Nepa Scene

Scranton bluegrass band Coal Town Rounders sit down with us in Episode 27 to talk about how they discovered this music, learned new instruments, and formed the group; booking and playing various festivals, including the weird ones with drugs and laser beams; the universal appeal of bluegrass and introducing it to new audiences; the transition from playing traditional songs to writing original tracks; recording their new album, “How It Used to Be,” live at home in two days over the Christmas holiday; printing and folding every CD cover by hand at Revival Letterpress; the differences among bluegrass, country, and folk music; meeting celebrities; hoping for a Tastykake endorsement; and the story of how collecting “bad” art from yard sales and flea markets led to owning a $21 five-foot-long cat painting that hangs above one band member’s bed. In The Last Word segment, we discuss how to offer constructive criticism - and take it - without hurting anyone’s feelings or burning bridges and a concert cancellation in