The SnoCore Tour, occasionally typeset as Sno-Core, was an annual festival tour of the United States. It features performances by some of the most popular groups largely of the alternative rock and metal spectrum. Other than 2008 and 2016, the event has taken place every year since its inception in December 1995. SnoCore is marketed towards the winter sports culture.

History

John Boyle, Eric Lochtefeld and Rick Bonde established SnoCore as an entertainment opportunity for fans during the year's slow point in live music, the winter season. Originally began as a mini tour in December 1995 headlined by

Sublime Sublime may refer to: Entertainment * SuBLime, a comic imprint of Viz Media for BL manga * Sublime (band), an American ska punk band ** ''Sublime'' (album), 1996 * ''Sublime'' (film), a 2007 horror film * SubLime FM, a Dutch radio station dedic ...

, it would also serve as an excuse for bands to perform for Western mountain resort towns and go snowboarding. SnoCore originally focused predominantly on punk and ska groups and routed through ski communities. But as it became a national tour, SnoCore aimed toward hard rock and heavy metal and engaged larger, more traditional concert venues. In late 1997, ARTISTdirect principals Marc Geiger and Don Muller, the former having also co-founded

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

, purchased the tour from Boyle. They still make a point to schedule dates in a number of resort towns despite having strayed somewhat from its original concept. Corresponding with its name, SnoCore features large video screens playing footage of freestyle snowboarding and skiing between performances. Local shops have set up at concerts and local resorts have tied in with them. However, SnoCore does not feature sideshows as showcased at the Warped Tour and remains strictly a musical festival. The tour commonly hosts a sponsor; examples include Airwalk in 1997,

Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to o ...

in 1999, and

Winterfresh Winterfresh is a wintergreen flavored variety of chewing gum made by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. Introduced in the United States in 1994 as an alternative to their Big Red brand (for the winter season market), it has had two packaging designs ...

in 2005. On March 10, 1998, Foil Records released the '' Sno-Core Compilation'' which features various bands that have partaken in the festival. In 2001, SnoCore split into two tours: the

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

based SnoCore Icicle Ball and the hard rock/heavy metal based SnoCore Rock. This carried on once more the following year. During the 2006 tour,

stomach flu Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydr ...

ran its course through all participating bands. Most severely affected was

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wit ...

frontman

Shaun Morgan Shaun Morgan Welgemoed (, born 21 December 1978) is a South African musician. He is the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the rock band Seether. Early life Morgan spent most of his early life in South Africa.Bottomley, CSeether: South Afr ...

who, rather than cancel altogether, opted to perform acoustic sets for their last few shows. This alternative met with high approval from fans and influenced the group to release their first acoustic album, ''

One Cold Night ''One Cold Night'' is a live album by South African rock band Seether. It was released on 11 July 2006, that features 12 acoustic tracks plus bonus DVD footage recorded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Grape Street Club on 22 February 2006. ...

''.

Saliva Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...

was scheduled to co-headline the 2009 tour but frontman Josey Scott needed more time to recover from a recent ulcer surgery. As a result, the band intended to cancel the first two weeks and substitute Scott with Walt Lafty of

Silvertide Silvertide is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History Originally named Vertigo, Silvertide was formed in January 2001 in Northeast Philadelphia. At first, the band was signed by J Records, and they released their first EP ...

beginning April 17. Ultimately, they decided in the interest of the fans to drop out entirely.Smith, Ja
Saliva Off Sno-Core
Pollstar (April 21, 2009). Retrieved on 7-15-11. This made the 2009 band lineup the leanest in SnoCore history. Jägermeister sponsored the first Canadian SnoCore tour in 2010. The schedule ran just under two weeks and included cities such as

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Tour lineups

1995

* Guttermouth * Skankin' Pickle *Rhythm Collision *Safe To Face

1996

* Guttermouth * Assorted Jelly Beans *

Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...

* Skankin' Pickle * theLINE

1997

* Face to Face * The Pharcyde * Voodoo Glow Skulls *

Powerman 5000 Powerman 5000 (also known as PM5K) is an American rock band formed in 1991. The group has released ten albums, gaining its highest level of commercial success with 1999's ''Tonight the Stars Revolt!'', which reached number 29 on the ''Billboar ...

(select dates) *

Orange 9mm Orange 9mm was an American post-hardcore band from New York City formed in 1994 by Chaka Malik and Chris Traynor after the breakup of Malik's band Burn. History Chaka Malik and Chris Traynor began writing songs together in 1992, releasing a ...

(select dates) *Salmon (select dates)

1998

* Primus * Blink-182 * Long Beach Dub Allstars * The Aquabats *

Tha Alkaholiks Tha Alkaholiks, also known as Tha Liks, is an American hip hop trio from Los Angeles, California, United States. Since the early 1990s they have produced party music with a hardcore hip hop edge, powered by the beats of DJ and producer E-Swift ...

