Spreading his wings

Don Henley talks candidly about his new album,

his new family, the environment,

 his former record label

and The Eagles

By ALAN K. STOUT
The Times Leader
August 25, 2000

  Don Henley sure isn’t your typical rock star.

  He’s incredibly articulate and well-spoken, and he combines grace with an unwavering sense of confidence. He talks passionately about literature, poetry, and language. He speaks with affection about his upbringing, his parents and his own wife and children. He has great command of the subjects that interest him, and he talks with genuine concern about the state of the nation, nature, and environmental issues.

  And, of course – when asked – he’ll talk about his music.

  The Grammy-winning former Eagle’s latest CD, “Inside Job,” was released earlier this summer. It comes 11 years after his previous effort, 1989’s “The End Of The Innocence,” and has already spawned the hit single “Taking You Home.”  The song – another gem in Henley’s long line of jewels – appears to have multiple themes: the love for his wife and children, and perhaps even his decision to raise them in his native Texas, rather than California.

   “It was inspired by my family – by my children and by my wife and the birth of my first daughter,” says Henley, 53, in an interview with the Times Leader. “I’m always squeamish about releasing a ballad like that first, because it sort of type-casts me. For 25 years now, I’ve had to fight this label of `mellow and laid-back’ and all that kind of stuff, and it’s been a struggle. But I decided this time `What the hell? It’s a good song. Let them go with it.’ ”

  For Henley, the joys of having a family of his own did not come until later in life. He married in 1995 for the first time, and although he was in his late 40s at the time, he says he’s glad he waited.

   “I was engaged a couple of times, but I never went through with it,” he says with a chuckle. “I think I would have been a failure if I had done it earlier, and I’ve always believed that the lives of children are too important to be part of an immature experiment.”

   Several of the songs on “Inside Job” reveal a sense of contentment, and tracks such as “Everything Is Different Now” and “Annabel” share the feelings or serenity found on “Taking You Home.” But – as with some of Henley’s previous work – there are also numbers with an edge. “Nobody Else In The World,” “Inside Job” and “Goodbye To A River” were clearly written out of frustration.

  “Partially,” says Henley, when asked if he is a man at peace. “At least with my personal life. My inner life is good, but the world out there really pisses me off.”

  Enter Henley the environmentalist. In 1990, he founded the Walden Woods Project, which is dedicated to preserving historic lands around Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. The location – the site from which Henry David Thoreau and other writers often drew inspiration – remains dear to Henley, as does the preservation project.

   “I founded it, it’s mine – and I can’t let it wither,” he says. “It remains very important to me and I work on it to some degree every week, raising money. We still need to raise $15 to $20 million dollars.”

  According to the Walden Woods Web site, about 70 percent of the Walden Woods area has been properly preserved, but there is still about 30 percent that can be commercially developed. Henley remains committed to not letting that happen.

  “We still have work to do,” he says. “I’m sure I’ll be working on that for the rest of my life, and I want my children to become part of it when they’re older. I think it’s a remarkable project, and I have some really wonderful people working on it with me. It addresses things that we’re losing in our culture: a sense of spirituality, a sense of respect and awe for the natural environment and for history.”

  In addition to the Walden Woods Project, Henley also has worked diligently at preserving open space and wildlife habitats in California’s Santa Monica Mountains and has formed a wetlands science/education institute in Texas. Add that to the fact that he lost his California home in an earthquake, started a family, relocated to Texas, worked on 1993’s “Common Thread: The Songs of The Eagles” all-star country tribute album and then participated in the 1994 Eagles’ reunion, and you might have your answer as to why it has been 11 years since his last album.

  Still, there is a perception that Henley is a musical perfectionist, known to agonize over words and arrangements in his songwriting. He’s asked if his own high standards contribute to his slow pace in the studio.

  “Well, first of all let me say that I don’t think there is any such thing as perfection in the world of art,” he says. “Perfection can only be found in nature, and any attempt of man to achieve perfection will always fall short. I would think a more accurate definition of what I do is that I strive for excellence. That’s one reason (for the time between albums), the other reason is that I never wanted my career to consume my life.”

