The Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival logged 18,000 miles in 38 days, with 25 shows and nearly 200,000 people in attendance. The tour may be over, but the Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival’s 2013 Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands continues. Judges are now reviewing the 23 Battle Of The Bands local market finalists to determine which band will be the grand prize winner.

The judges for the 2013 Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands include: Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Duff McKagan (Walking Papers / founding member of Guns N’ Roses & Velvet Revolver), legendary producer / mixer Jay Baumgardner, and music industry jack-of-all-trades Jesse Cannon (author of Get More Fans: A DIY Guide To The New Music Business).

The Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival’s 2013 Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands grand prize winner will receive a coveted spot on the 2014 Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival, the opportunity to record an EP with legendary producer Jay Baumgardner at NRG Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA, a record deal, $10,000 worth of music gear, national radio exposure on hardDriveRadio, and more.

See below for links to each finalist’s profile, which includes performance footage and interview clips shot during the Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival. Each band’s profile also includes song clips and additional information about the group.

The fourth annual Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival toured North America from August 9 through September 15, featuring a stellar lineup of multiplatinum superstars and breaking talent. Seminal alternative rock bands Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction were joined by Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive on the Rockstar Energy Main Stage. The Zippo Encore Festival Stage powered by Ernie Ball hosted performances from Walking Papers (with Duff McKagan), Middle Class Rut, New Politics, Danko Jones, as well as 2012 Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands winner Chuck Shaffer Picture Show and this year’s local Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands winner in each market. The COLDCOCK Herbal Whiskey Showcase Stage powered by Ernie Ball featured performances from breaking talent including The Dead Daisies, Beware Of Darkness, and Charming Liars. 

Critical acclaim for this year’s Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival was widespread. Here are some examples of what the media had to say:

“The roving rock ‘n’ roll spectacle, now in its fourth year, has quickly become one of the most anticipated tours of the summer for rock fans…At the end of the day, the bands on the 2013 Uproar Festival may not all hail from the same schools of rock but together they make up an eclectic lineup that you’ll likely never get to witness together anywhere else.”

--Mary Ouellette, Loudwire.com, August 13, 2013

“…definitely the most diverse and arguably the best of the summer's heavy music touring festival packages.” --Gary Graff, Oakland Press, August 25, 2013

“…boasting easily the most eclectic lineup to pull through in quite some time…”
--Joe Daly, Metal Hammer, September 18, 2013

"A juggernaut of a summer tour illuminating that rock 'n' roll is alive and well in the thunderous UPROAR of Alice In Chains and Jane's Addiction...the fieriest and fiercest installment of the tour yet..." --Rick Florino, ARTISTdirect.com, September 19, 2013

“…this year’s roster is an eclectic collection of bands that defy musical classification.”
--Antonio Marino Jr., Noisecreep.com, August 16, 2013

“Uproar Festival blends classic, modern rock to satisfy all” Jeff Miers, Buffalo News, August 13, 2013  

“One of the more popular alt rock festivals in the country…On this year’s run, veteran acts Jane’s Addiction and Alice in Chains would be delivering the big blows on main stage, but before that assault, there was plenty of interesting action happening earlier on the hot and sunny afternoon at the smaller festival stages located on a hill adjacent to the main arena…”

                                    --Chris Epting, Loudwire.com, September 17, 2013

“…while the daylong festival touted plenty of budding talent, the evening’s real draw were knockout co-headlining turns by two titans of ’90s rock, Jane’s Addiction and Alice in Chains.”

                                    --Ramon Gonzales, Orange County Register, September 15, 2013

“…in a testament to tour organizers, the day’s schedule ran like clockwork...One of the most fan-friendly aspects of the festival was that each band had its own tent, and band members graciously showed up in the tents to meet fans.” -David Burger, Salt Lake Tribune, September 2, 2013

“For me, this trading of ideas and exposure to other types of music seems to be the biggest ‘takeaway’ from this year’s UPROAR so far.”

