Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2009

Posted pre-2010

ARTICLE JUMP

Skin Like Iron/Virgin Witch /

Humanity Is The Devil Zine /

Spiderghost Pressgang

(Alex Capasso)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2009? (In order 1-5)

  1. Nails - Obscene Humanity

  2. Marked Men - Ghosts

  3. N/N - Pasivos Muertos

  4. Punch - Punch

  5. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

What band did you discover in 2009 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

Anti-Cimex. I've honestly been meaning to check them out since I was sixteen. I first saw their name in a distro catalog - Headline Records, I think - and on name alone they always intrigued me. It's embarassing to admit that it took me over ten years to finally hear them. Why are they significant? They wrote some truly enduring hardcore music and a lot of it.

How will you remember 2009? (In terms of music)

A lot of bands really stepped their game up. A lot of hardcore is getting a little more polish on it - but in a good way. I'm also noticing a bit of resurgence of harder, NYHC style bands - notably Naysayer.

2009 was a huge year for reunions. What reunion excited you the most? What band that has not reunited would you love to see play/record most in 2010?

I was happy to see Floorpunch at Sound & Fury. I first heard them ten years ago, but not until after their last California tour, so I never saw them. It still feels good to be straight edge... even with long hair. I'm still waiting for the surviving ORIGINAL members of 10,000 Maniacs to reunite. Perhaps 2010 will see this miracle occur.

What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Skin Like Iron is going to begin working on a new record pretty soon. We have one song that we're all pretty happy with. 2009 was our biggest lapse in writing ever. From 2007-2008, we wrote between forty and fifty songs. In 2009 we wrote zero. Chalk it up to our fluctuating lineup, which thankfully has stabilized now. We're pretty much planning to stay close to home as usual, but we'll be playing Vancouver in a few weeks with AFI. We're also in the process of planning a short east coast tour for the summer. Virgin Witch may get an opportunity to collaborate again soon... if that's the case, expect more heavy shredding. From me personally, you can expect more graffiti zines. Maybe another hardcore related zine for the first time in a long time. I'm also looking to start designing album covers again, so I'm looking forward to taking on some new projects.

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2010?

Minus, Young Offenders, and Natalie Merchant (not scheduled, but I'd like it).

Website Link (Website/Myspace/Blog/Etc.): http://www.blacksummer.com

— words by the SPB team

Related features

Fest 23 – The Wrap

Music / Fest 23 • November 15, 2025

Pure Joy The 23rd FEST in Gainesville, Florida recently wrapped up. Scene Point Blank has been to the majority of them over the past two decades, beginning at FEST 5. I've personally attended roughly half of them. And at FEST 23, I saw 44 bands in 3 days (an even … Read more

The Saints

Interviews • November 14, 2025

As The Skids sang, The Saints are coming!.......Storming North America! The Saints ’73-’78 land on North American soil in early November and will feature original Saints members, guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay, and filling out this lineup is singer Mark Arm (Mudhoney), guitarist Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party … Read more

UK Subs

One Question Interviews • November 6, 2025

Charlie Harper (UK Subs) SPB: As someone who is used to performing and being on stage, how has the book release process been similar or different than playing music to fans? Harper: It’s a bit of both but as I’ve made a few records, the book is so much more … Read more

Beth Seymour & The Lizzies

One Question Interviews • November 5, 2025

Beth Seymour (Beth Seymour & The Lizzies – vocals / guitar / production) SPB: You’re essentially releasing back-to-back albums this year. How did you choose that approach in getting these out to the public? Seymour: There are a few reasons that I chose to release back-to-back albums within 3 months … Read more

Brain Fog

One Question Interviews • November 4, 2025

Jeff “El Jeffe” Seeley (Brain Fog – guitar) SPB: What is a record you love that would surprise people? Seeley: Hi, It’s El Jeffe, guitarist and song writer for Brain Fog, an Okanagan hardcore punk band. My favourite punk rock record right now is Dancing With The Curse by Get … Read more

More from this section

Fest 23 – The Wrap

Music / Fest 23 • November 15, 2025

Pure Joy The 23rd FEST in Gainesville, Florida recently wrapped up. Scene Point Blank has been to the majority of them over the past two decades, beginning at FEST 5. I've personally attended roughly half of them. And at FEST 23, I saw 44 bands in 3 days (an even … Read more

FEST LIBS 23 & Fest Moments

Music / Fest 23 • October 18, 2025

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

Guest List: ADD Records Picks 5 Favorite Leatherface Songs

Music / The Set List • October 18, 2025

This summer Little Rocket Records announced Leatherface: The Peel Sessions, a collection of live studio recordings with Leatherface from the 1990s with the late John Peel. While Little Rocket handled the release, ADD Records took on US distribution for a limited release. Available from ADD records here As Leatherface means … Read more