Henley then offers yet another factor that contributed to the time between records. Prefacing the talk with the condition he couldn’t go into great detail because of legal reasons, he says his departure from his longtime label, Geffen Records, was not cordial. (“Inside Job” is his debut with Warner Bros. Records.)

“It was ugly,” says Henley of the split. “I simply didn’t want to make records for David Geffen anymore. I have absolutely no respect for the man. He’s been in and out of my professional life since 1971. … After The Eagles broke up, he came to me and said `You need to come and sign a record contract with me because you know I’ll take care of you, blah, blah, blah’ … and I fell for it, again, because I was feeling rather insecure and at loose ends at the time. So I signed with him, and it turned out to be the same guy I that remembered he was – who was not somebody I want to work with.

  “I was busting my ass to make really good albums, and they weren’t promoting them in a manner that was commensurate with my efforts. He really didn’t care about the music business at that point anyway, he was more interested in making films, collecting art and doing whatever he does. … I just didn’t feel like putting my heart and soul into any more records for a company that just didn’t really care.”

  One of Henley’s highest profiled endeavors over the past decade came in 1994 when he reunited with The Eagles for the first time in 15 years. “Hell Freezes Over,” the title of the band’s widely successful reunion album and tour, were named after a quote Henley once gave when asked if there would ever be such a reunion. Tension was a common trait in The Eagles’ camp from 1971-’79, and Henley says not much had changed in 1994.

  “It was a mixed bag, like it always is,” he says. “There were moments of great joy and satisfaction, and there were moments of great pain and sorrow and anger. It’s always been like that, and it will probably always be like that. But it was gratifying to know that there were that many people that were still interested in us. It was quite something to see the enormous numbers of people who turned out for the concerts. But internally – it could have been a lot more fun than it was, which is generally the case with The Eagles.

  “There’s a great line in `I Can’t Tell You Why’ that says `Nothing’s wrong for as far as I can see, we make it harder than it has to be.’ Well, that should be our theme song.”

  Still, Henley says he’d do it again under the right conditions.

  “If we make a new album of quality – well-thought-out, well-written, well-produced songs – then I would do another tour,” he says. “But I’m not keen on the idea of going out there again just for the money and rehashing the same old stuff. Naturally, if we go out on tour – even if we do have new material – we’ll have to play the old material too, but I don’t want to go out again just for the sake of going out.”

  Although Henley has a decisive answer to every other question he’s asked, there is one to which he has none. “The Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971-’75” has sold 26 million copies and has surpassed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as the bestselling U.S. album of all time.

  So, how does that feel?

  “I don’t really think about that too much,” says Henley. “It’s nice, and I’m very grateful and pleased, but it’s not something that pops into my mind every day. … I don’t know what it means anyway. Does it mean we’re geniuses, or that we just sunk to the lowest common denominator? …

  “I’m not big on living in the past. I try to live in the present, and to some degree, in the future.”

(Alan K. Stout has written about rock and pop music in Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1992. His weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu," airs every Sunday from 9-10 p.m. on 105 The River in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Hazleton, Bloomsburg.)

 

 

 

A proper KISS goodbye 

Band’s final show, ever, should be on December 2 in New York. And not anywhere else.

By ALAN K. STOUT

MUSIC ON THE MENU

November 1, 2023 

Exactly one month from today, KISS will play the first of the final two shows of its epic “End of The Road” tour, which began almost four years ago, in January of 2019. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, the tour would have ended long ago, but KISS wanted to say a proper farewell to every city and every country that had shown the band some love over the past 50 years, and so the tour – as originally planned – has circled the entire globe. The reviews have been amazing. The shows have been sold out. And KISS will pack it in as a touring unit while still sitting on the top of the world of rock. Which is exactly how it should be for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. They’ve earned it. And though it’s a bittersweet feeling to think that this is really it for the powerhouse band, I hope that when they step off the stage at Madison Square Garden on December 2, it is indeed their final show.

