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Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • March 23, 2025

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 Golden Pliers and how that world intersects with his outlet. Retirement will release Attention Economy this spring (Iron Lung Records) and will tour along the North American west coast (dates below). Scene Point Blank: First, what is your job title? Walk us through an "average day," if such a thing exists. Kevin Purcell: Co-Owner/Lead Mechanic An average day at Golden Pliers consists of checking folks in for any repair needs, listening to the customer's concerns and assessing their bicycle for the repair at hand, and making suggestions (if needed) for any additional work. I answer emails, order items for our inventory or for custom builds, field questions and concerns from our staff, research new vendors, and do a lot of front-facing customer service stuff like fixing flats or helping someone pick out the right lock or lights for their bike. Scene Point Blank: You mostly do repair, right? Then sell a few bikes and have an in-house drink counter? Kevin Purcell: Yes, we mostly do bicycle repair, but we are also known for our custom bike builds and stocking a variety of fun/non-traditional bike shop stuff like knives, slingshots, used … Read more

Sumu

Individual Coach

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • February 28, 2025

There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. Most musicians have day jobs – and not … Read more

Peter Jesperson

Interviews • February 28, 2025

There is perhaps no bigger music fan than Peter Jesperson. His passion for music translated to jumping feet first and … Read more

Channel 3's Mike Magrann

Interviews • February 28, 2025

What's not to love about driving across North American highways in a well-used van, drinking copious amounts of beer, blaring … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

Detention

Dead Rock ‘N’ Rollers
Left For Dead Records (2024)

Life ain’t so easy in the detention home- Dead Boys. Emerging from the underbelly of Jersey, made up primarily of three brethren. Raised on rock and roll and sipping from the chalice of early punk rock stalwarts like Da Bruddahs from Queens, Hey Ho! and the Pistoleros of Sexual Nature screaming banshees from across from the large pond. Thus forging … Read more

Nightfreak

Nightfreak
Big Neck Records (2024)

Semi-feral punk outfit NightFreak are back with a self-titled LP filled with breakneck riffs and 70s metal bombast. The Chicago group haven’t slowed down since 2022’s Speed Trials but they have filled out. NightFreak the album is lousy with warm back beats and melodic guitars; although, hardcore vocals and tight drums still reign supreme. Album opener “Blackout” is dead serious … Read more

Death By Unga Bunga

Raw Muscle Power
Jansen Records (2025)

I’m pretty sure I became aware of Mike Krol when The Whiffs posted about playing some shows with him. Krol is a bit of an anomaly. Not only is he on Merge and collaborates with Mac Superchunk- a dream scenario imo- but he’s also been elusive of my fan boy attempts at cold dm’ing him about stuff even tho we … Read more

Celebration Summer

A Little Less Numb
Den of Wax (2024)

200 Words Or Less

I get a lot of music here at SPB and, unfortunately, my memory isn’t perfect. But I consider it a good sign when my first thought on hearing a new release is that, “Hey, I need to go back and relisten to the last one again.” It’s not a slight about the old stuff at all, but it means they’ve … Read more

Additional album reviews

Gus Baldwin & The Sketch

The Sketch
Permanent Teeth (2025)

When The Sketch opens, I find myself quickly thinking of “Got The Time” by Joe Jackson. For the most part, that comparison fades by the time the power chords kick … Read more

Chat Pile

Cool World
Flenser (2024)

The great American experiment has a wide range of experiences, but it tends to focus on the coasts. There are countless dystopian pieces of art, often culling from a Warriors-esque … Read more

The Anomalys

Down The Hole
Slovenly (2024)

If I have to give the elevator pitch, I’ll call The Anomalys garage rock with an ear for surf and psyche rock -- turned up to 11 and blasted through … Read more

Pinhead Gunpowder

Unt
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (2024)

Pinhead Gunpowder began in 1990, recording a 7” in 1991. The band last released a 7” in 2008… Until late 2024 when the band returned with the 14-song full-length Unt. … Read more

The Cure

Songs of a Lost World
Capitol, Fiction, Lost Music, Polydor/Universal (2024)

It's been sixteen years since The Cure released their last album. I don't know if anyone really knew what to expect, but it's one of the most influential bands in … Read more

City Mouse

So Far Out
Brassneck Records, It's Alive (2024)

There are few bands that hit with the mix of raw emotion and musical talent as a live City Mouse show. There are even fewer bands that can capture that … Read more

Machine Girl

MG Ultra
Future Classic (2024)

Ideally, I would be a bit more interested in art. In visual art- paintings, sketches, MS Paint monstrosities- whatever. I wish I knew more about the meaning of a brush … Read more

Ekko Astral

pink balloons
Topshelf (2024)

Their music is for people “who are struggling, who are at their absolute lowest". That’s a quote from vocalist and guitar player Jael Holzman talking to The Washington Post. Am … Read more

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SPB stream: Righteous Propaganda/Mycelium Cloak

Posted in Records on April 1, 2025

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

Hi Again, Lutheran Heat

Posted in Records on April 2, 2025

Minneapolis, MN's Lutheran Heat has announced the April 19 release of the band's second album, coming after a five year hiatus as members had various personal life issues to attend … Read more

Birth (Defects) 8 years in the making

Posted in Records on April 2, 2025

Baltimore, MD noise rock band Birth (Defects) just announced their first record in 8 years: Deceiver/Mirror, out May 30 via Reptilian Records. The album was initially recorded in 2017, just … Read more

Experience Superworld

Posted in Records on April 2, 2025

Harsh vocal emotive trio Superworld just released a debut EP on Lauren Records, Surefire. The three songs are equal parts punk, emo, and math rock: precise where it needs to … Read more

Pet Symmetry with Big Symmetry

Posted in Records on April 1, 2025

May 2 is the release date for Big Symmetry, the latest LP from Chicago, IL trio Pet Symmetry. The band, featuring Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.), Marcus Nuccio (Ratboys), … Read more

Free earplug program for musicians

Posted in Music News on April 1, 2025

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has teamed with Sweetwater to created Hearing Health Fund, a program providing free hearing screenings for musicians, including access to free high-quality earplugs. Hearing loss and … Read more

Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell turns 10

Posted in Records on March 31, 2025

A 10-year anniversary edition of Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell is coming, out May 30 via Asthmatic Kitty, with seven previously unreleased tracks (including the new "Mystery of Love" demo … Read more

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