I first discovered the New York Dolls in the mid-to-late 1980s, just as I was beginning to stretch the boundaries of my musical journey. Up until then, my exposure to music had mostly come through my parents, aunts, and uncles. They planted the initial seeds, and those seeds quickly grew, fueled by my insatiable curiosity for new sounds -- and, admittedly, by the limitations of a thin wallet. Back then, LPs were more affordable, and I often found myself trading records just to explore more of the music that captivated me. My first real brush with punk came through two neighbours who had attended boarding school somewhere in Ol’ Blighty, giving me a direct link to the early UK punk scene. Meanwhile, the radio was dominated by new wave, and I found myself drawn into the infectious energy of The Cars, Devo, Blondie, The Vapors, The Monks, Boomtown Rats, and any other catchy, rebellious sounds that punctuated the airwaves. But my musical journey didn’t stop there -- it was, in a sense, reborn. I began diving deeper into punk, hardcore and metal, and it was through this exploration that I finally encountered the New York Dolls. From the very first note, I was hooked. Their music struck me like a lightning bolt. I became a fervent, almost rabid fan, hunting down whatever I could afford, to the point where I once seriously considered buying Jerry Nolan’s pink drum stool. On June 19, 1991, I attended Johnny Thunders’ memorial show in … Read more
Punk’s never been about polish. It’s about passion, sweat, and the grind it takes to keep going when most people quit. East End Redemption carry that spirit like a trophy. … Read more
In a different world, which we think was shortly before COVID and MAGA and all things bad and in ALL CAPS occurred, Scene Point Blank had the idea to write … Read more
There’s a quiet weight to Spite House that doesn’t rely on volume or spectacle. Their songs sit in the uncomfortable space between anger and reflection, carrying emotional honesty without turning … Read more
An in-depth discussion with a band or artist, generally in the form of a straight Q&A – no editorializing.
Album streams, our Set List "top five..." features, our year-end "best of" lists and other music-related miscellany.
Quite literally, a one question interview. Also known as 1QIs, we post these first to our social media on a near-daily basis, with the archival piece here. Check 'em out.
A melting pot of mixed content: movie, book and even video game reviews. Updated sporadically, but eclectically.
Contributions on a range of topics from a range of industry figures: musicians, filmmakers, editors and more.
A semi-regular column exploring new and rising local bands and artists deserving of attention.
Pure Joy The 23rd FEST in Gainesville, Florida recently wrapped up. Scene Point Blank has been to the majority of them over the past two decades, beginning at FEST 5. I've personally attended roughly half of them. And at FEST 23, I saw 44 bands in 3 days (an even 50 if you count the pre-shows I attended). I took … Read more
We post a variety of features in recurring series – click below to browse them.
A regular series by Robert F.
A wide-ranging guest column written by BJ from Ancient Shores, mainly covering film but extending into philosophy and aesthetics too. Check out BJ's work on the A389 podcast.
Commerce or Amusement? is an interview series conducted by Chuck Coffey (aka Charlie Continental of Snappy Little Numbers, SPELLS, Chap, and more). Chuck seeks opinions to the eternal question: Where is the line between hobby and work?
How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music.
Guest column by T of Vegas
A cookery column by Nick, vocalist with metal band The Famine. Veggie/vegan friendly!
A roundup of coverage of the annual punk rock festival held in Gainesville, Florida
Our annual roundup from Gainesville, FL's famous Fest.
SPB's coverage of the annual festival in Gainesville, Florida.
Our coverage of the annual Fest extravaganza.
Our coverage of the 19th edition of the Fest – an independent multi-day, multiple-venue music festival held annually in Gainesville, Florida.
All our coverage from the long-running music festival
Articles about the Fest 21
Our coverage of the 22nd edition of the FEST.
Our coverage of the 23rd edition of the FEST.
We dive into the back catalog of a record label and ask them to nominate their most memorable releases from their label's history–with a few suggestions of our own.
An interview format where we ask a band to rate and review a bunch of music
A feature where we highlight 5 to 10 recent demos.
A radio DJ profile series created by Christopher D & Matt Hutchison.
There’s so much music released, whether physically or digitally, that keeping up with what’s going on becomes almost like a full time job. With Only Death Is Real, the aim is to bring you something new.
A life lived and lessons learned by Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers.
Welcome to Running on Nothing, the latest addition to our stable of columns at Scene Point Blank. Running on Nothing offers a look at the world through the eyes of Kole, bassist of The Lippies, guitarist of The Bloody Lips, and gigposter artist.
We survey some of the other music releases out there. Results may vary...may get weird, but hopefully something covered here piques your interest.
A semi-regular column where we choose a specific area and give a local scene report.
Discussing the state of the music business at the kitchen table
A brief but englightening chat with an artist who reveals an interesting or unexpected story from their career
A collection of items grouped by topic, eg. "Top 5 Worst Beatles Songs" or "Top 10 best '77 punk releases".
