Cornmeal mashes up the Bottleneck with the energy of a music festival

The night that Fall Break began, Cornmeal, a nationally renowned bluegrass jam band stopped by Lawrence on their way to Mulberry Mountain for Harvest Music Festival. Even though a lot of folks had already left Lawrence for the festival and other Fall Break trips, the Bottleneck was still alive with energy and a crowd that was hungry for music. Cornmeal satisfied the audience with a mind-blowing set that left fans gaping in awe.

The opener, Head For The Hills was great, according to early-birds who arrived before the time Lawrence.com said the show would start. By 10:30 the opener was already done, but the night had only begun.

When Cornmeal came on stage, a crowd of eager music-lovers filled the dancefloor and began to cheer. Everyone whose ever heard Cornmeal knows how epic their live performances are and it's a rare treat to catch the five-piece band in a small venue like the Bottleneck.

The harmony of the banjo, guitar, fiddle and stand-up bass makes every song an intricate, balanced, piece of bluegrass bliss, backed up by the brilliant drummer's pumping beats. The crowd immediately began to swing and dance around in front of the stage, while the band performed a wide range of jams and cover songs. It was a mixed crowd of young and old, hippies and hipsters, but everyone was family that night, in the happy, drunken party that was a Cornmeal chow.

Cornmeal's musical roots go deep and reach wide, taking inspiration, influence and cover songs from all kinds of bands, from country kings like the Allman Brothers, rock gods like The Rolling Stones, and jam band legends like The Grateful Dead. Within a single song, Cornmeal switched from fast-fingered bluegrass brilliance to psychedelic improvised jams that took the audience on a whiskey-spun trip to the sound and feel of a raging music festival.

Dancers crowded to the front of the stage and spread back from there, completely carried away by the long, fun, passionate songs. The band's energy was so intense, their tempo so fast, but melodic, it took the crowd's breath away and left them panting before the encore.

Cornmeal has a power like no other bluegrass band. The musicians have such a ridiculous talent that they each seem like the fastest, most accurate banjo, guitar, fiddle, stand-up bass, and drum players you've seen. Together they blend their instruments and vocals to turn out a wide range of songs that are all well-practiced, yet different during each jam.

The last time Cornmeal came to Lawrence they headlined the L Town Throwdown and tore it up, but this show may have topped that one in terms of sheer energetic force, which is saying a lot. It may be another 6 months before the band is back in town, so if you want to see them, make a trip to their home-base of Chicago, but everyone here in Lawrence is praying to see them come again soon.