Since the December 2 show in New York is the final show of the final tour, you’d think that would be a given. But - because the wording that was first used to promote the show was, “The final show of the final tour,” there seemed to be a little wiggle room for more shows to come afterwards. Yes, I do believe that KISS is never going to tour the globe again, or even just the United States. And, over the past few years, when the band said it would be its last time playing in each city, I believed it to be true. They won’t be back to London, or Sydney, or Philly, or anywhere else. But still, I kept coming back to those words - “The final show of the final tour” – and I kept thinking, “Well, it is going to be the 'final show of the final tour.' But that doesn’t mean they still can’t do an occasional show without a tour.” Other fans picked up on this as well, suggesting that despite it being the "End of The Road," they could still do occasional one-off shows. And there was also some internet chat of the band possibly doing a residency in Las Vegas. That’s not a tour. Some have also called for KISS to do a show at the new Sphere in Vegas. KISS is perhaps the most visual live band of all-time, and some would like to see what they could do in a new state-of-the art venue designed for visuals. That, also, would not be a tour.

Please everyone, stop it.

The last KISS show, ever, should be on December 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden. And there are a few reasons why …

First, that show has already become a destination concert for KISS fans from around the entire world. Diehard fans are emptying their bank accounts to get on airplanes, book hotels and pay steep prices for tickets, just so they can be there for what should be the band’s final concert. And if you’re KISS, isn’t that who you want to play your final concert for? Don’t you want to do your final show in your hometown, at the most iconic arena in the world, before not only some of your most diehard fans from your original homebase, but also people that traveled from all over the globe just to be there? The Hard Rock Café in New York is already promoting a big KISS party at their venue on December 1 and have indicated that people are coming from 20 different countries. Isn’t that who you'd want to play your final show for, not a bunch of high-rollers in Vegas who don’t know anything about the band but scored free tickets from a casino just because they spend way too much time and money on blackjack?

It's absurd.

Another reason KISS should never play live again after December 2 is because when they walk off that stage that night, it will be their decision and it will be on their own terms. How many great artists never got that opportunity? The last time artists such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Eddie Van Halen and Prince walked off the stage, they probably all assumed they’d be back. But they weren’t. No one ever really knows what tomorrow will bring. It is not guaranteed to anyone. Glenn Frey never did an announced final show with The Eagles. Freddie Mercury never did an announced final show with Queen. Aerosmith had just begun its final tour when it was totally derailed, and it now looks like the band might never play live again. There probably won’t be final show at the Boston Garden, which both the band and its fans deserve. KISS is being given that opportunity on December 2 at Madison Square Garden. And they should take it. When Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer walk off the stage that night, they should know it’s for the last time. Stanley and Simmons, who have held the band together for five decades, have said they may shed a few tears that night. Let them flow, gentlemen. You have given your audience 100% at every single show for 50 years. And your fans have been fiercely loyal to you. There should be a lot of emotion in the arena that night both on stage and in the audience. It will be very special. To do any type of show afterwards would diminish it.

I’ve seen KISS in concert 37 times. I haven’t missed a tour in 40 years. I’ve already caught three shows on the “End of The Road” tour (Philadelphia, Hershey and Allentown) and I have a ticket for December 2 in New York. And I am incredibly grateful that the band’s touring days didn’t end in 2001, with the first “Farewell Tour,” and with some show that no one ever talks about or even remembers. Sure, it was great to see Ace Frehley and Peter Criss back with the band from 1996-2001, but the fact is there was nothing significant about the final show of that final tour with the original lineup. And the tours that the band has done since that time with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have been fabulous. And if weren’t for those tours, my two kids would have never seen the band. I’m grateful, as a fan, that they marched on for 22 more years. But for all of the reasons I’ve stated here, I am also OK with December 2 being the true and final end of the road.

