Nepa Scene

Kaylin Karr and Nathan Montella of Scranton indie acoustic pop duo Skip Monday are only 20 years old, but they know what they want and they’re willing to work as hard as they can to get it. In Episode 20, they discuss how they instantly clicked as friends and musicians and developed beautiful, catchy songs that, in just a few short months, have kept them booked every week. Karr recalls how she moved across the country and spent several years in Alaska before returning to Northeastern Pennsylvania to pursue music with Montella, while he explains how he transitioned from drumming in punk bands to playing the cajón, commonly known as a box drum, in Skip Monday. They tell funny stories about meeting Sarah Palin and planning a last-minute photo shoot, and they also touch on receiving sponsorships and plans to expand into a full electric band. In The Last Word segment, we jump into the ongoing media debate about actor Paul Sorvino and “The Trouble with Cali,” the independent film he made using Lackawanna County ta

Breaking Ground Poets director Katie Wisnosky and intern Bailey Bloyd are our guests on Episode 19, and we discuss how the volunteer organization helps students ages 14-19 write, read, and perform their own poetry, discover and develop their voices, and prepare for poetry slam competitions. They share some funny stories about working with the students in the classroom and on the road and explain what they think goes into creating honest, meaningful poetry. We also get into the slams and readings and how TwentyFiveEight Studios ended up hosting these events, which often surprise the audiences by showing them just how powerful and entertaining poetry can be. The final poetry slam of the BGP season, featuring 15 young poets hoping to qualify to represent the group this summer in Atlanta, Georgia, is Saturday, April 4 at 6 p.m. at TwentyFiveEight Studios. In The Last Word segment, we read comments from readers reacting to a recent article on a credit website naming Scranton as the fourth most overindulgent city

Due to technical difficulties, we have no NEPA Scene Podcast for you this week. We recorded one, and we thought it was a great episode, but apparently the computer didn't think so and stopped recording just a few minutes in, which we didn't realize until after we had finished. We apologize to our guests this week and acknowledge that everybody hurts... sometimes.

In Episode 18, we talk with local comedians Alan Dudeck and Sergio Marzitelli about their upcoming role in Geekfest, a benefit at Bones Bar in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, March 21 for Joe Michalochick, who has been hospitalized numerous times deep vein thrombosis and diabetes and is unable to work. We discuss how our guests got into comedy and the things we’re all geeky about, including films, TV shows, zombies, comic books, conventions, collecting, and cosplaying. These stories go back to our childhoods and run all the way to the present. In addition to other comedians, the Geekfest benefit also includes musical performances from Prosody, Skip Monday, Attracted to Syn, Phoenix, Years of Madness, and TMO Rocks and a cosplay contest, so all attendees are encouraged to come in costume for the chance to win prizes. For more details, visit the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/416672918498073/ In The Last Word segment, we delve into an article about cosplaying at video game conventions and read

Scranton photographer Jason Riedmiller is our guest on Episode 17, sharing personal tales about his life as well the stories behind his portraits, which include famous celebrities, everyday working class people, and his current show hanging at Loyalty Barber Shop in Scranton called “The Forgotten,” which focuses on hospice patients and the elderly. We also talk about the perils of concert photography, music he grew up on and shooting bands he both loves and loathes, the important influence of German photographer August Sander, and what happens when you drink too much on Mark’s birthday. In The Last Word segment, we read an e-mail from a former NEPA resident who wishes us well and a comment from guy involving hipsters, filmmaking, and zombies. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Scene Podcast is a free supplement to the website, expanding on the arts and entertainment stories covered on the

Scranton improv comedy group Here We Are In Spain makes Episode 16 one of our funniest shows yet. Five of the six members of the group join us – Brit Giblin, Don McGlynn, Rob Klubeck, Jonathan Maier, and Patrick Martin – to discuss different types of comedy and why they chose improvisation, how they are able to craft their humor on the spot, the friendships that came from working together, how they’re been received by NEPA audiences, acting in local shows and films, and their monthly shows at the AfA Gallery that have grown into a steady following. Football, Bill O’Reilly, penguins, the former pope, and other random subjects end up in there somewhere, too. As always, the show is uncensored, but this one gets particularly raunchy, so it’s not for the easily offended! In The Last Word segment, we hear from readers who attended our successful NEPA Scene Mid-Winter Showcase event last week and read some of the varying reactions we get whenever we post about Breaking Benjamin. Professionally recorded every Monda

