Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2009

Posted pre-2010

ARTICLE JUMP

Skin Like Iron/Virgin Witch /

Humanity Is The Devil Zine /

Spiderghost Pressgang

(Alex Capasso)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2009? (In order 1-5)

  1. Nails - Obscene Humanity

  2. Marked Men - Ghosts

  3. N/N - Pasivos Muertos

  4. Punch - Punch

  5. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

What band did you discover in 2009 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

Anti-Cimex. I've honestly been meaning to check them out since I was sixteen. I first saw their name in a distro catalog - Headline Records, I think - and on name alone they always intrigued me. It's embarassing to admit that it took me over ten years to finally hear them. Why are they significant? They wrote some truly enduring hardcore music and a lot of it.

How will you remember 2009? (In terms of music)

A lot of bands really stepped their game up. A lot of hardcore is getting a little more polish on it - but in a good way. I'm also noticing a bit of resurgence of harder, NYHC style bands - notably Naysayer.

2009 was a huge year for reunions. What reunion excited you the most? What band that has not reunited would you love to see play/record most in 2010?

I was happy to see Floorpunch at Sound & Fury. I first heard them ten years ago, but not until after their last California tour, so I never saw them. It still feels good to be straight edge... even with long hair. I'm still waiting for the surviving ORIGINAL members of 10,000 Maniacs to reunite. Perhaps 2010 will see this miracle occur.

What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

Skin Like Iron is going to begin working on a new record pretty soon. We have one song that we're all pretty happy with. 2009 was our biggest lapse in writing ever. From 2007-2008, we wrote between forty and fifty songs. In 2009 we wrote zero. Chalk it up to our fluctuating lineup, which thankfully has stabilized now. We're pretty much planning to stay close to home as usual, but we'll be playing Vancouver in a few weeks with AFI. We're also in the process of planning a short east coast tour for the summer. Virgin Witch may get an opportunity to collaborate again soon... if that's the case, expect more heavy shredding. From me personally, you can expect more graffiti zines. Maybe another hardcore related zine for the first time in a long time. I'm also looking to start designing album covers again, so I'm looking forward to taking on some new projects.

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2010?

Minus, Young Offenders, and Natalie Merchant (not scheduled, but I'd like it).

Website Link (Website/Myspace/Blog/Etc.): http://www.blacksummer.com

— words by the SPB team

Related features

Little Low

One Question Interviews • August 6, 2025

Christine Atturio (Little Low) SPB: What is your favorite Disney soundtrack? Atturio: Aladdin, hands down. Robin Williams singing "Friend Like Me" is fire! The soundtrack as a whole goes from hopeful to scary to funny and back again, sometimes even sounding like the music from Indiana Jones when he's exploring … Read more

Normal Park

One Question Interviews • August 5, 2025

McKinnon (Normal Park) SPB: Your bio references math rock, [my opinion] one of the sillier genre names. Is there a music term you hear often that seems like it could have been phrased better? Tyler: I don’t mind math rock as a genre term because it’s simple and descriptive, plus … Read more

Foolsmate

One Question Interviews • August 4, 2025

Alex Gilliam (Foolsmate) SPB: What does the term “Midwest emo” mean to you? Gilliam: After getting this question, I immediately asked the other guys in Foolsmate for their input. Though their answers varied drastically, they all touched upon inclusion. Midwest emo has always been about being vulnerable about yourself and … Read more

Sell The Heart Records – History 101

Music / History 101 • August 3, 2025

Like most independent labels, Sell The Heart started to document a scene without really asking themselves “Where do you see yourself in 15 years?” In 2010, founder Andy Pohl was barely even thinking about vinyl. In “History 101” tradition, Scene Point Blank picked out some of the label's notable releases … Read more

The Planet Smashers

One Question Interviews • July 23, 2025

Matt Smasher (The Planet Smashers) SPB: How did the collabs on the new album come to be? Did you reach out to the artist with a specific idea, or just ask “hey is there something you want to do here?” Matt: It started out super simple, just a “would you … Read more

More from this section

Sell The Heart Records – History 101

Music / History 101 • August 3, 2025

Like most independent labels, Sell The Heart started to document a scene without really asking themselves “Where do you see yourself in 15 years?” In 2010, founder Andy Pohl was barely even thinking about vinyl. In “History 101” tradition, Scene Point Blank picked out some of the label's notable releases … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Music • July 6, 2025

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music we've enjoyed most in 2025 thus far. Read on to hear about the records that have made our top list for this year as it stands, and also some bonus … Read more

Shane Herrell: A Tribute

Music • July 6, 2025

Shane Herrell: Rest In Power(pop) (1980-2025) The Rocker I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible. Sadly I never got the chance to hear my friend Shane Herrell karaoke Thin Lizzy’s "The Rocker." As a singing bass player we don’t have enough heroes. It might just … Read more