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I was in a band called The Lippies. I say "was" because we just broke up. Again. Hahahahaha! When we formed, we never had any intention of truly being anything more than a local or regional band. Then we caught the attention of Toby from Red Scare Industries and things changed. After it was announced that we had been signed … Read more

The Mimes is a Cincinnati three-piece consisting of Maura Weaver, Megan Schroer, and John Hoffman, formed in isolation and making the most of a unique situation where the three long-time friends and musicians formed a Covid bubble to make something new while stepping outside of the boundaries of their other bands (which include Vacation, Ogikubo Station, and Homeless Gospel Choir). … Read more

Welcome to the first Only Death Is Real of 2021. Not much has changed since the last time although perhaps there is now some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in terms of being able to get back to some kind of normality. Perhaps you’re able to meet friends again, maybe you're in the process of being vaccinated … Read more

This year, The Glass House Concert Hall in Pomona, California, should be celebrating 25 years of business. Cheers should be erupting from hundreds of people, bleeding onto the small street it sits upon. However, like most venues around the globe, what sits on the corner of 2nd Street and Thomas, is just another empty room. April 3, 2004 was the … Read more

In celebration of a legendary music venue, we've asked some of the staff to reminisce about the bests shows they've seen there. Here are Jon and Jenn's top five shows held at the Glass House: Jon Halperin Glass House Booker I only went two years before I found five of my favorite shows...I am sure if I went through the … Read more

There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. The old rock star image of bright lights, fast living and traveling with an entourage is almost patently false. Most musicians have day jobs –- and not just to pay the bills. Jobs provide new challenges, personal fulfillment and, yes, some rent or gas money. And usually when … Read more

About a year ago, we found ourselves in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Out of boredom, I did a livestream on my social media where I did a joke tutorial about how to draw penises. It was a joke that backfired on me. I ended up making a few hundred dollars off that few minutes I was live. The … Read more

Let me do this in my best vintage Dan Aykroyd from SNL voice. Do YOU need more excitement in your life? A little PICK ME UP in these weird times? The "WEIRD AND DIRTY MUSIC" you never knew you needed? Look no further than Wet Cassette’s new compilation album THE COMP VOLUME 1! Here are 20 tracks, 20 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED … Read more

Just a question for you lot: what carrier do you prefer for your music? Personally, I still highly prefer to own physical products. I am old school in that sense. I don’t really have a preference for vinyl or cds. And while I am telling you this it crosses my mind that 90 percent of my hardcore and punk collection … Read more

Welcome to Running on Nothing, the latest addition to our stable of columns at Scene Point Blank. Running on Nothing offers a look at the world through the eyes of Kole, bassist of The Lippies, who have been working on a new LP for Red Scare Industries. -- I just finished watching a documentary on Amazon about Chris Claremont while sipping … Read more

Well, the train wreck of 2020 is in the rearview, but I’ve collected another selection of submissions that Scene Point Blank received in the past year or so that were worthy of note and a bit off the beaten path. Full speed ahead: the good, the spazz, and the wtf. I should note that some of the links in this … Read more

In 2020 I spent a lot of time online -- we all did. I also spent a lot of time emailing with Shellshag, which we eventually decided to turn into a full-on interview. Part one, already published, takes a deep look at the digital streaming model and proposes that band’s take back what is theirs. Part two keeps a finger … Read more

Shellshag is a two-piece band that formed in 1997, featuring Jennifer Shagawat and John "Shellhead" Driver, aka “Shell” and “Shag.” A lot changes over two decades, but in the time Shellshag has maintained its focus on independence and DIY ethics. This interview talks a bit about how the concept of bands, the artistic process and creation. But it’s about a … Read more

One day, we'll all look back on this year and laugh. Well, maybe not laugh... cry? Despair? Curse? Probably some combination of all the above. But we've tried to look past the dreaded C-word, the Taylor Swift albums and the endless waves of home-studio-concert-streams on YouTube by artists trying to continue to make a living to bring you this: our year … Read more

What a year. The (probably apocryphal) curse goes "may you live in interesting times" and we're truly learning what it means to be alive during a period that history will constantly look back on. For all of the struggles the world faced with natural disasters, racial injustice, the global pandemic, disputed elections and disastrous trade agreements (Brexit, not Star Wars), … Read more