behind the band's music.  Check out their Facebook page for a listing of upcoming dates.

Trent Ferguson, one of the organizers of the event

     Then it was time for McPherson's hometown band, Inflection.  During sound check, one of the band members did some screaming into the mic and pronounced that he was pleased and the sound was awesome.  I wondered what we were in for at that point.  I was pleasantly surprised when the band began their set.  They did a few covers and a few original songs all laced together in a wonderful tapestry of thoughtful listening and songs that got the crowd dancing.  It would be hard to describe their sound.  All I know is that if you hear them, you'll find something within their set that you'll like.  One of the original songs was a two part song, The Purity and The Poison.  They played The Purity and it was like nothing I've ever heard.  I really enjoyed listening to it.  Rice County Rockfest is coming up September 26 and Inflection is one of the bands on the bill.  Check them out there and you might just get to hear The Purity and The Poison in its entirety.

     At this point in the evening, the shadows were getting longer, the shade was more readily available, the park began filling up.  A game of Frisbie broke out, crowds began to gather, people were sitting in their cars in the parking lot across from the waterpark, another group started a cookout at one of the shelters, and there were bicyclists in abundance riding on the paths through the park taking it all in.

     And of course, VOS, Victims of Spotlight, was there to take their turn on stage.  This group has just an awesome stage presence.  They show up in their every day walking around clothes and you'll see them mingle with the other bands, the crowd, each other.  Then at some point they'll disappear and when they return they're dressed in their stage clothes, there's this excitement in the air that it's just about showtime.  I've seen a rare few bands that do this and it sends electricity through the crowd.  You just know that something special is about to happen in just a few minutes.  One of the songs that has become a VOS staple is the song Twilight Zone, and the crowd always waits for that one moment in the song when Twinkie jumps off the stage.  It was discussed before VOS' set if Twinkie would jump off the edge of the band-shell.  He spent a lot of time up on the edge singing.  Scary stuff.  But he joked, before the band went on, that he wanted to give the crowd what they wanted and he thought they probably didn't want him to jump that far.  He walked out into the crowd instead.  VOS will also be playing at Rice County Rockfest, September 26, so if you missed their set on Saturday, there's still a chance to catch their show live.

     Last but not least, Soapbox Troubadors.  This band sounded so smooth, polished and professional.  They are truly amazing.  They've played quite a few dates in McPherson this past year and I never get tired of hearing their songs.  They have a unique way about them.  The band consists of: Frankie Shayne Pearman, DJ Chastain, Ryan Coon, Jason Pearman and Dakota Pearman.  They describe their music as Americana with a Christian influence.  And that's pretty accurate.  It's a type of music that you just don't hear much any more and when you do hear it, it calls your soul.  They ended their set with their original song Home.  I never get tired of listening to this song and no matter how many times I hear it, I tear up.  It was getting dark as they closed out their set in Lakeside Park, but I'm sure their were lots of tears on the faces of the crowd.  They've played this in Avenue A Park, in Hutchinson, and in other venues and it always seems to strike a chord, then the tears begin to flow.  It truly is a feel good song, especially with the tears.  If you'd like to share some happy tears with a crowd of folks, you can catch The Soapbox Troubadors, September 19, at Nehemiah Fest in Smithville Missouri and The Flag Theatre in Hutchinson, October 3.

     This was the very first Rock For A Reason event and it was hosted by Trent Ferguson, who is a member of the band Inflection and did double duty by taking care of the sound for all the bands on this evening.  Concert For A Cause was honored to be part of this event that benefited the McPherson County Food Bank.