One-question interviews with artists where we find out about the gear and equipment they use to achieve their sound.
A collection of coverage rounding up the year 2012, covering our favorite albums, shows, bands, and more, as well as asking record labels and bands about their past twelve months in music
It's the end of 2013, so here's our best-of roundup for the last twelve months.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2014.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2015.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2016.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2017.
Our summary of the best music (and more) of 2018.
Our wrap-up of the best music and more from 2019
Our wrap-up of the best music and more for the year we'll all want to otherwise forget, 2020.
Our roundup of the best music from the worst year (since the previous one, anyway).
Our favorite music and more from the year 2022
Our roundup of the best music of the year 2023
Our roundup of the best music—and more—of 2024.
Our favorite music and more from 2025.
The Darts have a busy year ahead. First, they will release the brand new full-length Halloween Love Songs on March 3 (Meow Hiss Music). Then the band hits the road – France in March-April, then much of the US in May-June. They are also booking dates in the EUK, Australia, and New Zealand as we speak. With the band prepping … Read more
Noise Real Records recently released Noise Pollution Volume 1, a limited run 7" that features two new versions of "The Recluse" by Cursive. The new series will continue this revision theme as we move forward. Founded in 2021 by two long-time friends from California's Central Valley, the label is focused on quality over quantity: curating a catalog that's focused on … Read more
ver·bo·ten adjective forbidden, especially by an authority. Verböten was formed in 1982 by a bunch of kids aged 10 to 14 years old, soon opening for Chicago's finest punk bands. Thanks to Dave Grohl's HBO series and best-selling book, mentioning Verböten led to opportunities to play Riot Fest and the recording of a new LP, 40-plus years later. I had … Read more
Howdy out there! Welcome to the introduction for a new interview series I’ll be helming. Thanks to SPB for having me. My interviews are going to revolve around “music biz” kinds of things. Before I keep going, I need to tell you something…I am not actually in the music business. However, I am involved in music. As a musician, label … Read more
A dripping handful of Brylcreem and a well-used black comb situated in the pack pocket of the rolled up Levis, the clicking rhythm of bubble gum and fast cars, fast girls and twangy guitars while engines from a Ford Thunderbird rev in the sunset. Enter The Rousers blasting out energy and sucking you in with their nod to yesteryear: style, … Read more
The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and then die out, and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, a little help never hurts! So here we are, your humble servants, ready to sift through those filters for you … Read more
Every year we diligently assemble a list of our favorite albums of the year. Each SPB staff member enters the large arena we nickname THE DOJO, and yells out the name of their top album of the year. Rival staffers quickly assemble and shout out their own highly-favored record, and quickly the battle begins. Whoever is left standing after surviving … Read more
For many years now, Scene Point Blank has taken the opportunity as the year ends to formally "pass the mic" to our friends on the other side of the mostly-imaginary divide between listeners and artists. This year is no exception as we ask a bunch of bands, artists and labels to tell us about their 2025. What music did they … Read more
Another twelve months have passed. Even though it's our job to make predictions and call things before they happen, it seems improbable that we could've made any sense out of the events of this year. Perhaps we're better off keeping one eye on the past and telling you what already happened? Yeah, let's stick to that. Luckily for you, we're … Read more
When two bands come together on a split release, it’s more than just sharing music on vinyl. It’s a conversation in sound. Pulley and Fire Sale recently teamed up for a split 7" through Negative Progression Records that showcases both of their unique voices while still feeling like a cohesive whole. It’s a reminder of the collaborative spirit that’s always … Read more
Music touches the heart and soothes the soul. Through personal connection and community it reaches far beyond a listening experience. While it plays a role in our overall well-being, though, it's only part of the bigger equation. Through the mutual connections that music has brought us at SPB, we learned of Bree of Allegedly Records' breast cancer diagnosis about one … Read more
Pure Joy The 23rd FEST in Gainesville, Florida recently wrapped up. Scene Point Blank has been to the majority of them over the past two decades, beginning at FEST 5. I've personally attended roughly half of them. And at FEST 23, I saw 44 bands in 3 days (an even 50 if you count the pre-shows I attended). I took … Read more
As The Skids sang, The Saints are coming!.......Storming North America! The Saints ’73-’78 land on North American soil in early November and will feature original Saints members, guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay, and filling out this lineup is singer Mark Arm (Mudhoney), guitarist Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party / The Bad Seeds) and bassist Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys). The … Read more
FEST 23 takes place later this month, from Oct. 24-26 in Gainesville, FL. Something like a billion bands are driving, flying, canoeing, and snowshoeing to the festival from across the country -- many of them for the first time and many come back to play nearly every year. Scene Point Blank has traveled to “over half” of them (we’ve lost … Read more
Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game about all things Fest! We have 8 different options to … Read more
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