                                    --Duff McKagan (Walking Papers), Seattle Weekly, September 3, 2013


The Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival is made possible through the support of sponsors including Rockstar Energy Drink, Ernie Ball Guitar Strings, Zippo Lighters, COLDCOCK Herbal Whiskey, truth® Youth Smoking Prevention Campaign, The Dead Daisies, Schecter Guitar Research, Pabst Blue Ribbon, MATADOR Beef Jerky, SQUATCH, Fxck Cancer, Rockford Fosgate, Samson Technologies Corp., Air Force Reserve, Army, Headrush, and Lunarpages.

 
www.RockstarUPROAR.com
http://battle.rockstaruproar.com/signup/bands
www.facebook.com/RockstarUPROAR
https://twitter.com/rockstaruproar
www.youtube.com/user/RockstarUPROAR

On a rather overcast night at in renowned Kentish Town Forum, three bands were sharpening up their weapons of choice to slay the armada of Goths, emo's and metalheads that lined the outside of this building of sheer grandeur. Some were queuing since midday! Now that is die hard, by the time the clock showed 6:00pm, the queue was resembling the snake from that game everyone had on their mobile phones, you know? You got it! Naturally pre-show banter ensued and one guy was so joyous he was giving everyone free hugs, let's just hope he didn't give the security any hugs...

So amongst the pre-show banter there were people saying what songs they want to hear, who they're hoping to meet and also why there was a guy walking around with a black skirt, tights and platform boots on, "thankfully he was skinny" one girl said, another girl remarked on a guy further up the queue by saying that he "has a Nirvana t-shirt, sure Nirvana are cool but against Motionless In White? No." This pretty much summed the mood up of the punters, no soft rock fans tonight, god no. This was going to be one of the most Gothic nights London probably has seen since the days of Bauhaus, Siousxie & The Banshees and similar bands, only jesting, this was poised to be a sensational night regardless.

Pre-show Global Metal Apocalypse managed to have a sit down and natter with The Defiled's athletic keyboardist The AvD who was slightly tired but was awake nonetheless. You can read and listen to the interview by clicking this link here:

http://globalmetalapocalypse.weebly.com/13/post/2013/09/gma-interview-interrogation-the-avd-the-defiled.html

^ Even at 8 rows back the crowd were somewhat perplexed...

First up on tonight's phantasmagorical evening was Yorkshire's lighter-than-usual mob Glamour Of The Kill of whose improvised set rarely set the crowd in motion, except for the odd wall of death occurrence, which in itself was questionable as the performance tonight was below par by their standards. Even though the absolute sheer size of the stage did not maximize their presence, in fact it was really down to the crowd to try and cheer the band on. But credit is given when it's due and with their performance tonight, well it wasn't 100% top notch but it certainly set the crowd up for the next two musical machines. As Glamour Of The Kill rallied out their songs like a Gatling gun on crack, the crowd ironically started warming to the band's set even though they were not on song tonight, this was not one of their best performances but it certainly was not a total shambles, perhaps the next band up The Defiled could rescue the crowd from tiring out rather than being bored out.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

^ The Defiled went straight to business and reactivated London's Industrial past

Next onto the stage armed with their new material from their debut Nuclear Blast album 'Daggers', was perhaps the finest Industrial / Goth / Experimental metal band London has seen since the days of Killing Miranda and Bauhaus combined, lacing together a visage of Steampunk, Goth and Cyber through Aaron Curse and his fellow members of The Defiled. This tight knit unit from North London brought their sound to the home crowd with such force that the chugging and turning of Victorian London could easily have been heard in the background, or perhaps that was The AvD making eerie sounds emerge from his keyboard as he launched it into the air, as if he was practicing juggling or ultimately enjoying himself so much that last night was merging into tonight. Whatever their secret formula was it worked, the crowd were engulfing each other through a plethora of mosh-pits happening sequentially through each song, even venturing into the old classic 'Call To Arms' towards the end. As The Defiled exploded out with their Industrialist and Horror style of metal, the atmosphere was darkening and the nearby graveyards were rocking away as the night set in on what has to be the Londoners best performance, now if only this was set in Whitechapel as the coffins on stage could have easily provided as the eerily setting for a stage production of 'Jack The Ripper'. As for The Defiled, well Vincent Hyde clearly wanted to show Glamour Of The Kill how you party by launching himself into crowd and having a crowd-surf with bass guitar in tow. It would have been much better if Dagoba was on the set, but that would be another story and in another time-frame. As soon as the London boys played the final note, the final beat, the final word and the final riff of their set, the atmosphere was as dark as the deepest depths of the Atlantic Ocean, speaking of the Atlantic Ocean the next band to embark on stage is probably the darkest Goth band of all time...

