One of the first (if not the very first) webcasters to play my songs was Whole Wheat Radio, broadcasting live from a 12′x12′ cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska. Jim and Esther go way beyond the call of duty; every quarter or so they send out an outageously detailed report listing how many times a song has been played, how many people were listening at the time, the average listener rating, even the geographical breakdown of the listenership while your song is playing. (Contrast that to the 30 or so other webcasters to which I’ve submitted material, and from which I’ve yet to receive a single email.)

So I should hardly be surprised to find out that this summer, they up and built a concert venue. Whole Wheat Radio House Concerts take place in a newly-constructed 24′x28′ building dedicated to showcasing artists traveling through AK. An optional potluck dinner precedes each concert, which is webcast live.

This is probably the most amazing display of community-building and love of independent music I’ve ever seen. It’s not everyday that someone builds a house concert venue in their backyard, just because they can. Of course, now I’m hatching all kinds of crazy plans to get up there in the next year or so. I’ll bring the tuna casserole!

Previously: On The Phone

Next: Seattle Year One