Nepa Scene

In Episode 42, we sit down with Bobby Barnett, the vocalist and guitarist of Scranton/Philadelphia punk band Captain, We’re Sinking, and talk about his expectations for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” why he enjoys the prequels as well as the original trilogy, and we have him recite the lyrics to his band’s epic “Star Wars” rap that few people have ever heard. Then we get into how he started in music, including his ska roots; embarrassing early recordings and demos that Ben Walsh from Tigers Jaw still holds onto; why the challenging recording of “The Future Is Cancelled” almost ended the band and what saved them; how Captain, We’re Sinking’s next album is coming along with the support of Run for Cover Records; the history and importance of the annual NEPA Holiday Show and the arts program it raises money for; why he believes the Scranton music scene has produced so many successful bands and the ups and downs of the local scene; enjoying his work as a substitute teacher, except when kids recognize him from hi

In Episode 41, we return after the NEPA Scene's Got Talent Finals Showcase at Thirst T's Bar & Grill to interview the first place winner of Season 2 of the contest, Scranton comedian John Walton. We talk about how he silenced the bar that night and won the crowd and the judges over; how he became a stand-up comedian; his first time on stage and improving his act over the years; earning his father's approval after years of doing it; gaining inspiration from Chris Rock and Richard Pryor; comedians he loves and hates; the downfall of Bill Cosby from a comedian's perspective; being a part of Dem Scranton Boyz, which includes fellow local comedian Kevin "Fast Orange" Lepka and Will "Half & Half" Robbins; and some theories about the holiday movie "Home Alone." In The Last Word segment, we talk about the huge reaction from listeners and local media to our last episode about former Scranton newspaper Go Lackawanna and ask if anyone would like us to do a follow-up episode in the future. Professionally recorded every

In Episode 40, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the NEPA Scene Podcast by going way, way back to the origins of NEPA Scene in a roundabout way. There was once a great little weekly newspaper in Scranton called Go Lackawanna, where co-host Rich Howells got his first full-time job in journalism as the staff writer. Our guests Chris Hughes and Jason Riedmiller served as the editor and main photographer at the paper, respectively, so with the old band back together, we recall the ups and downs of the two years we spent there fighting the good fight and delivering honest, unbiased journalism with a meager budget and a lot of heart. We discuss the difficulties we faced from our much larger competition and even our own parent company, breaking new ground in the area and leaving a lasting impression, the need for different perspectives and checks and balances in media, some of our best and worst memories on the job, corporate takeovers and poor management decisions, and why the award-winning publication ultim

In Episode 39, we are joined by Diva Productions Artistic and Managing Director Paige Balitski and Technical Director Bob Balitski, along with Helen Lavelle, CEO and chief creative officer of Lavelle Strategy Group, to discuss theatre in Scranton and Diva’s latest production, “The Lion in Winter,” before their rehearsal later that night. We talk about Diva’s original location and movement from place to place before settling at the Olde Brick Theatre in North Scranton, Helen’s creative consulting and her role as an actress in “The Lion in Winter,” the play’s historical figures and how the show transcends this setting to reach modern audiences, collaborating with all types of artists at the theater, supporting original work by local playwrights and nurturing artists, taking chances on unconventional shows, working with an unpredictable live audience, what Diva will open with in 2016, and why the community of Northeastern Pennsylvania is so creative. Directed by Paul J. Gallo, “The Lion in Winter” opens at the

In Episode 38, we sit down with Jesse and Anthony Viola, two of the three members of Scranton psychedelic alternative rock band Family Animals, who are also brothers, and discuss their eclectic style that mixes many musical influences; how they’re able to read each other’s thoughts while performing and improvise during songs; recording their new album “I Must Have Missed It” at home and how it compares to their previous self-titled album; their upcoming CD release show at The Bog in Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 14 with Doghouse Charlie, Mock Sun, and Esta Coda; their Halloween and Christmas EPs; the difficulty of finding gigs and putting shows together when your music is so different from what others are doing; and what’s next for the band. Lauren also introduces her new segment, Rapid-Fire Qs, where she asks our guests a series of quick random questions, and in The Last Word, we discuss the Beards of Scranton photography project and 2016 calendar. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFi

