Point Blank was formed in September 1996 in Moorestown, NJ.  The original lineup consisted of Mike Ransom (guitar/vocals), Torr Walker (guitar/vocals), Jay Bintliff (bass/vocals), and Chuck Steig (drums).  At that time, a friend was in the process of forming a record label and was looking for a band to take the B-side of the label's first project.  Ransom jumped at the chance for early exposure, and Point Blank won a spot on Chapter 11 Records' debut split EP.  The guys rushed into the studio (aka Chuck's basement) and recorded 6 songs on an old 4-track.  Considering the equipment and the utter inexperience of the band, "500 Pages", "Confusion Road", "Old Girlfriend", "Falling Down", "Don't Come Crying", and "What Tod?" weren't a complete disaster.

 

On November 11, 1996 the split EP with The Pushovers was released on Chapter 11 Records (now Fake Chapter Records), and Point Blank was off and running.  On November 15, 1996 the band played their first show at the Daily Grind in Brownsmills, NJ, opening for Boxcar, Hippopotamus, and Degradation.  Throughout the rest of the year, Point Blank played several other shows at the same venue, generally with the same bands.

 

In early 1997 Chuck decided to move on to other things and Point Blank struggled for a while to find a new drummer.  Both Frank Abel and Chris Lasardi filled in briefly in practice sessions, but it wasn't until Graham Goldman joined up that they found a solid match for the band. With the new lineup in place, Point Blank began playing shows again in late February 1997.  They returned to the studio (Why Me? Recording, Voorhees, NJ) the same month, recording "Molly", "Mark Hoffman", and re-recording "Confusion Road" and "Old Girlfriend". 

 

By May of 1997 Torr Walker had left the band and was replaced by Carson James.  Point Blank continued to play live frequently, and "Molly" and "Mark Hoffman" had been released on various compilations.  The hectic show schedule and non-stop promotion, including some college radio play, continued throughout the summer and fall of 1997.

 

Point returned to the studio (Studio 32, Cherry Hill, NJ) at the end of October 1997 to record about 20 songs, all new.  Among those recorded were "Jay's New One", "The Crack Song", "Politikill Song", "Would it Matter?", "On My Mind", "7 Billion", "The Ska Song", "Surf Goddess", "Los Barrachos", "If I", "Psychopath", "What's Going On?", "Pardon Me", "No Truth, No Honor", "The Hardcore Song", "Something to Say", and others. 

 

On Jan. 27, 1998 Point Blank released "Politikill Song" on the Twisted Records compilation, Waiting for Punk?.  The same day, Twisted Records also released Point Blank's Los Barrachos album on cassette tape.  It included 10 songs (Jay's New One, Politikill Song, 7 Billion, Ska Song, Crack Song, On My Mind, 500 Pages, If I, Los Barrachos, and Whats Going On?). 

 

Point Blank continued a relentless show schedule through August of 1998, sometimes playing multiple shows on the same night.  In August of ’98, the band returned to the recording studio (The Lab, Glassboro, NJ) to record the first 8 of what was to be a 16 song album called First Place Loser.  The 8 songs they cut (nothing more than rough tracking was completed) were "549", "Slingshot", "Lifeline", "Death of Me", "Recognized", "Anything But You", "30 Second Song", and "A.N.S.".  Point Blank planned to return in January 1999 to finish recording the album; it never happened.

 

On December 23, 1998 Point Blank took the stage for the final time in Delran, NJ.  A few days into the New Year, the band went their separate ways.  The band broke up before most of the members reached their 18th birthdays.  In May 2007, Unable Records, in a tribute to the great NJ punk rock scene of the 1990s, decided to release as many Point Blank songs as could fit on one CD.  Under the Radar is that release and it features 33 songs covering just about everything that Point Blank ever recorded, including several that were previously unreleased and only partially finished.  Today Mike Ransom owns and operates Unable Records and is active in the punk band Ransom Price.