Punk Rock Pinball

Live From The Rock Room

The Punk Rock Pinball Podcast is hosted by Mike Felumlee and Stephanie Wysocki, co-founders of Live From The Rock Room and the team behind Punk Rock Pinball. Mike’s background in punk music (Smoking Popes) meets our day-to-day life running a growing pinball club, playing in tournaments, and building out the pinball community. Each episode is us talking through the machines we’re enjoying, club updates, events we’re hosting, places we’re visiting, and whatever’s happening in pinball that week. It’s straightforward, conversational, and pulled from our actual experience in the hobby. If you want a real, honest look at pinball from people who live in it every day, this is the show.

  1. 034 - Building A Community - How Scenes Grow & Why They Die

    FEB 9

    034 - Building A Community - How Scenes Grow & Why They Die

    Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/punkrockpinball Get your PRP Merch https://anxiousandangry.com/collections/punk-rock-pinball PRP Website https://punkrockpinball.com/ Join our Discord https://discord.gg/fhSYYQnhFd Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/punkrockpinball Discover some new music on the PRP playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0T3WsFYqgz8L4hZE4RVCcg?si=gLY738v7RtOi-_ZqBBrRTQ Find Local Tournaments https://punkrockpinball.com/pinball-events/ https://www.ifpapinball.com/ https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments Find Amazing Pinball Locations https://pinballmap.com/ The Punk Rock Pinball Podcast is back with what we think is Episode 34, and Marshall is here too… kind of. (If you’re watching the video, he bails on the chair almost immediately. If you’re listening, just know he’s nearby doing dog stuff.) This week we’ve got big PRPA updates, including the launch of the Women’s Punk Rock Pinball Association (WPRPA) and a brand-new women’s leaderboard built to create a more welcoming, confidence-building space for women to jump into competitive pinball. We also talk about why “women’s divisions” exist in the first place, why the vibe is different (and awesome), and how this helps grow the game for everyone. Then we get into the main topic: scenes. Punk scenes, pinball scenes, bowling scenes, whatever you’ve got. We break down how scenes actually grow (spoiler: it’s not algorithms, it’s people), why most scenes eventually die or splinter, and what you can do to keep your local community thriving. We talk DIY culture, organizers vs. critics, constructive feedback, and why supporting the spaces that host your tournaments matters more than most people realize. In this episode: WPRPA is live: why it matters, how it works, and where to find the new leaderboardPRPA “scene-based” localized leaderboards are coming soon (city/region scenes, not state lines)How scenes grow, how scenes die, and the simplest ways to help yours surviveWe wrap by shouting out friends making moves on the tournament trail, plugging the idea of bringing one new person into pinball this year, and reminding everyone that if you want pinball locations to stick around, you have to show up, play, and support them. Also: we tease a future episode that’s basically going to be Pokémon all the time.

    52 min
  2. JAN 26

    032 - Vermont, Duluth, Chicago: PRPA Events Everywhere | Plus Star Wars vs. Harry Potter

    Learn more about Punk Rock Pinball Association and tournament stuff www.punkrockpinball.com Join our Facebook group -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/punkrockpinball Get your PRP Merch!! - https://anxiousandangry.com/collections/punk-rock-pinball Discover some new music on the PRP playlist! - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0T3WsFYqgz8L4hZE4RVCcg?si=gLY738v7RtOi-_ZqBBrRTQ Find Local Tournaments - https://www.ifpapinball.comhttps://app.matchplay.events/tournaments Find Amazing Pinball Locations - https://pinballmap.com A weird week in the country, so we used pinball as the distraction and ran through a stacked PRPA calendar, leaderboard movement, and why Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is absolutely ripping at HQ. PRPA events everywhere: Madison/Middleton, South Burlington VT, HQ league, Galesburg, Crete, Duluth, Girard OH, and pinolf at Logan ArcadeLeaderboard update: a tie at the top, Cat Davis is grinding like a maniac, and Mike is somehow sitting at #4HQ highlights: Fall of the Empire is immersive, loud, and winning people over (plus talk of Twitch, streaming plans, and the April Bands vs Fans-style event)This episode starts in a real mood. You can hear it. We talk about how heavy everything feels right now, and why we’re not trying to make this a political episode, but also why we’re not going to pretend we’re fine. Then we do what we always do when life feels loud: we lean into community, events, and pinball as a reset. From there it turns into a full-on PRPA rundown, including the first-ever Vermont PRPA tournament at Pinball Co-op, a packed Midwest week of tournaments, and the idea of bringing pinolf to HQ (we need Cheryl’s rules). We also hype the April 18 ticketed band tournament day with Off With Their Heads, Toys That Kill, and Panel, plus the show at Meltdown Creative Works, the limited 20 tickets, the $50 price point, and the whole “punk bands in the bracket” chaos we’re trying to build. We wrap with a bunch of lifestyle chaos (auction drop-offs, Fiesta Ware, a sports card show, Pokémon pinball speculation), a shoutout to Corey Grim’s Planet of the Apes AI joke post that went huge, and then the big one: Fall of the Empire at HQ. Mike goes on a righteous rant about why the game works, why it’s more immersive than Harry Potter, and why the “go get bent” crowd missed what makes it fun. Marshall disappears for most of the episode… then returns right at the end like the star he is.

    38 min

About

The Punk Rock Pinball Podcast is hosted by Mike Felumlee and Stephanie Wysocki, co-founders of Live From The Rock Room and the team behind Punk Rock Pinball. Mike’s background in punk music (Smoking Popes) meets our day-to-day life running a growing pinball club, playing in tournaments, and building out the pinball community. Each episode is us talking through the machines we’re enjoying, club updates, events we’re hosting, places we’re visiting, and whatever’s happening in pinball that week. It’s straightforward, conversational, and pulled from our actual experience in the hobby. If you want a real, honest look at pinball from people who live in it every day, this is the show.