End it at home, in front of diehard, globetrotting fans. And do it on your own terms.

Thankfully, KISS – despite that original wording – seems to be leaning that way. When Stanley was recently asked about the possibility of doing shows at Sphere, he said he really can’t see it happening. And the band has changed the wordage in recent months when describing the December 2 show. The group’s official website is now simply calling it the “Final Show.”

As it should be.

And, as we all know, it will be utterly spectacular.

Blow the roof of the joint, guys. And then take a very well-deserved final bow.

(Alan K. Stout has written about rock and pop music in Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1992. His weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu," airs every Sunday from 9-10 p.m. on 105 The River in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Hazleton, Bloomsburg.)

To read some of Alan’s other KISS-related articles, click the links:

KISS “End of The Road” tour a victory for the music:

https://musiconthemenu.blogspot.com/2019/03/kiss-end-of-roadtour-victory-for-music.html  

KISS and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

https://musiconthemenu.blogspot.com/2014/02/kiss-and-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-by.html

 

 

BADLEES RETURN TO WILKES-BARRE FOR ROCKIN’ THE RIVER

WILKES-BARRE – The Badlees will perform at the third and final show of the 2023 Rockin’ The River music series on Friday, July 28. The free, all-ages concert will take place at the Millennium Circle at River Common in Wilkes-Barre. Gates open at 5 p.m. Music starts at 6 p.m. There will be food, beer and wine vendors. Also on the bill is special guests, Joe Burke & Co.

 The Badlees, a critically-acclaimed roots-rock band, spent its formative years playing in clubs throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, including the former Jitterbugs, Market Street Square and The Staircase. In 1995, with a growing regional and state-wide following and with the release of its “River Songs” album, the band signed a national recording contract with Polydor/Atlas Records. Two tracks from the album, “Angeline is Coming Home” and “Fear of Falling,” hit the national charts. The band toured with Bob Seger and also shared the stage with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and The Allman Brothers. The music video for “Angeline Is Coming Home,” which appeared on VH1, starred Emmy-Award winning actress Julianna Margulies and was directed by Anthony Edwards.

 “That was an amazing time, just to see everything that was happening around that band,” said Alan K. Stout, executive director of Visit Luzerne County, which presents the Rockin’ The River concerts. “I remember, in the spring and summer of ’95,  ‘Angeline’ being in rotation on four different commercial radio stations in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area, and that was before they even signed a record deal. It was unprecedented.”    

 By the mid-90s’s, in the Wilkes-Barre area, the band’s occasional homecoming shows had outgrown the clubs and were held at venues such as the Genetti’s Grand Ballroom, The Woodlands Grand Ballroom, the former Bud Light Amphitheater at Harveys Lake and The F.M. Kirby Center. In 1999, the band signed a second national recording contract with Ark 21 Records, which released the critically-acclaimed “Up There Down Here” album. Still, the group remained loyal to its Northeastern Pennsylvania roots and also appeared annually at the former “Concert For Karen/Concert For A Cause,” which raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for local charities.

“As great as a band as they are, they’re just a great as people,” said Stout, who as a former newspaper reporter and columnist wrote more than 40 articles about The Badlees and its members side projects and, as a radio show host, produced seven radio specials spotlighting the group. “And, after all of these years, their fans still feel a deep connection to the music. The songwriting is in the same caliber as Springsteen, Petty and Mellencamp. Their most recent album is just as good as their first. But they’ve also really evolved as artists. You can ask anyone that’s followed them over the years and they’ll all tell you the same thing … the songwriting, the musicianship, the vocals, the harmonies, the live performances … it’s the whole package.”

 Today, The Badlees fan base continues to extend throughout Pennsylvania, from Harrisburg to Wilkes-Barre to every town in-between. In 2021, the band was inducted in the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame and in 2022, the group released its ninth full-length studio album, simply titled “The Badlees.” In the fall of 2023, the group will be inducted into the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame.

 Stout says Visit Luzerne County is proud to be bringing the band back home for this Friday’s Rockin’ The River event.

