Global A Go-GoGlobal A Go-Go: Friday March 2, 5-7 PM

Pay no attention to your calendar nor to Punxsutawney Phil — spring most definitely has sprung here in central Virginia.  At least that's what the frogs and ducks in the swamp out behind my house are saying.  And with spring comes WRIR's semi-annual fund drive, a little earlier this year but otherwise more or less unchanged:

• Only 9 days long (maybe our best feature!), starting Friday March 2 at 5 PM and ending Sunday March 11
• Cool premiums to thank you for donating: A new limited-edition T-shirt, the return of the hoodie (first time since 2006), special premiums all week long (tune in to find out what's special during your favorite shows)
• A wide assortment of musicians performing live in the studio, showing their support for community radio
• Free food for folks who donate in person or pick up their premiums during the drive, courtesy of some of Richmond's finest restaurants who also value community radio
• A party atmosphere all week long (No death-on-a-stick beg-a-thons at WRIR — we actually enjoy this time of year!  Of course, we're weird.)

Once again Global A Go-Go kicks off the fund drive, and I have some really unique live music lined up for you this time.  River City Taiko, under the direction of Paul Yoon, started as a student ensemble at the University of Richmond and has expanded to include community members.

Taiko is a Japanese ensemble drumming style; it's both folkloric and thoroughly contemporary, with performances that are exhilaratingly athletic and (as you might suspect from a drum band) loud as heck.  River City Taiko performs live on Global A Go-Go on Friday March 2 between 5 and 7 PM.  Read about, see and hear them here:

http://rivercitytaiko.org

As always, the most important feature of WRIR's fund drives is you, the listener and donor.  You're the reason we're on the air — if you thought the radio status quo was acceptable, our project would have failed a long time ago.  You're the people who make this project possible — the large majority of the money it takes to run Richmond Independent Radio is donated by people like you who directly benefit from WRIR.

And just twice a year, we come to you and ask you to cast your vote for all-volunteer, non-profit, community-programmed radio — not yet another media outlet whose sole purpose in life is to sell something to somebody, rather one that aspires to be a small building block in the kind of community you value and want to live in.

Well, now is that time.  Please consider donating to WRIR's Spring 2012 Fund Drive, either by calling (804) 622-9747 after the drive starts on Friday March 2 at 5 PM, by visiting us in person at 1621-B West Broad Street in Richmond (1/2 block west of Lombardy) during the drive, or by donating online any time:

https://wrir.wufoo.com/forms/fund-drive-donation-wrirlp-973-fm

Thank you for your support — long live Richmond Independent Radio!  A big post-show thank you to WRIR volunteers Tim Falen and Jay Westermann for doing a great job of sound engineering River City Taiko's performance.

Podcast: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/58198 

All the podcasts: http://radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go