Dear Listener,
Happy Holidays! Your support helped make lots of things possible for WWOZ this year.
A brief and breathless review of the past year reveals that ‘OZ now provides 54 other U.S. radio stations with a weekly program of live music performances recorded locally by WWOZ engineers and produced/hosted by George Ingmire called New Orleans All the Way Live!
We've also introduced our new iPhone App, upgraded (finally!) our Web stream to 128Kbps and filed an application with the FCC for a power increase from 4,000 watts to a lofty 100,000 watts.
And we are now working with the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society (Harvard) with support from the Surdna Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation to improve our current services and offer high-tech new ones.
Other notable ‘OZ moments in '09 include recognition from Offbeat, Gambit and New Orleans Magazine as the Best New Orleans Radio Station, as well as an Arts Council Community Arts Award. And while all this was going on, we've been hatching even more exciting projects for next year ... Stay tuned!
Yours in mistletoe and artificial snow,
David
David Freedman
General Manager
Give the Gift of 'OZ
As 2009 draws to a close, we thank you for groovin’ along with us at events like the 40th Anniversary of Jazz Fest, live broadcasts from Voodoo Music Experience and everything in between. We’ve got some great holiday shows coming up, and we hope you’ll keep WWOZ in mind this season as you consider year-end donations. An ‘OZ membership also makes a perfect holiday present for your loved ones who love New Orleans music. You can also pick up some funky WWOZ gear at our new and improved Swamp Shop. From hats and t-shirts to umbrellas and limited edition prints, put a little ‘OZ under your tree this year!
» Learn more about the various ways to support ‘OZ
» Buy stuff at the 'OZ Swamp Shop
Holiday Happenings
The dozens of ways to celebrate the holidays in New Orleans have our heads spinning! With a holiday concert series at Saint Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter through December 20, Preservation Hall’s 4th Annual Creole Christmas Concert on December 20 & 24, and the Blue Nile Christmas Party hosted by Big Sam on Christmas Day, there’ll be no shortage of merriment. And if you’re still looking for New Year’s Eve plans, don’t miss DJ Soul Sister’s end-of-year blowout at Mimi’s or the Soul Rebels NYE House Party at Le Bon Temps Roule. Happy Holidays from WWOZ!
» Read more about Upcoming Community Events
» Check out our Music Calendar
Jazz Fest 2010 Lineup Announced
The list of acts who will perform at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 23-May 2) is now available! Headliners include Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Pearl Jam, the Neville Brothers, and many, many more. The cost of Brass Passes — which are now transferable — will go up in the New Year, but you can still get yours now for $400 for a limited time. Start planning your Jazz Fest 2010!
» Read more about Jazz Fest 2010
Smoke-Free Live Broadcast Series
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living is sponsoring a series of 12 live broadcasts at clubs that agree to ban smoking for the evening, showing its commitment to making environments healthier for you and some of your favorite people: the ones who make the music and the drinks. The kick-off event on December 14 at the Maple Leaf with Papa Grows Funk was a wild time, and we have pictures to prove you don’t need smoke to have fire. Smoke-free venues on our online Livewire Music Calendar now have no-smoking icons next to their names. Let’s breathe some fresh New Orleans music together!
» Read More About Our Smoke-Free Broadcast
The New Orleans Saints’ amazing 2009 NFL season has inspired a huge number of fight songs aimed at gearing fans up for a Black & Gold Super Bowl! Some are simple home-spun chants, while others are big productions with all-star musicians like Matt Perrine, Shamarr Allen, and Kermit Ruffins. You can find many of these tunes at Louisiana Music Factory, and “Here Come the Saints” by Chief Howard Miller is available right here at wwoz.org for a buck!
» See a list of Saints-centric songs and add to it
» Purchase “Here Come the Saints” by Chief Howard Miller
Best CDs of 2009
One of our favorite things to do is go through CD releases from the past year and make our top picks. Show hosts Tom Morgan, David Kunian and George Ingmire have already sent in their 2009 short lists, and plenty more picks are on the way from the rest of our volunteer deejay corps. Log on to WWOZ.org to see which albums your favorite host picked, and sound off or post your own lists in the Comments section. It’s a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the music scenes of Louisiana and beyond if you’ve been under a rock all year!
» Read our show hosts’ lists of favorite CDs of 2009
Calling All Mardi Gras Fans
Volunteer Party & B-Day Bash Highlights
We appreciate all the volunteers who’ve helped WWOZ keep guarding the Groove through its 29th birthday. Our Volunteer Holiday Party & Birthday Bash at Crescent City Brewhouse earlier this month was an absolute blast! We had practically the whole staff in the house, as well as plenty of show hosts, volunteers, and friends — check out our online picture gallery, and then sign up to be a volunteer so you won’t miss out next year!
» See highlights from the WWOZ Volunteer Party & Birthday Bash
December Recipe: Shrimp Canapés
This month's recipe — shrimp canapés — is the perfect decorative-but-delicious complement to your holiday cocktail party. So are any of the four wines Louisiana Cookin' magazine recommends to go with it... and throw in a dash or two of WWOZ (to taste)! If you like the recipe, then check out Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz09, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ.
» Check out our December recipe
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.
Shop WWOZ
The Swamp Shop is open and chock full of WWOZ gear.
New Orleans Music Calendar
Live music is the life-blood of New Orleans. Check out our online music calendar to find out who's playing where!
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