Dear Listener,
WWOZ has always aspired to use cutting-edge technology to preserve our heritage and nurture our very-much-alive musical culture. In that spirit, we recently convened a panel from the front lines of the ongoing mash-up of radio and the Internet, thanks to a Surdna Foundation grant.
These veterans of change came from Vocalo (89.5 FM, Chicago), Radio Milwaukee, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Public Radio Exchange, Public Radio International, GuideStar and the Miro project.
Many great ideas surfaced during the all-day thinkfest, some of which we hope will enhance your WWOZ web experience in the coming months. While we're at it, if there are changes and improvements to our site that you'd like to see us make, please feel free to e-mail me at david@wwoz.org.
Speaking of technology, be sure to check out the story in this issue of how our never-say-die engineers defied the laws of physics and made a remote broadcast happen at the Telluride Jazz Festival in June despite some "striking" challenges.
Yours in bit streams and pipe dreams,
David Freedman
General Manager
Lightning Strikes! Tales of Telluride 2009
When WWOZ traveled to the San Juan Mountains in Colorado this past June, none of the live broadcast crew had any idea what challenges lay in store for them. It began with a lightning strike that fried our broadcast line, which would have crippled most operations. But our intrepid 'OZ crew managed to use a little creativity to get the broadcast up and running on the second day with some high-tech help from staff back at the station.
» Read more about how WWOZ beat the odds and broadcast from Telluride
Art and Music at Voodoo Experience 2009
Voodoo Experience 2009 is just around the corner, and the lineup includes one-of-a-kind acts like Cyril Neville's Blues Revue with Tab Benoit, Monk Boudreaux, and Johnny Sansone. WWOZ will broadcast several performances live on air and online, so stay tuned for details. The Life Is Art Foundation will also set up a series of installations around City Park, including outdoor movies, a musical boat in City Park Lagoon, and a giant piñata that'll be busted open on Halloween Night.
» Read more about Voodoo Experience 2009
Call for Volunteers - Fall Membership Drive
WWOZ's Fall Membership Drive is coming up, and we need your help to make it a success! We are looking for volunteers to come on air alongside our show hosts and encourage listeners to become members and support 'OZ. The drive starts on Monday, October 5, and runs through Thursday, October 15. If you are interested, you must attend one of the training sessions, which will be held Thursday, September 10, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, September 12, at 2 p.m.
» Read more about volunteering at WWOZ
WWOZ Congratulates New Louisiana Music Hall of Famers
WWOZ heartily congratulates Allen Toussaint, Ernie K-Doe, and Benny Spellman, on their induction to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame! An event was held in celebration at the Mother-In-Law Lounge on August 2, 2009, attended by Toussaint, Spellman's daughter, K-Doe's daughter, and scores of adoring fans. We gathered together a few digital mementos from around the Web to honor these supremely talented musical legends.
» Read more about the induction event and the inductees
In Memoriam: Edwin Hampton and Hart McNee
WWOZ asks you to join us in remembering our music legends who left this world in the past month.
Legendary St. Augustine Band Master Edwin Hampton (pictured) founded and directed the school's world-renowned Marching 100 in arenas and parades for over five decades. He passed on July 21.
Flautist Hart McNee, whose innovative flute playing and signature bass flute sound lent itself perfectly to the man's envelope-pushing music, passed on July 14 after a long battle with cancer.
» Read more about Edwin Hampton
Sponsor Profile: Louisiana Music Factory
WWOZ welcomes the Louisiana Music Factory as our featured sponsor for this month. Located in the French Quarter, this music store has been selling the best of Cajun/Zydeco, blues, R&B, and jazz since 1992. It's also a venue for performances by local stars like Big Chief Alfred Doucette (pictured). Don't forget to use your 'OZ membership card to get a discount on store purchases!
» Read more about our sponsors
Featured Product at Swamp Café: WWOZ Infant Bodysuit
Stop by our new Swamp Café, hosted by Café Press, and pick up our featured product for August: a cute infant bodysuit with the WWOZ "The Music Made Me Do It" logo or our "Distressed" logo (pictured) on the front. The suit is available in pink, blue, or white, so get those future WWOZ supporters started early and in style! We've got tons of other gear available, too, and each purchase helps WWOZ continue to Guard the Groove on air in New Orleans and online around the globe.
» Buy the WWOZ infant bodysuit at the Swamp CaféRecipe: Skewered Shrimp with Cilantro Coconut Dipping Sauce
This month's recipe comes from Brent Applewhite, a cuisine chef at Refuel Café on 8124 Hampson Street in New Orleans. This delectable dish calls for 20 large Louisiana shrimp and Malibu rum and serves 10 people. If you like the recipe, then check out Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz09, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ.
WWOZ Quick Links
Playlists Online
Are you interested in an artist we played on the air? You can search playlists by song title, band name, CD title or label.
WWOZ Swamp Shop and Swamp Café
The OZ Swamp Shop and Swamp Café are open and chock full of WWOZ gear.
New Orleans Music Calendar
There's live music in locations all around New Orleans. We've got a music calendar online.
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