The music video for “Digging Holeswas shot and edited by Postfix, and the song was recorded by Angelo Quaglia at TRAQ House and mastered by Perry Leenhouts (Travoltas) at Point Break Sound.

If you like what you hear, you can check out the rest of Shorefox’s record at their Bandcamp or go see them at the shows below if you’re in the area:

July 10 – The Gate – Hamilton, ON

July 11 – Lola Bar – Toronto, ON

The festival’s 19th annual edition, held in 2026, featured more than 20 bands performing across multiple stages. Organized by The West End Trading Co., a beloved Sanford dive bar and live music venue, the event once again showcased the vibrant spirit and diversity of the ska and punk scenes.

Here’s a look at some of the bands we had the chance to enjoy during this fantastic festival!

The Toasters delivered an energetic set driven by their signature saxophones and trombone, keeping the crowd skanking and dancing throughout the entire performance.

Mustard Plug kept the energy at full throttle, leading the crowd through sing-alongs and an endless circle pit as their infectious ska anthems provided the perfect soundtrack to the Florida sunset.

Spitvalves made a powerful return, unleashing their trademark skacore and taking fans straight back to the late ’90s while proving they still have the same energy and fire that defined the band from the very beginning.

Against All Authority took the stage with their trademark ska punk sound, injecting the night with explosive energy while delivering the hard-hitting songs and socially conscious lyrics that have made them one of the genre’s most respected bands.

The Attack took the stage delivering pure, hard-hitting punk rock, ripping through a fast-paced set that never let up until the very last song.

Dial Drive, one of the festival’s youngest bands in terms of career longevity, showcased their growing potential with a set that offered a fresh dynamic, blending emotionally driven songs with an energetic performance.

Check out the full gallery of the show!

This was my first time at the Zebulon Cafe, and it may just be my new favorite venue in Los Angeles. Living in Orange County, I don’t get out to LA as often as I would like for a show, but I would for a venue like this. Small and intimate, with a pretty good sound system and a low-lit, very chill atmosphere despite the number of aggressive bands that seem to come through. I’ve added it to the list of pros if I ever decide to move out of Orange County.

Ridel High opened the night. I got there a little after their set had started, as they were not a band I had any recollection of hearing growing up, but I wish I had. Ridel High played a lively set that included some rare songs. The band played hits like “Wynona Ryder,” but also some rarer songs like “Blue” from the Japanese-only released Happy Meals comp. Their inclusion made sense as Ridel High was labelmates with Nerf Herder on My Records. Musically, they find a nice middle ground by playing pop punk, indie, and emo. If you were stupid enough to miss them their first time around like I was, give them a chance. Lead singer Kevin Ridel was very appreciative of the love they received. They’ve got a bigger lineup which includes Sugarcult’s Marko DeSantis and Ozma guitarist Jose Galvez, which I imagine gives them a bigger sound. Here’s hoping we get some new music with this fantastic group soon.

When I spoke with Nerf Herder lead singer and guitarist Parry Gripp, we talked about how the band would be celebrating their thirty-year milestone and the subsequent tour. Despite releasing an acoustic version of their self-titled record, the band did stay plugged in. Their set was very heavy with songs from the self-titled record, playing all of it except for “I Only Eat Candy.” Opening with “Vivian” and “High Five Anxiety,” they started the set with a lot of energy and got the crowd pumped pretty fast. While Gripp takes pleasure basking in his nerd persona on stage, he exudes charm and fun. 

Nerf Herder sounded great, even stronger than when I had seen them in the past. Varying arrangements in songs had them implementing a synth on a couple of songs and sometimes without Parry playing guitar, which allowed him to go out to the crowd and sing “Nosering Girl” to a fan. Their set time was a lot longer than I expected for a middle band, and they were able to fit in a good number of fan favorites including “Mr. Spock,” “Pantera Fans in Love,” and the theme for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Celebrating thirty-five years of the Smoking Popes, Josh Caterer had set up two nights in California. Each night had mostly different sets spanning the entirety of the band’s career. It’s a career I wish I had followed a little better during their middle years. It’s blatantly clear that there hasn’t been a dull moment. Unfortunately, the rest of the original Popes were not able to join Josh, but the fill-in band still sounded on point. 

I was not able to attend night one, but based on the set list I found online, night two looks to have had a much stronger set. The setlist between the two nights seemed pretty evenly distributed between the records. While it looks like some of my favorite Popes’ songs were played on the first night, songs like “Rubella,” “Gotta Know Right Now,” and Josh’s pushback against the current administration, “Allegiance,” felt stronger in my opinion. He even threw in a couple of songs from their covers-only album, The Party’s Over. Josh closed the set with the first song on the band’s first EP, “Sandra,” about actress Sandra Bernhard. While it doesn’t seem like Josh plans on stopping anytime soon, it was a nice full-circle moment for his songwriting. He seemed as proud of it as he does about the band’s bigger hits.

