Feature / Music
Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2008)

Posted pre-2010

Top Five Shows I?m Missing Because The World Is Against Me:

  1. 7/9 - Boris, Torche, and Clouds @ First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA

  2. If Boris played everything off of Amplifier Worship I'd be extremely upset to have missed it. I'm missing this show because I'll be in an airport in D.C. about to fly to Europe.

  3. 7/16 - Mewithoutyou Maps & Atlases, and Gasoline Heart @ Ottobar - Baltimore, MD

  4. I've seen Mewithoutyou in many different settings and the intimate ones were by far the best. The Ottobar isn't huge, but it isn't the smallest place I've been to either. Maps & Atlases are from the Westcoast, so I don't know if they'll tour in the East again anytime soon. I want to see how the fuck the guitarist plays the songs they've written; it's almost entirely done by "tapping" so it'd be an awesome viewing/learning experience. Once again, missing this show due to travels in Europe.

  5. 7/30-8/12 - La Quiete U.S. Tour

  6. I probably wouldn't have made the 2,700-mile roundtrip to see them, but it would be amazing to see this Italian band perform. I hope they decide to journey to the Eastcoast in the near future, because I know for a fact the band puts a ton of energy into their shows.

  7. 8/12 - Radiohead and Grizzly Bear @ The Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ

  8. The show is sold out except for tickets on eBay, where people are starting off bids at $70. Who knows how much I would have to spend in order to attend. I've given up hope, because I don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars on the tickets/parking/travel/food.

  9. 8/?? - Aussitôt Mort U.S. Tour

  10. Their U.S. tour was cancelled but their new LP, Montuenga, drops this month. Ever since this French group announced that they'd be touring the States (back in the Spring of 2007) I've been set on seeing them. Just a few weeks ago they announced that they had to 'abort' their tour.

(Tohm)

— words by the SPB team

Related features

Small Steps

One Question Interviews • June 12, 2025

Jeremiah (Small Steps - guitar/vocals) SPB: What song has the best use of whistling? Jeremiah: I feel like the easy answer would be the Bobby McFerrin song "Don't Worry Be Happy". Which is catchy as all get out, but we prefer the road less traveled here in Small Steps. For … Read more

Joliette

One Question Interviews • June 11, 2025

Joliette SPB: What foreign country has been the most fun to play? Joliette: Our favorite country to play shows in has definitely got to be Switzerland. It’s such a beautiful and fascinating place. Despite its relatively small size, we’ve been lucky enough to play in several different regions -- including … Read more

Visual Learner

One Question Interviews • June 9, 2025

Morgan (Visual Learner – bass) SPB: What was the first song you learned to play on your instrument? Morgan: I think the first song I learned on bass was either “No” by Subhumans or “Boredom” by the Buzzcocks. I was maybe 16? and traded a blunt to my boyfriend for … Read more

Skyway

One Question Interviews • May 23, 2025

Andrew Burgess (Skyway) SPB: What is your favorite protest song? Burgess: My favorite protest song? That's a tough one. I think it's impossible to talk about protest songs without mentioning the all-time greats that have held up over the years. I'm talking about songs like "We Shall Overcome," "We Will … Read more

ButcherBird

One Question Interviews • May 22, 2025

Rob (ButcherBird – guitar) SPB: How do you draw the line between taking influence vs. mimicking? Rob: When it comes to human creativity, almost nothing is truly and completely new. There’s a song by Iron Monkey called “House Anxiety” which has an absolutely crushing riff in it -- and it’s … Read more

More from this section

Caterwaul 2025

Music • May 13, 2025

Each year in late May, the 4-day party and noise-rock festival Caterwaul takes over multiple venues in Minneapolis. It’s a stacked lineup this year, to put it mildly, with each night’s headliners FACS, Young Widows, Naw, Pissed Jeans, and Uniform -- and that’s leaving a ton of other great bands … Read more

Guest List: Steven Fairweather (Gob) – The Gateway And The Getaway

Music / The Set List • May 13, 2025

Steven Fairweather is a Canadian musician, radio show host, and comic book writer. He is best known as the bassist of the punk band Gob and the founder of Stranger Radio, an independent online radio station. -- Before the internet, before streaming, before Shazam could tell you what was playing … Read more

2024: A Year In Review

Music / Year End 2024 • January 13, 2025

It's a new year – hooray. And things are off to a fine start, too. If the thought of corrupt governments, AI domination, unmoderated social networks and endless war is causing you to retreat into the past, we don't blame you. In fact, we encourage it! Our writers have summed … Read more