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Monday, February 18, 2013

This Week: Melody Bar Reunion & "Fall" Pledge Drive

There are two big bits of news to impart for this week...

Firstly, the whole "keeping Altrok 90.5 HD2 on the air thing" - Altrok 90.5 HD2 is a Brookdale Public Radio station, and that's listener-supported radio. You're a listener, right? Well, then...we can use your help.

You see, this is the Fall pledge drive - rescheduled from its original Election Day perch when it became clear that owing to Hurricane Sandy, Brookdale Public Radio had bigger fish to fry, like being one of the very few stations actually airing helpful information about recovering from the storm. And continuing to be entertaining all the while.

While we might have postponed our pledge drive, the people we owe money to haven't postponed their bills, and the equipment we use hasn't postponed its tendency to break down occasionally.  So yah, we kind of need your help.

How can you help? Money works best, and you can pledge it by calling today at 732-224-2492 and telling the friendly phone-picker-upper that you'd like to make a pledge. Anything's welcome, of course, but there are also membership levels:

$50 - Membership card (unlocking local discounts a-plenty), plus a monthly newsletter and member-only email contests.

$100 - all of the above, plus a copy of Live At The Night Vol. 7, featuring recordings exclusively made for Brookdale Public Radio by folks like Matthew Sweet, Nicole Atkins, Amy Ray and Rich Robinson (the Black Crowes guy, not the mid-day DJ at 90.5, though they both inhabited the same room at the same time.)

$150 - Okay, this is cool. In addition to the stuff mentioned above, we'll take you to dinner and a show. You'll be seated on the stage looking out at the fairly magnificent and well-restored Strand Theater in Lakewood, and with the empty theater as a backdrop, you'll see what could only be an incredible performance by Mike Scott and Steve Wickham of The Waterboys. Just for you. 'Cause you helped us out. Normally you couldn't put a price tag on such a thing, but for a $150 pledge, it's yours. Told you it was cool.

$200 - and after all that cool stuff, also included in this level, what more could you want? Well, you could want to show off the fact that you supported us in a big way by wearing a comfortable, tastefully designed Brookdale Public Radio hooded sweatshirt. 'Cause when you do, people will just know what all the stuff we do means to you. (And if you want, you can slap an Altrok 90.5 HD2 bumpersticker on the back of it, for an even more personal statement of your largesse.)

It's all tax deductable, and it'll all go toward keeping Altrok 90.5 HD2 and the associated Brookdale Public Radio stations healthy and pumping out the tracks we know you like.

So it's up to you. The phone number's 732-224-2492. Someone's there, and they want the phone to ring. Will you be the next one to make that happen? Go for it.

AND THEN LET'S NOT FORGET...

We've been remiss in making sure you know about the Melody Bar Classic-Era Reunion, so we'll rectify that oversight now.

THE MELODY BAR CLASSIC-ERA REUNION.
Saturday, February 23, 7pm to Midnight
New Brunswick Chapter #324 of The Benevolent And Protective Order Of Elks (erm, The Elks Club)
40 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2521 (Click for a Google Map.)

At press time, your DJs (in no particular order) are:
Sean Carolan
Pat Pierson
Lisa Uber
Ed Wong
Andrew Prescott
Pete Santiago
Matt Pinfield

There's a healthy pile of credits among us (The Melody Bar, Patrix, WRSU, FM106.3) not to mention all the ones Matt brings to the table, but really what it all comes down to once again is a damn fun night out. Rooms at the Heldrich nearby, and at the Hyatt, can be had for $99 as we speak, so that makes the potential for afterparties even juicier.

Remember, your admission and bar profits are going straight to Hurricane Sandy relief via the Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, too - because there's no reason we can't do something good while partying heavily. (And some of those partying have finally moved back into their rebuilt homes after many months, so this really was a tough one for us, and the more you drink, the more you help. Not that you needed an excuse.)

Hope to see you there. And if you were to tune to Altrok 90.5 HD2 in the hopes of hearing some music that might prep you for this event, well, those hopes are likely to be fulfilled. We do play that stuff, you know.
 
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Welcome to Altrok.com, also available at AltrokRadio.com and AltrockRadio.com. Here's where the remaining listeners of several fine radio stations have retreated, regrouped, and built a replacement strong enough to stand on its own. It builds on the independent legacy of New Jersey's FM106.3, New York's WPIX and WLIR, Oklahoma's 105.3 The Spy, the pre-buyout mindset of KROQ, WBCN and WHFS and of every other alternative station that was destroyed at a moment's notice - not because they weren't making money, but because there was bigger money to be found elsewhere.
 
We've stood by as truly independent alternative rock radio died. Sure, something called "alternative" took its place, but we know for sure that anything that "tests well" with soccer moms just ain't alternative. (Even if some of us happen to be soccer moms.) So we've taken matters into our own hands.
 
This really is independent alternative rock radio, visible here at Altrok.com and audible at our web radio station. It has the classic music that fired our passions back in the day - or that we maybe only heard about from our elders - but it's mostly made of the new music that does precisely the same for us now. We're paying attention to scenes all over the world, watching the energy build, and waiting to see what it creates. Wherever it happens, we'll make sure you can hear about it here. We've been slowly building all this since 2001, and now that you've noticed us, we're glad you're here.
 
Of course, it's only here because you want it to be here, and it can only stay if you help it along - especially by checking out our advertisers (they support us) and by listening (the more that listen, the more visible we are.) Please use the "feedback" link above to let us know whether it works for you, and what you want it to be as the future unfolds. (And if you need help hearing it, let us know that, too.)