Features / Series: 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.

Browse all 7 features in this category

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 to get a reflection at 15 years. SPB picked out five of the albums below, and Sell The Heart chose the other five for discussion. The label is also hosting an anniversary party in San Francisco, CA in early August and will have several bands playing at FEST 23. Snipers!! Let The Wolves Eat Themselves CD* This was the very first release on Sell The Heart Records. It was also the band I was playing in at the time, so I felt it was kinda apropos to have it be the first one, haha. At the time, producing vinyl wasn't really even on my radar since CDs were still very much the go-to physical media at the time. We only pressed 100 copies of this, but they sold through pretty quickly since we had a decent local following. I'm glad we moved through them since it wasn't before too long that CDs became less popular and vinyl became the format of choice. Though I'm really proud of all of the albums that I've been part of making, this one holds a special place in my heart since we recorded and mixed it by ourselves, and it took about a year … Read more

Red Scare Industries - History 101

Music / History 101 • December 10, 2024

Hey folks, Toby here, and the SPB team asked me to provide some insights about some stuff from our catalog now that Red Scare is (you gotta be shittin’ me?!) … Read more

Kill Rock Stars 30th anniversary: History 101

Music / History 101 • October 18, 2021

It’s hard to state the impact Kill Rock Stars has over its thirty year history. While long-associated with the Riot Grrl movement, the label is much more than that, with … Read more

Dirtnap Records: History 101

Music / History 101 • September 20, 2020

People are going to remember 2020 – though maybe not the way we all imagined back on January 1. Dirtnap Records had originally envisioned a big celebration of the label’s … Read more

Bloodshot Records: History 101

Music / History 101 • December 2, 2019

As 2019 comes to a close, we caught up with Bloodshot Records, a Chicago-based label that was founded in 1994. The label is celebrating 25 years in 2019. While an … Read more

Features / Series: History 101: browse all

Browse all 7 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

More recent features — Series: History 101

Don Giovanni Records: History 101

Music / History 101 • December 16, 2013

Don Giovanni Records started out as many punk labels do: owners Joseph Steinhardt and Zach Gajewski wanted to release their own record, a record that became DG-01 Talk Hard’s Sarah Connor’s Will. Ten years later, the project clearly grew legs. Now based in New Brunswick, NJ, the label has released big records from bands like The Ergs!, Waxahatchee, The Measure … Read more

A389 Records: History 101

Interviews / History 101 • January 18, 2011

In the last 7 years A389 Records has become one of the formeost labels in underground hardcore. Started solely so Dom could release records by his friends the label has grown into something much bigger. With a littlehelp from friends such as Dwid Hellion the label has managed to keep moving. With an attention to details and a love of … Read more