Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2008

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

LINKS TO ALL THE PAGES

No Sleep Records (Chris Hansen)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2008?

  1. Polar Bear Club - Sometimes Things Just Disappear
  2. Narrows - Narrows
  3. Trash Talk - Plagues
  4. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come (Reissue)
  5. H2O - Nothing To Prove

What band did you discover in 2008 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

More of a re-discovering of my love for Smoking Popes

How will you remember 2008? (In terms of music)

The rise of vinyl, the demise of some great bands.

Vinyl record sales saw a significant increase this year while hard copy sales continued to dwindle. Is this a return to the glory days for vinyl or just a phase? Explain.

I think this is definitely a return to the glory days of the all mighty vinyl record, or I hope it is anyway. Now a days it is so easy to just steal a record from a blog, a torrent site, whatever, well you can't steal the beauty of a well done vinyl record (ie: packaging, colors, bonus stuff, etc), and I think that is one reason it has seen a increase. I hope it continues to increase, but as we get older, the younger kids get older also, and I feel most of them still don't know what a vinyl record is (flashback to Cornerstone 2008, merch booth, some kid asking brad from la dispute what a 7" was, and brad said "it's a record, it plays music, or I guess you could use it as a Frisbee" and almost instantly the kid threw the record? true story).

What was the most memorable moment for you in 2008? (Can be in terms of anything)

Watching my label grow more and more, meeting new friends along the way.

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

Hopefully continue to release some great records that stand out from the garbage that gets released these days. A few fun special one off 7"'s with some powerhouse members (or at-least they are to me in some ways), just more good and true music.

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2009?

Coalesce, Converge, and New Found Glory

Homepage: http://www.nosleeprecs.com

Related features

Time Thieves

One Question Interviews • February 4, 2026

Time Thieves SPB: While you’ve all played in punk bands Time Thieves is in the power-pop realm. What is a personal favorite album you feel is overlooked in the genre? Annie: Teenage Heartbreak (1980) by Sorrows. Heard it with a friend for the first time just a few months ago … Read more

Dauber

One Question Interviews • February 3, 2026

Mike (Dauber) SPB: What was the first album you ever bought? Mike: I'm not quite certain what the first album I ever bought was, probably Dookie or Smash. What I can remember is the first time I ever went to the legendary Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ (RIP). I had … Read more

Ian Glasper

One Question Interviews • February 2, 2026

Ian Glasper (A Country Fit For Heroes : DIY Punk in Eighties Britain) SPB: What was the first punk show you saw and do you remember how it inspired you at the time? Glasper: I'm not sure which was the very, very first punk gig I went to, because it's … Read more

Commerce or Amusement?

Regular Columns / Commerce or Amusement? • January 26, 2026

Howdy out there! Welcome to the introduction for a new interview series I’ll be helming. Thanks to SPB for having me. My interviews are going to revolve around “music biz” kinds of things. Before I keep going, I need to tell you something…I am not actually in the music business. … Read more

The Rousers

Interviews • January 26, 2026

A dripping handful of Brylcreem and a well-used black comb situated in the pack pocket of the rolled up Levis, the clicking rhythm of bubble gum and fast cars, fast girls and twangy guitars while engines from a Ford Thunderbird rev in the sunset. Enter The Rousers blasting out energy … Read more

More from this section

Demos You Want To Check #2

Music / New Kids On The Block • January 12, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and then die out, and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, a little help never hurts! So here we are, your … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2025)

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

Every year we diligently assemble a list of our favorite albums of the year. Each SPB staff member enters the large arena we nickname THE DOJO, and yells out the name of their top album of the year. Rival staffers quickly assemble and shout out their own highly-favored record, and … Read more

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2025

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

For many years now, Scene Point Blank has taken the opportunity as the year ends to formally "pass the mic" to our friends on the other side of the mostly-imaginary divide between listeners and artists. This year is no exception as we ask a bunch of bands, artists and labels … Read more