“The Badlees have been on our radar for a few years,” said Stout. “This year, it finally worked out. And it just feels right. The band first built its following in towns all along the Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna River is actually featured on the cover of the ‘River Songs’ album. And so to be bringing the band to Wilkes-Barre for a show right along the Susquehanna … I can’t think of anything more fitting.”

 Major sponsors of Rockin’ The River are Geisinger, DiscoverNEPA, the City of Wilkes-Barre and Mountain Productions. For more info about Rockin’ The River, visit www.vistluzernecounty.com

 (Badlees photo credit: Jim Gavenus)

 

 

 Badlees still hold the cards

                                                                                                                                              Photo by Jim Gavenus

First album in nearly 10 years showcases band members' talents, flexes power of the unit

By ALAN K. STOUT

Music On The Menu

December 3, 2022 

If you were a betting man, you may have wagered that 2013's "Epiphones & Empty Rooms" might be the final album from The Badlees. And it would have been a pretty safe bet. Principal songwriter/guitarist Bret Alexander, who produced most of the band's albums, left the group shortly after its release. Bassist and fellow producer Paul Smith left as well. And though there were still some occasional live shows featuring new members, things never felt quite the same with the kings of Pennsylvania roots-rock and no new music was released by the band. And truthfully, if it were not for the group's induction into the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame last year, you very well may have collected on your wager. But when the band reunited for a few songs at that awards ceremony, which was held in Harrisburg, it wasn't just as though a spark was felt in the room. It was a lightning bolt. The kings were back. And in 2022, there is a new Badlees album. And with it they have laid down a royal flush.

The album, fittingly titled "The Badlees," is the group's first release to feature all five original members since 2009's "Love is Rain" and the first that all five made full contributions since 2002's "Renew." For thousands of the band's fans scattered across the Keystone State, vocalist Pete Palladino, guitarist Jeff Feltenberger, drummer Ron Simasek, along with Alexander and Smith, are the Fab Five. And it is indeed quite fabulous to hear them making music together again.

The album opens with "1,000 Melodies Without Words," and right from the get-go, we are reminded of the band's gift of crafting memorable melodies matched, verse-for-verse, with gripping lyrics. It's got a thumpy gut-punch rhythm section, soaring vocals from Palladino, textured harmonies from Feltenberger and Alexander flexes his songwriting talents as only he can do. Bring it all together and it's Fab Five.

"My mind's an ambulance in traffic
My heart's a flock of birds
How do I navigate this static
Of a 1,000 melodies without words"

Somewhere, Bruce Springsteen just smiled.

"10 Ton Heart," sounds as though it was written while speeding down a highway at twilight. It's a driving track, both literally and figuratively, with just a touch of pop. More than anything, it creates a mood. Music, when at its best, has an actual ambience to it, and when Alexander picks up his mandolin, as he does on this track, you can count on that happening. But that's just part of what makes "10 Ton Heart' so gripping. Palladino's inflections and the ripping guitars also help shape the song ... a song that will likely have you stepping on the gas pedal a bit harder. "Face Under Glass," a breezy track about Americana and family, comes with a fun vocal breakdown and "Tear It Down" offers a quick bridge-section that only Alexander could write. A great bridge is something even the best of songwriters can struggle with, but Alexander has been with penning them for three decades. Palladino, beautifully backed up by Feltenberger, also shines on the powerful track, as does violinist Nyke Van Wyk.

The contemplative "What I've Wasted" has a chorus that pulls you in and won't let go and the thoughtful "Leaving Here," with Alexander on lead vocals, talks about making the difficult decision to move on from a place or situation -  a place or situation that was once important to you - simply because it doesn't feel the same as it once did. "Nasty Alcoholic" comes with a Warren Zevon vibe and longtime Badlees fans will take delight with hearing Palladino and Feltenberger trading off vocals on the insanely catchy "The Price You Pay." Though "The Badlees" is a very modern, very 2022-sounding album, this track offers an old-school Badlees moment that briefly takes the listener back to "Diamonds in The Coal."