This was, hands down, one of the best concerts I’ve been to this year, if not in a while. I hate when people chalk shows like this up to nostalgia. Nostalgia is passive; longevity is active. It was three bands coming together, playing some great sets to celebrate the passion they have after all these years and the love we have back for them. Nostalgia always feels like a money grab; this was far from that.

First on and opening the night was Brooklyn’s own Big Girl. I was really stoked to see them on the bill, as they’ve been on my radar for a while now since their debut album “Big Girl vs. God” dropped back in 2023. Highly recommend if you’re into bands like: Pinkshift, Wetleg, WAAX.

Since forming in 2018 and their debut E.P. release in 2023 “You’re Welcome”, they have carved out a space as one of the loudest voices in the current punk resurgence. They tackle topics from misogyny and queer identity, to toxic workplace culture and political frustration.

As mentioned earlier, Lambrini Girls have built a reputation around their live performances, vocal advocacy, and they delivered exactly what we came for.. which included a huge cardboard cut-out of Elon Musk that was left in the pit for attendees to decide what to do with it (don’t worry, they didn’t let us down and completely obliterated it).

But this is exactly what makes Lambrini Girls stand out.. it isn’t just the music that they play and perform, but it’s also the sense of community and solidarity that they bring to the forefront.

In an era where so much feels exhausting and out of an episode of The Twilight Zone, Lambrini Girls offer something very necessary for us: a reminder that anger can be productive, humor can be weaponized, and a room full of strangers singing along suddenly become friends. Pheobe and Selin: ya’ll are welcome here in Brooklyn at any time.

Check out more photos on Instagram!

Last year when I spoke with Apollo City Comics head Brandon Bloxdorf about the first edition of their anthology series, This Comic Kills Fascists, he had teased that the second volume was already in the works. The book itself thrives on that line where punk rock, comics, and politics meet. Many people think that the only thing punk rock and indie comics have in common is their DIY aesthetic. While that similarity is a big one, they share a lot of the same ideologies and beliefs in their art. 

That being said, Apollo City Comics is back again with This Comic Kills Fascists: Dos. This time it’s bigger and better with essays, comics, and resources to push back against the fascism that seems to be showing more of itself as each day goes on. However, they need your help:

INDIE COMIC CREATORS LAUNCH SEQUEL to PROTEST ANTHOLOGY

“WE the PEOPLE of APOLLO CITY COMICS in order to reform this union, have crafted essays, pinups, comix, and resources rejecting fascism, sexism, xenophobia, racism, and hate. 

JULY 4th—Inspired by the protest songs and civil rights rally’s APOLLO CITY COMICS is dropping the sequel to last year’s HIT protest Anthology “This Comic Kills Fascists”. Released January 2025 as part of a response to the election. This year’s follow up is sure to make conservatives and centrists squirm in the name of humanity.

Apollo City Comics is headed by Brandon Bloxdorf a punk rock bass player turned podcaster to editor in chief. Brandon put out a call in late 2024 to collect submissions for what was planned as a print at home zine, but when the submissions started coming…Bloxdorf knew this was NO zine, it NEEDED to be SEEN. 

The first volume scorched the Convention circuit across the US, and was ACC’s biggest seller both digitally and physically in 2025, so how do you follow up the biggest release? With an EVEN LARGER BOOK. “This Comic Kills Fascists dos” comes correct with resources, pinups, essays, poems, and yes COMICS too. Filled with biting satire and heartfelt declarations, this volume is the status quo’s worst nightmare. Rejecting the current state of affairs and speaking truth to power. These artists are mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore.

The Kickstarter for the Comic Kills Fascists launches today. Click here, or head on over to the Apollo City Comics website for more information. The fight is never easy, but the fight is what keeps us going.

Four Records Soundtrack Roundtable choices:

Forrest Gaddis: Grosse Pointe Blank

Jennie Cotterill: Tank Girl

Andy Bechdolt: Songwriter

Jason Stone: Singles

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www.DyingScene.com

Opening song: Rad Skulls – Loud as Shit

Closing song: Lucas Perea – Underneath Ashes

Sonnichsen’s telling of the band’s origin is just as crazy as the band’s own output and told as strangely as the songs that inhabit their records. His writing breaks new ground in the Milkmen’s story, finally getting the straight story rather than the fun but fabricated ways that only the Dead Milkmen would invent in past interviews or fan club correspondence. Sonnichsen dispels some of the myths the band had set up for themselves, giving an accurate origin story put down on paper. Some people may get upset when that magic and mystery are destroyed, but it also shows the band’s inventiveness on a different level.

