Rich Howells

VIDEO PREMIERE: Scranton alt rock band University Drive lines up together for ‘Execution’

VIDEO PREMIERE: Scranton alt rock band University Drive lines up together for ‘Execution’

Anyone who has seen University Drive knows what a tight band they are, and behind the scenes, the group has become even tighter. Since premiering their first-ever music video on NEPA Scene last October, the Scranton-based alternative rockers have continually rehearsed while playing only a select few shows as they plan to announce something big […]

 Rich Howells

Karl Hall in Wilkes-Barre reopens with punk, hardcore, indie, and more all-ages shows

Karl Hall in Wilkes-Barre reopens with punk, hardcore, indie, and more all-ages shows

After nearly two years, Karl Hall is finally ready to bring concerts back inside. COVID-19 closed the intimate all-ages venue in March of 2020, and while it hosted online shows as well as a massive drive-in concert with the Mohegan Sun Arena, the downtown Wilkes-Barre building remained closed into 2021, instead opting to hold a […]

 Rich Howells

Breaking down ‘The Big Break’ contest – NEPA musicians compete at 4 venues on Jan. 21-Feb. 11

Breaking down ‘The Big Break’ contest – NEPA musicians compete at 4 venues on Jan. 21-Feb. 11

The contest is called “The Big Break,” where seven acts will compete across four stages for some major prizes, but the real challenge has been behind the scenes where Eyal Filkovsky is hoping this experience doesn’t break him. With just days until the first night of live performances is set to begin, musicians have been […]

 Rich Howells

EP PREMIERE: Wilkes-Barre thrash metal band Cruel Bomb drops ‘Man Made’ destruction

EP PREMIERE: Wilkes-Barre thrash metal band Cruel Bomb drops ‘Man Made’ destruction

Much like the destructive weapon they are named after, Cruel Bomb packs a lot into a little package. The Wilkes-Barre band’s new EP, “Man Made,” has only five tracks, but it contains all the fierce firepower of a full album of old school trash metal with only three members – vocalist/guitarist Brandon James, bassist Kennie […]

 Rich Howells

Stage West in Scranton will host one last kinky Noir Nights event before closing on Jan. 1

Stage West in Scranton will host one last kinky Noir Nights event before closing on Jan. 1

Stage West has announced its final event, and it’s as unconventional as the three-year life of the West Scranton music venue. The corner bar will turn the lights down low to host one more sexy Noir Nights event on Saturday, Jan. 1 before the lights go off for good. Created by The Strange and Unusual […]

 Rich Howells

Scranton music venue Stage West is sold, closing at the end of 2021

Scranton music venue Stage West is sold, closing at the end of 2021

In October of 2018, just a few months after The Vault Tap & Kitchen closed after four years in business, the former bank building in West Scranton reopened as Stage West. The historic structure on North Main Avenue was reworked by one of its co-owners, Steve Masterson, into a small, 200-capacity music venue that hosted […]

 Rich Howells

Forget Santa – get pictures with Krampus at The Strange & Unusual in Kingston on Dec. 11

Forget Santa – get pictures with Krampus at The Strange & Unusual in Kingston on Dec. 11

If you’ve been more naughty than nice this year, skip those lines at the mall waiting for Santa Claus and go straight to The Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor in Kingston to meet Krampus instead on Saturday, Dec. 11. A dark counterpart to ol’ Saint Nick and his rewards for good children, Krampus is a […]

 Rich Howells

Wilkes-Barre music festival brings 5 venues and 19 acts together for Toys for Tots on Dec. 4

Wilkes-Barre music festival brings 5 venues and 19 acts together for Toys for Tots on Dec. 4

Live music made a massive return this year, and before 2021 wraps up, Kyle Demko is bringing the local music scene together for one last big festival – and a worthy cause. 19 different acts will perform across five downtown Wilkes-Barre bars and restaurants on Saturday, Dec. 4 for what he has simply dubbed “NEPA […]

 Rich Howells

The complete updated guide to the 2021 Electric City Music Conference in Scranton

The complete updated guide to the 2021 Electric City Music Conference in Scranton

The eighth annual Electric City Music Conference will feature performances by nearly 100 bands in seven venues throughout Scranton, the Steamtown Music Awards with awards in 27 different categories and special performances of its own, and free panel discussions for local musicians, professionals, and music fans. It’s a great opportunity to see everything that the […]

 Rich Howells

‘The Office’ star Brian Baumgartner will return to Scranton to sign new book ‘Welcome to Dunder Mifflin’ on Nov. 18

‘The Office’ star Brian Baumgartner will return to Scranton to sign new book ‘Welcome to Dunder Mifflin’ on Nov. 18

Brian Baumgartner, who played Dunder Mifflin accountant Kevin Malone on the hit NBC sitcom “The Office,” is returning to Scranton in more ways than one. First, he is revisiting the fictional Electric City of the show in a new book called “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office,” which is set […]