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Red Rockers

Interviews • September 20, 2026

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

Shrapnel Pop #1

Regular Columns / Shrapnel Pop • September 19, 2026

I was about 4 years old and in preschool. It was a “meet and greet” day and my dad took … Read more

Vivabeat

Interviews • September 6, 2026

LA’s Art-Punk Pioneers Who Bridged Continents and Genres In 1978, Vivabeat emerged from Los Angeles with a sound that defied … Read more

Lethal Limits

Music Therapy

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • September 5, 2026

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

Latest album reviews — browse all

Uncle Acid and the DeadBeats

Shapes of Midnight
Killer Candy Records (2026)

Stoner rock is one of the most astounding and incredible genres emerging in the rock scene today. It's a global phenomenon with countless bands across the world, plus various subgenres such as desert rock, stoner doom and psychedelic (heavily influenced by the original psychedelic bands of the '60s and '70s). At the forefront of this genre and in the vanguard … Read more

Various Artists

Tightwire / Canadian Rifle - Nietzsche
Red Scare Industries (2026)

Available in a black and white print gatefold sleeve, this is a 2-band, 6-song split 7". The gate fold is a nice touch to a classic split 7", complete with full lyric sheets. When the needle hits it's cleanly produced pop-punk in the vein of Lookout Records, built on crisp melodies and harmonies. While it's bright and sunny in sound, … Read more

Sweeping Promises

You Say I Romanticize
Sub Pop (2026)

What strikes me foremost about this record are the vocals. As the father of a 13 y.o. daughter I feel qualified to say that this person could be a pop singer. I mean I don’t really know what it takes to be one, although I’m sure that it’s more than a voice good enough to win a game show, I’ve … Read more

Moonraker

Me and the Bells
Punkerton Records (2026)

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

Additional album reviews

Dreamwell

Hymns for the Denial of God
Prosthetic (2026)

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 … Read more

Wine Lips

TV Dinner
Stomp Records (2026)

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, … Read more

Psycho Beets

Horrendum
Trash Wax, White Riot Records (2026)

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 … Read more

Manicdotes

Eight Lives Down
Independent (2026)

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

Maruja

Pain to Power
Music For Nations (2025)

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Look Down on Us”, “Born to Die”, “Break the Tension”, “Trenches” Ahead of their 100 Club appearance this September, Maruja’s latest release, 2025’s debut album Pain to … Read more

Onelinedrawing

RAINBOWMACHINE
Iodine (2026)

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

Professor and the Madman

Dreamworld
FullerTone Records (2026)

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

Chat Pile

Who Loves The Sun
Flenser (2026)

If Chat Pile were a film, they would be a dark thriller. The kind that builds tension until the end and, once we reach the third act, still might not … Read more

News headlines — browse all

SPB featured stream: MEGAFAUNA

Posted in Records on September 25, 2026

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

What Enormous Things Have Happened with Broadheart

Posted in Records on October 13, 2026

St. Louis, MO based Broadheart shared "Seedy" today, a single from new album What Enormous Things Have Happened, which releases at the end of the month on Oct. 30 via … Read more

Small Doses return with 4 more songs

Posted in Records on October 12, 2026

Asheville, SC band Small Doses is back with a small dose of punk rock in the form of the new Don't Not Tread On Me EP, out later this month … Read more

3 new Midira records in October

Posted in Records on October 12, 2026

Midira Records has announced three new records, all out this month: Nexjungle - Sometimes. A one-track magical, dark and ambient record. Najda - A Geneve. A live album recorded during … Read more

Re-release of The Power's LP, Fever Dreams

Posted in Records on October 12, 2026

Allegedly Records is excited to share the re-release of Fever Dreams by The Power! Hailing from the frigid wastes of Frostburg, Maryland, The Power have set out on a quest … Read more

Chemical-X Comes Alive!

Posted in Records on October 11, 2026

Bearing absolutely nothing in common with Peter Frampton, Chemical-X will release the new Comes Alive! 12" on via DCxPC Live / Phameless Records, a live recording from Will's Pub in … Read more

Sub Pop fall tours

Posted in Tours on October 11, 2026

Sub Pop Records just sent us a handy list of label-affiliated artists on the road this fall. While just copy/pasting is rarely beneficial, this seems like one of those times. … Read more

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