In Episode 37, we return after two months and explain why we’ve been gone for so long (hint: it has something to do with the gigantic fire at the Sandone Tire warehouse right next to the studio and almost losing everything) before talking to our guest, Tom Borthwick, who is a teacher in the Riverside School District, the communications director for his union, an adjunct professor at Marywood University, a political blogger, and a science fiction writer. We discuss the local and national elections; disenfranchised voters and why they’re not coming out to the polls; the working conditions of teachers and the current state of education; teachers’ strikes, particularly in Scranton; the increasing challenges of teaching modern students; Northeastern Pennsylvania politics and the role that media plays in informing voters; blogging and making enemies; and Borthwick’s firsthand experience running for school board and working with the John Kerry presidential campaign. We also get into “Solacium,” the indie film adapta

In Episode 14, we sample Weyerbacher Brewing Company’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Monkey Business Banana IPA by Burn ‘Em Brewing, and ReDANKulous Imperial Red IPA by Founders Brewing Company and talk about the awesome artwork on Burn ‘Em Brewing bottles, cheesy eco horror movies and the awfulness of “The Happening,” anime movies like “Vampire Hunter D,” Japanese Spider-Man, the hilarious dubbed Spike TV show “MXC,” our favorite NES games, writing to Nintendo Power, “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” the “American Horror Story” cycle of love and hate every season, and why paranormal investigation shows and Ouija boards are full of crap. Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column on nepascene.com is now a podcast! Joined by NEPA Scene founder and editor Rich Howells and beer enthusiast George Zvirblis, they’ll try a different brew each week and examine it through all the senses, diving into personal experiences and opinions, pop culture, news, or whatever comes to mind. While Derek is an experienced beer revi

In Episode 13, we have a full house as Derek, Rich, and George are joined again by Matt Dapkins of Massive Beer Reviews and a very special guest - Peculiar Culinary Company chef and owner Gene Philbin! We talk about our upcoming Peculiar Dinner with the Dead on Wednesday, Oct. 21, which pairs a scary menu of unknown items with beers selected specifically to celebrate the Halloween season during a screening of George A. Romero’s classic zombie film that started it all, “Night of the Living Dead.” We also discuss our love/hate relationship with “The Walking Dead” and nothing but animosity for the spin-off, “Fear the Walking Dead,” making movies into video games, cooking with beer, restaurants and breweries, and much more! Those who make it to the end of the episode earn special rewards, especially if you join us on Oct. 21 at Peculiar Culinary Company (30 Center St., Hughestown)! The beers sampled in this week’s episode are Dawn of the Red and The Devil Went Down to Oregon by Ninkasi Brewing Company, Blood Lust

While Rich is away this week, Derek and George have a few too many with Matt Dapkins of Massive Beer Reviews and discuss their favorite breweries, confusion over beer pricing, fall traditions, and listening to emo music like Texas Is the Reason, Mineral, and Elliott, among other topics, before thing descend into drunken ridiculousness. Beers sampled in this episode include Almanac Beer Company‘s Dark Pumpkin Sour and Citra Sour, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery‘s Bourbon Barrel Champion Ground, Due South Brewing Company‘s Caramel Cream Ale, Sixpoint Brewery‘s 4Beans Imperial Porter, Goose Island Beer Company‘s Bourbon County Stout, Lagunitas Brewing Company‘s Cappuccino Stout, and Horseheads Brewing Inc.‘s Pumpkin Ale. Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column on nepascene.com is now a podcast! Joined by NEPA Scene founder and editor Rich Howells and beer enthusiast George Zvirblis, they’ll try a different brew each week and examine it through all the senses, diving into personal experiences and