Sonnichsen perfectly captures the Dead Milkmen in the way they could be presented achieving this amazing feat by making each chapter an essay that could stand on its own working individually and together to tell the Milkmen’s story. This structure affects the pace a bit, but it achieves the book’s goal in its own way. The book isn’t lengthy, but it is a curated buffet that gets to the core of the band. It tells the story in mostly chronological order, but uses the themes of each along with the title of a song as a chapter name. Whether these titles are metaphorical or analytical, as in the chapter that is a deconstruction of a song like “Bitchin’ Camaro” told in five crashes or moments that Sonnichsen feels make the song. It remains another interesting way to present the Dead Milkmen’s story.

Sometimes thought of as a punk comedy troupe, the band operates in the space of comedy, satire, and sometimes political humor. His comparison of the band to the Marx Brothers even goes so far as to assign one brother to each band member. He does point out that there are more punk rock bands that are humorous outside of the Dead Milkmen. Rodney’s obsession with TV puts him on the same level as Americans, while still being able to critique their laughable aspects. There aren’t a lot of bands that would get away with songs like “I Dream of Jesus” or “Beach Party Vietnam,” but the Dead Milkmen do. It’s not the use of humor, but rather the type and its surrealness that makes the Dead Milkmen’s brand stick out.

The range of musical influences spreads much farther than you would think. The Dead Milkmen cite musical influences like The Beatles and Wings, along with the punk rock bands they played shows with. However, Sonnichsen argues that The Dead Milkmen are a hardcore punk band that was influenced by a number of bands they were peers with from the 1980s hardcore era of American punk rock. While The Dead Milkmen concede their sound is much more complicated than that, Sonnichsen shows how The Dead Milkmen’s influences contradict what people assume about them.

J Card’s roster of books for small but seminal bands gives an opportunity to dive into these stories that no one else will tackle. Their inclusion of Tyler Sonnichsen’s Dead Milkmen biography fits perfectly. Their story is as interesting as any other band’s. While unfortunately tragic in spots, The Dead Milkmen’s story is told with the humor and care that only a well-informed fan can give. Sonnichsen’s biography is a must-have for fans of the band who have laughed at America and themselves, even if you didn’t get the joke.

Pick up the Dead Milkmen by Tyler Sonnichsen and other books at J Card Press.

The doom-groove No Men sends shivers down your spine with deep vibrato and grinding riffs, transporting you into a trance. Or, as a friend put it, “I think this band just burped me.” 

Pursley leads on vocals and occasionally jumps in on a floor tom and snare, adding to the already blistering drumming.

This was a particularly special show for the fun and fab drag-fronted Bev Rage & The Drinks as it marked their 10-year anniversary as a band.  Starting with their 2016 debut self-released EP, Don’t Know Shit, Bev Rage & The Drinks have since released several full-length albums, numerous creative music videos and voted Chicago’s Best Punk Band by readers of the Chicago Reader for 2024 and 2025. 

The high-energy queer punk band from North Carolina, Babe Haven immediately got the room moving into a sweating frenzy while blasting through aggressively fierce and powerful songs such as “Nuisance”, “Uppercut” and “Gas Pedal”.

Having just finished their appearance at Camp Punksylvania (along with Bev Rage & The Drinks), Babe Haven will be touring the EU/UK this fall with Latter followed by a US West Coast tour.

Check out the full galleries below!

A lot of bands want to move on from the melodic skate punk sound that they started playing in their youth, but Almighty Trigger Happy leans into it with their two contributions to the record. Their first song, “The Ghost of Jim Cherry,” is about the fallen punk rock bass player of Strung Out, Pulley, and his own band Zero Down. Their two-minute ode is the strongest song on the split and a fantastic way to start this record. Working simultaneously as a memorial and a song in the vein of the era, Almighty Trigger Happy Tribute is a riffy remembrance for a fallen friend. Much faster in tempo, Almighty Trigger Happy’s half also includes a cover of “Cops Ain’t Tops” by Chronic Submission. The band is currently working on a full-length LP, but these two songs are a good sample of what’s ahead.

While HET UP! may have been formed during the pandemic, they sound like they’ve been around for much longer. After releasing an album in 2023, the band continues to release a couple of songs here and there to keep their fans satiated. Their first song, “Down with You,” is a pop-punk song with fingerprints of genres from a decades-long history. The best way to describe it would be melodic and fun. “Smile… (See You In Hell)” is a different beast, although from the same era. A double-bass-pedaled punk song that sounds straight from Fat Wreck Chords in the mid-1990s.

This is a solid EP. The musicianship, the sound, and, more importantly, the songs are all top-notch. These songs feel more like contributions to the era, rather than homage. Pick up the Almighty Trigger Happy/Het Up! split on Cursed Blessings Records.