NEPA Scene

In Episode 59, we sit down with Desiree Fisher, a 17-year-old senior at James M. Coughlin High School, and Brittany Stephenson, a 19-year-old graduate of G.A.R. Memorial Junior/Senior High School, to talk about why they decided to organize student protests against the Wilkes-Barre Area School District’s recent controversial decision to cut arts, consumer science, and technology programs and lay off 37 teachers while not replacing 12 retiring teachers.

Wilkes-Barre teachers we invited politely declined to go on record, as they could face repercussions, so to give a local educator’s perspective, Tom Borthwick, a teacher in the Riverside School District, the communications director for his union, and an adjunct professor at Marywood University, joins us to discuss how the situation got to this point, the school board’s May 23 meeting that was packed with over 200 people and the board’s lack of response (unless you count falling asleep as a response), how Desiree and Brittany put peaceful protests together and how teachers and administrators reacted, the importance of the arts and how they shape creative thinking, the impact these cuts have on both students and teachers, why sports and other programs are typically spared over the arts, shattering stereotypes about the city of Wilkes-Barre and millennials, how the arts have helped all five of us, finding solutions to budget shortfalls and other issues, and how you can get involved and help the situation.

In The Last Word segment, we talk about the NEPA Scene’s Got Talent open mic and talent contest and explain why it is structured and run the way that it is. After announcing some slight changes to the event next season, we received both positive and negative feedback about rules, voting, and other factors, so we address a few of those concerns and ask people to see things from all sides and recognize that, overall, it’s a win for local artists.

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, and Mark Dennebaum, president and owner of TwentyFiveEight Studios. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 58, we sit down with vocalist/guitarist Dustin Drevitch and bassist Matt Gabriel of Wilkes-Barre blues rock band Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen to talk about their music and the band’s new self-titled album. We discuss their very different introductions into playing music and how they got together; writing and recording the album in an old church; their live jamming and the challenge of capturing that energy in the recordings; experiences with their past bands, like Lemongelli, The Badlees, and MiZ; their best and worst shows; lyric writing and its effect on the instrumentation; the short documentary on the making of the record; the upcoming record release show in Plains and Dustin’s solo “Songwriter’s Confessional” concert with Robb Brown, Aaron Fink, and Adam McKinley; random stories about playing soccer in Germany and Bob Seger’s naptime; advice for younger or less experienced musicians; and their funny quirks, like Gabriel’s oversensitive gag reflex.

In The Last Word segment, Rich talks about Scranton Comic Con held over the weekend and the importance of supporting small events in the area like that, and he also thanks Bob Saget for the retweet.

Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen’s album premiere party with special guests Half Dollar will be held on Friday, May 27 at 9 p.m. at the River Street Jazz Cafe (667 N. River St., Plains). Adam McKinley and James Yamrus present “Songwriter's Confessional: First Edition” on Thursday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Downtown Arts (47 N. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre).

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 57, we’re joined by special co-host Jason Riedmiller, one of our photographers at NEPA Scene, to talk with Bill Orner, the manager of local bluegrass band Cabinet, about the group’s upcoming fourth annual music festival, Susquehanna Breakdown, at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton on Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21. We discuss how Bill transitioned from a musician into a manager, what goes into managing a band, how Cabinet has become one of the most successful bands to come out of Northeastern Pennsylvania, advice for other musicians hoping to make it, how the local music scene has changed over the years, the popularity of bluegrass and how the band has incorporated other influences into their music, photographing the band and building their brand through artwork and marketing, the importance of building relationships and keeping up the band’s social media presence, stories from the road and memories from previous Breakdowns, Cabinet’s best shows of all time, why the festival changed from the Old Farmers Ball into Susquehanna Breakdown, what goes into organizing the festival every year and how it has grown over time, and what the festival will offer this year for both dedicated followers and casual music fans.

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

This is one of those rare podcasts that I can't remember recording. A few hours before the biggest art show I've ever been a part of, I recorded my thoughts and feelings on it. You should expect me to go off-topic a lot and only make a little bit of sense.

http://nepascene.com/2016/05/drunk-illustration-tuesday-thoughts-before-art-show/

Drunk Illustration Tuesday is a weekly column/podcast on nepascene.com featuring the distinctive work and alcohol-fueled musings of Scranton artist Brendan Howells, who currently resides in Japan.

