Liberty radio (102.1)

Okay, first of all, why won't this site show me the entries from November?
Since that was most of them, I hope that still works, cus I want people to be able to see them.

Secondly, I took Tetris off because I can't stand flashing or moving images, so I need to find something to replace it with at a later date so the right side of this thing doesn't look too empty.

Thirdly, I thought this would be a good time to write about something good for once, and write about 102.1, WDNB. You would not know that they were WDNB, of course, because they never mention it, they have terrible imaging, the only station here that ever mentions their call letters is 99.3 which I can almost never get reception to.

I think they might have just spiffed up their website. It looks very spiffy.

Anyway, I have been keeping track of all the amazing songs 1021. has been playing for weeks, and mean to email them a congratulatory note at some point. They have a knack it seems for playing songs that BARELY, barely cracked the top 40 several years ago, that were almost never played when they came out; but these were and are the songs that without exception I love the most, the songs that when they came out, years ago, I fell in love with, and begged local radio stations to play, and which stations almost never did.

These were the orphan songs of country music; the left behinds, the hidden gems! The songs that were in most cases so meaningful they bogged the everyday American's mind because everyday Americans who listen to country are usually not so intelligent and therefore don't want to hear intelligent meaningful songs about life and life's problems, about emotions and abuse and teen suicide. Instead, they want to hear Toby Keith sing "I love this bar" or Willie Nelson sing "Beer for My Horses." And maybe if they get really rowdy, they'll go for Brad Paisley and "Mud on the Tires."

Not all country fans are like this, but a lot of them.

So, without fail, I hear several of these amazing songs on this station every day! And it blows me away every time I hear them! Most of these songs I haven't heard in so long, I don't even remember the title when I hear the first notes, I just remember how I felt when I heard it. It is a wonderful feeling. It's like "Hey...what's this...Oh..my...god... this is...no...it can't be.... no one's played this in.... woah..it is." And, "How did they even know this song existed?? No one even knew it existed when it was released." It's just like a feeling of joyful anticipation as you know something good is coming but you can't remember what until it hits you and then you can't believe it.

And in every single case these were such minor hits. Not a single one of them probably hit the top 30! I want to do some research and see the chart position for all these songs to confirm this hypothesis, but I'm betting most of these songs stayed in the bottom 5 or 10. And not only do they choose songs that weren't hits, but they choose songs that weren't hits that I love! THAT is hard to do, as I am somewhat picky; but they seem to know exactly what I like.

Every single song except for ONE I have remembered title and artist from (and some of these came out five or six years ago never to be heard of again). The one I didn't, drove me up the wall because I couldn't remember who sung it, but luckily I was able to Google the lyrics to find out.

Also, they started playing Xmas music yesterday, three days after their competition, 97.3, but unlike 97.3 their selection of Xmas music has been completely tasteful and probably the most tasteful selection of Xmas music I have yet heard. Most of the songs they play, just about all, are actually sung by country singers so they blend in; whereas the other station is playing nothing but the absolute worst and most crass, commercial and cloying of the commercial Xmas songs that they can find (or more likely, not find, as they're not putting any effort into their selection) every 10 minutes. Last night they even played a great parody of Jingle Bells called Rusty Chevrolet that I had never heard before.

Some of these might have been hits, but even if they were, they haven't been played in the years since.

Here is a partial list of the older, non hit, amazing songs they have played so far, not that it will mean much to anyone who is not a country fan. But if you are a country fan, when is the last time you heard songs like:

Days of Our Lives, James Otto (came out freshman year of college)
Three Days, Pat Green (same)
Before I Knew Better, Brad Martin
What I Did Right, Sons of the Desert (I am pretty sure this is one of the very first country songs I can ever remember liking. Had to be about seven years ago.)
Drugs or Jesus, Tim McGraw
Mendocino County Line, Lee Ann Womack and Willie Nelson
Mrs. Steven Rudy, Mark Mcguinn (big hit when it came out but hasn't been heard in years)
Sunday Morning in America, Keith Anderson
How Do you Get that Lonely, Blaine Larsen
I'm in Love with You, Billy Dean
Baby Doll, Pat Green
Dance with my Father, Kellie Coffey
This is God, Phil Vassar (reminds me of Phil Vassar concert I saw in Philly, came out around then)
Fourth of July, Skooter Jennings
Wrinkles, Diamond Rio (Sophomore or junior year of college)
I Cry, Tammy Cochran (the one I had to Google)
One Last Time, Dusty Drake
There's More to You than Me, Jessica Andrews (particularly amazing one; she's never to my knowledge had much of a hit other than Who I Am, but I loved this one when it came out)
The Bride, Trick Pony (funny as hell song...Hallejuah, thank the lord, I'm not the bride!)
Men Don't Lie, Amy Dalley
How Far, Martina McBride
Shut up and Drive, Chely Wright
If Something Should Happen, Daryl Worley
How I Feel, Martina McBride
It's My Time, Martina McBride
Forgive, Rebecca Lynn Johnson (only hit she ever had and I remember desperately trying to get to a local concert she was giving in Towson I think it was when I was a freshman in college)
It's a Heartache, Trick Pony
The Love Song, Jeff Bates
I'd Rather Ride Around with You, Reba McEntire
How was I to Know, Reba McEntire

Yeah, that's all I have so far, lol. I should totally send that list to them.

Only other time I kept a list was when I listened to WDRC in Hartford when I was at Amherst. Sent it to them when I left but don't think they replied.

Also, 102.1 is playing the new Jessica Simpson (yes, she went country; yes, she's actually good) song about domestic abuse that hasn't to my knowledge cracked the top 40 yet, so that is cool.

I should send this whole post to them. But I don't want to overwhelm them lol. How often do you think they get emails saying they're amazing and a list of every song they've played in the last month that someone likes? :)

Seriously, I wonder who programs their station, though, because that person is awesome and very knowledgeable about country.