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 a comprehensive piece about mailorder experiences from the people who dedicate their free time to sending you records, cds, tapes, zines and the like. Time makes fools of us all, and this piece disappeared into the digital abyss for a while. But when we reviewed the half-finished piece maybe a year ago we liked what we had a little too much to let it go. It's not written the way we first planned, but we've compiled 6 interviews here with a mission to give you a glimpse behind the scenes of an important and overlooked part of the biz. The interviews are with labels, zines, and distributors. The idea is to humanize the experience even more. Support your neighbors, support the people who play a role in that joy you get when you put the needle to the wax. Many fingerprints have touched your record before it was in your hands, in your ears, in your head and in your heart. Keith Ulrey – New Granada Records Scene Point Blank: Tell me a bit about who you are and what you do. Keith Ulrey: I've been running DIY label New Granada since the mid '90s. I also own/run small indie record shop Microgroove in Tampa, FL. My wife Susie and I play in the band Pohgoh. Music pretty much consumes … Read more
There’s a quiet weight to Spite House that doesn’t rely on volume or spectacle. Their songs sit in the uncomfortable … Read more
The Boys were perhaps one of the most underrated bands to ride the crest of the first wave of UK … Read more
The Darts have a busy year ahead. First, they will release the brand new full-length Halloween Love Songs on March … Read more
Sometimes when you think of a town you think of a certain sound. Philadelphia is not one of those cities for me, as the bands I know from the area vary a lot in style. Yes, there is the Dan Yemin tree (Lifetime / Kid Dynamite / Paint It Black) but there are also poppy bands and emo bands and … Read more
If rock ’n’ roll ever had a smoky, beer-soaked, throbbing heartbeat, it lives in Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs’ Pigus Drunkus Maximus. Recorded in 1981 but not released until 1987 on Restless Records, the album always felt like a document out of time — lightning caught like fireflies in clumsy hands, then bottled too long. This newly remastered reissue, … Read more
There’s a particular tension that makes alternative rock compelling. I love the emotional push and pull between softness and eruption. On No Requiem, Massachusetts outfit Dream Fatigue thrive in that space, crafting a seven song EP that balances dreamlike melody with bursts of distortion and emotional urgency. Born from the creative partnership between drummer Matt Wood and vocalist Jonali McFadden, … Read more
I'm not sure what's happening to me in middle age. I used to find samples clever and a nice change-of-pace technique on albums. But lately I feel like they interrupt instead of compliment what I'm hearing. This Isn't What I Ordered starts off really strong with fast, melodic and personalized punk over the first few songs. Then the sound clips … Read more
Pure Intentions is a hard hitting punk band first emerging in the Chicago scene in 2020. Since its formation by Joe Asshole and Tommy Volume, they have since added Judson … Read more
Ok full disclosure, I sung backups on (allegedly) three of these songs and one song is a cover (albeit a stretch lol) of a song I co-wrote. What can I … Read more
Heather The Jerk is a project from Madison, WI musician Heather Sawyer -- a scrappy punk band with garage and pop influences running rampant through the peppy, raw sound. This … Read more
If you were lucky enough to catch Toys That Kill live last year, you were maybe treated to a set that included classic F.Y.P bangers like “Come Home Smelly” and … Read more
Following up 2024’s near-perfect Gay Boredom comes Lub Dub by Oregon’s The Dumpies. Recorded in Austin TX at the BBQ Shack by Jason Morales and Mike Vasquez, this is their second release on Dirt Cult Records. Bassist Tim Janchar, whose long running label Hovercraft Records is co-releasing the LP says … Read more
Bay Area, CA band Western Addiction just shared "Let's Keep the Circle Small," the first single from a new record out this year. The band last released Frail Bray in … Read more
Brazilian duo Deafkids just announced a new album, Cicatrizes do Futuro, out May 29 on Neurot Recordings -- translated to English the title is "Scars of the Future." While active … Read more
Dirty reggae band The Aggrolites have a full-length Super Atomic record on the way, with the band sharing "Till the Wheels Fall Off!" yesterday. The new record is still a … Read more
Burned Up Bled Dry just announced a new 26-song, 25-minute LP, out on March 27 via Prank Records. It's the first album from the Fayetteville, AR based band, rooted in … Read more
Steve Austin, longtime vocalist of Today Is The Day, has announced a new outlaw country album set for release on May 1. The record will be titled Marked Cards And … Read more
Chicago, IL trio Lair of the Minotaur just shared "I Hail I," the title track from what will be the band's first new album in 16 years. I Hail I … Read more
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