I first met Daryl from The Bollweevils during a post-Riot Fest brunch thing years ago. I was there for the weekend with the Mustard Plug guys and a few months before, Red Scare had signed The Lippies. I showed up to Cobra Lounge on a Sunday morning to hang with Toby from Red Scare and catch the show before I scooted out of town. It was there that Toby introduced me to Daryl. The energy coming off this guy was electric and positive. We became fast friends and any time I was in Chicago doing punk rock things I would run into him and we'd have some laughs. He is truly one of the more interesting characters I have met and I was excited at the chance to actually interview him. As well as being the frontman for one of Chicago's OG punk bands, he is a doctor, family man, and a shining example of the power of punk rock. The Bollweevils released Essential in May of last year on Red Scare. It's a banger. Put it on in the background while you're reading this. Photo: Loren Green Scene Point Blank: The Bollweevils just dropped a brand new album back in May of 2023 on Red Scare. I love it! You guys aren't fucking around here! You leaned into that ‘90s thrashy, melodic skatepunk that I came up on. I'm also loving the tinges of Bad Brains thrown in there. When I write a song, I'm usually going for a vibe or a … Read more
There are a lot of misconceptions about life in the music biz. While late nights and travel are a big part of it, day jobs always influence the process and … Read more
Last year was a strange year. A lot happened in my private life which led to me not doing as much as I wanted to do. Some negative, but mostly … Read more
Ramona Jan has a storied career as a pioneer who established herself as an audio engineer in an industry largely dominated by men. With Ramona’s connection to Mediasound, she orchestrated … Read more
Hello, this is Kepi Ghoulie (formerly of the Groovie Ghoulies) and I have been asked to submit a number of Anti-Valentine songs, since I have been recording an annual audio … Read more
An in-depth discussion with a band or artist, generally in the form of a straight Q&A – no editorializing.
Album streams, our Set List "top five..." features, our year-end "best of" lists and other music-related miscellany.
Quite literally, a one question interview. Also known as 1QIs, we post these first to our social media on a near-daily basis, with the archival piece here. Check 'em out.
A melting pot of mixed content: movie, book and even video game reviews. Updated sporadically, but eclectically.
Contributions on a range of topics from a range of industry figures: musicians, filmmakers, editors and more.
A semi-regular column exploring new and rising local bands and artists deserving of attention.
By Matt Hutchison -- A Jesuit school might not be what the general population would consider a thriving spot for underground music culture, yet that’s part of the allure of KXLU 88.9 FM. Entering the radio station’s cluttered, vinyl-stacked, and sticker-tacked fourth floor production area is like stepping into another world outside the sleek white, palm-tree-lined idyllic confines of Loyola … Read more
We post a variety of features in recurring series – click below to browse them.
A regular series by Robert F.
A wide-ranging guest column written by BJ from Ancient Shores, mainly covering film but extending into philosophy and aesthetics too. Check out BJ's work on the A389 podcast.
How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music.
Guest column by T of Vegas
A cookery column by Nick, vocalist with metal band The Famine. Veggie/vegan friendly!
A roundup of coverage of the annual punk rock festival held in Gainesville, Florida
Our annual roundup from Gainesville, FL's famous Fest.
SPB's coverage of the annual festival in Gainesville, Florida.
Our coverage of the annual Fest extravaganza.
Our coverage of the 19th edition of the Fest – an independent multi-day, multiple-venue music festival held annually in Gainesville, Florida.
All our coverage from the long-running music festival
Articles about the Fest 21
We dive into the back catalog of a record label and ask them to nominate their most memorable releases from their label's history–with a few suggestions of our own.
An interview format where we ask a band to rate and review a bunch of music
A radio DJ profile series created by Christopher D & Matt Hutchison.
There’s so much music released, whether physically or digitally, that keeping up with what’s going on becomes almost like a full time job. With Only Death Is Real, the aim is to bring you something new.
A life lived and lessons learned by Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers.
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, guitarist of The Bloody Lips, and gigposter artist.
We survey some of the other music releases out there. Results may vary...may get weird, but hopefully something covered here piques your interest.
A semi-regular column where we choose a specific area and give a local scene report.
Discussing the state of the music business at the kitchen table
A brief but englightening chat with an artist who reveals an interesting or unexpected story from their career
A collection of items grouped by topic, eg. "Top 5 Worst Beatles Songs" or "Top 10 best '77 punk releases".
One-question interviews with artists where we find out about the gear and equipment they use to achieve their sound.
