NEPA SCENE PODCAST: Scranton folk rocker MiZ on his new album and outlook on life
Recorded and produced every week by Internet marketing company Coal Creative in their production studio in downtown Wilkes-Barre, the award-winning NEPA Scene Podcast presents honest, uncensored interviews and in-depth discussions about local arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The live, multi-camera show streams in high definition on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. and is hosted by Rich Howells, editor and founder of NEPA Scene; Brittany Boote, owner of Boote Photography Studio in Forty Fort; and Johnny Popko, host of Alt-Natives on Scranton radio station Alt 92.1 and senior marketing consultant at Alt 92.1, Rock 107, and ESPN Radio. Viewers are encouraged to tune in during each hour-long episode and interact during the Facebook Live stream so that the hosts can address comments and answer questions as they come in.
After the live webcast, the show is available the following Friday as an audio podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher, while the video version can be seen on Facebook and YouTube.
The NEPA Scene Podcast 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.
Watch the live video version on YouTube:
Listen to the audio version on iTunes.
Listen on SoundCloud:
Listen on Stitcher.
Watch “Heroes” on YouTube:
Stream/download the song on SoundCloud:
Watch the original Facebook Live stream:
