It's almost FEST time, and you know what that means: SPB has dived in to speak to a bunch of bands and artists playing this year's event. Some are FEST veterans with tips and highlights for newcomers, and others are FEST newbies with their own plans for the week. Read on to hear from a bunch of our favorite musicians about how they manage FEST, and anything else going on with them. The Bouncing Souls The Bollweevils The Copyrights Christy Costello Tired Radio Tides The Bouncing Souls Photo: Josh Casino On tour this year to celebrate the new Born To Be, The Bouncing Souls has also been playing songs off three of their classics, which are celebrating milestone anniversaries Maniacal Laughter (30), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (25), and The Gold Record (20) in 2026. We caught up with vocalist Greg Attonito to discuss how making records has changed for the band over their 30+ year career. Scene Point Blank: How did Bouncing Souls approach songwriting and recording when the anniversary albums were made vs the new Born To Be? Greg Attonito: For roughly the first 20 years we wrote songs in the jam room together...usually rocking out at full volume. Later we realized it was sometimes good to hash out ideas on an acoustic before getting loud. It could go either way. The biggest difference between that time and writing/recording Born To Be was having Will Yip, our producer, involved in the process. For Born To Be we … Read more
Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, … Read more
The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out … Read more
By 1981, the Red Rockers were famously branded "The American Clash" by Lester Bangs -- a tag that carried both … Read more
Contention, I would argue, has spent the last few years at or near the top of the heap of the return to 90's styled Straight Edge Metalcore. I am being specific because there is no mistaking Contention's influences nor their message. This is a STRAIGHT EDGE band that is far more indebted to Morning Again that anything that uses a … Read more
There are albums that use heaviness as an assault and others that use it to create an atmosphere. On The Ruin I Summoned Forth, A Secret Revealed manage to does both. The German quintet’s fourth full-length is an enormous, bleak piece of post-metal, but calling it post-metal only gets you part of the way there. Black metal cuts through its … Read more
There's a particular challenge facing bands that came out of the late '90s and early '00s emo scene. You can recreate the sound people remember and risk becoming your own nostalgia act, or you can abandon it entirely and risk losing whatever made the band matter in the first place. Time Spent Driving choose neither on Lost Leaves. More than … Read more
EP HIGHLIGHTS – “5/4” & “I Killed Uncle Ben” Those who haven’t heard of Alien Chicks by now are sorely missing out. The Brixton trio have been consistently dropping singles and EPs since at least 2022, with funky frenetic energy and a sonic nebula of art punk, jazz, math rock, rap and a whole lotta noise. Released on 2nd October … Read more
Upon first listen, those close to my age and who may share similar musical tastes may suspect that Drink Deep might be a band from Washington, D.C. For starters, the … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … 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 … 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
Two Tampa, FL bands have teamed up for one release, a new split LP called Miller Lowlifes Do Bad Bad Things, out Nov. 13 via A.D.D. Records in the US … Read more
The debut album from UREDDA, Nüwa Mends The Sky, will release on Dec. 4 via House of Mythology. The group features members of Coil and ZU and play experimental music … Read more
Compilations (the band) and As We Shiver (the band) just teamed up on a new split EP, out now on Diverse Chorus Records . Both bands, plus the label, come … Read more
Austin, TX musician and frontman Gus Baldwin has a new solo 12" mmini-LP on the way, Lingered Out, due to release on Dec. 11 via Permanent Teeth Records. Baldwin splits … Read more
American Foorball recently covered The Cure classic "Boys Don't Cry" on a SiriusXM Session. First a limited release, the new take is now on all major streamers along with an … Read more
Guerrilla Teens released a new EP yesterdday, Oct. 16, on Sonic Jett Records. As the title suggests Sympathy for the Decibel, the band plays punk 'n' roll with an emphasis … Read more
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