Furnace Fest is an American music festival held over three days at the Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama.[3] It ran annually each August from 2000 to 2003, and has since resumed each September since 2021.[4][1] As of 2022, Furnace Fest has been held six times, with its most recent edition taking place from September 23–25, 2022.[4][1]
The festival was founded in 2000 by Chad Johnson, then-owner of Birmingham-based Christian hardcore record label Takehold Records.[5][6] Though a great many performers at Furnace Fest were Christian hardcore, metalcore and emo bands (including most bands signed to the aforementioned label),[7][8] the event itself did not focus on religious beliefs.[9][1] After Takehold Records was bought-out by Tooth & Nail Records in March 2002,[10] which required Johnson moving to Seattle, Washington, the future of the festival was uncertain.[11] Johnson successfully hosted a third edition in August 2002, and then briefly considered relocating the festival to Seattle.[11][7] In August 2003, a DVD containing footage of Furnace Fest 2002 was released by 3B Studios.[12]
In 2003, the organization of Furnace Fest was passed on to Shannon Schlappi, then-owner of Independence, Missouri-based hardcore record label Anxiety Records, who successfully organized a fourth edition of the festival at the same location.[13][14][15] Schlappi intended to continue the festival in 2004,[16] but due to heavy financial losses incurred from the 2003 event, and the owners of the Sloss Furnaces demanding an increase in rental price for the site, Furnace Fest was put on hold.[15] Schlappi hoped to resume the festival in 2005, but it did not happen.[15]
In mid-2019,[17] Johnson revived Furnace Fest and scheduled the fifth edition to take place from September 18–20, 2020.[18][19][20] The official press release of the revived festival, along with news of the first confirmed band to be booked, Beloved, was announced on November 29, 2019.[20] A Nashville, Tennessee-based limited liability company, Furnace Fest LLC, was formed on April 10, 2020, to control the legal interests of the festival.[21][22] The new corporate structure is a four-way partnership divided between Johnny Grimes (based in Birmingham), Mike Ziemer (based in Dallas, Texas), Ryan Luther and Chad Johnson (both based in Nashville, Tennessee).[23][4] On June 1, 2020, it was announced that the festival's fifth event had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and most bands were automatically re-booked to perform at the rescheduled event, set to take place between May 14–16, 2021.[24][25][26] By March 2021, the event had again been rescheduled, this time for September 24–26, 2021.[27][28] The festival's sixth event took place from September 23–25, 2022.[29][30][2]
^ abcdeBeaugez, Jim (September 26, 2022). "How founder Chad Johnson brought back the DIY punk-meets-Christian hardcore Furnace Festival". Alternative Press Magazine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^ abcdeSacher, Andrew (September 1, 2022). "Furnace Fest 2022 set times + exclusive vinyl!". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^Clemow, Robin (July 26, 2002). "Screaming Sloss: Furnace Fest fires up hardcore music fans". Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcColurso, Mary (September 22, 2022). "Furnace Fest 2022: Lineup, tickets, parking, other info for Alabama music festival". Advance Local Alabama. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"Chad Johnson: Furnace Fest". HM Magazine. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Coyle, Doc (August 25, 2021). "Chad Johnson (co-founder of Furnace Fest, ex-Tooth & Nail Records A&R)". The Ex-Man with Doc Coyle. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^ abClemow, Robin (July 26, 2002). "Sloss Furnace Fest". Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"FaithFest". Newspapers.com. Santa Cruz Sentinel. September 2, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"Furnace Fest No.2000". Takehold Records. August 18, 2000. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
^Arnold, Alex (March 12, 2002). "Takehold Records/Tooth & Nail Records deal". Lambgoat. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^ ab"We heard Furnace Fest is over?". Takehold Records. June 4, 2002. Archived from the original on June 4, 2002. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"News". 3B Studios. August 22, 2003. Archived from the original on October 29, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"Furnace Fest August 15-16-17 2003". Anxiety Records. May 29, 2003. Archived from the original on May 29, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Cowan, Rob (August 15, 2003). "Stretch Arm Strong: Furnace Fest headliner stays true to its roots". Newspapers.com. Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^ abcSchlappi, Shannon (May 10, 2004). "Furnace Fest News". Anxiety Records. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Schlappi, Shannon (February 4, 2004). "Furnace Fest News". Anxiety Records. Archived from the original on April 3, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Johnson, Chad (July 17, 2019). "Furnace Fest: XX". Facebook. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Wong, Miranda Zy (December 6, 2019). "Furnace Fest Returns After Over a Decade-Long Hiatus and Announces 2020 Lineup Featuring Boysetsfire, Evergreen Terrace and Beloved". mxdwn Music. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Levine, David (January 13, 2020). "Tours announced: Thom Yorke, Converge, Christopher Cross, Flogging Molly, more". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^ abArnold, Alex (November 29, 2019). "Beloved to Reunite for Furnace Fest 2020". Lambgoat. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"Furnace Fest LLC Business Entity Detail". Tennessee Secretary of State. April 10, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"Furnace Fest LLC Business Entity Records". Alabama Secretary of State. April 10, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^McKenty, Finn (February 3, 2020). "Furnace Fest (Chad Johnson & Johnny Grimes)". The Punk Rock MBA. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Kamiński, Karol (June 1, 2020). "Furnace Fest postponed to 2021; first bands reconfirm". Idioteq. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Feinerman, Drew (June 1, 2020). "Return of Furnace Fest Postponed to 2021 Due to Coronavirus Pandemic". mxdwn Music. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Arnold, Alex (June 1, 2020). "Furnace Fest Postponed to Spring 2021". Lambgoat. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Levine, David (March 5, 2021). "Furnace Fest announces extremely stacked emo/post-hardcore/metalcore lineup (for 2021)". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^Arnold, Alex (May 5, 2021). "Furnace Fest 2021 Lineup Finalized with Four New Additions". Lambgoat. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^"'Furnace Fest' Will Return In 2022". Theprp.com. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^"Furnace Fest 2021: Lineup, schedule, tickets, other info for Alabama music festival". al. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
FurnaceFest is an American music festival held over three days at the Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama. It ran annually...
disbanding in 2016. On February 3, FurnaceFest 2023 has been announced to take place on September 23 and 24 at the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama. Among...
mid-December 2022, it was announced that Head Automatica would play the FurnaceFest in September 2023. A month later, it was revealed that Head Automatica...
Lights of Heaven DVD. In 2020, the band was announced to perform at FurnaceFest 2020. Stretch Arm Strong formed in 1992, formed by vocalist James Miller...
Out of the Furnace is a 2013 American crime drama film directed by Scott Cooper, from a screenplay by Cooper and Brad Ingelsby. Starring Christian Bale...
1, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024. "Coalesce To Reunite For 2024 'FurnaceFest'". ThePRP. February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024. "MNEMIC Reunites...
albums with Azusa. On January 18, 2023, Extol announced a reunion for FurnaceFest of 2023, hosted in Alabama. Extol was formed in Bekkestua, Norway by...
playing first NY show in 4+ years before FurnaceFest". Brooklyn Vegan. March 3, 2020. "Return of FurnaceFest Postponed to 2021 Due to Coronavirus Pandemic"...
the band until their final set at FurnaceFest 2023. In early 2023, Haste the Day announced a reunion for FurnaceFest, which featured Keech on vocals,...
Warped Tour Bayfest, Mobile Big Spring Jam, Huntsville FurnaceFest, Birmingham Hangout Music Fest, Gulf Shores DUSK Music Festival, Tucson Innings Festival...
the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2023. "FurnaceFest 2022". FurnaceFest. 2022. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved...
December 22, 2022, It Dies Today was announced as an act appearing at FurnaceFest 2023. It Dies Today was formed in August 2001 in Buffalo, New York and...
several bands reuniting to play the 2023 FurnaceFest. On September 1st, before their appearance at FurnaceFest, the band released their first single in...
group, Xed Out. In 2021 the band reunited and played a reunion set at FurnaceFest. In 2023, the band announced they would be performing limited shows as...
buildings they performed in.[citation needed] The band performed at the 2023 FurnaceFest, along with other artists such as Anberlin, Between the Buried and Me...
Loft Studio LA. After the EP's release, the band appeared at the 3-day FurnaceFest event in September. On October 10, 2023, lead singer Stephen Christian...
their performances at Christian-themed festivals such as Cornerstone and FurnaceFest. Despite these associations, the group has claimed not to be an explicitly...
was also present at the filming of the music video. In March 2022, FurnaceFest announced that Maylene and the Sons of Disaster would be playing their...
band would reunite for the first time in seven years to play the 2023 FurnaceFest. Touring musicians Timeline Studio albums Extended plays That They May...
moved on and we've grown older..." Figure Four is scheduled to appear at FurnaceFest on September 24, 2022, in Birmingham Alabama. Studio albums No Weapon...
one-time show at Facedown Fest 2017. On January 4, 2023, the band announced they would reunite for a second time to play at FurnaceFest in September of 2023...
appeared on the band's Instagram on October 6, 2022, and a performance at FurnaceFest 2023 was announced on December 23. The new lineup includes Tony Gambino...