Somewhere, 10,000 Badlees fans just smiled.

"These Days," with its stirring, cinematic, U2 feel, comes with a haunting chorus that sounds as if Palladino, Alexander and Feltenberger are all singing together. And considering some of the album was recorded remotely, it's also a fine testament to the unit's production skills. The album closes with the wonderful "My Friends," a brilliant country-inspired number with a surprisingly big/little moment that Johnny Cash and some of his buddies would have covered in a milli-second.

Nearly 30 years ago, I called The Badlees "Pennsylvania's Best Band." A few years later, when they released some of their music on a national record label and were touring the country with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, I called them "America's Best Band." Both still apply. Even if it's only when the mood strikes them, they are still the kings. And "The Badlees," which will be released on December 23, is another creative album loaded, track-for-track, with very creative songs. It captures the special talents that have been dealt to each member, yet it also captures the special magic that only happens when they work together.

Fab five.

Royal flush.

(Alan K. Stout has written about rock and pop music in Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1992. His weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu," airs every Sunday from 9-10 p.m. on 105 The River in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Hazleton, Bloomsburg.)

Luzerne County Historical Society receives donation

of COVID-19 interviews from radio host 

The Luzerne County Historical Society receives a donation of 19 recorded interviews focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews, which were conducted by radio show host Alan K. Stout, discussed how COVID-19 has affected the local arts, entertainment and musical community. Shown, from left: Mark J. Riccetti Jr., director of operations and programs, Luzerne County Historical Society; Alan K. Stout, radio host, The River; Mary Walsh, interim executive director, Luzerne County Historical Society.
  

WILKES-BARRE - The Luzerne County Historical Society, which is hoping to preserve the oral history of the COVID-19 crisis, recently received a donation of 19 recorded interviews focusing on the pandemic. The interviews, which were conducted by Alan K. Stout, discussed how COVID-19 has affected the local arts, entertainment and musical community. Stout is a radio show host with The River. (100.7-FM. 103.5-FM, 104.9-FM) 

Stout covered arts and entertainment for The Times Leader and The Weekender from 1992-2011. His weekly music column, "Music On The Menu" appeared in The Times Leader from 1994-2005 and in The Weekender from 2005-2011. He continues to contribute occasional stories to both publications as a freelance writer. Stout's weekly radio show, also called "Music On The Menu," has aired every Sunday night since 2004. The show was put on hiatus on March 29 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closing of Mohegan Sun Pocono, from where the program is broadcast. Shortly thereafter, Stout began conducting phone interviews from home with various people involved in the music scene of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Titled the "Music On The Menu COVID-19 Podcast Interviews," the conversations were posted to the Music On The Menu channel on YouTube and posted to the Music On The Menu page on Facebook. 

"Initially, when we put radio the show on ice for a while, due to COVID-19, I thought I'd just take some time off from Music On The Menu," said Stout. "Between the newspaper column and the radio show, I'd been doing something with local music, every week, for 26 years. But after about two weeks, I guess the old newspaper reporter in me kicked in. I wanted to talk to people. I wanted to interview people. I wanted to see how they were doing, personally, and how all of this was affecting them professionally. Because we'd never seen anything like it." 

The first interview was posted on April 15 and the last on June 1. The series included conversations with Bret Alexander, Jimmy Harnen, A.J. Jump, Bill Kelly, Joe Nardone Jr., Will Beekman, Dustin Douglas, Richie Kossuth, Ellie Rose, Joe Wegleski, Patrick McGlynn, Chris Hludzik, Richard Briggs, Eddie Appnel, Loreen Bohannon, Tom Flannery, Mike "Miz" Mizwinski, Aaron Fink and Michael Cloeren, Most interviews ran 30-40 minutes in length. They have been donated to the Luzerne County Historical Society as a 10-CD set and also in mp3 form. 

