Alan K. Stout

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 paper also published in Wilkes-Barre. He was voted Northeastern Pennsylvania's "Favorite Newspaper Columnist" in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008. In 1998, he was awarded a "Keystone Press Award for Excellence in Journalism" for his music coverage.

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. The column continues to appear in The Weekender each week.

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 these bands and continues to write about local talent in the NEPA region. In 2004, Stout launched his own weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu Live". The program, like his column, showcases local talent. He is also the host of the monthly "Weekender/Mountaingrown Original Music Series," a live radio broadcast which allows local musicians to showcase their songs to a wide audience. Stout is also known for his concert coverage and reviews. He frequently reviews shows at the Wachovia 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, The Dave Matthews Band 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, Ray Charles, Steven Tyler, David Bowie, Eddie Van Halen, Don Henley, Gene Simmons, Jon Bon Jovi, Rob Thomas, B.B. King, to name a few. Many of these interviews have also appeared on national newspaper wires and have appeared in various newspapers across the United States. In 1999, Stout worked with the band Motley Crue 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 NEPA that unites the region's entire musical and media community. The annual event, held each April, features dozens of regional bands, plus full sponsorship from the local print, television and radio media. A rock auction has featured autographed items from John Mellencamp, KISS, Motley Crue, Dave Matthews and Bob Weir. Since 2002, the event has also included a limited edition companion CD for which Stout often contributes a track. His recordings for the "Concert For A Cause" albums have included covers of The Beatles' "Blackbird," Bruce Springsteen's "Happy," John Lennon's "Watching The Wheels" and Elvis Presley's "His Latest Flame." In 2008, the "Concert For A Cause VI" CD spent five weeks at No. 1 on the NEPA album chart. As of 2008, the concert and the CDs had raised more than $161,000 for regional charites. 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 hit the Top-5 on the NEPA singles chart and also appeared on the "Concert For A Cause II" album. 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 now serves as the Newspapers In Education Manager at The Times Leader and contines to offer music coverage to readers in Northeastern Pennsylvania with his weekly column in The Weekender, his radio show and his concert reviews.