ALAN K. STOUT
(press bio)
Alan K. Stout is a rock music
journalist based out of Northeastern Pennsylvania who has written extensively for the
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and The Weekender, a popular arts and entertainment newspaper in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was voted
Northeastern Pennsylvania's "Favorite Newspaper Columnist" in 1997,
1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009. In 1998, he was awarded a "Keystone
Press Award for Excellence in Journalism" for his music coverage. In 2011,
he was presented with the "Best Special Event/Achievement Award" by
the United Way of The Wyoming Valley for his charitable work with the annual
"Concert For A Cause." In 2014, he was presented with the
"Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Steamtown Music Awards, which
are a part of the Electric City Music Conference. The award was presented in recognition for his lifetime of work in music journalism, radio, and producing live events.
Music journalist and radio host Alan K. Stout |
Stout began covering music
for The Times Leader in 1992 and his weekly column, "Music On The
Menu," appeared in The Times Leader from 1994-2005. In 2000, he was named
music editor at The Times Leader. In 2005, "Music On The Menu" moved
to The Weekender, where he served as editor until 2007 and where the column
appeared until 2011. His concert reviews are still sometimes published by The Times Leader, The Weekender and the Bold Gold
Media Group.
Stout's focus in the Northeast Pennsylvania region has often been on the local music scene, which has produced national recording artists such as The Badlees (1995) and Breaking Benjamin (2002). He was among the first writers to profile those bands. In 2004, Stout launched his own weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu," on 102.3-FM, The Mountain. In 2013, the program moved to 105 The River (104.9-FM), and as his column did for nearly 18 years, it continues to showcase local talent. From 2004-2013, Stout hosted of the monthly "Weekender/Mountaingrown Original Music Series," a live radio broadcast which allowed local musicians to showcase their songs to a wide audience. In 2014, Stout began to host a new original music series, "Music On The Menu Live," which was broadcast live on 105 The River from Mohegan Sun Pocono. In 2017, Stout, in cooperation with SSPTV and the Bold Gold Media Group, launched a monthly television version of the "Music On The Menu" radio show which aired on Comcast and Service Electric Cable TV throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Stout's focus in the Northeast Pennsylvania region has often been on the local music scene, which has produced national recording artists such as The Badlees (1995) and Breaking Benjamin (2002). He was among the first writers to profile those bands. In 2004, Stout launched his own weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu," on 102.3-FM, The Mountain. In 2013, the program moved to 105 The River (104.9-FM), and as his column did for nearly 18 years, it continues to showcase local talent. From 2004-2013, Stout hosted of the monthly "Weekender/Mountaingrown Original Music Series," a live radio broadcast which allowed local musicians to showcase their songs to a wide audience. In 2014, Stout began to host a new original music series, "Music On The Menu Live," which was broadcast live on 105 The River from Mohegan Sun Pocono. In 2017, Stout, in cooperation with SSPTV and the Bold Gold Media Group, launched a monthly television version of the "Music On The Menu" radio show which aired on Comcast and Service Electric Cable TV throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Stout is also known for his
concert coverage and reviews. He frequently reviewed shows at the Mohegan Sun
Arena in Wilkes-Barre, The F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre and the Montage
Mountain Amphitheater in Scranton. He also sometimes covers major concert tours
that visit Philadelphia and has reviewed shows by The Rolling Stones, Paul
McCartney, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Plant/Page, Sting, Eric Clapton, The
Who, Dave Matthews Band, KISS and Billy Joel. In addition to appearing in the
Wilkes-Barre newspapers, Stout's reviews have also appeared on the national
entertainment newspaper wires, in papers from coast-to-coast, and - if
favorable - on the websites of the artists he covers.
Stout's interviews include
conversations with Billy Joel, Steven Tyler, David Bowie, Eddie Van Halen, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Jon Bon Jovi, Ray Charles, B.B. King and
Don Henley. Many of these interviews
have also appeared on national newspaper wires and have appeared in various
newspapers across the United States. Many can now be found on YouTube.
In 1997, Stout broke a news
story regarding the Lackawanna County Commissioners office and its decision to
possibly end its relationship with the Metropolitan Entertainment Group.