In Episode 56, we talk with Lindsay Barrasse and Jennifer Frey of Scranton film and web content production company Steam Magnolias about the role and portrayal of women in movies and other media, along with the Junior League of Scranton and their upcoming free screening of "Miss Representation," a documentary which “exposes how the media's misrepresentations of women have led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence,” on Saturday, April 30.

We discuss the documentary itself; sexism women face in front of and behind the camera and why it continues; the debate of whether studio executives or audiences are to blame; how women are portrayed in blockbuster films like “Jurassic World;” controversies with “Ghost in the Shell” and superhero franchises, among other movies; good and bad portrayals of women in movies and TV shows; how the misrepresentation of women extends to promotional items like posters, toys, and other merchandise; sexism in language and word choices; firsthand accounts of sexism, such as what it was like working with YouTube; makeup and the history behind it; the importance of spending your money on better quality entertainment; the important work of the Junior League; why Steam Magnolias was formed; and upcoming projects like “Solacium.”

In The Last Word segment, we talk about NEPA Scene’s exclusive and completely unplanned interview with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Scranton and how it was received by our audience.

“Miss Representation” will be screening for free at The Theater at North (1539 N. Main Ave., Scranton) on April 30, presented by the Junior League of Scranton in association with Goodwill Industries of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. After the film, around 8 p.m., there will be a panel and open discussion.

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 55, we sit down with Maureen Hozempa and Tom Franko of the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, one of the oldest continuously running community theatres in the United States, to talk about their live productions and the Marvel Madness movie marathon on Saturday, April 30, which will raise money to keep the theater going and fund repairs to the building. We discuss the history of the theater; how both of them got involved in acting, directing, and choreography; what brought them to the Little Theatre and what keeps them there; the productions they’ve worked on, including their latest, “Young Frankenstein;” funny behind-the-scene stories of improvisations of stage; how they draw people in to support live theater and the competition they face; why they started showing movies; and how Marvel Madness, which leads up to the release of “Captain America: Civil War” on May 6, came about.

And, of course, we geek out for a while on Marvel movies, the history of the Captain America character, the differences and similarities between the comic books and the movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe versus DC’s movies like “Batman v Superman,” enjoying different types of sci-fi and fantasy, how collecting has changed over the years, and expectations for “Civil War.”

Tickets for Marvel Madness at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre (537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre) are $25 to see “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “The Avengers,” “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on the big screen, along with a ticket to see “Captain America: Civil War” at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 upon its release. There will also be a costume contest, trivia contest, and food and drink (including a cash bar for those 21+) throughout the day, including dinner from the What the Fork food truck.

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, and Mark Dennebaum, president and owner of TwentyFiveEight Studios. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 54, Rich talks about the third annual NEPA Metal Meltdown in Pittston with festival co-founder Steve Jasuilewicz, who is also the guitarist for Wilkes-Barre heavy metal band Beyond Fallen, and vocalist Jane Threat and guitarist “Metal” Alan Rowsdower of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metal/crust punk group SpaceJunk. They discuss getting into metal music, what the local metal scene is like, the difficulties Steve ran into while putting together the 2016 festival, the small number of venues left in the area that will host metal shows, why it’s difficult to bring mid-sized acts into the area, Beyond Fallen’s upcoming album, creating original music out of passion rather than money, old school promotion versus social media, seeing past musical genres, the recent incident when Disturbed called out a fan for being on her phone during their show, how metal became more mainstream, band recommendations, and what’s in store for Metal Meltdown this year.

In The Last Word segment, we talk about Bruce Springsteen’s decision to cancel his concert in North Carolina because of its discriminatory transgender bathroom law and respond to some “tough guy” Facebook commenters who took issue when NEPA Scene shared his statement on our wall.

NEPA Metal Meltdown is this Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 at Diane's Deli & Internet Cafe (206 S. Main St., Pittston) and features performances by SpaceJunk, Earthmouth, Suicide Conspiracy, Corners of Sanctuary, Assayer, Beyond Fallen, Dying Eyes of Sloth, Ember’s Fall, Psychoprism, Toothless, and Shallow Ground.

