Each spring, right before it gets just ridiculous hot in the Valley, local modern rock station KUPD hosts UFest, a gigantic rock/nu-metal/modern rock outdoor festival. Past lineups have featured Three Days Grace, Helmet, Godsmack, and more, setting the bar high for fans of crunchy, shouty rock. Well, the station has revealed the lineup for 2013's installment, dubbed UFiesta, which takes place right before Cinco de Mayo, on Saturday, May 4, at Quail Run Park in Mesa, and fans of the genre should find plenty to be pumped about (old school metalheads are in for a pleasant surprise, too).
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The 2013 edition of the festival will feature Stone Sour, Chevelle, Heaven's Basement, Powerman 5000, Adelitas Way, Hyro Da Hero, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Skillet. Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, February 22. The station's site also boasts VIP passes, which include perks like drink and parking specials, and access to a Dos Gringos taco bar. (Private bathrooms, too, natch.)
Headlining act Stone Sour features songwriter Corey Taylor, who balances the act with his theatrical stageshow/band Slipknot. Stone Sour is currently touring in support of a double concept album, House of Gold & Bones Parts 1 and 2. Speaking with Up on the Sun's Lauren Wise in July, he explained the theme of the record.
"It's really a morality play. It's about a person trying to find himself, or herself," Taylor said. "You know, everyone in their lives finds themselves inevitably at a crossroads when it comes to personal evolution and whatnot. Trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. You know, you can either stay where you are and relive the past and run backwards and basically buying into the romance of youth and those things that come with it, stagnating your growth. Or you can keep moving down the path and eventually cross into the next phase of your life. It's basically the story of a man trying to figure it out, and there's a lot of things that go on in a guy's head when he's trying to figure out the right thing to do."
Of special note is the appearance of Flotsam and Jetsam, a band that formed in Phoenix and launched the career of former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. F&J is prepping the release of a brand new LP, Ugly Noise, which finds the band reuniting with original members Michael Gilbert on guitar and Kelly David Smith on drums, as well as returning to Metal Blade Records, which issued the band's classic thrash album Doomsday for the Deceiver.
"We have just inked a distribution deal for the release of Ugly Noise through Metal Blade Records," Smith says. "Ugly Noise will be released worldwide in late March/Early April of 2013. It was the obvious choice for us after our long-standing relationship and Metal Blade's 30-year history of metal. You can't match what they can do with 30 years of experience behind them."
UFiesta ft: Stone Sour, Chevelle, Heaven's Basement, Powerman 5000, Adelitas Way, Hyro Da Hero, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Skillet, is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at Quail Run Park in Mesa.
See also:
-Watch This Excellent Flotsam & Jetsam Vintage Electronic Press Kit -Shan Man of 98 KUPD, What Are You Listening To? -KUPD's John Holmberg Chats About MILFs, Naked Grandmas, and Mom Farts -KUPD's John Holmberg on Red, White, and UFest and 9-11 -A Closer Look at KUPD's MILF Contest 2012
