Braving the near freezing temperatures of the upper elevations inherent to the Appalachian Mountains, Stereoreel traveled to Frostburg, Maryland to participate in a campus-wide, genre-crossing worship event at Frostburg State University. That was the easy part.

Have you ever tried to find a specific building on that campus? Better question: Have you ever heard of this college? Due to my humble upbringing in a small town about 40 minutes away, I had heard of it. I also had the full understanding that nobody else outside of a 20 mile radius knew or cared about its existence. Whether or not you know about a place of higher learning has no bearing on its academic offerings. You can almost guarantee that the educational experience you will be subjected to is only as good as the campus’ road signs. If you can’t put in the time and effort necessary to point people traveling your roadways in the right direction, how can I expect you to put any more passion into the curriculum you offer to the future leaders of the free world?? Maybe you’ve come to the conclusion that you won’t be churning those out anytime soon…

Seriously, we spent nearly 45 minutes trying to find the building we were supposed to play at! It’s not because we are horrifically stupid, either! We offer this as evidence: everybody else who was supposed to play that night spent 45 minutes trying to find the same building. No joke. One sign sported an arrow pointing in the supposed direction of the place we were looking for, which brought us to… a random house.

After some slight maneuvering through one way streets, with every new turn a new exchange of the phrase “Your guess is as good as mine,” we eventually came to the Lane Center. Once we manage to find the parking lot (colleges make you PAY for parking on weekdays!?!?), we got down to business.

We rocked the house for God, and had the pleasure of enjoying several worship acts which included a worship team from Johnstown, PA, and a pretty cool Christian rap artist. We all agreed that he had the flow.

Glory.

Re: Thank You, Leesburg! We love you!

For those of you without access to the lexicographical resources my esteemed colleague from Winchester, (ie. Seth has a large vocabulary and/or a dictionary; you have neither…) I offer this summary of Friday evening:

We had a party in a parking lot…the toddler in the Darth Vader outfit was quite cute and seemed to really dig our music…worshipping God outside on October 31st is pretty cool…Chipotle makes really good burritos.

Caleb

     It was a dark and spooky night! The children had become crazed with an insatiable thirst for all things sugar. Adults walked aimlessly along the sidewalks and roadways; the unwitting puppets of these jaggery zombies. From house to house they walked with their miniature captors, looking upon the throngs of insurmountable children roaming the streets in search of sweet crystalline delight. Was there any hope for the night? Any respite from the torrent of ghoulish children, whose bloodshot eyes were the result of roisterous consumption of confectionary nirvana???

HARK! What doth mine ears perceive? It is the sound celestial! Stereoreel the angelic herald!

     Slicing through the bitter twilight, the triumphant sounds of Heaven pervaded the night air, breaching the bastions of the embattled progenitors. The stranglehold of the children began to wane, as did their fiendish appetite. Both parents and children, now released from the unforgiving grasp of chocolate bloodlust, curiously trekked towards the source of the magnificent melody. 

     And lo! Not soon after they came, all of them, to the lot of Crossroads Baptist Church, whereupon their arrival they were greeted with immediate gratification. Fulfilling both their initial aspiration and their newfound yearning, the masses, ever increasing, were blessed by the otherworldly instrumental inspiration of Stereoreel, and were also rewarded with an ample supply of candy.

     Awesome as none had ever witnessed was this band of young men! With breathtaking virtuosity they conquered the chords pioneered by great men before them. But, these were not merely chords; this was the once comatose ramblings of the uninspired, now unfettered by divine manifestation in the greater days of our Lord for the edification of all who would hear and to those who would listen! Moment after astounding moment passed by, each one greater than the one before it. To those who watched on bated breath, few dared to speak, afraid that they may halt the collective doyen and cease the wondrous symphony. The music rose on the wings of the moon, growing more expressly beautiful as the night lingered on. 

     And then, at the stroke of 8, all was still.

     Stereoreel played no longer, and slowly the people dispersed. It was widely rumored in the town that later that night the band disguised themselves in tin foil and visited the local Chipotle to enjoy the grandiose craft of their burrito makers. Even to this day, it is said that if you visit a Chipotle, you can see the band called Stereoreel, and if it is your good fortune to happen upon them, ask them for a chair and a song. They will always oblige your request, and you shall be blessed eternally.