WreckingBallRadio.NET Blog, Station News, Contests & more.4.17 - I had a fun idea. If you've bought CDs or Vinyl based on hearing a song or an artist for the first time here on WreckingBallRadio.NET - send in a selfie with your discoveries and I'll post them here. I mainly wanna do this to show record industry types that we may have a small audience but I know you're dedicated music lovers and we do make a difference in your buying habits. You don't have to be in the pic if you don't wanna be. It can just be a pick of your music haul. Up to you.
4.17 - Thanks to Ken and Mark this morning for donations. That's very encouraging. Makes me think we're doing something right when that happens! Thank you both. Still $540 to go to reach our goal this quarter. Think we can do it?
4.16 - and thanks to Paul from SC, USA today for his donation! Thanks very much, my friend.
4.16 - Maintenance Alert: This Friday Night/Saturday Morning 1am we may (may) be off the air for a couple hours due to maintenance at our streaming service's HQ.
4.16 - the Wrecking Ball Radio Bidding War has Begun! We talked about the promotional prize package we're putting together, 6 CDs from WreckingBallRadio.NET featured artists, CDs any WreckingBallRadio.NET listener would be happy to have in their personal collection. Whoever donates the most in the Spring Quarter will win them all.
At this writing the highest donation this quarter is from John with two $50.00 donations, So the donation to beat, right now is $100.00. John should get extra points on this since he donated before there was a contest but he's entered now, whether he knows it or not! One of these CDs is one I hate to part with for sentimental reasons, and it's my own personal copy, but I wanted to sweeten the pot with something personal. It's a signed copy of Rosanne Cash's CD from a few years' ago called "The List", which is a compilation of cover songs Johnny Cash encouraged her to record. This one alone would possibly bring in a lot of money if I put it on Ebay or something but I'm not going to do that. It'll be included in this promotion package, along with 5 more great albums. In previous quarters our top donors have given up to $400.00 at a time. This quarter's a little slow right now but it tends to pick up as the quarter winds down. 
4.14 - Thanks to Wiliam for his donation this weekend. Thanks for helping to keep WreckingBallRadio.NET alive and well for the foreseeable future. Our Spring Fund Drive continues. Still needed to reach our goal this quarter: $595.00. And we're putting together a package of CDs - some of them autographed - which will go to the top donor this quarter. If you like WreckingBallRadio.NET you're sure to like the music I've picked out for your CD collection!
4.13 Our Thanks to Kerri Powers for sending in a few new CDs, one for the station and one for our Spring/Summer fund-drive package we're putting together for our major contributors Great new album from Kerri, which includes a shockingly good cover of Stevie Winwood / Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Back Home" we'll be playing on the stream for a long time to come, I'm sure.
4.12.18 Here's a new Mixcloud Podcast for you. New music from Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Neko Case, Blackberry Smoke, Brandi Carlile & more! Enjoy!
4.6.18 - Thanks to John in NZ for the donation this weekend! Much appreciated, sir! Only 630 to go for the fund drive this Spring!
4.5.18 - We are proudly out of step with popular music trends and the supposed tried and true radio methods which got locked into place about 40 years ago. Thanks for being an open-minded listener - and thanks for helping us out whenever possible. When there are no donations, I can't know for sure if you're still interested. And if you're not, why bother? Thankfully we tend to meet our goals! Our Spring Fund Drive is happening right now. I'm hoping to put some packages together of various CDs to our top donors, some of them autographed by the artists for you.
4.3.18 - Thanks to David for donating today! 680 to go for the fund drive this Spring! Much appreciated, folks. Thanks for helping me keep WreckingBallRadio.NET on the air!
4.2.18 - Great feedback on our latest podcast with all the live tracks (below). Glad you liked it. Had fun making it for you. And thanks to Phyllis for her monthly donation. Bringing us ever closer to our quarterly goal of a mere $900.00. Only $695.00 to go.
3.30.18. Here's a fun little mix I made for your Holiday Weekend - a "Fantasy Concert" featuring lots of Live recordings - from Gary Clark, Jr., Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Mercy Creek, Keb' Mo', Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neko Case, Widespread Panic, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov't. Mule & more. Enjoy!