Metropolitan had promoted concerts at the Montage Mountain Amphitheater in
Scranton, had run the facility, and had brought some of the biggest names in
music to Northeastern Pennsylvania. The county, however, had concerns about the
facility, particularly what it deemed as Metropolitan’s poor management of
concert traffic. Stout’s news coverage of the situation led to a mass movement
by the public to save the concerts at Montage. Radio stations organized
petition drives, elected officials were lobbied, and eventually, a new
agreement/contract was made between Metropolitan and Lackawanna County,
with Metropolitan committing to make improvements, including, in 2000,
constructing a new and improved multi-million dollar amphitheater. Stout’s
ongoing coverage of the situation, which was deemed fair and balanced by both
parties - combined with his commentaries/editorials, concert reviews, album
reviews and coverage of the local band and club scene – resulted in his
receiving a Keystone Press Award for Excellence in Journalism for his music
coverage.
In 1999, Stout worked with
the band Mötley Crüe when the group released digitally re-mastered versions of
its entire CD catalog. Titled "Crucial Crue," the series featured all
new liner-notes for each album, written by Stout with the band. He is credited
on each album.
Also in 1999, Stout helped
found "Concert For Karen/Concert For A Cause," an annual charity
event held in Northeast Pennsylvania that united the region's entire musical and media community.
The annual event, held each April, featured dozens of local bands, plus full
sponsorship from the local print, television and radio media. A rock auction
featured autographed items from John Mellencamp, KISS, Mötley Crüe, Dave
Matthews, Elton John and Bob Weir. Since 2002, the event also included a
limited edition companion CD for which Stout often contributed a track. His
recordings for the "Concert For A Cause" albums included covers of
The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, John
Lennon, KISS, John Mellencamp, Elvis
Presley and U2. In 2008,
the "Concert For A Cause 6" CD spent five weeks at No. 1 on the NEPA
album chart. In 2009, "Concert For a Cause 7" also spent several
weeks at No. 1 and in 2011, "Concert For A Cause 9: The Final Show,"
also hit No. 1. In 2009, to note its 10th anniversary, the mayor of the City of
Wilkes-Barre declared April 22 "Concert For A Cause Day." As of 2011,
the concert and the CDs had raised more than $204,000 for regional charities.
In 2003, one of Stout's
original songs, "Summer Days," received critical acclaim from others
in the NEPA media and the Billboard Magazine Songwriting Panel. Featuring
members of The Badlees, as do all of his recordings, it received airplay on 14
radio stations, hit the Top-5 on the NEPA singles chart and also appeared on
the "Concert For A Cause II" album.
In 2005, Stout organized
"We All Shine On: A Tribute to John Lennon." The sold-out show was
held on December 8 on the 25th anniversary of Lennon's death. It took place at
one of Wilkes-Barre's most popular music venues and featured an all-star lineup
of NEPA artists performing Lennon's songs from both his time with The Beatles
and his solo career. It was also broadcast live on the radio. Proceeds
benefited The John Lennon Scholarship Fund.
In Northeastern Pennsylvania, Stout often serves as emcee for live events. He has done so at The F.M. Kirby Center, Mohegan Sun Arena, Scranton Cultural Center, Montage Mountain Amphitheater, Harveys Lake Amphitheater, Briggs Farm Blues Festival, Wilkes-Barre's Public Square, Wilkes-Barre's River Common, The Woodlands, The River Street Jazz Cafe and Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Stout's stories have appeared
in the Boston Globe, San Jose Mercury News, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Daily
News, San Diego Tribune, Dallas Morning News and Miami Herald. He currently
serves as a music correspondent for The Weekender, The Times Leader and the Bold Gold Media Group. Through that
work, and through his weekly radio show and music blogs, he continues to provide insight into the musical climate of Northeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to his freelance work in music journalism and radio show, Stout serves as the Executive Director of the Luzerne County Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Luzerne County) and oversees the annual "Rockin' The River" summer concert series in Wilkes-Barre. In 2022, he served as executive producer, writer and narrator of "Agnes," a critically-acclaimed documentary film that featured music by The Badlees. In 2023, he was presented with a "Community Champion Award" from The Luzerne Foundation and a "Change-Maker Award" from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the steering committee of the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame.
(This bio was first published by The Times Leader.)
No comments:
Post a Comment