"They are timepieces," said Stout. "Some of the first ones were done pretty early on when we were just getting into the stay-at-home orders and everything was shutting down. And, like everywhere else, the affect on the music industry was pretty devastating." 

　 

The interviewees ranged in age from those in their twenties to sixties. Stout says his intent was to talk with not just working musicians, but with people from all walks of life working in the music industry. 

　 

"Quite a few of those that I spoke with were working musicians, and with all of their gigs suddenly being cancelled, they certainly had a unique perspective on everything," said Stout. "Most of them got very creative right away and started doing live web streams from home on social media. But the series wasn't just about musicians. I also talked to people who produced records in local recording studios, and people that managed music venues, both large and small. And so you have A.J. Jump from Karl Hall talking about postponing about 40 shows and Will Beekman from Mohegan Sun Arena talking about postponing concerts and sporting events. Jimmy Harnen, a native of Plymouth, is the president of one of the largest record labels in Nashville, and he shared his perspective. Joe Nardone Jr. talked about the challenges of keeping his record stores in business. Richie Kossuth co-owns a music store and sound company and plays in a band, so he had thoughts on everything. Loreen Bohannon tours the country as a sound technician and all of her summer tours were canceled. Richard Briggs talked about canceling the Briggs Farm Blues Fest. Bret Alexander had played with The Badlees. Aaron Fink had played with Breaking Benjamin. Both were national recording artists and had seen a lot, but nothing like COVID-19." 

Stout says that some of the interviews were done shortly after the passing of Jerry Hludzik, a legendary local musician who had been a member of national acts The Buoys and Dakota. Thus several of the guests in the interview series who had known and worked with Hludzik also shared their thoughts on him. In early June, when most of Northeastern Pennsylvania began to enter the yellow and green phases of re-opening, he felt the series had covered every topic and thus decided to end it at #19. 

　 

"Nineteen seemed like the appropriate number to wrap up the COVID-19 series," said Stout. "When we started, everyone was still a bit shell-shocked by everything that was happening and nobody really knew what direction things were heading. And about six weeks later, when we did the last one, Micheal Cloren, who manages the Penn's Peak concert venue, was talking about trying to put some shows back on the calendar for the fall. There was a light at the end of the tunnel which, hopefully, will remain bright. But there's still a lot of uncertainty." 

　 

The Luzerne County Historical Society appreciates receiving the recordings. 

　 

"This is great donation," said Mark J. Riccetti Jr., director of operations and programs at the Luzerne County Historical Society. "I think it will be a great impetus for future donations, and it also shows that you don't necessarily have to be what we call one of the 'front-line' workers. It doesn't have to be the stories that you see on TV. We're looking to collect any oral histories. We want to know how this affects every single person in the valley." 

　 
Stout says that, through the interviews, he's grateful to have helped play a small role in helping preserve some local history. His weekly radio show will return to the airwaves on August 2. 

　 

"I love the Historical Society," said Stout. "I've worked on some projects with them in the past. And when I saw a post on their Facebook page asking for people to contribute some oral history stories regarding COVID-19, I thought the interviews that I had done might interest them. Granted - they deal mostly with arts, entertainment and music - but their stories are also a part of the story. Everyone, no matter what your profession may be, has a story. And these people from our local music community talked about how the pandemic has affected people's creativity and their livelihoods. And I'm grateful that they took the time to share those stories. 

　 

"Hopefully," he added, "more people from all walks of life will do the same. If you're a doctor or a nurse and you were, or still are, working in the ICU with COVID-19 patients, take 20-30 minutes some night and document your story. If you worked in a supermarket, do the same. If you had COVID-19, or someone close to you did, document it. You can record your thoughts and memories as a voice-memo right on your smart-phone and e-mail it right to the Historical Society. It's easy. And it's something that future generations will certainly be interested in. This has been one of the most significant historical events of our time." 

(For information on submitting COVID-19 stories to the Luzerne County Historical Society, call (570) 823-6244)