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

As soon as their set had finished the crowd spilled onto the streets, some staying behind and hanging by the stage door, hoping to meet their idols, instead of doing that Em Wagner spoke to Global Metal Apocalypse to get her post-show thoughts.

This was my first gig at the Forum and despite underground closures trying to scupper my plans I made it in time to see the first band.

The Forum is a great little venue, like the cleaner, more dignified version of the Brixton Academy. One of the first things I noticed was the crowd and how friendly everyone seemed. Always a good sign for a good gig!

I hadn’t seen or heard much of Glamour Of The Kill before but very much enjoyed the combination of heavy tunes and clean vocals. I found my foot tapping and hips swaying to most of their songs and decided I would get purchasing their music when I got home. They also produced a good wall of death which is never a bad thing!

Next on were The Defiled who I have been a fan of since about 2009 when I saw them support Static-X at the O2 Academy Islington. Their irresistible industrial Metal-esque music ticks all my boxes and visually they are a very entertaining and energetic band. You can’t help but get sucked into their antics. It’s been great to see them go from strength to strength over the last few years and maintain their high standard of performance. Again, the crowd were fantastic, it’s not often you see that many smiling faces when everyone is trying to keep on their feet and avoid the flailing legs of passing crowd surfers.

Finally came the headlining act, Motionless in White. I wanted to see them out of curiosity rather than being a huge fan of their music. Their look is darkly appealing and their synthy, screaming sound suggests I might like it more than I realize. With an eye watering set and some fantastically theatrical outfits I was smiling from the first note of the first song. It was clear to see that they have a solid following in the UK and did not disappoint their fans by delivering a relentless set of powerful tunes. I shall definitely be investing in their music and attending their next show.

All in all the night was fantastic and I woke up the next day with multiple injuries and the post-gig blues, always a reliable sign that you’ve had a great time.

"Taut post-punk...a bleak marathon of rhythm." - SPIN
"Weekend maintains a pitch-perfect blend of sweet and sour, not to mention past and present." - NPR

"This band thrives with a mix of swirling guitars, distorted vocals, and bass lines that move. Exhilarating." - Esquire

"Almost everything on this album is grander scale than this band’s 2010 debut, 'Sports,'..." - The New York Times  

Immediately following their fall US and Canada tour with Disappears, Brooklyn-via-San Fran post punk outfit Weekend will pack up their amps and head overseas for November show dates with Bay Area metal band Deafheaven. The weeklong European tour begins in Switzerland and concludes in London with stops in Germany and Belgium.

Following the July 2013 release of their roaring, critically-acclaimed sophomore album "Jinx", Weekend embarked on a nationwide tour this September that will last through October. Bandmates Shaun Durkan (vocals / bass), Kevin Johnson (guitar), Abe Pedroza (drums) and new member Nick Ray (bass) come together for a live show that's equal parts electricity and beauty - pounding rhythms and dark post-punk vibes shoved through a shoegaze filter and glossed over with honey-sweet melodies and Shaun's distant, wailing vocals.

WEEKEND - ON TOUR

09/19 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge ¥
09/20 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle ¥
09/21 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway*
09/22 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern*
09/24 Columbus, OH - Double Happiness*
09/25 Nashville, TN - The High Watt
09/26 Atlanta, GA - 529 ||

09/27 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter ^
09/28 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 ^

10/19 Baltimore, MD - Unregistered Nurse Fest - The Ottobar ¥
10/20 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's ¥
10/22 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands Gallery ¥
10/23 Boston, MA - Church ¥
10/24 Montreal, QC - Il Motore ¥
10/25 Toronto, ON - The Garrison ¥
10/26 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar  

* = w/ Stagnant Pools
^ = w/ White Laces
¥ = w/ Disappears 
|| = w/ Georges Bataille Battle Cry  

11/2  Dudingen, Switzerland Dudingen -  Bad Bonn w/ Deafheaven 
11/3 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik  w/ Deafheaven 
11/4 Munich, Germany -  Feierwerk  w/ Deafheaven 
11/5 Leipzig, Germany  - UT Connewitz w/ Deafheaven 
11/6 Schorndorf, Germany - Club Manufaktur  w/ Deafheaven 
11/7  Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun  w/ Deafheaven 
11/8 London, UK - Birthdays w/ Deafheaven


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