Forget sleigh bells. This December, Arizona is getting distortion, dub grooves, and enough Southern California attitude to melt every strand of tinsel in the state.
ALT AZ 93.3 has officially unveiled its annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Party, and this year’s lineup feels less like a radio concert and more like a celebration of an entire musical movement. On December 11, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, and Codefendants will take over Desert Diamond Arena for what promises to be one of alternative rock’s biggest holiday events of the year. The Phoenix station announced the show as its biggest Ugly Sweater Party yet, pairing one of rock’s most celebrated comeback stories with two of punk and reggae’s most respected live acts.
Dustin Carlson Programming Director at Alt 93.3 said,”We are about to throw the biggest party in the history of ALT AZ! We can’t wait to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sublime’s self-tiled album along with the release of Jakob’s first (and only?) Sublime album! Plus Slightly Stoopid and Codefendants?! It’s going to be nuts! Huge thanks to everyone who helped pull this together!”
The timing couldn’t be better.
Few bands have enjoyed a renaissance quite like Sublime over the past year. With Jakob Nowell carrying forward the legacy his father Bradley helped create, the band has transformed what could have been a nostalgic reunion into an exciting new chapter. Their first studio album featuring Jakob has introduced a new generation to the unmistakable fusion of punk, reggae, ska, hip-hop and surf rock that made Sublime one of the defining bands of the 1990s, while longtime fans have embraced a revival that feels authentic rather than manufactured.
The announcement also arrives as the band celebrates the enduring legacy of its landmark self-titled 1996 album—a record that produced timeless anthems like “What I Got,” “Santeria,” and “Wrong Way” while permanently reshaping alternative radio. More than three decades after their breakthrough, Sublime remain one of the rare bands whose music feels equally at home blasting from beach speakers, festival stages, and rock radio alike. ALT AZ 93.3 has framed the concert as both a celebration of that iconic record and of the band’s current resurgence.
Sharing the bill are longtime friends and fellow California icons Slightly Stoopid, whose genre-defying blend of reggae, rock, blues and punk has made them one of the most dependable live bands on the touring circuit. After another successful year on the road, the San Diego outfit continues to prove why they’ve remained festival favorites for more than two decades, delivering marathon sets that effortlessly move from laid-back grooves to explosive jams.
Rounding out the evening are Codefendants, the boundary-pushing supergroup featuring Fat Mike, Sam King and Ceschi Ramos. Their fearless mix of punk, hip-hop and folk has made them one of the scene’s most unpredictable live acts, adding another layer of controlled chaos to an already stacked evening.
Taken together, the lineup represents more than three bands sharing a stage. It’s a snapshot of the evolution of California alternative music—from the groundbreaking sound that Sublime pioneered, through the beach-rock expansion championed by Slightly Stoopid, to the genre-smashing experimentation of Codefendants. Each group occupies a different chapter of the same story while continuing to push the culture forward.
Holiday concerts often lean into nostalgia. This one does too—but not at the expense of the future.
Instead, ALT AZ 93.3 has assembled a lineup that bridges generations of fans while showcasing artists who continue to evolve. Whether you’re pulling on an ugly Christmas sweater for the irony or simply showing up to hear some of alternative rock’s most enduring songs performed live, December 11 at Desert Diamond Arena is shaping up to be less of a holiday party and more of a year-end celebration of everything that has kept California’s punk, ska and reggae-rock scene thriving for more than thirty years.
Related posts:
CODEFENDANTS & The D.O.C. Reignite Punk–Hip-Hop Lineage on “Rivals” 
Sublime Fest Was a Celebration of Punk, Reggae, Hip-Hop and The Next Gen of Alt Rock [Live Review] 
INTERVIEW: Michael “Miguel” Happoldt (Part 1 of 2) 
Jakob Nowell Faces the Weight of Sublime’s Legacy on New Album “Until The Sun Explodes”
