More updates on my seemingly unending list of projects- I am pleased and proud to welcome my new Internet station to the world, called the Harborlight Sessions Radio Network. This is an endeavor that I've always wanted to do and I'm super excited about the possibilities of what I can do with it. Admittedly, I have a lot to learn. One of the things I do know is that I would like to jump in with play by play with it- in fact, I've already scheduled a game to do on the air- November 13, I'll be covering a hockey game between the Bridgewater Bandits and the Boston Jr. Terriers live at the Bridgewater Ice Arena.
I am exploring ideas for content- of course, sports, but music I think will play a large role in this. As I said, I feel that the possibilities are endless.
What I like most about this is the ease of how people can listen. The player is located directly on the brand new Internet radio page of my website. All that they need to do is navigate to the page and hit the play button. If you'd like to check it out, please surf on over to https://www.johnrleahy.com/internet-radio/.
As for the name, it was born of my two favorite types of music. The word "Harborlight" came to me as I thought of my love for the tropical, laid-back music of Jimmy Buffett. That escapist, carefree, tropical kind of life. Steel drums, petal steel guitars, and ukuleles. Margaritas. This stage of my life, and my personality, is totally reflected in that laid back philosophy and those types of songs. I wanted my radio station to incorporate that.
Sessions, the other part of the name, comes from my love of Irish music, which has been a huge part of my life for over four decades. A session, or"sei-shun", as they refer to it in Gaelic, is a type of musical experience where a group of musicians sit around a table and take turns singing songs. It's great fun and usually takes place in a darkened pub with plenty of alcoholic refreshment. The funnest session I ever took part in was down in Savannah, GA, in a pub called "Kevin Barry's." It's one of the funnest experiences a musician can ever have. So I wanted a part of that too. So there you have it. The Harborlight Sessions Radio Network.
You'll also notice the very clever artwork on the webpage that houses my station- a palm tree decorated with Irish markings. My sister Katie cleverly put that together. A very brilliant way to capture those two worlds coming together.
I also have to thank Meg Ortel for her technical assistance. She has been invaluable in helping me with my website, and she seamlessly added the new page and got everything up and running for me. I was communicating with her today and I told her that she was helping a lifelong dream become a reality. I think she liked hearing that she was a part in this process.
So where do I go from here? Learning, learning, and more learning. I'm learning about the mechanics of the station itself. Learning about the business aspect and how to make money at it (right now, I've got that deer in the headlights look), but I'll be reading, studying, experimenting, and running tests. I'll make mistakes. I'll run into bumps in the road, but it will all be worth it. I'll be using a state of the art mixer with a recording function built in, so I can do post game clips. This is going to be special.
Please forgive me if this takes a little while. I want to get everything up and running quickly, but there is a learning curve, so it may take a little time. But I'm taking action.
All live events I'll be doing will be marked on the calendar on my website. Go to the MORE tab and then Calendar of Events. I've already put the date of the game I'll be doing on the calendar.
It's time to get serious, and it's time to broadcast. I've spent the money. I've put the sweat into it. Now, I do what I love. Broadcasting and entertaining. Mahalo and Slainte.
