Loren

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 (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we chat with Kevin Purcell (guitar/vocals) of Retirement about running Portland bike shop … Read more

There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. Most musicians have day jobs – and not just to pay the bills. Jobs provide new challenges, personal fulfillment and, yes, some rent or gas money. How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene … Read more

It's a SPB tradition to formally "pass the mic" to our artist and label friends to tell us about their year in music. What albums did they enjoy? What shows did they see? What are they looking forward to for the new year? We're joined this year by a host of folks: Frank Turner, Justin Pearson, Tobias Jeg, Body Stuff, … Read more

How do you sum up a 3-day weekend where you’ve spent approximately 36 hours watching live music and seen nearly 50 bands -- and also missed another 300? The Fest is a wonderful beast where you venue hop to catch up-and-comers, watch headliners outside on the big stage, and stumble onto one-off side projects with some of your favorite musicians … Read more

Sometimes I get all introspective and ask myself why I do this. Not very often, but the answer is always because I like music. It's that simple. I like to discover new stuff and I like to share it. Every year, the staff at Scene Point Blank sink a ton … Read more

Vices, outlets, escapes... I'm not sure where things are at here in November of 2024. But as we battle our demons and look for meaning, or escape, music is a blessing. Here's a new playlist. Many of these artists have been covered at Scene Point Blank, mixed in with tracks … Read more

I think I've lamented on this in the past, but one thing I really miss about the tape/cdr era is mixtapes. Playlists offer something similar, fortunately, so I can keep it going when I want to mix things up from writing reviews. This list collects a bunch of stuff I've … Read more

Spanish Love Songs, Oso Oso, Sydney Sprague, Worry Club Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN April 17, 2024 Spanish Love Songs, photo by Loren Green Wednesday’s show at Varsity Theater began with a band dressed like it was the 1990s, followed by a band dressed like the 2000s, another dressed like the … Read more

Just released in February, SPB’s featured stream for the month of March is a fierce and heavy split LP between Illinois bands Righteous Propaganda and Mycelium Cloak, out now -- released jointly by the two bands. Righteous Propaganda formed in 2016 in DeKalb and play brutal hardcore befitting of their … Read more

Slovenly Recordings has three new releases -- one out now and two more on the way. The label released En Las Sombras Se Mueven Mucho Mejor from Los Idiotas ((Valladolid, Spain) on April 1, a full-length LP of garage punk. Then, next month Puppy and the Hand Jobs will release … Read more

Announced a month ago, Canadian heavy punks Propagandhi are back, set to release At Peace on May 2 (Epitaph). The political-as-always band just unveiled a new single/video from the record, "Cat Guy," which is emblematic of the band's style while countering sober political truths along some cute cat clips. The … Read more

May 1 marks the release of a new split featuring Teens in Trouble and Bat Boy (pictured), followed by a joint tour en route to Pouzza Fest in late Mat. Both bands also shared a tour last year. This time around, the new EP, on Asian Man Records, features one … Read more