U.P.O.
U.P.O. |
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U.P.O. is a post-grunge rock band from Los Angeles, California. They found popularity in the early 2000s and have released two studio albums.
History
Influenced heavily by bands such as The Cult, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam, U.P.O has a sound reminiscent of various groups under the post-grunge and alternative rock categories. Curiously enough, many such bands found popularity in the early-mid 1990s, whereas U.P.O fell under the radar during a time known largely for alternative and nu metal acts.
Chris Weber played in Hollywood Rose with Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin before they went on to form Guns N' Roses.
Albro and Weber both lived in Los Angeles, but first met at England's Reading Festival in the mid-1990s. The pair needed a rhythm section to compliment their work, and after some searching, they recruited Shirley, a friend of Albro's, and later on discovered Holt through newspaper advertisements. After recording a 1997 4-song demo which attracted major label interest, and only a few short months of self-promoted shows, the band found itself very much on the industry radar. The group was signed to Epic Records and came up with the name U.P.O., which has no actual meaning. They released their debut album, No Pleasantries, in 2000.
No Pleasantries, produced by Rick Parashar, (Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog/Blind Melon/Nickelback/Default), spawned two Top 40 Mainstream Rock hits. “Godless” climbed to #5 on the Billboard chart and “Feel Alive” reached #25. After extensive touring with many of today’s rock heavyweights, (Linkin Park, Slipknot, Nickelback, Godsmack, 3 Doors Down) and building soundtrack, TV, and CD compilation credits (Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, Nash Bridges, MTV2 Return of Rock, Tattoo the Earth Live CD, ECW Anarchy Rocks!, ESPN Under The Helmet), in 2002 U.P.O. took a hiatus.
Armed with a brand new record label, U.P.O. returned to the rock scene in 2004 with their second album, The Heavy, released March 30, 2004 on Nitrus Records. Soon after, there were changes in the line up including Logan of DEADLY MOTOR VEHICLES on guitar, Zoltan Bathory on bass and Philippe Mathys on drums. Mathys is currently playing drums for the band Hydrovibe.
While touring for The Heavy in October 2004, guitarist Chris Weber suffered a seizure before being rushed to a hospital. It was soon revealed that he had a meningioma brain tumor; Weber successfully underwent surgery on November 17. The rest of the band briefly performed without him into November before taking a break.[1] U.P.O.'s official website hasn't been virtually updated since Weber's recovery on December 7, 2004. In this post, it was promised that before and after photos of his operation would be featured.
By 2005, Bathory had departed from U.P.O. to found the successful metal band Five Finger Death Punch.
Band members
Current members
- Shawn Albro - Vocals
- Chris Weber - Guitar
- Ben Shirley - Bass
- Tommy Holt - Drums
Former members
- Logan - Guitar and background vocals
- Zoltan Bathory - Bass
- Philippe Mathys - Drums
Discography
- No Pleasantries - (2000)
- The Heavy - (2004)
External links
References
- ^ U.P.O. Guitarist Diagnosed With Brain Tumor Blabbermouth.net (November 14, 2006). Retrieved on 1-25-09.
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