Rich Howells

ARCHIVES REVIEW: Starwood and Mindless Self Indulgence have weird, wild evening in Philly

ARCHIVES REVIEW: Starwood and Mindless Self Indulgence have weird, wild evening in Philly

“Let’s just get this opening band over with!” an impatient Mindless Self Indulgence fan complained from the front row of the Electric Factory stage in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 14. Once the otherworldly members of Starwood took the stage at 8 p.m., however, this cry was quickly silenced and replaced with awe. Opening acts, even […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: We are the champions – members of Wilkes-Barre bands Lifer and Breaking Benjamin form Stardog Champion

ARCHIVES: We are the champions – members of Wilkes-Barre bands Lifer and Breaking Benjamin form Stardog Champion

Heavy-hitting champs Breaking Benjamin and Lifer are two household names in hard rock, particularly in Northeastern Pennsylvania. But with the newly formed Stardog Champion, some of their former members are looking to tour – and take over – the world. Aaron Fink started playing guitar when he was 13. His father was an “avid music […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: The Underground Saints go marching off to final gig at The Rattler in Pittston on March 23

ARCHIVES: The Underground Saints go marching off to final gig at The Rattler in Pittston on March 23

AJ Jump vividly remembers his first time playing with the Underground Saints, and for good reason. Lead vocalist and guitarist John Smith, lead guitarist and vocalist Pat Flynn, and bassist Mark Kiesinger formed the Northeast Pennsylvania-based alternative rock group in 2007, but they were without a drummer by their second gig. Jump was at the […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Everclear vocalist Art Alexakis basks in ‘Afterglow’ before Mt. Airy Casino show in the Poconos

ARCHIVES: Everclear vocalist Art Alexakis basks in ‘Afterglow’ before Mt. Airy Casino show in the Poconos

“I can’t remember a time that I didn’t want to play in a rock band – my first letter to Santa, no kidding,” Everclear frontman Art Alexakis recalled in a phone interview with NEPA Scene. “When I was four years old, I asked for an electric guitar and an organ and a drum set. Even […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Comic book legend Neal Adams still breaking ground and having fun before Clarks Summit Comic Con

ARCHIVES: Comic book legend Neal Adams still breaking ground and having fun before Clarks Summit Comic Con

Illustrator and writer Neal Adams is a legend in the world of comic books, but his legacy isn’t behind him – it’s up ahead. The 71-year-old New Yorker “couldn’t care less” what he’s remembered for. His early comic strips? His groundbreaking work that changed the way fans look at Batman, Superman, Deadman, X-Men, Green Arrow, […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Scranton pop rock band The Great Party’s school (bus) of rock

ARCHIVES: Scranton pop rock band The Great Party’s school (bus) of rock

You may have rode on a party bus before, but certainly not one like this. Scranton’s favorite Ameri-pop act, The Great Party, is returning to their favorite Philadelphia venue, The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St., Philadelphia), and this time, they’re taking the Electric City with them in a big yellow school bus. For only $35, […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Less labels mean more for Scranton/Boston rock band Lesser Animals

ARCHIVES: Less labels mean more for Scranton/Boston rock band Lesser Animals

“Whenever I show my friends this music, the first question they ask me is, ‘What would you call this?’ I’m really at a loss. You can call it millions of kinds of things. You can call it rock, and you pretty much call it every single subgenre,” bassist Zach Bilson replied when asked to describe […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Cloudy with a chance of death – Scranton horror movie ‘Deatherman’ comes to VHS

ARCHIVES: Cloudy with a chance of death – Scranton horror movie ‘Deatherman’ comes to VHS

Many horror directors have gone down in cinema history for attempting to make a good, scary film and instead producing B-movie schlock. Bobby Keller, however, failed as a filmmaker in a much different way. “My original plan was to make a movie so bad that it was unwatchable, but I feel like I failed in […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: ’60s rock band Glass Prism resurrected for live ‘Rock Opera’ in Scranton

ARCHIVES: ’60s rock band Glass Prism resurrected for live ‘Rock Opera’ in Scranton

For a band that broke up in 1971, the Glass Prism are definitely four busy guys. In between recent interviews for various newspapers, local and college radio, and television, guitarist and pianist Tom Varano caught up with NEPA Scene to tell the story of his Scranton-based progressive rock band once again, one that he has […]

 Rich Howells

ARCHIVES: Inspired by a flourishing scene, Kingston punk heroes Title Fight grow with ‘Floral Green’

ARCHIVES: Inspired by a flourishing scene, Kingston punk heroes Title Fight grow with ‘Floral Green’

With his shoulder-length hair pushed behind his ears, wearing a white Floorpunch T-shirt and rolled up jeans, 22-year-old Ned Russin is easily identifiable as the bassist/vocalist of local punk band Title Fight as NEPA Scene meets him outside his Kingston home. The beautiful, well-furnished household he leads us into, however, isn’t exactly the abode one […]