A collection of coverage rounding up the year 2012, covering our favorite albums, shows, bands, and more, as well as asking record labels and bands about their past twelve months in music
It's the end of 2013, so here's our best-of roundup for the last twelve months.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2014.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2015.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2016.
Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2017.
Our summary of the best music (and more) of 2018.
Our wrap-up of the best music and more from 2019
Our wrap-up of the best music and more for the year we'll all want to otherwise forget, 2020.
Our roundup of the best music from the worst year (since the previous one, anyway).
Our favorite music and more from the year 2022
Our roundup of the best music of the year 2023
It's ok to like ska. I'm not kidding. It is perfectly acceptable to like ska. With the current explosion of young ska bands coming up and their growing popularity, I've heard some peers kind of dragging on ska. That's ridiculous. The original ska music was VERY rebellious music. It was working class. And it was damn good. Go back and … Read more
Earlier this year I reviewed The Leaves Of Autumn Symmetry. I really enjoyed the EP. So, when the band contacted us if I wanted to do an interview my first thought was it could be awesome to catch a glimpse behind the creative process of this band. You can read the end result of our short and pleasant exchange here. Scene … Read more
There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. 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. How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene … Read more
Arkhtinn – 三度目の災害 (Prava Collective) The mysterious Prava Collective release music by a handful of artists (who may or may not be in every band or at least more than one), each digital drop containing a plethora of music that encompasses the entire label’s roster while Amor Fati handle the physical side of things. Arkhtinn were the first to come out of … Read more
Another year is over. You yawn wearily as January beckons, trying to remember what your job is and clinging onto those hastily-made new year's resolutions. Maybe one of them was to listen to more new music this year? Better slow down there, buddy. Before you start diving into 2024, you need to catch up on what you missed last year. … Read more
As we've done every year since 2004 (except, for some reason, in 2017), SPB's hard-working staffers have beavered away around the clock to deliver you a set of lists to help you review the year just finished. Not a list of our favorite albums—you can peruse that here—but all kinds of other things we discovered in 2023. Read on to … Read more
Doctor Explosion first "exploded" (yes that was intentional) onto the scene in 1989 from a picturesque city along the coastal area of Northern Spain. Perhaps, not a household name in North America yet but these things take time much, like when you sip a fine Scotch and let it slowly wash over your palette and enter your bloodstream. I had … Read more
It's been a long year, right? You may well find yourself examining the last twelve months and trying to remember what music got released so you can include it on your "2023 best of" and still look cool. But—disaster! You can't remember anything! Thankfully, SPB has got you. We've reached out to our friends in the music community: bands, labels and … Read more
David Scott Schwartzman's "If It's Tuesday This Must Be Walla Walla": The Wacky History of Adrenalin O.D The Wacky Hi-Jinx of David Scott Schwartzman Often deemed the funniest band in hardcore, A.O.D. were a staple in the heart of hardcore: laughing their way out of New Jersey into nearby towns, cities and into many a filthy punks hearts. A.O.D. were … Read more
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
By Matt Hutchison -- A Jesuit school might not be what the general population would consider a thriving spot for underground music culture, yet that’s part of the allure of KXLU 88.9 FM. Entering the radio station’s cluttered, vinyl-stacked, and sticker-tacked fourth floor production area is like stepping into another world outside the sleek white, palm-tree-lined idyllic confines of Loyola … Read more
The secret is now out: Blag Dahlia makes a mean omlette! A really mean omlette. Over breakfast, I had the opportunity to speak to Blag about the recent Dwarves LP, his alter ego Ralph Champagne, cancel culture, the music business, musical influences and spatterings of random thoughts. Put your order in, get the bacon frying, drop the eggs and toast … Read more
With a lineup of 300-ish bands playing throughout town over a 3-day period, there's a lot to discuss about The Fest, an annual celebration of punk rock that takes place in Gainesville, FL in late October. At FEST 21, the headliners included GWAR, Lucero, Dillinger Four, Thursday, Descendants, Tim Barry, Screaming Females...the list goes on. Yet, as I made the … Read more
The split record is one of the most unique formats in the record industry and something that doesn't translate to the digital realm the same way it hits when you flip the wax. Splits take a number of forms, from 2-song 7" records to full-lengths where each band takes a side. Sometimes the bands cover each other, sometimes they collaborate … Read more
It's the most wonderful time of the year! The air is crisp and the nights are drawing in, which for many of us means an increase in horror movie watching and thinking nothing of spending our hard earned cash on new spooky furnishings. The abundance of halloween decor is tempting us all to fill our houses with more candles, plastic … Read more
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