In Episode 15, we chat with actor and playwright Conor O’Brien about founding the Scranton Fringe Festival, a brand new four-day event coming to the area in the fall that will feature all types of performance artists across multiple venues. The former co-director of The Vintage Theater discusses the Scottish origins and local details of the festival, along with what it is like to act and direct in one of the most notoriously tough cities in the country for live theater. The winners of this year’s Oscars are also debated, and we discuss taking “The Darling Core,” an original play co-created by O’Brien, to New York City. In the Last Word segment, we respond one last time to a pesky comment troll and end with some much more positive interaction with readers commenting on the Oscars and controversial comedian Daniel Tosh’s upcoming Wilkes-Barre appearance. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Sc

Scranton illustrator and educator Ted Michalowski joins us in Episode 14 to talk about his extemporaneous art style; turning the typically solitary act of drawing into a social event; serving as a courtroom artist during the trials/hearings of Hugo Selinski, Eric Frein, Mark Ciavarella, and many more cases that made national news; how to teach and encourage students of all ages to pursue art; and founding unique cultural events in the area like Synaesthesia Social - all while he is drawing us! The versatility of his art leads into discussions about education, the local art scene, fostering creativity, and other topics. In The Last Word segment, we respond to an unsubstantiated comment from a reader familiar to our regular listeners who is consistently negative about the area and ask him to talk to us directly about whatever is really troubling him, even though he’s probably just a troll. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepa

Scranton singer/songwriter Tom Graham is the guest in our 13th episode, and he is no stranger to our studio. Graham worked with our very own Jimmy Reynolds in The Stude to finish his brand new record, “Underneath a Rusting Roof,” so we discuss the recording process in-depth to demonstrate just how much work goes into making an album and why. Graham and Reynolds recall the album’s humble beginnings with a makeshift setup and take us through to the finished project, detailing the choices made on particular songs and the interesting and funny stories behind them, including debilitating injuries, habanero beer, and unexpected technical difficulties. In the Last Word segment, we also talk about ghosts, ghost hunters, “Ghostbusters,” and Graham’s hilarious idea for a new paranormal reality show. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Scene Podcast is a free supplement to the website, expanding on th

Ed Cuozzo of A Social State and Dan Rosler of A Fire With Friends and Esta Coda were guests on the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 2, 2015, so while we had them in The Stude at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton, we asked them to play a few acoustic songs exclusively for us. Rosler played “Cat Sitting LA” and Cuozzo played “Dizzy,” both original songs, and then they performed a cover of “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” by Weezer together, choosing the song just minutes before they began. The songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jimmy Reynolds in The Stude, and the videos were filmed and edited by Mark Dennebaum of TwentyFiveEight. Watch video of the performance, including funny outtakes, here: http://nepascene.com/2015/02/exclusive-video-stream-download-acoustic-weezer-cover-world-has-turned-left-me-here-ed-cuozzo-dan-rosler/

Ed Cuozzo of A Social State and Dan Rosler of A Fire With Friends and Esta Coda were guests on the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 2, 2015, so while we had them in The Stude at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton, we asked them to play a few acoustic songs exclusively for us. Rosler played “Cat Sitting LA” and Cuozzo played “Dizzy,” both original songs, and then they performed a cover of “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” by Weezer together, choosing the song just minutes before they began. The songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jimmy Reynolds in The Stude, and the videos were filmed and edited by Mark Dennebaum of TwentyFiveEight. Watch video of the performance, including funny outtakes, here: http://nepascene.com/2015/02/exclusive-video-stream-download-live-acoustic-version-dizzy-ed-cuozzo/

