The Sound of the People - Local Internet radio station celebrates one year of broadcasting revolution

Andover - HomeGrownRadioNJ launched a radio revolution when they started broadcasting via the internet on “Mischief Night” 2004. To celebrate the one year anniversary, the station is having a benefit drive, live broadcasts and in-studio guests. Festivities will culminate in a benefit concert at the Stanhope House from 4 to 11 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 13. Local artitsts, including Swampadelica, Acoustic Sausage, Mike Esposito, The Gripweeds, Jody Price, Quartermoon, and Joey Mutis of The Electric Farm will be lending their talents to the HomeGrownRadioNJ cause. The concert will be broadcast live over www.homegrownradionj.com. Station founder and manager Todd Mills started HomeGrownRadioNJ as an alternative to commercial radio. According to Mills, the response to his grass-roots efforts has been overwhelming. “When we started this project we had around a dozen deejays onboard. We currently have over three dozen deejays with their own tastes in music and commentary,” said Mills. “We’re all about the music. You can hear jazz, rock, alterative, classical, world .. just about anything.” The eclectic and personal feel is what attracts many listeners. Laura Brownlee of Stillwater is a typical HomeGrownRadioNJ listener. “Little by little I’d listen to the other unfamiliar shows to see what they were all about and I found myself very interested and left myself open to appreciating new genres, new artists, and everything that was laid out before me,” said Brownlee. “That’s one of the things I love about HGRNJ--I always hear things I wouldn’t have access to elsewhere.” Deejay John Cameron of the Tapestry show agrees. “There is a real symbiotic relationship between the deejays, listeners and local musicians. It’s been fantastic and we have a real sense of family.” For deejays like Cameron and oldies deejay Ron “The Paisan” Serafin this is their first chance to broadcast music to a live audience. Serafin read about the station in a newspaper and was intrigued. “I emailed Todd and he said he would love to have an oldies show. On Dec. 5, I did my first show. Boy was I nervous, but it was fun, a great release for me and actually a dream come true,” said Serafin. “I get to keep the oldies going, especially since we have lost oldies stations in our area … and I get to play great music that I love to hear.” As a listener and an artist, Kate Sobolewski of Quartermoon appreciates what the station has to offer and the opportunities it provides for other artists like herself. “HomeGrown promotes and sponsors live shows of not only regional and national touring acts, but local performing artists as well. It’s truly a community-minded station,” she said. Internet radio is a growing alternative media according to Borrell Associates Online Radio Market Report. Internet radio audiences have increased 40 percent from 2003 to 2004. With the introduction of Internet radio products for automobiles, Mills sees unlimited possibilities for the medium. “In the next few years internet radio will be just another button on the dashboard and we want to be there to fill a musical need.” High speed Internet has allowed HomeGrownRadioNJ to take the show on the road. The station has broadcast live shows from places such as the recent Storm Aid in Netcong, Mexacali Blues Cafe in Teaneck, the Stanhope House, Crazy Carl’s in Schwenksville Penn., and Lizapalooza Festival in Hackettstown. The Gristmill Cafe in Andover hosts the next live broadcast on Nov. 5 that will feature Nashville artist Joe Rathbone and local singer songwriters. To help the station continue to grow, HGRNJ is launching its first membership drive, which will culminate with the HomeGrownRadioNJ benefit broadcast at the Stanhope House on Sunday, Nov. 13. Mills is optimistic that listeners will support the growing station. “I hope folks come out of the woodwork to support free expression through music and enjoy the freedom of hearing all the music commercial radio won’t play,” said Mills. “Its time to stop taking what the big radio corporations are telling us is great music and start deciding for ourselves what we think great music sounds like.”