NEPA Scene

For Election Fallout Comedy Night on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, part of the NEPA Scene Live series at Thirst T’s Bar & Grill in Olyphant, we challenged five comedians from Northeastern Pennsylvania to make us laugh and feel better after the 2016 presidential election divided the country down the middle, and with very little time to prepare, they succeeded. See more at www.nepascene.com.

NEPA Scene Live is a series of live events featuring artists from Northeastern Pennsylvania. The first-ever event held at Thirst T's Bar & Grill in Olyphant on Nov. 22 featured young Easton singer/songwriter Ryan Barry, who is set to release a new single in January that he played that night, along with other originals and some cleverly reworked covers.

Find more NEPA Scene Live recordings and learn more about the series on nepascene.com.

NEPA Scene Live is a series of live events featuring artists from Northeastern Pennsylvania. The first-ever event held at Thirst T's Bar & Grill in Olyphant on Nov. 22 featured Used-Car Cowboy, a musician (and occasional stand-up comedian) who blends country, folk, blues, rockabilly, alt-country, and more into unique tunes like “Hot Box,” which is available on iTunes and various other platforms. He often performs with The Jerks, as he did in the NEPA Scene’s Got Talent Finals, earning them a very close second place.

Find more NEPA Scene Live recordings and learn more about the series on nepascene.com.

NEPA Scene Live is a series of live events featuring artists from Northeastern Pennsylvania. The first-ever event held at Thirst T's Bar & Grill in Olyphant on Nov. 22 featured young rising star James Barrett, a Clarks Summit native who recorded his latest album, “The Metamorphosis EP,” with Nik Bruzzese of Man Overboard. Currently working on new solo material and songs with his full band, Emberá, his albums can also be purchased on Bandcamp.

Find more NEPA Scene Live recordings and learn more about the series on nepascene.com.

NEPA Scene Live is a series of live events featuring artists from Northeastern Pennsylvania. The first-ever event held at Thirst T's Bar & Grill in Olyphant on Nov. 22 began with Moosic musician Joe Craig, who has been playing in the local scene for about 30 years in various bands like Attracted to Syn in addition to his solo work. His latest album, “13,” is available now on Bandcamp.

Find more NEPA Scene Live recordings and learn more about the series on nepascene.com.

In Episode 5, as Halloween approaches, we talk about how our love of horror movies began and developed over time. We also discuss how the movies and the way they are marketed has changed in our lifetimes.

First, we talk about the new “Exorcist” TV show, “The Conjuring 2,” “Luke Cage,” the new “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “Logan” trailers, and an upcoming steelbook Blu-ray re-release of “Phenomena.”

Then we get into the topic at hand, discussing the ratings system, the scariest things we saw at a young age that left a lasting impression, CGI versus practical effects, horror throughout different decades, the strange marketing of Freddy Krueger, "Friday the 13th," “Halloween,” “Dawn of the Dead,” teasers and trailers now versus reading the back of the box and renting movies, Disney Halloween cartoons like “Sleepy Hollow” and their TV specials, “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” books, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” “Saw” and the rise of “torture porn,” the “Scream” franchise, attending horror conventions like Monster-Mania Con near Philadelphia, and more!

Cult Personalities is a brand new podcast dedicated to all the geeky, underrated, unusual, and offbeat movies, music, TV shows, books, comics, collectibles, beer, and more that we’re passionate about – basically anything that may have a cult following that influenced and shaped us into the irreverent weirdos that we are today.

Hosted by beer writer and blogger Derek Warren, former co-host of the Beer Geeks Radio Hour, and Rich Howells, founder and editor of NEPA Scene and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast, this weekly show is our way to geek out and share our passions with fellow nerds and nerf herders, discussing big franchises and obscure gems while sharing our honest opinions and personal stories in a fun and relatable way.

In Episode 4, we talk about collecting movies, comic books, action figures, CDs and vinyl records, and more. How did we get started with these hobbies? Why do we collect things? How does collecting change over your lifetime? What did we collect as kids, and what do we collect now as adults? We’re all collectors in one way or another, so we tell our personal stories and would love to hear yours.

First, we talk about some new Irish horror movies, HBO’s new show “Westworld” and the cult movie it’s based on, Halloween staples like “Child’s Play” and why that movie holds up, and “Welcome to Fat City,” the highly recommended new album by Crobot.

