Hellbender Vinyl's Philadelphia space turns PVC into sonic beauty; The Pretty Flowers' media tastes run the gamut
This is Punk Rock Bach for May 14, 2026.
The Algorithm is going to hate this issue of Punk Rock Bach, I just know it.
The formula that feeds random digital music that it thinks you’ll enjoy into your skull can only pull from its databases. I can’t imagine it has access to analog media — from cassettes to vinyl records. And those physical media need to be created by somebody.
This week, we’re saying “F*$% You” to The Algorithm and exploring one of those facilities that makes physical music: Hellbender Vinyl’s pressing plant in Philadelphia! The firm recently granted Punk Rock Bach access to check out how it creates records.
But first, indie group The Pretty Flowers — who in March released its latest album — shares which media they’re listening to. Plus, I’ve got a full update on my C-Note DIY speaker construction.
All in this issue of Punk Rock Bach! Onward!
From radio to CDs: The Pretty Flowers’ bandmates share their listening routines
A band’s third album can be unforgettable. Nirvana had “In Utero,” Blondie had “Parallel Lines,” and Sonic Youth had “EVOL,” just to name a few.
And now Los Angeles-based The Pretty Flowers has released its own third album, “Never Felt Bitter” via Forge Again Records. Tracks include “Convent Walls” and “To Be So Cool,” among others.
This week, band members Noah Green, Sean Johnson, Sam Tiger and Jake Gideon share with Punk Rock Bach how they’re listening to the music they love — whether via the radio or the turn table.
Editor’s note: Q&A has been lightly edited for style, syntax and typos.
Punk Rock Bach: How do you prefer to listen to music?
Noah Green: At home, I prefer listening to vinyl records in the evening when cooking dinner. If I can, and usually listen to one or two LPs per day. Traveling or on tour, I prefer local radio stations to streaming.
Sean Johnson: I prefer sitting unencumbered with a vinyl record, but I find those times to be few and far between as I get older and busier. Since I am on the go mostly, it’s streaming or popping in one of the three CDs currently in my car: Bad Religion’s “All Ages,” Hava Narghile Vol. 1 Turkish Rock Music 1966 To 1975 and of course The Pretty Flowers’ “Never Felt Bitter”
Sam Tiger: Just like Sean and Noah, I love listening to music on vinyl, but finding the time can be difficult. I like to actively listen, and if I’m doing other things I feel like I’m distracted and missing out on the experience.
Jake Gideon: I guess I’m probably in the minority here, but for me the best thing about vinyl is the large-scale artwork and tactile experience of holding the album in your hands. The worst thing is the audio quality. For me, high quality digital audio beats vinyl because it is exactly what the music makers were hearing in the studio. As far as the listening environment goes, I love lying in the dark with headphones on and listening to an album from top to bottom, but more often it’s in the car or on my studio speakers while I’m sorting laundry or filling out questionnaires from ‘Punk Rock Bach.’
PRB: What are you listening to now?
Green: A few things I’ve been listening to a lot are that Acetone box set, “I’m Still Waiting.”, which came out a few years back; The Jesus and Mary Chain “Darklands” (I managed to score a 1st press copy autographed by the Reid brothers recently), and Fontaines D.C. “Romance,” which is turning into a forever album for me.
Johnson: Hank Mobley “Soul Station” has been my go-to vinyl pick lately. I’m buried in the Blue Note catalog because I am reading a book about its history. For rock, I’m digging Mrs. Magician new singles and diving into Sparks again.
Tiger: I work at a bar/venue so I discover a lot of cool artists there. Lately I’ve been into Mollie Jane’s “Get In To Get Out”, and Jamie Drake’s “Slow Burn.” I have a few blues records that keep finding their way onto my turntable, Magic Sam’s “West Side Soul” is a big one. “I’m Cutting Out” by Mike Bloomfield is also an all timer for me.
Gideon: Three favorite albums is a tough one. Today I’m going to go with Michael Penn’s “Resigned,” The Pernice Brothers’ “Yours, Mine & Ours,” Fiona Apple’s “When The Pawn…” and an honorable mention to Jon Brion’s “Meaningless” and every Alvvays album.
PRB: What do you listen on?
