By 1981, the Red Rockers were famously branded "The American Clash" by Lester Bangs -- a tag that carried both the weight of massive expectations and the raw power of a band exploding out of the New Orleans humidity. Decades before they became MTV fixtures with the polished pop hooks of "China," they were fueled by the absolute grit of the underground West Coast punk scene and the mentorship of 415 Records' Howie Klein. The missing puzzle piece of that legendary trajectory has always been the feral energy of their live sets. Enter It's in Our Blood: Live at Tipitina's, the new archival release from Liberation Hall Records. Capturing the band's blistering 2023 reunion show, the album serves as the definitive companion piece to the newly recovered and remastered Condition Red master tapes, delivering a dry, natural, effect-free gut punch that strips away the over-processed gloss of the 1980s. Scene Point Blank sat down with Red Rockers bassist Darren Hill to dig into the forensic history of the band, from signing a record contract on Keith Morris' back to recovering lost two" masters from an estate sale and setting the record straight on their legacy. Scene Point Blank: How influential were The Normals to the Red Rockers in those early days? Darren Hill: Huge influence. John, James, and I would go see them every time they played. Because of them, we decided to start a band. Our first show was opening for them. We covered “Almost Ready” at the 2023 … Read more
I was about 4 years old and in preschool. It was a “meet and greet” day and my dad took … Read more
LA’s Art-Punk Pioneers Who Bridged Continents and Genres In 1978, Vivabeat emerged from Los Angeles with a sound that defied … Read more
There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. Most musicians have day jobs – and not … Read more
I have probably talked about this before, I knew of Moonraker through split EPs and things like that, but they didn't fully pop into my consciousness until The Forest. Me and the Bells, four years later, is their follow-up full-length and it continues the trajectory from that record while still capturing its own distinct vibe. Musically the band is heavily … Read more
Some records make their intentions obvious from the very beginning. They use the same structure that countless bands have for decades: verse, chorus, breakdown, payoff, and the blunt force of explaining what you are supposed to feel. Hymns for the Denial of God does something much more complex. It’s a series of difficult questions no one wants to answer, proposed … Read more
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Leech”, “Semi Detached Furnished Home”, “Strip Club DJ”, “Static On The Radio” Toronto’s garage-psych punks Wine Lips bring us album number five. Aside from the awesomely colourful, off-the-wall humanoid artwork, TV Dinner takes a sharp turn from the sonically trippy toppings of previous entries – particularly 2024’s Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party. Tracks are punchy fuzz-bombs, as … Read more
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Mam w sobie diabła”, “Zombie”, “Listopadowa noc”, “Porque te vas” Fancy some Polish psychobilly punk? Well, you’re in luck. This is for anyone who takes their classic rock ’n’ roll swing with a heavy dose of horror and dark Western twang, blending rockabilly elements with Slavic folk and chaotic yet mysterious post punk -– all as the … Read more
The chemicals are rushing right out of the gate on this one. You start with a cigarette and dive straight into Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, to the lay person) to calm your … Read more
I grew up listening to the acoustic side of onelinedrawing. Those stripped-down Jonah Matranga songs had a way of making everything else disappear, often needing little more than a guitar, … Read more
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Brand New World”, “12 Strings and Tambourines”, “Adams Street”, “Temple of Madness” It’s rare to find these days. A band (or maybe supergroup, in this case) that … Read more
On the tail end of Autogramm’s 2018 tour of Mexico (what little I remember of that week now is a lot of pulque and not a lot of sleep) I … Read more
I feel like this may be the first 12", 10-song release in my collection from Real Numbers, a dreampop meets jangle-indie rock band from Minneapolis. I'm not going to fact … Read more
Syrup Moose Records will cease at the end of 2026, but they’re going out with a series of late releases including the third album from MEGAFAUNA, a self-titled follow-up to 2025’s I Owe This Land A Body. It also keeps the project’s streak of a record per year intact, as … Read more
Deaf Club has announced a run of East Coast, US dates, built around the band's performance at Converge's Saddest Day Festival 2026. The tour showcases the band's newest addition, with … Read more
Toronto punk band Cult Crime will release their second album soon, the new Fully Automatic on Static Shock Records. The record follows their debut, which came out in 2025, and … Read more
Hamilton, ONT artist Gene Champagne has announced a new solo album with a stylistic spoiler as its title: Too Pop For Punk...Too Punk To Care. Champagne, known as drummer of … Read more
Punk band Brackish, of Philadelphia/New Jerrsey, has an upcoming split with Prop House (Asbury, NJ), to release Oct. 2 on Sinking Ship Records. Brackish shared the early single "Your Sinster's … Read more
Italy's death doom Assumption returns, sharing "Tombs Upon the Sun" from the band's upcoming thid album, Paradox of the Arrow. Paradox of the Arrow will release on Nov. 13 on … Read more
Sentient Ruin Laboratories has a new release in their growing catalog: Death Wave, a new record from crust/noise band Last Agony of Toronto, ONT. Death Wave is the second album … Read more
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