NEPA Scene

In Episode 49, we sit down with Mickey Spain, an Irish folk singer/songwriter of Makem & Spain fame currently living and performing in Scranton, and his wife, Erin. He opens and closes the podcast with a few songs (and even throws a children’s song in the middle) before his upcoming shows at the Tomato Bar & Bistro in Pittston on March 3, Kilcoyne's Bar in Scranton on the first Saturday of every month, The Keys in Scranton on March 16, McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar in Bethlehem on March 17, and the first-ever Steamtown String Fling at the Scranton Cultural Center with The Dishonest Fiddlers, Brother Roy, MiZ, and Christopher Kearney on March 23.

Before and during the interview, we drink Beer Boys crowlers of Harvest Ale, Rubaeus Raspberry Ale, and Mosaic Promise Ale by Founders Brewing Company, a favorite of ours that always delivers solid brews.

We talk about Mickey growing up in Manchester, New Hampshire; how his father, being surrounded by folk music, and an injury got him to pick up a guitar; performing with his brother and forming Makem & Spain; how he met his wife and why he moved to Pennsylvania; recording with folk heroes like Tom Paxton, Roger McGuinn from The Byrds, Jonathan Edwards, Gordon Bok, David Mallett, and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary; whether or not you should meet your heroes; his relationship with his younger brother Liam; his inspiration and songwriting process; creating songs for kids and an interactive program for elementary schools; memorable people and places from touring the world; his initial reaction to the madness of Parade Day in Scranton and if the focus on drinking plays into Irish stereotypes and takes away from the celebration of the culture and heritage of Ireland; Erin’s work with the Parade Day committee and their attempt to clean it up over the years; Kilcoyne’s bringing Irish music back to the area after the closure of The Banshee with monthly shows; house shows and the general accessibility of his music; joining the stellar Steamtown String Fling lineup; his first open mic experience at NEPA Scene Rising Talent and how much he enjoyed meeting comedians and fellow musicians; and more.

We also answer some questions and react to comments from live viewers, discussing Mickey’s musical influences, his beard, and forthcoming gigs.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.

During the live recording of Episode 49 of the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 28, 2018 at Coal Creative’s production studio in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Irish folk singer/songwriter Mickey Spain opened and closed the show with a few acoustic songs.

The award-winning podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene's Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond.

During the live recording of Episode 49 of the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 28, 2018 at Coal Creative’s production studio in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Irish folk singer/songwriter Mickey Spain opened and closed the show with a few acoustic songs.

The award-winning podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene's Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond.

During the live recording of Episode 49 of the NEPA Scene Podcast on Feb. 28, 2018 at Coal Creative’s production studio in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Irish folk singer/songwriter Mickey Spain opened and closed the show with a few acoustic songs.

The award-winning podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene's Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond.

In Episode 48, we sit down with Casey Thomas and Kimmie Leff, members of the Scranton theatre group New Vintage Ensemble who wrote and star in “#vanlife,” a comedic play about the millennial van life trend that premiered at the Scranton Fringe Festival last year and comes to The Cooperage in Honesdale on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 8 p.m. before driving off to the Pittsburgh Fringe Festival in April.

Before and during the interview, we drink Beer Boys crowlers of Crush by North Slope Brewing Company in Dallas, Dry Hopped IPA by Berwick Brewing Company, and Shady Spot by Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston, all great beers we love from great local breweries.

We talk about open mics and developing artists, how they got started in acting, why actors should say no to murder mysteries and dinner theatre, how they met and ended by creating “#vanlife” together after a bad experience at another production, the writing process and making changes after each show based on feedback, why theatre is like an absurd Christopher Guest movie, how the Scranton Fringe Festival developed and benefited the show, the tiny living and van life movements, presenting a fake curated life on social media, millennial criticism and if it’s all justified, their juxtaposed characters in the show, The Cooperage space and the welcoming community of Honesdale, modern hippies and hipsters, attracting and repelling audiences with other shows, the current state of Broadway, supporting small and off-Broadway shows, and more.

In The Last Word segment, we talk about arts funding being slashed locally and nationally and focus on the controversy started by Lackawanna County Commissioner Laureen Cummings, who voted against legislation from the county’s Arts and Culture Department that awarded grant money to the Scranton Fringe Festival. While Cummings was outvoted and the Scranton Fringe still received the funds, we question why she specifically targeted the festival and its programming with misinformation and criticism.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.

In Episode 46, we sit down with Hazleton punk rock musician, animator, and comic creator Tedd Hazard of Hazard Studios, which produces the ongoing comic and animated series Krust Toons and music videos for bands like Condition Oakland, Azwel, The Twindows, Cardboard Homestead, Joe Billy, and Today, We Fight With Peace, among other projects. He also has a rock show coming up at the Hazleton Art League on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. with TreadWater, Markus A.D., Ace & The Kings, It Never Fails, and Vanvancar.

Before and during the interview, we drink Beer Boys crowlers of Minefire Blackberry Jalapeno Ale, 5 Whistle Wheat Ale, and Belsnickler Ale by Breaker Brewing Company in Wilkes-Barre, whose beers we always love (unless they’re brewed with peppers).

We talk about how he started drawing comics; the funny story of how he was convinced to go to his first show that ended up getting him into local music; the real people and stories that inspire his comics and cartoons; keeping the Krust Toons storylines going while making them accessible to new viewers; teaching himself art and animation; voice acting and recruiting others for voices; creating funny characters and where their inspiration comes from; his animation process that’s similar to “South Park;” the influence of Adult Swim, Jhonen Vasquez, and Newgrounds on his work and finding his own voice and DIY style; dealing with trolls and turning them into Captain Dislike; adapting to feedback from fans; creating music videos for bands and the different collaborative process for each one; filming the new Condition Oakland video at the Schuylkill Mall before it was torn down and dealing with mall security; his folk punk music; quitting drinking; the current state of the Hazleton and Schuylkill County music scenes; the importance of the Hazleton Art League to the local scene and booking shows there; cops and house shows; his advice to those who want to get into animation; and more.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, The Keys, Loyalty Barber Shop and Shave Parlor, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.