Green: Turntable for me. All of my good stereo equipment has come to me through family members over the years. My uncle Steve gave me his late-70s Technics SL-1700 turntable about ten years ago and it’s served me really well. I got my mid-70s Marantz 2245 stereo receiver from my wife’s aunt Annie, who had been storing it in her basement in Maine. I don’t think I’ll ever need another receiver as long as I live. The speakers I have are Jamo S809 towers.
Johnson: I listen a lot in the car and if I don’t want to be my own DJ, I put on KXLU, the local college station here in LA and let them do the work. More than likely I’ll enjoy something I’ve never heard.
Tiger: If it’s not my turntable (which was a very kind gift from Noah), I like to have the radio on in my house during the day. Usually it’s tuned to 97.5 KHUG, which is a little, independent station that only comes through in certain parts of the San Fernando Valley. When I want to listen to something specific while I’m on the go, I’ll use Spotify, which at this point is just a necessary evil in my life.
Gideon: I’ve still got a CD player in my car, so either that or streaming on my phone or computer. I need a new stylus for my turntable, but, as I said, I think vinyl is fun and cozy, but over-romanticized.
The Pretty Flowers released its album ‘Never Felt Bitter’ on March 27 via Forge Again Records. It is available on Bandcamp, Apple and other music platforms. You can see the band next at Hotel Cafe’s “Battle of the Bartenders: Hembree vs. The Pretty Flowers” in Hollywood, Calif.,on May 21.
Photos: Hellbender Vinyl stamps songs onto wax in Philly
Vinyl records aren’t manifested into existence; they have to be created.
The music has to be recorded and then pressed into a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) disc before it’s thrown onto a turntable. Record pressing companies, like Hellbender Vinyl, are the industrial component of the music production chain.
Hellbender, a relatively young company based out of Pittsburgh (its first order shipped in 2023, per a press release), recently acquired Philadelphia’s Softwax Record Pressing. The former Softwax pressing space in Philly, which was part of the purchase, is in full production for its new owner.
Recently, I caught up with Nick Landstrom — the Philadelphia facility’s general manager — and Ben Schurr — a project manager and graphic designer for Hellbender — to take a look around the workspace.
Hellbender’s Philadelphia space has no upper limit to how many records it will produce in a run, but Landstrom said the largest order they’ve fulfilled so far is around 7,000 copies. Generally, the minimum number they’ll produce for an order is 100.
Landstrom and Schurr said the facility has pressed records for musicians such as Michael Bivins and the band Castle Rat. It also pressed the Record Store Day exclusive “Brian Wilson: On Tour 1999-2007.”
Musicians hoping to work with Hellbender Vinyl can visit the firm’s website for details on record pressings.
Correction (May 14, 2026, 6:07p ET): A previous version of this article misidentified Brian Wilson’s last name. It is Wilson, not Williams.
Shellacking complete! Building the C-Note speakers, Part 3…
Shellacking one MDF stereo cabinet completely turned out to be a weeks-long process. Each coat takes only 48 hours to cure — so with two coats on 5/6 of the cabinet, and then two coats on the cabinets’ bottom, the fastest it would have taken was eight days.
Add on top of that other errands, priorities, and last week’s travel to Philadelphia, and it stretched the process out to about two weeks. But finally, shellacking is complete and I’m ready to start applying two coats of polyurethane.
As for the speaker’s electrical side, I’ve also completed soldering the first crossover. As you might recall, my first soldering effort was…well…crap. Cold solder joints nearly ruined the effort (and still might!), but I’m much more confident in the board’s current state.
Next week, I’ll have an update on applying the polyurethane to the cabinet and wiring the crossover board.
What I’m listening to…
The last week has been a bit hectic and I haven’t had much time to listen to anything new. I traveled to Philadelphia for a few days — in part for the photo essay above, but also for a business journalism conference.
While traveling, I had my digital albums — either purchased from Apple or ripped from CDs — loaded on my phone. I re-listened to Flea’s “Honora” album a few times (I really love this record), plus a few random tracks here and there from other musicians.
So it’s been a piecemeal week when it comes to my own listening — which was pretty fun in its own way.
Thanks for reading! Next week, we’ll have an interview with indie musician Taylor Bickett and a Q&A with Jacob Augustine ahead of his May 22 album release. See you then!