200 bands, seemingly as many beers, and only three nights. Where do I begin my recap? My stomach is still shrunken from not eating right, and I continue to drink water around the clock. It’s a week later and I’m mostly recovered, clean shaven, and my wrists no longer hold …
Dave Hause @ Cabooze Plaza
Social Distortion, Cheap Time, Dave HauseCabooze PlazaMinneapolis, MNJuly 2, 2013
Dave Hause is a busy guy. I swear I get an email a week here at SPB about either a new tour or a new record. Heck, we just …
Die Kruezen, Hepa/Titus, Mudhoney, Gay Witch Abortion, Negative Approach, Honky, Melvins
Grumpys Downtown
Minneapolis, MN
July 20, 2013
It’s a shame that Amphetamine Reptile Records quit putting out new records. The label is responsible for a lot of the noisier independent rock of …
Chuck Ragan, White Buffalo, Jonny Two BagsTriple Rock Social ClubMinneapolis, MNApril 15, 2014
It had been many a year since I’d seen Chuck Ragan perform, and that was with his former (and sometimes current) group Hot Water Music. I’d never seen the man play solo live, …
The Pixies, Royal Blood
State Theatre
Minneapolis, MN
October 11, 2014
There’s a lot that can be said about The Pixies and their 2014 tour—well, about any tour of theirs this millennia, really. I’ll cut 90% of that out, though—briefly reflecting on their …
The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me!, Cory Brannan
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
October 15, 2014
It had been many a year since I’d seen Against Me! and I hadn’t seen Gaslight Anthem at all. Entering Wednesday at the “early” show, it was a nice to check …
Shonen Knife, CJ Ramone, L’Assassins
Amsterdam Bar & Hall
St. Paul, MN
June 10, 2015
Amsterdam is a venue that’s not new by any means, but still feels to be establishing itself in St. Paul. The sound is excellent with pretty good sightlines and …
Ex Hex, Tweens, Pink Mink
Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN
July 20, 2015
I go to a lot of shows. Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised, and that’s what Monday night entailed. I was at the show strictly for Tweens, whose debut I dug …
Radioactivity, Birthday Suits, Butcher’s Union
Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN
July 22, 2015
It’s nice to live in a city where some great out of town bands have friends. It means a band like Radioactivity, who has released two records in three …
NOFX, Lagwagon, Dillinger Four, Strung Out, Swingin' Utters, The Flatliners, Masked Intruder, toyGuitar, Bad Cop/Bad Cop
The Myth
Maplewood, MN
August 28, 2015
No review, see photo gallery below.
Descendents, Modern Life Is War, Color TV
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
September 15, 2016
The only people luckier than those who get to see the Descendents are those who get to open.
Color TV kicked off the show with a surfy-garage punk vibe as …
Dillinger Four, Negative Approach, Kitten Forever, Victory, The Slow Death
Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN
November 22, 2017
I usually try to keep show reviews to the point: Here’s what happened; how it went down; and where it went off the rails. But this …
Angerot, God Came From Space, Off With Their Heads, Khemmis, Murder City Devils, Carcass
Somerset Amphitheater
Somerset, WI
September 29, 2018
Photo gallery below
SurlyFest 2018
The Hold Steady, Bad Bad Hats, Mixed Blood Majority, Static Panic, Rachel Kurtz, DJ Shannon Blowtorch
Festival Field (Surly Brewing Company)
Minneapolis, MN
October 13, 2018
SurlyFest is an annual tradition hailed by the brewery as a metaphor for their overall …
Dillinger Four 25th anniversary show @ First Avenue
Dillinger Four, Pegboy, The Brokedowns, Partial Traces
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
December 14, 2019
I would never call Dillinger Four a soft-spoken band, but they are also very modest one. This was one full display again …
Welcome to Search/Play/Repeat, a playlist blog here at SPB. Aaron normally posts these, but he’s working on some other fun stuff so I figured I’d take a stab at it.
I feel old quite a bit these days. It’s probably a mix of a disproportionately gray beard and …
We cover a lot at Scene Point Blank. It's part of the job, but first and foremost we're music fans. While we talk a lot of new releases in the news/reviews/interviews, music is timeless and we need a way to share it.
Plus, I just love a good mixtape …
Welcome to a new playlist share. Each SPB writer handles the "Search/Play/Repeat" concept a little differently. The important thing is we're sharing music instead of talking about it for once.
Here's an 11-song playlist filled with things SPB has covered this year, plus a couple items from yesterday that …
When Aaron dreamt up the Search/Play/Repeat concept it focused on what he was listening to that month. Sharing the joy of finding old music, new to you.
Well, I’ve kind of coopted it when I take the reins, but so it goes. Each writer at SPB does our own …
