Latest features — browse all

Bo Diddley Plaza: Behind the Scenes at Fest

Music / Fest 23 • October 6, 2025

For close to a quarter-century punk fans have flocked to Florida for The Fest. Boasting a lineup of 300+ bands and roughly a dozen venues these days, the festival has grown, shifted and evolved. For several years the main stage has been in a large downtown park called Bo Diddley Plaza, named for the influential musician and one-time Gainesville resident. While Fest is always adapting, it has consistently maintained a "built by us" DIY element even as it spans throughout downtown and has achieved city approval. As long-time Fest attendees, we wanted to hear more about how the Fest team turns a city park into a main venue that's loud and vibrant for 4 nights a year, but is mostly chill for the other 360-some days of the year. The Bouncing Souls playing at Bo Diddley Plaza (Photo: Andy Stern) Scene Point Blank: As I understand it, Fest builds up everything except the literal, permanent stage at Bo Diddley Plaza. Is that correct? And what does that mean? Jason Rockhill: We had to create a venue out of just an open field and a bandshell. We have been tweaking it over the years and adding little bells and whistles but, for the most part, Bo Diddley Plaza is a city block in the middle of Gainesville, Florida. It's envisioned as a place where bands play with a lot of free events. But to set it up where you can serve alcohol and you're charging admission and you're trying to keep … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #1

Music / New Kids On The Block • September 14, 2025

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out … Read more

Sell The Heart Records – History 101

Music / History 101 • August 3, 2025

Like most independent labels, Sell The Heart started to document a scene without really asking themselves “Where do you see … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Music • July 6, 2025

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

To The Grave

Still
Unique Leader (2025)

Coming from Australia, To The Grave bring their brutal vegan deathcore offering Still to fans worldwide. This EP punches you right in the gut with seven tracks of horror infused mayhem. These tracks were originally recorded during their sessions of making their previous full-length, Everyone’s A Murderer. However, the band thought they didn’t fit the overall feel of that record … Read more

La Dispute

No One Was Driving The Car
Epitaph (2025)

Occasionally bands will surpass being musicians and become artists. La Dispute aren’t making music. They’re making art. The band returns after six years with their self-produced 14 track, full-length, No One Was Driving The Car. It was neat how they launched this album through songs grouped in “acts” via a staggered rollout of EPs before the full drop. The album … Read more

Dying Wish

Flesh Stays Together
Sharptone (2025)

From their hardcore days to their newer, progressing sound on Flesh Stays Together, Dying Wish has been inching toward something sharper, more spectral, more personal. Not just lyrically, but also in sound. The band formed in Portland, Oregon in 2018 and haven’t stopped terrorizing the world alongside Spiritbox and Pain of Truth to name a few. Through nonstop touring, explosive … Read more

Sam Russo

Hold You Hard
Red Scare Industries (2025)

Art is subjective -- and sometimes it's curious what appeals to you. Hold You Hard is the latest from solo songwriter Sam Russo about travel, memory, and experience. There are stories of celebration throughout this record. Yet, for whatever reason, it's the somber, sadder songs that strike a chord with me as I listen to the album. "Gator Lodge" and … Read more

Additional album reviews

Spite House

Desertion
Pure Noise (2025)

Spite House is a post-hardcore band based out of Montreal dropping their second record titled ”Desertion on Pure Noise Records. This is a follow up to their self-titled 2022 album … Read more

Bad Cop Bad Cop

Lighten Up
Fat Wreck Chords, Hopeless (2025)

If you haven’t heard of the Southern Californian band Bad Cop Bad Cop, then you are truly missing out on a top tier, female punk powerhouse. They sit at the … Read more

xNullifyx

xNullifyx
New Morality Zine (2025)

I love almost all genres of music, but hardcore has always been towards the top for me. I love the intensity, the passion, and typically the message that is conveyed. … Read more

Dave Hause

...And The Mermaid
Blood Harmony Records (2025)

...And The Mermaid is Dave Hause's eighth full-length solo album if I’m counting right. The big news with this new effort is that it features a full band. No, it … Read more

Face Yourself

Fury
Sumerian (2025)

Face Yourself is a transcontinental deathcore force that has been around since 2023. It’s amazing to me that their members are spread out from Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and … Read more

Silverstein

Pink Moon
UNFD (2025)

It’s wild to think that Silverstein has been a band for 25 years. That is quite the accomplishment to achieve. The Ontario, Canadian post-hardcore/emo band has released 12 studio albums … Read more

American Television

You’re Not Alone
Smartpunk Records (2025)

Hailing from our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., come the melodic punk band American Television. The band formed around 2013 and has been hitting it hard ever since their inception … Read more

Between the Buried and Me

The Blue Nowhere
Inside Out (2025)

Between The Buried And Me are seasoned vets to the progressive metalcore, electronic, prog (whatever other genre they bend) scene and continue to drop album after album. Their career started … Read more

News headlines — browse all

SPB featured stream: william h. travis - ruby

Posted in Records on October 3, 2025

Sometimes the singer-songwriter thing puts too much on the table. At SPB, we like a little bit of mystery, which ties into our newest featured stream, Ruby by william h. travis. william h. travis may or may not be an individual -- the project from Bethlehem, PA describes itself as … Read more

Epitaph and The Bobby Lees

Posted in Labels on October 8, 2025

Woodstock's The Bobby Lees just inked a deal with Epitaph Records. The New York based band have three preview records to their name, and speaking of what's to come, vocalist … Read more

Meet the new Primitive Man

Posted in Records on October 8, 2025

Primitive Man returns, sharing the new single "Natural Law" from the band's forthcoming Observance, out on Oct. 31 on Relapse Records. In an oversimplified summary, the new album is described … Read more

86'd Records w/ Stupid Plots, Boilerman and Rations news

Posted in Labels on October 7, 2025

86'ed Records has a three-tiered update, beginning with an immediate new release: Should and Want, a 4-song CD EP from Stupid Plots of Japan. The label is sharing a US … Read more

Beth Seymour & The Lizzies follow-up album

Posted in Records on October 7, 2025

Beth Seymour & The Lizzies has announced a second record of 2025, the forthcoming Outside, You'd Love Me To Death, out Nov. 28. Seymour just released You Wouldn't Like It … Read more

Snakes in the Pit take a stand

Posted in Bands on October 6, 2025

Hamburg, Germany-based melodic hardcore band Snakes in the Pit just shares a new song called "Frei," which won the SongUp! initiative, which awards a professional studio production for "songs that … Read more

Greg Wheel and the Poly Mall Cops' Slimephone

Posted in Records on October 6, 2025

Out near the end of the month, garage-punk band Greg Wheel and the Poly Mall Cops will release Slimephone Surveillance on High Dive Records. The first single form the Des … Read more

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