In Episode 44, we sit down with Rick Gillette, singer and guitarist for popular Scranton pop rock band Nowhere Slow before his two shows next weekend at The V-Spot in Scranton. The first is on Friday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m., and the second is the Action for Jackson benefit for local musician Jackson Vee on Sunday, Jan. 28, an all-day event where they’ll play at 3 p.m. Action for Jackson, which will help Jackson pay his medical bills, features 25 acts at three different venues - The V-Spot, Waldo’s Tavern, and Morgan'Z Pub & Eatery - with basket raffles, a 50/50, and more.

Before and during the interview, we drink Beer Boys crowlers of Nugget Nectar, Mad Elf from 2016, and Sunshine Pils by Tröegs Brewing in Hershey in anticipation of Beer Boys’ 18th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Jan. 20, where they’ll have 18 special brews from Tröegs on tap, including year-round, seasonal, limited release scratch beers, and casks that you can’t get anywhere else.

We talk about how Nowhere Slow got started 21 years ago when Rick was in high school, why he has continued to stick with it all the time, the enduring popularity of the band, their name and his love/hate relationship with it, their four original albums and how the fifth is shaping up, making a living as a working musician, choosing songs to cover and whether or not there is still a stigma with playing covers instead of originals, changes to the local music scene and venues over the last two decades, performing outside the area in vacation spots, getting people to come out to shows, a funny story about a sound wave project for schools, playing to huge crowds on Parade Day in Scranton and some of the craziness he has witnessed, his best and worst gigs, the Action for Jackson benefit, his goals going into 2018, and more.

We also answer some questions and react to comments from live viewers, which largely involve jokes and ball busting.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, The Keys, Loyalty Barber Shop and Shave Parlor, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.

This phone interview with WWE Superstar Honky Tonk Man by NEPA Scene on Jan. 15, 2018 to promote his appearance at the Scranton Comedy Club on Jan. 18.

In Episode 43, we sit down with John Mikulak, an award-winning director, producer, and filmmaker living in Waverly who made the documentary “The Man Who Would Be Polka King,” which inspired the new movie “The Polka King” starring Jack Black that premieres on Netflix this Friday, Jan. 12. His original 2009 movie will also return to Netflix on Jan. 12, and he has some interesting stories about making the film about real-life Hazleton polka legend and convicted con man Jan “Lewan” Lewandowski as well as the long journey to getting it made into a Hollywood production. While this episode was recorded, several local musicians (including some who played in Lewan’s actual band) were in New York City performing with Black on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which aired later that night.

Before and during the interview, we drink crowlers from Beer Boys of Not Today Satan IPA, Wonka Bar Milk Stout, and Miss Betty by Mispillion River Brewing Company.

John sums up the crazy true story of Polish immigrant-turned-eccentric-polka-singer Jan Lewan for those who never heard it and we talk about how his interest in journalism transitioned into filmmaking and multimedia production, how he first heard about and met with Lewan, why he initially turned him down when asked to write his life story and why he later ended up making it into a documentary, how he was able to finance this indie project and the years of work he put in, what it was like chronicling this story from all sides and talking to the sad and angry victims of the Ponzi scheme, what he learned from the darker parts of this crime, Lewan’s Donald Trump connection, how Hollywood became interested in adapting the story and the many different versions that never came to be, visiting the set and meeting stars like Jack Black and Jason Schwartzman, attending the Sundance Film Festival premiere, Netflix buying the movie and how he feels about streaming versus traditional theatrical releases, his original Troma movie “The Deviants” that takes place in NEPA, his short videos about local people and his recent work for WVIA that tied into Ken Burns’ “The Vietnam War” series, advice he would give to aspiring indie filmmakers, and more.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, The Keys, Loyalty Barber Shop and Shave Parlor, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.

In Episode 42, we sit down with Scranton folk rock singer/songwriter Mike Mizwinski, whose new solo album, “A Year Ago Today,” will be released on Friday, Jan. 26, kicking off an album release tour that stops locally at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains, Sarah Street Grill in Stroudsburg, the Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, The Cooperage Project, The Pines Eatery and Spirits in Hazleton, and Turkey Hill Brewing Company in Bloomsburg throughout January and February. Digital copies will be available on Feb. 14.

Before and during the interview, we drink Beer Boys crowlers of Pumpkin Ale by Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston, Olly by Free Will Brewing in Perkasie, and Celebration Ale from a cask by Sierra Nevada Brewing.

We talk with MiZ about growing up around artists and musicians in his family got him into music, listening to the Grateful Dead at a young age, the dedication of jam band fans, the current state of the rock music industry, building a musical community or family, how he gathered some of the area’s best musicians together to record an original song in a living room over the holiday break, what inspired the songs on this album and what he was going through at the time, his new outlook on life, the recording process with LogicPaws Soundlab in Hawley, the story behind the name of the record, what his song “Heroes” means to him and a fan who saw him play it, plans to tour across the country, how he ended up working with Grateful Dead publicist and music historian Dennis McNally, crazy gigs and memorable road stories, opening up honestly about his past drug addiction and lifestyle and turning things around now in recovery, and more.

We also answer some questions and react to comments from live viewers, and Mike ends the show by playing an acoustic version of his new song “Heroes,” dedicated to the many great musicians we’ve lost over the last few years.

The award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The V-Spot, The Keys, Loyalty Barber Shop and Shave Parlor, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.