As part of the 2015 Electric City Music Conference, NEPA Scene presented a “State of the Scene” panel discussion in front of a live audience at the AfA Gallery in downtown Scranton on Saturday, Sept. 19. Moderated by Mark Dennebaum, president and owner of TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast, the former and current state of the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene is discussed, problems are addressed, and creative solutions are offered. Towards the end of the program, they take questions from the audience. The panelists are Rich Howells, Joe Caviston, and Greg Shaffer. Rich Howells is an award-winning journalist, blogger, podcaster, poet, and photographer from Scranton. Covering the local arts and entertainment scene for over six years, he is the founder and editor of NEPA Scene, host of the NEPA Scene’s Got Talent open mic and talent contest, and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast. He has also performed his original poetry at First Night Scranton, Scranton Zine Fest, S

With George out this week, replaced by a talking plastic skull Halloween decoration, Matt Dapkins of Massive Beer Reviews joins us as we sample Ensorcelled by The Rare Barrel, Worker’s Stomp Barrel-Aged Saison by Two Roads Brewing Company, and Freak of Nature Double IPA by Wicked Weed Brewing. We discuss Lagunitas Brewing selling 50 percent of its company to Heineken and Dogfish Head Brewery’s very kind and classy cease and desist letter to Pizza Boy Brewing Company that Pizza Boy posted online and attempted to make a big deal out of, touching on craft beer fans and their online discussions of both situations. We also get into Disney taking over Marvel and Lucasfilm, the “Star Wars” franchise, public relations nightmares, “Weekend at Bernie’s,” Carvel ice cream cakes, The Onion, Naked News, and more! Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column on nepascene.com is now a podcast! Joined by NEPA Scene founder and editor Rich Howells and beer enthusiast George Zvirblis, they’ll try a different

George is off again and taking a break from beer, so Derek and Rich sample two very different sour beers - Home, Sour Home by The Rare Barrel and La Folie by New Belgium Brewing Company - and discuss the unique brewing process and surprising flavors in sour beers. We also talk about NEPA Scene turning one year old, the NEPA Scene’s Got Talent competition and the Samuel Adams National Stein Hoisting Competition, the passing of Wes Craven and his legacy in film, the dated cheesiness of special effects in films like “Death Spa,” found footage films and how they can be done well, foreign movie “sequels,” costumed characters and Spike TV’s “Jail,” the new “Star Wars” toys unveiled on Force Friday, going broke ordering from Amazon, punk music, rebooting shows on Nickelodeon, reality TV and judging people, graphic images on TV and the Internet, keeping up with societal progress or getting left behind, and the presidential race, democracy, and socialism. Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column

With George out this week, we delve into our most serious episode yet, as we recorded on the same day as the tragic shooting of two journalists on live television in Virginia. As we drink Smuttlabs Kung Fu Hobo and Schmutzig Hopfen Weisse by Smuttynose Brewing Company, we start off light, talking about hobos and catcalling, before getting into mass shootings in the United States, how news stories get politicized and turned into opinionated commentary, real-life violence on TV and the Internet, the upcoming presidential election and voting on only one issue, the Jared Fogle and Penn State sex abuse scandals, and conspiracy theorists. We also discuss the premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead” and fans judging it too early, the difficulties in recommending movies to others, customer service trolls like “Hope That Helps” and consumer entitlement, and why we’re not sports fans. Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column on nepascene.com is now a podcast! Joined by NEPA Scene founder and editor Ri

Peckville singer/songwriter Katie Evans premiered the first single from her new demo exclusively on NEPA Scene.

In Episode 8, all three hosts have returned from trips to various breweries - Rich traveled to Dogfish Head in Delaware; George went to Tree House, Trillium, and Night Shift in Massachusetts and OEC in Connecticut; and Derek camped out at the Belgian Comes to Cooperstown event at Brewery Ommegang in New York - so, naturally, we go much more in-depth about beer and brewing than in previous episodes as we sample Eureka w/ Citra by Tree House Brewing Company, Nirvana IPA by Brewery Ommegang, The Cask by RavenBeer (Baltimore-Washington Beer Works), and The Calling IPA by Boulevard Brewing Company. We tell stories from our mini vacations and discuss what makes each brewery tour unique, pairing food with beer, the crazy tale of how Derek got alcohol poisoning, the documentary “Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau,” our first concerts and meeting “Weird Al” Yankovic, old music venues in the area, avoiding political discussions, remembering “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, editing curse words o