Ed Cuozzo of A Social State and Dan Rosler of A Fire With Friends and Esta Coda were guests on the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 2, 2015, so while we had them in The Stude at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton, we asked them to play a few acoustic songs exclusively for us. Rosler played “Cat Sitting LA” and Cuozzo played “Dizzy,” both original songs, and then they performed a cover of “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” by Weezer together, choosing the song just minutes before they began. The songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jimmy Reynolds in The Stude, and the videos were filmed and edited by Mark Dennebaum of TwentyFiveEight. Watch video of the performance, including funny outtakes, here: http://nepascene.com/2015/02/exclusive-video-stream-download-live-acoustic-version-cat-sitting-la-dan-rosler/

Ed Cuozzo of A Social State and Dan Rosler of A Fire With Friends and Esta Coda sit down with us in this episode to share laughs and stories about growing up as musicians, pursuing their musical careers as they work or attend college, how their longtime friendship began and evolved over years of ups and downs, and the struggles of finding the right people to make a band work. The talented singers and guitarists also share a few acoustic songs with us that are available separately for streaming and download exclusively on nepascene.com. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Scene Podcast is a free supplement to the website, expanding on the arts and entertainment stories covered on the site and going beyond them to discuss other news and entertainment topics. Each week, the unedited and uncensored podcast features Rich Howells, NEPA Scene founder and editor; Mark Dennebaum, president and owner

After 10 episodes, the team decides to forgo a guest this week and delve into our own backgrounds as artists and how we got to where we are today in our various professions. Some of us had harder times than others, but each of us overcame challenges to get where we wanted to go, leading us to relate some honest and personal stories. Despite our very different paths, we find that all four of us are on the same page in the end for a reason – we’re very passionate about what we do, and we respect each other’s work and NEPA Scene’s mission to bolster the area we live and pursue our dreams in. Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Scene Podcast is a free supplement to the website, expanding on the arts and entertainment stories covered on the site and going beyond them to discuss other news and entertainment topics. Each week, the unedited and uncensored podcast features Rich Howells, NEPA Scene f

In celebration of our 10th episode, we invited local comedian Zack Hammond on the show for some laughs and to talk about all the work that goes into making audiences laugh and the talented local comedy scene that many people aren't aware of. His dark and sarcastic sense of humor leads us to some tangents about organized religion and the afterlife before we get back on track by discussing George Carlin's influence, dissecting jokes and finding meaning behind them, and listening to the story of Zack's worst gig ever, which involved neo-Nazis and guys wearing dildo armor. We also answer listeners' praise and criticism in our new segment, The Last Word, and we debut our new theme music written and performed by Jimmy at the beginning and end of the show. http://nepascene.com/2015/01/nepa-scene-podcast-episode-10-stand-comedy-dark-humor-local-comedy-scene/ Professionally recorded every Monday at The Stude in TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton and released exclusively on nepascene.com every Tuesday, the NEPA Scen

NEPA Scene founder/editor Rich Howells was the guest on Business Leaders Radio with host Marty Wolff on 94.3 FM The Talker on Jan. 17, 2015. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Learn more on nepascene.com.

In Episode 9, Dr. Michael Jenkins, a professor at the University of Scranton, discusses his new book, "Police Leaders in the New Community Problem-Solving Era," and recent national controversies and hot-button issues regarding law enforcement, including race relations, crime prevention, and the role the media plays in the public conversation. We examine both sides of some of the tragic situations covered in the news, police procedures, use of force, and what needs to be done moving forward.

NEPA Scene founder/editor Rich Howells was the guest on Business Leaders Radio with host Marty Wolff on 94.3 FM The Talker on Jan. 10, 2015. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Learn more on nepascene.com.

In the first episode of 2015, we welcome life coach and NEPA Scene health and wellness columnist Rich Perry to talk about his work and what exactly life coaching is, which leads into an impromptu therapy session with Mark. Perry is also joined by business coach Marty Wolff and John Phillips, owner of MCR Productions, to discuss Resolutions, an event at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center on Jan. 25 that brings various local professionals together to help attendees personally and professionally succeed in achieving their goals. New Year’s resolutions and NEPA’s attitude towards the arts scene are brought up as well. We're also now on Stitcher! http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nepa-scene-podcast

In our last episode of 2014, we look back at the year in local arts and entertainment, touching upon the music, movies, theatre productions, food, art, and more that made an impact on Northeastern Pennsylvania. Our review includes our opinions of many of these artists and events as well as some shout-outs to those who are changing the area for the better.