Big Blue Swing

Big Blue Swing is an Internet-only stream, but, strangely, the people behind it (whoever they are) don't do very much to make people aware of it -- even on the Internet. Their web page, hosted on MySpace, is pretty bad. They do have their own domain, apparently: www.bigblueswing.com. But as of this writing, that domain simply redirects to the MySpace page. I don't think I would have ever discovered it if not for the fact that it was programmed into the vTuner database, which my particular Internet radio device uses.

This is all too bad, because Big Blue Swing's stream is high quality and consists of one of the best mixes of big band, swing and blues music that I have ever heard. The artists and records seem to span from the 1940s to the present, with an emphasis on the "swing" in everything that is played. You think you have heard this genre before, but Big Blue Swing gives a unique twist to it that is hard to pin down. Imagine music that is nostalgic and yet completely up-to-date and hip, if you can.

Since it's an Internet-only stream, there are few interruptions to the music. Every several songs, a recorded announcer comes on admonishing you to get up and dance, even if you're at work. Other than that it's song after song.

My only (minor) complaint is that the station's playlist can start to sound repetitive if you listen for hours on end. In fact, if you listen every day you will hear many songs more than once (or twice, or three times ... etc.). Thankfully, the order of songs is not repetitive, so you'll be continually surprised to hear what comes next. And assuming you like this kind of music to begin with, you'll come to love so many of the songs played on Big  Blue Swing that you'll look forward to them rolling around once more.

WPAQ, Voice of the Blue Ridge

Mount Airy, North Carolina is known as the boyhood home of Andy Griffith and also (quite naturally) the real town upon which the fictional TV town of Mayberry was modeled. For old-time music fans, it is also known as the home of WPAQ radio.

WPAQ first went on the air in 1948, the embodiment of a vision held by a young Ralph Epperson. Epperson was dedicated to promoting, encouraging and preserving the authentic music of the Blue Ridge mountain region. To that end he invited local musicians to come to the studio, where they would play live on the air -- while Epperson, often, was recording them for posterity.

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Ralph Epperson passed away a few years ago, but his heirs at WPAQ have hewed true to his original vision. This is an authentic country station, through and through. In addition to the bluegrass, old-time and gospel music, the announcers give the news, do charmingly less-than-slick commercials for local businesses, and even read out the obituaries.

The crown of the WPAQ lineup is undoubtedly "The Merry-Go-Round," a show of live music held each Saturday on the stage of a local theater. If you're ever in Mt. Airy on a Saturday, you can drop in and enjoy it in person, for free.

Although I currently live in North Carolina, I'm a little too far outside of WPAQ's broadcasting footprint to pick it up on a regular radio at its dial position of 740 AM. But thanks to Internet radio I can now listen to a WPAQ stream whenever I want.

By the way, if you have a standalone Internet radio device that uses the vTuner station database, you have me to thank for WPAQ's availability to you. Well, I can't really swear to that, but it's possible.

You see, I was disappointed to find, at the time I acquired my vTuner-based Internet radio (an Aluratek), that WPAQ was not in vTuner. Although Aluratk's version of vTuner does have a facility for adding your own streams to the radio, it's a little confusing and doesn't always work. Mainly this has to do with the variety of formats used for streaming radio -- some simply won't work in vTuner.

Long story short is that I finally gave up on adding the WPAQ stream to my radio. Instead I settled for requesting that the vTuner folks add it to their database for me, and of course for others who would enjoy this type of station. I didn't really expect that much would come of this request, but lo and behold, a couple of weeks later I was checking vTuner and there in its list of "new stations" was WPAQ!

Thank you, vTuner and Aluratek. And thank you, WPAQ, for keeping a great radio tradition alive.

Internet Radio Receivers

Before I really get started in reviewing individual Internet radio streams, I want to give some background for this phenomenon -- especially in regard to the many new standalone devices that have made Internet radio listening so much more convenient and comfortable.

Brenty Newby is an expert on this subject, and so I will turn this post over to him:

Portable Internet Radio - Internet Radio Receivers
By Brent Newby

First, internet radio "broadcasts" can be either a play list, an actual radio broadcast, or a combination of both. What I'm speaking of here is a stand alone appliance for tuning to an online radio station with its' own call sign/station designation, just like traditional radio.

Radios such as these will cost anywhere from about $100.00-$300.00 depending on the factors discussed below. These receivers acquire their signal via antenna, ethernet or wifi, depending on your preference, although wifi probably lends the most versatility, when connected via your router.
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They come with a variety of features/capabilities. When connecting without a computer refer to the manual which should be included for setup instructions. Access is through a server which you log onto, enter your model number/code which configures the receiver. Depending on what software your radio is based will determine the ease of acquiring streams(broadcasts).

The tricky part has to do with the software upon which radios are based. Although there are a number of very good U.S. alternatives, I would recommend those which are Reciva based out of the U.K., and marketed here. This company is sometimes referred to as the "Microsoft" of the internet radio business in terms of dominance, and have access to some 16,000+ feeds.

Through their web portal, you can register and customize the stations appearing on your radios' dial through "my stations." Most reputable servers will enable access to thousands of broadcasts in their database. The ability of adding URLs not in their database is another desirable capability to consider when making your choice. That's it, as far as the basic procedure. Additional aspects to consider include: Sound quality, Network connectivity, and Extras which may offer enhanced versatility.

Sound quality: Whether the stream is 32k mono, or 128k stereo plays a large part in terms of the overall enjoyment experience, especially when playing music stored on a local file server(home or office computer). This is coupled with speaker response, in terms of dynamic range, highs and lows for overall sound presence.

Network connectivity, meaning the time from powering on and hearing music can vary widely from 4sec to 25sec. Broken connections can be a recurring problem. External antennas, and ethernet ports can help in these cases.

Extras items to look for would be direct 120v inputs(US only), or if you travel abroad, transformer powered. Is radio battery operated for portability? Can you record stations easily? Does it have a headphone jack(audio out), audio in/aux(mp3 player), remote control, alarm clock, FM tuner, dual speakers, etc.?
For more specific information go to Reciva Based wifi radios on my blog:
http://profyousion.com/profyousion/reciva-based-wifi-radios/

Brent Newby (aka profyousion) creates and assembles video music reviews and writes articles about jazz, fusion, funk, r&b, rock and pop artists...past and present. Find where you can learn more about music, it's styles and how to acquire the baddest jams in your favorite genres for free or very minimal cost on his blog at: http://www.profyousion.com/profyousion

Welcome to the Internet Radio Buzz

Internet radio is better than ever now, especially with the advent of standalone devices that receive streaming radio -- devices that really work! All you need, generally -- in addition to the radio itself -- is a wi-fi connection.

My Aluratek radio that I received for Christmas is capable of receiving (at current count) about 13,900 stations from all around the world. No matter what my preference in music or format on a given day, I can find a station that matches my tastes perfectly.

Of course, there's a lot of dreck out there -- "dreck" defined very subjectively by me as anything that is overdone and oversaturated in our society already. And by that I mean hip-hop, 90% of modern country, and much of current top-40. So there, I've put my prejudices out on the table.

Aside from those genres, my tastes are wide and eclectic. My purpose in this blog will be to report on some of the more unusual or interesting, or just plain excellent, streams that I have discovered in wandering the Internet radio dial. Keep in mind as you read this blog, that these are all streams that you can find and listen to right on your computer, if you do not have a standalone radio device (I'll be giving the URLs as part of my reviews).

Thanks for visiting me and I hope you will return often.

Steve Smith