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 53, we sit down with Amber Sauls, Katie Evans, and Rafael Pimentel to talk about their brand new alternative folk pop band, A Season Underground, based in Scranton. We discuss their individual origins as musicians and different levels of musical experience; how the group formed at NEPA Scene’s Got Talent; their unique writing process via online chat; their four-song demo and recording with Patrick McGlynn of Blinded Passenger; how Pimentel balances this group with his other band, Silhouette Lies; why Sauls parted ways with successful local band Eye on Attraction to pursue A Season Underground; their upcoming shows; and what’s on the horizon.

Lauren delivers her Rapid-Fire Qs, which include the trio’s best and worst drunk stories and words that make them cringe, and in The Last word segment, we talk about introducing new columns like But I Digress and ask listeners about what types of content they want to see on NEPA Scene as the website evolves. We also experiment with live streaming the podcast through Periscope.

A Season Underground can be seen with Years of Madness and comedian Dan Hoppel at Diane’s Deli & Internet Cafe (206 S. Main St., Pittston) on Saturday, April 9 at 9 p.m.; the Throop Arts + Food Festival at the Throop Community Civic Center (500 Sanderson St., Throop) on Saturday, April 16 at 3 p.m. with other musical acts throughout the day; and with Umbriel and Silhouette Lies at The Susquehanna Tavern (167 Susquehanna Ave., Exeter) on Friday, May 13 at 8:30 p.m.

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 52, we sit down with Michele Dempsey and Pat Clark of Friends of Lackawanna, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the health and safety of the community through environmental activism, to talk about the proposed 50-year expansion of the Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore and Throop and why it must be stopped. We discuss the facts, numbers, and staggering statistics (including the fact that it takes in 7,200 tons of waste per day and only 36 percent of this trash is from Pennsylvania); the effect it has already had on local residents and businesses and the health issues and economic damage it will cause over time; leachate seeping into the groundwater and the dangerous fracking materials contained within; the close proximity of the Dunmore Reservoir; the Department of Environmental Protection and its lack of health data; the Scranton Sewer Authority and untreated leachate; the foul stench that has caused evacuations; comparisons to the Flint, Michigan water crisis and the Love Canal disaster; conflicts of interest and corruption; the active role of some local media and the silence of others; why people are afraid to speak out about this issue; getting notable politicians to join the cause; how FoL has grown from just a few people to packed public events; ways the public can get involved; and what the future may hold.

To learn more, visit friendsoflackawanna.org or the group’s Facebook page.

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, and Mark Dennebaum, president and owner of TwentyFiveEight Studios. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.

In Episode 51, we talk with Tsunami Self Defense founder and sensei Robert Thomas and assistant instructor Megan Brosky to raise awareness about everyday violence and the need for self-defense in an unfortunately violent world. Robert discusses his extensive martial arts training, the moment that changed his life that made him switch to teaching more practical self-defense techniques, what Tsunami Self Defense is and where the name comes from, the Girls on Guard system and empowering women to defend themselves and escape bad situations, the warning signs of physical and mental abuse, the importance of understanding consent, local examples of violence and why there may be an increase in violent acts, sobering statistics and being realistic about violence that can happen any time without fear-mongering, teaching everyone from children to seniors, presenting at colleges and why it is difficult to get into high schools despite the need for this type of education, and being a funeral director in Taylor. Megan also explains how she went from student to teacher and describes what it is like to work with women as a social worker and as an instructor.

Lauren delivers her Rapid-Fire Qs, and in The Last word segment, we get into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of past and present and how pop culture and Hollywood can be misleading in its portrayal of martial arts, despite how entertaining it can be. We emphasize what self-defense really is, and after we wrap up, Megan gives Mark a first-hand demonstration in the studio.

To learn more about Tsunami Self Defense (418 S. Main St., Rear, Taylor), call 570-562-2579 or e-mail [email protected]. Girls on Guard classes are being held on Wednesday, March 9 at the AfA Gallery (514 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton) and Monday, March 21 at the old location of the CVS Pharmacy (107 8th St., Honesdale). Visit girlsonguardpa.com for more information.

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 of TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Lauren Quirolgico, commercial and content strategist at Lavelle Strategy Group and editor at TwentyFiveEight. Every episode streams on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and nepascene.com.