3.28.18 Thanks to Steve and John today for donations. 705.00 to go for our Spring Fund Drive. I appreciate you all very much. Glad you like the music! - Jayson
3.26.18 And here we are with yet another fantastic podcast featuring so much great music, it's nearly impossible to fathom that it's all right here rolled into one neat package from yours truly! All new stuff. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Ray LaMontagne, Josh Rouse, Sue Foley, Parker Millsap, Kim Richey, Jesse Terry, Hiss Golden Messenger, Tim Easton, Birds of Chicago, Elephant Revival, The Wood Brothers, Blackberry Smoke, Kasey Chambers & (as they say in radio circles) much, much more! - Jayson. (Enjoy!)
3.25 Sunday Night - Thanks to Ted over the weekend for his contribution to the station. Very much appreciated, as always! Now that Spring is finally here, somewhere in the snow, our Spring Fund Drive begins in full force. Anything you can do to help us reach our goal this quarter will be appreciated. Since we got an early start on it, only 739.00 to go. Can't do it without you, of course. And really, the joint effort seems logical. I can't know if the station is valuable to you without the donations. So without them, why bother? Does that make sense?
3.22 - I'm a Podcast Makin' Fool this week. Here's a new one I made for you. Fans of Outlaw Americana style Country will love this. So good.
3.20 - I made this for you. A new Blues Cathedral Podcast. An hour of scintillating soul, rapturous R&B and a bit of Blues. JJ Thames, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Ruthie Foster, Janiva Magness, Johnny Rawls, Esperanza Spaulding, Eric Bibb, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Keb' Mo' and more... you'll love it. I love it.
3.17 - For those who say this can't be a blog because there's no place to respond to the messages I post, I invite you to join our Facebook page: facebook.com/wreckingballradio.net where I post virtually the same blog notices, along with lots of cool articles about the musicians we feature.
3.16 - I'm going to have to go back to doing my show in Podcast form only. I like doing the show for the stream but I can't seem to work in the time to do both. And I also enjoy podcasting. The stream will continue on and you'll hear me on promos and stuff. But my show, after this weekend, will be strictly Podcast for now. I'll post them right here, of course.
3.16 - Thanks to Ruth for her monthly donation/support coming in today, very much appreciated, Ruth! Total 157 raised. 743 to go for our Spring Fund Drive. Don't forget: Replays of shows of mine from earlier in the week, Saturday and Sunday noon Eastern. See you there. Oh, wait, hear you there. No, that's not right. You'll hear me there. Better. Peace.
3.14 - Thanks to Sheldon for the donation today. Brings our Spring Fund Drive total up to $152 with $748 to go, so we can make it thru til at least summer.
As you probably know by now, we go quarter by quarter, sometimes week to week. Jayson's Blog 3.10 and a big thank you to listeners Ted and Steve for donations today! Cheers! Only 765 to go in order to meet our 900 quarterly goal.
Jayson's Blog 3.9 Some of my inspirations have retired. David Dye from World Cafe and Mike Marrone from SXM's The Loft. I feel like I'm one of the last ones standing, even though no one's heard of me. I've been exclusively promoting Americana / progressive (not radio) country for about 20 years now. And even before people knew it was an emerging format, I was noticing and featuring the more "literate" style of country (as Steve Earle and Rosanne Cash called it when they had their CMT special together a few years' ago) even back in the 80s, when I was in country radio. I guess I'll continue carrying the torch for a while.
Note: cups and shirts are cool. The station doesn't really make money off of these things. I only made them available because some of you asked for them. Our stream, and everything that comes with it, is paid for by donations alone.
Blog 3.7 - yes, it WOULD be nice to have a surplus but every bit of money coming in from listeners, and augmented by my own credit cards, goes directly into programming expenses. Mainly for licensing fees. Radio ain't cheap. It can be, but it'd only be cheap if you were using a radio stream as a Ham Radio, never playing music, and just sat there and yacked at people all day & night. Me? i'm all about the music.
