Kristen Swanson

32 years. That's how long Mustard Plug has been a ska band. Just take a moment and let it sink in how impressive that is. These beloved Michigan natives have managed to survive the '90s as a ska band and lead singer Dave Kirchgessner chatted with Scene Point Blank about not only surviving that era but reliving it with us. … Read more

We had such a blast at Riot Fest 2019 that we want to share our favorite moments and also give you recommendations for how you can recreate and/or relive those moments for yourself! Summer’s definitely over, but that doesn’t mean life has to be a total bummer. Check out our lists below and feel free to reach out with your … Read more

For 15 years now Chicago-based Riot Fest has been a multi-day music festival specializing in punk, rock, alternative, metal, and hip-hop. Although festivals are popping up more every year, Riot Fest 2019 still manages to stand out amongst the crowd. Not only does the festival remain musically diverse, but most bands and/or their setlists remain exclusive to Riot Fest. Below … Read more

Shook Ones are a melodic hardcore band that formed around the Seattle area in 2004. The band has not consistently released new music together, with each member involved in other bands and side projects that also take their time. However, listening to their new record Body Feel it remains clear there is still something special Shook Ones have when united. … Read more

Deafheaven w/ Drab Majesty  Neptune Theater  Seattle, Washington August 10, 2018  I saw Deafheaven back in 2015 for the first time and aside from being blown away by their performance, I strongly remember a string of weird bands playing before they went on. Weird in the sense that it all … Read more

The MenzingersMr. Smalls FunhousePittsburgh, PAFebruary 28, 2017 The first time I saw the Menzingers play in Pittsburgh was at this club that doubled as a concert venue and a nightclub. I remember it so clearly because it was the first and only punk show I attended that had air conditioning. … Read more

With a video directed by Carrie Brownstein and starring Succession’s J. Smith-Cameron, Sleater-Kinney share their new single and video for, “Say It Like You Mean It.”  “The video tells the story of a woman who's lost all sense of what's appropriate,” Brownstein explains. “Sick with the alienation that stems from existing in … Read more

Rachel Gagliardi, aka Pouty, (alumni of cult grunge revivers Slutever) marks her return with her newest single, “Salty,” off the debut LP Forgot About Me dropping February 9, 2024 via Get Better Records. Forgot About Me’s nine tracks speak to a series of realizations about desire, self-sabotage, denial, acceptance, and aging, all built on the … Read more

Chicago's alternative rock band Footballhead has joined Tiny Engines, who will properly release their debut album, Overthinking Everything in early 2024. The album was originally self-released digitally by the band in the summer of 2023 but has since been remastered by Jesse Cannon. Their debut single and video for “Habits” is out now and you … Read more

New York City brother-duo, Nick and Teddy Panopoulos, aka Dead Waves closes out 2023 with the surprise release of two new tracks: "Secret Violence/The Visitor Part 2" on the band's label, Entheon Records. Teddy says this about the new songs: "I was tapping into that ghostly, yet beautiful, freeing feeling of living in the in-between states of … Read more