Then we dive into collecting, discussing “Spectreman;” action figures of “Masters of the Universe,” “Ghostbusters,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and other big franchises; “M.U.S.C.L.E.” men; comic books and ‘90s superhero cartoons like “X-Men” and “Spider-Man;” price guides and Wizard magazine; sports card collecting and its inevitable bust; ordering CDs and organizing them alphabetically in albums; classic horror and TV host Uncle Ted; the recent vinyl resurgence; companies like Shout! Factory re-releasing movies on Blu-ray; collecting on a budget; collector conventions like Retro Con; and more!

Cult Personalities is a brand new podcast dedicated to all the geeky, underrated, unusual, and offbeat movies, music, TV shows, books, comics, collectibles, beer, and more that we’re passionate about – basically anything that may have a cult following that influenced and shaped us into the irreverent weirdos that we are today.

Hosted by beer writer and blogger Derek Warren, former co-host of the Beer Geeks Radio Hour, and Rich Howells, founder and editor of NEPA Scene and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast, this weekly show is our way to geek out and share our passions with fellow nerds and nerf herders, discussing big franchises and obscure gems while sharing our honest opinions and personal stories in a fun and relatable way.

In Episode 3, we’re joined by our friend Chef Gene Philbin, owner of Peculiar Culinary Company in Hughestown near Pittston, to discuss food, cooking, and the media surrounding it.

First, we talk about “Cold in July” and Michael C. Hall, “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension,” The 69 Eyes’ new album “Universal Monsters,” Rob Zombie vs. John Carpenter, how “Cannibal Holocaust” scarred Gene and the poor animals that were harmed during the making of the movie, Ghost Rider’s recent appearance on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and keeping up with superhero movies and shows.

Then we get into food and why Gene wanted to become a chef, his experience studying at the Culinary Institute of America and how the college has changed over time, celebrity chefs and how the Food Network and Cooking Channel has shaped and changed the way we look at food, the TV cooking competition craze, his experience meeting Guy Fieri and competing on “Guy’s Grocery Games,” defending Fieri from his many critics, Netflix cooking shows and how they differ from network television, founding Peculiar Culinary Company and what makes his work so peculiar, becoming more adventurous with different types of meats and dishes, the effect that Yelp has had on the restaurant business, and more!

Cult Personalities is a brand new podcast dedicated to all the geeky, underrated, unusual, and offbeat movies, music, TV shows, books, comics, collectibles, beer, and more that we’re passionate about – basically anything that may have a cult following that influenced and shaped us into the irreverent weirdos that we are today.

Hosted by beer writer and blogger Derek Warren, former co-host of the Beer Geeks Radio Hour, and Rich Howells, founder and editor of NEPA Scene and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast, this weekly show is our way to geek out and share our passions with fellow nerds and nerf herders, discussing big franchises and obscure gems while sharing our honest opinions and personal stories in a fun and relatable way.

In Episode 2, we mourn the loss of Gene Wilder, who recently passed away at age 83, by discussing our favorite comedy movies and the TV shows and films that shaped our sense of humor, along with others we just enjoyed and would recommend.

Before we get into comedy, we start by talking about the Misfits reunion, a documentary about extras in the original “Star Wars” movie called “Elstree 1976,” “Blood Punch,” “Pokémon,” remaking “Susperia,” and the upcoming “Phantasm” sequel.

We cover a lot of comedic ground throughout the show, starting with Gene Wilder and moving into Monty Python, Kids in the Hall, “The Simpsons,” “Ghostbusters,” “Count Duckula,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” Kevin Smith’s movies, “Troll 2,” “Dead Alive,” “Trainwreck” and other Judd Apatow movies, “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” Weird Al’s “UHF,” “Microwave Massacre,” “Pee Wee’s Big Holiday” on Netflix, and more!

Cult Personalities is a brand new podcast dedicated to all the geeky, underrated, unusual, and offbeat movies, music, TV shows, books, comics, collectibles, beer, and more that we’re passionate about – basically anything that may have a cult following that influenced and shaped us into the irreverent weirdos that we are today.

Hosted by beer writer and blogger Derek Warren, former co-host of the Beer Geeks Radio Hour, and Rich Howells, founder and editor of NEPA Scene and co-host of the NEPA Scene Podcast, this weekly show is our way to geek out and share our passions with fellow nerds and nerf herders, discussing big franchises and obscure gems while sharing our honest opinions and personal stories in a fun and relatable way.

A panel discussion with music industry professionals Erick Droegmoeller, Suzanne Paulinski, and Cory Wolff explaining when you are ready to take your musical career to the next level, the steps you should take to do so, and how you can make a living as a professional musician. This was recorded at the 2016 Electric City Music Conference on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016.