Scranton singer/songwriter Adam Bailey premiered his own uniquely modern take on "Wayfaring Stranger," an old folk song, exclusively on NEPA Scene. It is available on his debut EP, "Step One." Read more here: http://nepascene.com/2015/08/song-premiere-stream-download-adam-bailey-modern-take-wayfaring-stranger-free/

In Episode 36, our special guest is Dee Culp, the author of NEPA Scene’s weekly column on local LGBTQ issues, Living Your Truth. After briefly talking about last week’s NEPA PrideFest and its move to Pittston this year, we delve into a deeply personal discussion with Dee about being a transgender woman and the hurdles she’s had to overcome, starting with a difficult childhood and moving through depression, school, finding a career, and dating while wrestling with her sexuality and gender identity. She recalls coming out to friends, family, and even her boss, and what it was like meeting other transgender people from the area, who are more common than people realize. She explains how her life has changed since she’s come out, why she started embracing activism and writing Living Your Truth, and she shares the touching story of her mother’s surprising reaction. In The Last Word segment, we react to the comments on Dee’s article on the recent incident at Kildare’s Irish Pub in Scranton, where a woman was allege

In Episode 35, Astorian Stigmata vocalist and guitarist Dennis Condusta is our special guest. Originally from Wilkes-Barre, the goth rock band has spent the last two years living in California and recently returned home after signing with Standby Records and releasing a new album, “Bones and Memories.” With photographer Tom Bonomo of Eyedesignstudios filling in for Lauren this week, we discuss the formation of Astorian Stigmata, how and why they developed their throwback synth-driven sound and gothic Victorian fashion sense, playing in venues on the Sunset Strip and making it in big cities like Los Angeles, being asked to fly out and partner with YouTube to create a music video, handcrafting merchandise and establishing a personal connection with fans through websites and social media, the importance of marketing and business and how they affect creativity, and working with management and a label in 2015. We also ask for advice for local musicians striving to reach that next level. In The Last Word segment,

In Episode 7, Rich is on vacation, but Matt Dapkins of Massive Beer Reviews returns as the special guest as we imbibe three excellent IPAs - Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA, Odell Brewing Company’s Barrel Thief, and 3 Floyds Brewing Company’s Zombie Dust - and talk about classic WWE, Quentin Tarantino films, Chicago pizza, pirating movies and music, beer collecting, and black and white movies. Derek Warren’s popular How to Pair Beer with Everything column on nepascene.com is now a podcast! Joined by NEPA Scene founder and editor Rich Howells and beer enthusiast George Zvirblis, they’ll try a different brew each week and examine it through all the senses, diving into personal experiences and opinions, pop culture, news, or whatever comes to mind. While Derek is an experienced beer reviewer and aficionado (and co-host of the Beer Geeks Radio Hour on WILK 103.1 FM) and George is a beer collector who travels to breweries nationwide, Rich is more of a casual craft beer drinker (and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast),

In Episode 34, we sit down with bassist Eric Ross, drummer CJ Krukowski, and vocalist Chris James of groove metal band Threatpoint to talk about organizing the first-ever Scranton Music Festival at Nay Aug Park, set for this Saturday, Aug. 8. We discuss how and why they chose to mix so many different genres of music - from blues to rap to country to punk rock - into one free festival, the difficulties in finding a location, the lack of all-ages venues in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the changing state of the local music scene, how technology has affected attendance and participation in live events, the benefit of wrapping up shows earlier in the night, judging people by their appearance and opening minds to new music, and the importance of everyone - bands and their fans - sticking together. There’s also a story in there about a very scary picture taken while on tour that involves a cowboy hat and possible nudity. In The Last Word segment, we bring up the Steamtown Music Awards and the Electric City Music Conf