While waiting for Old Crow Medicine Show's set on the Grand Ole Opry last Friday, I was listening to the other performers' sets via internet streaming while working various PSK-31 contacts on 30, 40, and 80 meters. (Think of it as texting friends while listening to music on the radio, just in a roundabout way.) I mentioned to one ham up in MN what I was listening to, and he suggested back that if I like string band music to try WPAQ, The Voice of the Blue Ridge. Of course I'm out of range of their medium wave signal, but they stream just fine over the net. Like WSM, it's an interesting station with lots of history behind it. You can read about it both at the station's "about us" page as well as over at Wikipedia. The one sentence that sums it all up though is from that first link:If people are doing the same thing in 25 places up and down the radio dial, why should I be number 26?Oh man, if only other stations would take up that same brave stance. Anyway, from a sampling over these past three days, the music on WPAQ seems to be the genuine article.
Back to the Friday Night Opry and Old Crow et al, they came on at the click of the hour and played Shout Mountain Music from their new album Volunteer, then introduced Dom Flemons who played several songs (very good stuff, will have to pick up an album or two of his to try), then OCMS came back for one of their slower tunes and brought the house down with (of course) Wagon Wheel. Then they came back for the second show a couple of hours later, which was much the same (including Dom Flemons), but this time (1) Flemons broke out his quills to play, including accompanying OCMS on Wagon Wheel, and (2) Ketch Secor's voice blew out half way through the the evening. He motored on anyway like the music pro that he is. I mean, it was a packed house and OCMS wasn't going to send anybody home disappointed, and he had plenty of friends up on stage with him to help out. Two good sets in all, with plenty of other interesting music rounding out the evening.
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