Blog 3.6 Thanks to William for contributing today! You're all helping to get the Spring Fund Drive off to a great start! 105 Collected so far, Only 790 to go and then we can shut up about it for a while! You're all appreciated very much. Peace. - Jayson
Blog 3.5 Thanks to Bernie and Maury for today's donations! Up to 70 already for a good jump on the Spring Fund Drive. 830 to go!
Blog 3.3 And thanks to Phyllis, for getting the Spring Fund Drive going. only 890 to go!
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Loading ... Loading ... Our Podcasts: Listen any timeHoliday 2017 Podcast! Happy Merry, Merry Happy!
Your ad here as a trade for a reasonable donation to help keep WreckingBallRadio.NET alive and well! Good place for a new album announcement.
Our Current Most Popular & Most Featured Tracks 4.17.18 1. Brandi Carlile - Harder to Forgive 2. Lake Street Dive - Good Kisser 3. Hiss Golden Messenger - Passing Clouds 4. Tim Easton - Broken Hearted Man 5. Yarn - Heaven in You 6. Mipso - People Change 7. Leftover Salmon - Show Me Something Higher 8. Mary Chapin Carpenter - Rhythm of the Blues 9. Sam Lewis - Natural Disaster 10. Ray LaMontagne - Such a Simple Thing 11. Birds of Chicago - Roll Away 12. John Prine - Knockin' On Your Screen Door 13. Van Morrison - You're Driving Me Crazy 14. Josh Rouse - Salton Sea 15. Slaid Cleaves - If I Had a Heart Top Featured Albums 4.17.18
Jim James - Tribute 2 Ben Harper & Charlie Musslewhite - No Mercy In this Land John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl First Aid Kit - Ruins Chris Stapleton - From a Room Vol. 2 Mavis Staples - If All I Was was Black Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams Calexico - The Thread That Keeps Us Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You The Wood Brothers - One Drop of Truth Caleb Caudle - Crushed Coins 
If you ever find you're being "geo-blocked" from a website for whatever reason, here's an excellent article on how to use a VPN service. A good example for needing a VPN: say you work in a big office building and everyone uses the same WiFi but your office doesn't want to follow the same rules as the office building's landlord. A VPN is an excellent way to get around whatever block they've put in place. There are several good ones out there. Do some shopping around. We're not promoting any specific VPN. But we do recommend them.
Your Promo Here!!
We don't have advertising but as an incentive to donate, if you have a small business to promote, a coffee shop, a new album, an ebook or book or movie or comic book or anything (within reason, of course, example: no porn, no guns, nothing racist or sexist), in exchange for any donation $50 or more we'll gladly help you promote it here on this page. Or.... Hire Me!
Another way to help out with WreckingBallRadio.NET, if you like my voice (and some people do, believe it or not!), I'm available to create a radio ad for you which you can place on various radio stations in your market. I specialize in the "soft sell" approach. Just write me some copy and I'll send you an mp3 or two or three in a timely manner, which can be used when you buy time on other outlets running commercials. I'm also available to program or consult other radio stations, on line or wherever, in the wreckingballradio.net style. Moving is not an option but you don't need me hanging around your break room anyway, when I can do it long distance just fine. Questions or suggestions: wreckingballradio@gmail.com Wrecking Ball Radio:
"A seductive, addictive, professional blend of Americana, Contemporary Blues, Modern Bluegrass, Jam, Folk Rock, AAA, soulful alt.country and more..." 
The perfect cup for your better moods!
A Cup for Our Times!
Blog 3.3 - Our Winter Fund Drive was a success! Thanks Bruce & John for putting us over the top. Thanks to everyone who's contributed to make sure we stay on the air. And now.... here comes Spring!