Mephiskapheles Mephiskapheles is a ska band based in New York City. Their name is a portmanteau of "ska" and "Mephistopheles", of the Faust legend. As their name suggests, their lyrics are often playfully satanic in nature. Career 1990–1994: Formation and ea ...

1999

* Everclear * Soul Coughing * Redman (first-half of tour) * The Black Eyed Peas (second-half of tour) *

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntabli ...

2000

* System of a Down * Incubus *

Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...

Puya Puya may refer to: * ''Puya'' (plant), in the family Bromeliaceae * Puya (river), in Russia * Puya, a variety of Guajillo chili * ''Puya'' (Meitei texts), traditional or mythological texts of the Meetei people * ''Culoepuya'' or ''Culo'e Puya'', V ...

2001

Rock * Fear Factory *

Kittie Kittie is a Canadian Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. All of their material has been released through independent record labels, which to date includes six studio albums, one video album, four extended plays ...

Union Underground The Union Underground is an American nu metal band based out of San Antonio, Texas. Original band members included Bryan Scott, Patrick Kennison, John Moyer and Josh Memolo. They released one major label album, '' ...An Education in Rebellion' ...

* Slaves on Dope * Boy Hits Car Icicle Ball * Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade * Galactic * Lake Trout *

Drums & Tuba Drums & Tuba was an instrumental rock group. The band formed in Austin, Texas, before relocating to New York City. Their sound fuses electronic rock, progressive rock, jazz and occasionally industrial. They were signed to Righteous Babe Records. ...

2002

Rock * Alien Ant Farm * Adema * Glassjaw * Earshot * The Apex Theory (

Fenix*TX Fenix TX (styled as Fenix*TX) is an American pop punk band. The band originally formed as Riverfenix in 1995 in Houston, Texas. They released an EP, '' G.B.O.H.'', and an album, '' Riverfenix'', on independent record labels, before having to c ...

was originally announced for the tour but they dropped out a week before tour starts) Icicle Ball *

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Karl Denson (born December 27, 1956) is an American funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and Singing, vocalist from Santa Ana, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denso ...

Spearhead A spearhead is the sharpened point (head) of a spear, similar to an arrowhead. It is often a separate piece called a projectile point. Spearhead may also refer to: Armed conflict * Armoured spearhead, a tactical formation * HMS Spearhead ( ...

* Nikka Costa * Ozomatli * Blackalicious * Sector 9 *

Saul Williams Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film ''Slam'' ...

2003

* Sparta * Glassjaw * Hot Water Music * Dredg

2004

Trapt Trapt is an American rock band formed in Los Gatos, California. Eight studio albums have been recorded to date: ''Amalgamation'' (1999), ''Trapt'' (2002), '' Someone in Control'' (2005), '' Only Through the Pain'' (2008), '' No Apologies'' (20 ...

* Smile Empty Soul * Finger Eleven *

Strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

2005

* Chevelle * Helmet * Crossfade *

Future Leaders of the World Future Leaders of the World is a rock band formed in 2003. The band released their debut album, '' LVL IV'' in 2004, before going through a period of being named Machina, featuring former Evanescence members guitarist John LeCompt and drummer R ...

2006

* Shinedown *

Flyleaf Flyleaf may refer to: *In book design, a blank leaf in the front or back cover * Flyleaf (band) Flyleaf is an American rock band formed in Belton, Texas, in 2002. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop, and Christian metal ...

* Halestorm

2007

Army of Anyone Army of Anyone was a rock supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured brothers Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo (on guitar and bass resp ...

* Dropping Daylight * Hurt *

Neurosonic Neurosonic was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in February, 2006 by vocalist/guitarist Jason Darr, who was the former lead singer of Calgary's Out of Your Mouth. In addition to Jason, Neurosonic also consists of guitarist Troy Healy, accom ...

2009

Static-X Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...

Burn Halo Burn Halo is an American hard rock band originating from Orange County, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was formed by James Hart, lead singer of Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions although he left in 2016 and rejoined Eighteen Vis ...

* The Flood

was originally scheduled to co-headline but canceled due to Josey Scott's prolonged recovery from ulcer surgery.

2010

* Protest the Hero * Hawthorne Heights (dropped off in March) *Theset *Elias * Abandon All Ships (select dates) *Doll (select dates)

2014 (cancelled)

* The Pretty Reckless *

Heaven's Basement Heaven's Basement were an English rock band formed in 2008 and signed with Red Bull Records. Band members included Aaron Buchanan (vocals), Sid Glover (guitar, vocals), Rob Ellershaw (bass, backing vocals), and Chris Rivers (drums). The band s ...

* The Letter Black * Crobot

2015

*Flyleaf * Adelitas Way * Framing Hanley * Fit for Rivals *Romantic Rebel (select dates) *Lullwater (select dates)

References

{{reflist Concert tours Heavy metal festivals in the United States Rock festivals in the United States Recurring events established in 1996 Winter festivals