Rich Howells

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: Lily Mao, Robinsonade, Jay Luke, Patrick Motto, Lesser Animals, One Thousand Oceans, and more

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: Lily Mao, Robinsonade, Jay Luke, Patrick Motto, Lesser Animals, One Thousand Oceans, and more

Every time I think this column is done for the week, I discover a few more songs or albums that deserve your attention. A few of them work perfectly for your headphones as you dig your vehicle out of the snow, while others are better suited for dancing around your living room after you come […]

 Rich Howells

SONG PREMIERE: From Clarks Summit to Nashville, pop singer Alyssa Lazar admits ‘Maybe I Did Change’

SONG PREMIERE: From Clarks Summit to Nashville, pop singer Alyssa Lazar admits ‘Maybe I Did Change’

Those who have heard young Alyssa Lazar perform throughout the Scranton area since she was in grade school will soon learn that she’s changed… and that’s not a bad thing. “I started singing by the time I was 3 and just never stopped from there. Throughout elementary and middle school, I started singing the national […]

 Rich Howells

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: Brendan Brisk, Kali Ma, Condition Oakland, Sleeplore, Chris Cashmere, White Witch, and more

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: Brendan Brisk, Kali Ma, Condition Oakland, Sleeplore, Chris Cashmere, White Witch, and more

January may be a slow month for entertainment like movies and television (even slower during a pandemic), but it’s been a busy time for local music, so much so that I have to save a few notes for next week. I even had the pleasure of seeing a band play live in front of a […]

 Rich Howells

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: The Sorters, Terry Childers, Patrick McGlynn, No Take Backs, Joe Craig, and more

NEPA MUSIC NOTES: The Sorters, Terry Childers, Patrick McGlynn, No Take Backs, Joe Craig, and more

It’s been a while for NEPA Music Notes, but that’s not to say that there hasn’t been local music to talk about – there’s often too much to cover, so I fell behind on writing this column since I’m the only editor and full-time writer for NEPA Scene. Instead, I’ve been writing larger feature pieces […]

 Rich Howells

VIDEO: State Street Grill in Clarks Summit discusses COVID-19 impact on bars and restaurants

VIDEO: State Street Grill in Clarks Summit discusses COVID-19 impact on bars and restaurants

Pennsylvania bars and restaurants have been able to reopen at 50 percent capacity this week, but some small businesses may never fully recover from the effects of COVID-19 and the shutdowns. Scranton video production company TwentyFiveEight Studios has been examining the true impact of the coronavirus pandemic on this industry and how mitigation was handled […]

 Rich Howells

SONG PREMIERE: From Scranton to Boston, indie rockers Lesser Animals are back ‘For Real’

SONG PREMIERE: From Scranton to Boston, indie rockers Lesser Animals are back ‘For Real’

For those who were part of the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene about a decade ago, attending or playing shows at small venues like The Vintage Theater, the name Lesser Animals may sound familiar. The Scranton-based indie rock band was formed in 2008 by Clarks Summit native James Sanderson, the vocalist of Awkward Silence, another name […]

 NEPA Scene Staff

Kelly Rippon, mother of Clarks Summit Olympian Adam Rippon, writes parenting book, ‘Parent Up’

Kelly Rippon, mother of Clarks Summit Olympian Adam Rippon, writes parenting book, ‘Parent Up’

From a press release: “How do you raise a champion?” After her oldest son Adam Rippon won the bronze medal for figure skating in the 2018 Winter Olympics, single mom Kelly Rippon found herself being asked this question all the time. The Clarks Summit native has six children – what did she do to inspire […]

 NEPA Scene Staff

Clarks Summit producer Clyde Rosencrance releases debut single as Sleeplore, ‘Let Go’

Clarks Summit producer Clyde Rosencrance releases debut single as Sleeplore, ‘Let Go’

From a press release: Sleeplore is the brainchild of Clarks Summit songwriter and producer Clyde Rosencrance. The new solo project calls on elements of discovery and the comfort of isolation. Weaving a thread to combine hypnagogic visions with a contrived production style, Sleeplore offers listeners a sonic template from which they can contemplate their own […]

 Rich Howells

Scranton/Philly indie rockers The Tisburys ‘Walk Away’ in quirky quarantine music video

Scranton/Philly indie rockers The Tisburys ‘Walk Away’ in quirky quarantine music video

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way music has been released this year as well as the way music videos are filmed. This is the case on both counts for Philadelphia via Scranton indie rock band The Tisburys, who are slowly releasing singles from their upcoming album and recording videos in quarantine. Today, they debuted […]

 Rich Howells

Scranton music venue The Place relocating in Marketplace at Steamtown as Geisinger builds wellness center

Scranton music venue The Place relocating in Marketplace at Steamtown as Geisinger builds wellness center

A music venue that opened inside The Marketplace at Steamtown last fall will already have to move as Geisinger takes over former storefronts to build a musculoskeletal wellness center in downtown Scranton. Geisinger’s $20.9 million project was announced in October and will fill the two-floor space left by the Bon-Ton when it closed in 2015, […]