Rich Howells

VIDEO: Real Life Peter Griffin performs stand-up in character

Cosplayer Robert Franzese, who calls himself “The Real life Peter Griffin” due to his uncanny resemble to the “Family Guy” character, recently went viral after performing stand-up comedy as Peter at The Great Allentown Comic Con on Saturday, July 16. A video of the hilarious performance, where he recreates some of Peter’s best lines and […]

 Rich Howells

STREAMING: Langor uploads two unreleased demo songs

STREAMING: Langor uploads two unreleased demo songs

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from Langor, but that’s understandable – Brian Langan has been so busy playing bass in Needle Points and guitar/bass in Sweatheart in Philadelphia while DJing the Panked! dance parties back in his hometown of Scranton that he probably hasn’t had time to record anything new under his […]

 Rich Howells

Zappa on Zappa – Dweezil Zappa plays the music of his father Frank in Wilkes-Barre on July 11

Zappa on Zappa – Dweezil Zappa plays the music of his father Frank in Wilkes-Barre on July 11

The name “Zappa” is instantly recognizable to older music fans, but Dweezil Zappa, son of the late, great Frank Zappa, found that many younger listeners were growing up not knowing who his father was or what his groundbreaking art did for music, so Zappa Plays Zappa was born. Eight years later, Dweezil (along with his […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Fans and band members relive the ’80s through Headbanger’s Ball in Wilkes-Barre on April 18

ARCHIVES: Fans and band members relive the ’80s through Headbanger’s Ball in Wilkes-Barre on April 18

Drummer Johnny Dee’s address may be in Conshohocken, but he rarely resides there. For the last month, he’s toured through South America and has been on a cruise “rocking out on a boat in the Caribbean for a couple days,” and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s been perpetually on tour since his […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: The ‘Sounds’ of SUZE, Kingston’s jazz, funk, and blues band

ARCHIVES: The ‘Sounds’ of SUZE, Kingston’s jazz, funk, and blues band

For a band with a funny name that was formed “by accident,” SUZE has become a purposeful creative outlet for Adam McKinley and his bandmates and one of the area’s favorite rock acts. Founded in Kingston seven years ago, a friend he attended Penn State with asked if he would play a party for him […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Director Robert May searches for cinematic justice in ‘Kids for Cash’ documentary

ARCHIVES: Director Robert May searches for cinematic justice in ‘Kids for Cash’ documentary

When federal prosecutors charged Luzerne County judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan in 2009 with accepting millions of dollars from a new, privately-owned juvenile detention facility where they had harshly sentenced over 3,000 children, everyone in the country seemed to have an opinion on the scandal dubbed “kids for cash,” particularly about the corrupt judiciary. […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Comedian Gilbert Gottfried returns to Poconos, sneaks into show business

ARCHIVES: Comedian Gilbert Gottfried returns to Poconos, sneaks into show business

Gilbert Gottfried has performed at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono before, but like most places he’s been, he can’t exactly remember it. “Whenever I go to a club or casino to perform at, I’m one of those people like in those movies where the lead character is suffering from amnesia and he’ll go […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: People (and their boutiques) are strange – The Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor opens in Kingston

ARCHIVES: People (and their boutiques) are strange – The Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor opens in Kingston

The centerpiece on the coffee table in front of the door is a human skull under glass, accentuated by severed white mannequin arms reaching up for it from underneath. Heads of deer, a ram, and other expired animals line the deep purple walls alongside taxidermied wolves and birds. Butterflies and beetles are pinned behind elaborate […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Surviving the ‘Dead’ – ‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ stars Infect Scranton Sept. 20-22

ARCHIVES: Surviving the ‘Dead’ – ‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ stars Infect Scranton Sept. 20-22

Two years ago, a friend told actor Vincent Ward that he should be on AMC’s hit TV series “The Walking Dead.” “Why would I want to be on a show about zombies?” he replied. “A year later, I’m on a show about zombies.” Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Ward was a basketball star and […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: ‘Blacklisted’ Culture Shock headliner Aayu finds new life in name, rap music in Scranton

ARCHIVES: ‘Blacklisted’ Culture Shock headliner Aayu finds new life in name, rap music in Scranton

Aayu, the indie rapper from Bucks County who relocated to Northeast Pennsylvania a few years ago, admits his name is “a pain the ass” because of its unusual pronunciation, but unlike many hip-hop artists, it’s no gimmick. “It’s a common boy and girl’s name in India, but it’s an old, old name that translates from […]