900 a quarter seems to just cover the bases. It's a little higher now because some of the licensing companies have raised their fees so our artists can get a raise. PayPal: wreckingballradio@gmail.com Interest on paypal adds up quickly, too. Webhosting costs money. Music itself costs money. Yes I do get some promo stuff but most of what you hear is music I've bought for the station. And sometimes we have to replace a microphone or a laptop or something basic like that. There's Internet fees & more. We don't have a huge overhead because there's no fancy studio or tower to worry about. But since this is my only "job", I do have to put on my fundraiser hat now and then. If I could I'd pay for it all myself. Maybe if they ever get that Basic Income thing going. I haven't won any lotteries lately so I do rely on the kindness of strangers. You can donate through our Paypal Address: wreckingballradio@gmail.com "Old school" checks and money orders are also fine, through our mailing address Jayson c/o Wrecking Ball Radio 500 Umstead Drive #202A Chapel Hill, NC 27516 If you do it this way, please include your email so I can thank you, ASAP or right away! |
Wrecking Ball Radio
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Wearing our new shirt helps with word of mouth promotion. But just know it's not a donation. I get nothing from those things in terms of tangible money to pay our bills. I was just encouraged to make them because some of you have asked for some SWAG and I thought it would be a good way to make some SWAG available.
Maybe if we sold a couple thousand of them I'd make a few bucks but I'm not holding my breath on that one! Same goes for the cups. What really helps, though, is donations thru PayPal. Here's our direct address. PayPal.Me/WreckingBallRadioNET 
I love this pic. No clue where it came from or who owns it. If you own it and would like me to take it down, lemme know. But it's one hell of a shot!
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."I got into radio when I was 19 out in Walla Walla, Washington. after some time at Whitman College's KWCW I landed a job at KTEL - a little news, sports and country music station. Before too long I became their music director. It was my dream job, really. Same station Family Guy & Batman's Adam West began his career, btw.
Moved to Florida in the mid 80's and spent some time as Music Director at Class 103 in Naples, back when they were 'THE' station to listen to. After that I hosted a popular weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch show on WAVV-101. I got out of radio for a while to pursue other interests and wound up back on the air at Eye-Q Radio in Miami where I began exclusively playing Americana and alt.country. This was back in 2000. Moved to North Carolina and found myself continuing the Americana/alt.country show at WCOM, a little community station here in Carrboro. The show got "syndicated" on a few other internet stations in the USA and UK - which was very cool. But a weekly 2 hour show just wasn't enough for me. Once I finally figured out how to put the pieces together for a full time internet-based radio station, and thanks to the generosity of friends who believed in this project (and my ability to pull it off and create something innovative, fun and interesting) - Wrecking Ball Radio was born in 2011. The station continues to survive ONLY on listener donations and, for that, we are eternally, extremely grateful." "This is my only real skill and it's becoming less and less marketable so I really do appreciate the support." 
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"A terrific source for discovering new music! I've bought a ton of music because of you!"
Jamie T. "I had satellite but I got rid of it and now I only listen to Wrecking Ball Radio. Nothing compares." B. Tweedy "WreckingBallRadio.Net must continue. It is the go to sound track for my life. Your programming skills are spot on. Bringing joy to me every day of my life. Telling all my friends about your station."
Joel K. "[Wrecking Ball Radio] is a goldmine of new and old Americana nuggets curated by Jayson Tanner, who seems to have the knack of uncovering under the radar artists... He has a real ear for intelligent music, the kind that has something to say and which does not simply seek to replicate the past...."
Steve Swift, writing in 'Louder Than War'. "We play your station every day , and EVERY day, so many clients ask about the station because they LOVE the music that is played. We're sharing the good news! Thank you for playing great songs all the time."
- Dennis S. "Wow...seriously? Radio with really good music? Really, REALLY good music...song after song after song? Two hours ago I would have said it wasn't possible ... thank you Jayson for proving me wrong." - Barbara P. "... reminds me of listening to "underground" radio back in 1969..." - Ron I. "Incredible! ... I love ur song selections and could never find all these artists on my own. Thank you I can now lay in bed and listen to my hearts content." - Virgil J. "I like having a place I can escape to where I can be guaranteed awesome music." - Jessica D. "Wrecking Ball Radio harkens back to the quality and depth commercial radio once had the freedom and chutzpah to explore. Class, quality and excitement." - Jon M. Send Comments:
WreckingBallRadio@gmail.com
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