Features / Regular Columns

Contributions on a range of topics from a range of industry figures: musicians, filmmakers, editors and more.

Browse all 96 features in this category

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. However, I am involved in music. As a musician, label owner, producer, engineer etc…I never approached any of those monikers from a business standpoint. I’m a fan above all else and the rest has occurred as a direct result of that. As such, the interviewees will all be drawn from various corners of the music world. It’s important to realize that there are financial implications in various fields of music, but that will unfold over the course of the interviews I conduct. For anyone doing a band, label, blog, etc., I’d like you, the reader, to ask yourself: “Am I in the music business, or just involved in music?” If you’re reading this as a music fan, the question for you changes slightly: “Do I support the music business, or just support music?” These are not trick questions and there are no wrong answers. It’s not the '90s anymore, where if you’re in a punk band and admit you’d rather make money than lose money you’ll be ostracized. If you’re a fan that wants to work at a record label or manage a band, you won’t get any sideways glances by people who are suspicious of your motives. What this … Read more

Guest Column: Allegedly Records

Regular Columns • December 3, 2025

Music touches the heart and soothes the soul. Through personal connection and community it reaches far beyond a listening experience. While it plays a role in our overall well-being, though, … Read more

Table Talk #18 – Preparing For Year End Lists

Regular Columns / Table Talk • November 22, 2024

I’ve talked about having a writer’s block this year. So when I set myself down (after a stern talk to motivate myself) I looked at this blank page thinking: what … Read more

Guest Column: Jon Snodgrass

Regular Columns • November 6, 2024

Jon Snodgrass has been in the music industry and punk scene for the better part of 30 years, playing with bands such as Drag the River, Armchair Martian, Scorpios, and … Read more

Guest Column: Greg Jacobs – The 5 Sketchiest Venues I’ve Ever Been To

Regular Columns • September 27, 2024

Greg Jacobs managed the bands Big DRILL Car, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt, and Supernova and has worked at the record labels Enigma, CRUZ, SST, Cargo, Capitol (for … Read more

Features / Regular Columns: browse all

Browse all 96 features in this category

Our series

We post a variety of features in recurring series – click below to browse them.

  • Against Orthodoxy

    A regular series by Robert F.

  • Beyond Casual Observation

    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.

  • Commerce or Amusement?

    Commerce or Amusement? is an interview series conducted by Chuck Coffey (aka Charlie Continental of Snappy Little Numbers, SPELLS, Chap, and more). Chuck seeks opinions to the eternal question: Where is the line between hobby and work?

  • Don't Quit Your Day Job

    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.

  • era vulgaris

    Guest column by T of Vegas

  • Feast with the Famine

    A cookery column by Nick, vocalist with metal band The Famine. Veggie/vegan friendly!

  • Fest 11

    A roundup of coverage of the annual punk rock festival held in Gainesville, Florida

  • Fest 12

    Our annual roundup from Gainesville, FL's famous Fest.

  • Fest 13

    SPB's coverage of the annual festival in Gainesville, Florida.

  • Fest 16

    Our coverage of the annual Fest extravaganza.

  • Fest 19

    Our coverage of the 19th edition of the Fest – an independent multi-day, multiple-venue music festival held annually in Gainesville, Florida.

  • Fest 20

    All our coverage from the long-running music festival

  • Fest 21

    Articles about the Fest 21

  • Fest 22

    Our coverage of the 22nd edition of the FEST.

  • Fest 23

    Our coverage of the 23rd edition of the FEST.

  • History 101

    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.

  • Jukebox Jury

    An interview format where we ask a band to rate and review a bunch of music

  • New Kids On The Block

    A feature where we highlight 5 to 10 recent demos.

  • On The Air

    A radio DJ profile series created by Christopher D & Matt Hutchison.

  • Only Death Is Real

    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.

  • Remember that one time...?

    A life lived and lessons learned by Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers.

  • Running on Nothing

    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.

  • Scatenato Ma Non Troppo

    We survey some of the other music releases out there.  Results may vary...may get weird, but hopefully something covered here piques your interest.

  • Scene Point Local

    A semi-regular column where we choose a specific area and give a local scene report.

  • Table Talk

    Discussing the state of the music business at the kitchen table

  • The Greatest Story Ever Told

    A brief but englightening chat with an artist who reveals an interesting or unexpected story from their career

  • The Set List

    A collection of items grouped by topic, eg. "Top 5 Worst Beatles Songs" or "Top 10 best '77 punk releases".

  • What's That Noise?

    One-question interviews with artists where we find out about the gear and equipment they use to achieve their sound.

  • Year End 2012

    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

  • Year End 2013

    It's the end of 2013, so here's our best-of roundup for the last twelve months.

  • Year End 2014

    Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2014.

  • Year End 2015

    Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2015.

  • Year End 2016

    Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2016.

  • Year End 2017

    Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2017.  

  • Year End 2018

    Our summary of the best music (and more) of 2018.

  • Year End 2019

    Our wrap-up of the best music and more from 2019

  • Year End 2020

    Our wrap-up of the best music and more for the year we'll all want to otherwise forget, 2020.

  • Year End 2021

    Our roundup of the best music from the worst year (since the previous one, anyway).

  • Year End 2022

    Our favorite music and more from the year 2022

  • Year End 2023

    Our roundup of the best music of the year 2023

  • Year End 2024

    Our roundup of the best music—and more—of 2024.

  • Year End 2025

    Our favorite music and more from 2025.

More recent features — Regular Columns

Table Talk #17 – Struggling Through Writer's Block

Regular Columns / Table Talk • May 22, 2024

Lately I have been struggling with something of a writer's block. But what better way to deal with that than writing about it, huh? I started this year off with the intention of writing a bit more, as I realized I didn’t review as much as I had wanted to. Two months, and a couple of reviews later, I find … Read more

The Greatest Take-Down in Music History

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • March 25, 2024

I was a teenager in the early '90s when a single song from a little punk trio out of the Pacific Northwest single-handedly destroyed a whole genre of music on the radio with one song. As a pre-teen in the 1980s, my music taste was 100% based on whatever I heard on the radio. I didn't have an older sibling … Read more

Table Talk #16 – New Year's Resolutions?

Regular Columns / Table Talk • February 26, 2024

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 positive. However, no matter how positive the events were, it cost me a lot of energy. With my energy and attention drained at other places, I did not have a … Read more

Being a Dork is Cool

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • February 12, 2024

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

Guest Column: Sweat/Negative Blast - The Art of the Split

Regular Columns • November 8, 2023

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

Table Talk #15 – Changes

Regular Columns / Table Talk • October 18, 2023

It is that time of the year again, that time of changes. The seasons change. For some reason I am much more aware of this when summer transitions into autumn than when winter becomes spring for example. It is like saying goodbye to warmer weather and saying hello to yellow and red leaves (and halloween decorations) is so much more … Read more

How (not) to start a band

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • September 25, 2023

It's Like Three Card Monte, But With Bands... There's actually no wrong answers here. I was just thinking about the process I went through with most of the bands I started. A few people in my scene know about this, but so many others don't and I thought it would be fun to share. Write a few tunes. Find people … Read more

I Can Be Such A Turd Sometimes

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • June 16, 2023

This past weekend we celebrated Memorial Day. In my world this is the first long weekend of the summer and it is spent in our yard grilling and drinking to excess. On that front, there's nothing really to report. We spent the weekend with our usual shenanigans that happen every weekend during the warm months in Michigan. To be completely … Read more

Tony is a Punk

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • April 21, 2023

I know this punk guy named Tony. You probably know the same guy. I met him many years ago when he was in his teens and had a rockabilly band called Al and the Black Cats. Then his band The Chernobyl Babies infected my little punk bar with pogo punk years later. He always has a smile for ya. Always … Read more

Walk Idiot Walk

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • December 19, 2022

A couple of years ago I drew up a gigposter for a show I was putting on and used one of my friends as the model for it. It was a cartoony number with her on a couch drinking and playing video games. When I finished it she had mentioned how cool it would be to have a copy that … Read more

The Emperor Is A Broke Bastard

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • November 21, 2022

Back in the early '90s, I found my people. My punk rock family. My own personal group of weirdos and misfits. Some of us wore the uniform of leather jacket, shocked out hair, big black boots. Some of us had long hair, flannel shirts and sneakers. Some wore Fred Perry shirts, blue jeans and Docs. I myself was trying to … Read more

Guest Column: The 1984 Draft

Regular Columns • September 19, 2022

Joe Anderl is lead vocalist and guitarist for The 1984 Draft. They recently released a Spilt 7in with Todd Farrell Jr. (Two Cow Garage) on September 2nd via Poptek Records. Their next album “Best Friends Forever” is set to release on January 19, 2023 via Poptek Records, Sell The Heart Records, and Engineer Records. “Best Friends Forever” can be pre-ordered … Read more

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • September 5, 2022

I went out on tour with my buds in Norcos y Horchata as their bass player a few weeks back. I haven't been on an actual tour since before the pandemic, so this was going to be an adventure. The routing brought us from Michigan to New Jersey and back. It was a solid 10 days out there with one … Read more

Guest column: Townies

Regular Columns • June 22, 2022

The Importance of Punk and Anti-Establishment Music in Rural America By Curt of Townies It is a warm September night (9/11 actually, but this piece won’t touch on that whole thing) and Cheap Perfume is about to take the stage. The stage is in front of a small dance floor, separating the main bar from the back bar. The bar … Read more

Yep. We're definitely in the darkest timeline.

Regular Columns / Running on Nothing • June 22, 2022

I hate this place. I really hate this place. I have three half-Korean adult children. Two of them currently call Chicago home. One builds beautiful violins and the other is an amazing cartoon artist. My youngest still resides here in Grand Rapids. MI. He is a fantastic chef and he is learning three Asian languages fluently. These kids are amazing … Read more