From TOWPATH MEDIA
Riding the wave of success with Towpath Radio, Towpath Media, LLC has launched yet another hyper local internet radio station. River Rat Country, named for the many Northwest Ohio residents who spend their summers on or near the Maumee River, launched in late March 2021 at RiverRatCountry.com. Listeners can enjoy a large variety of country music and bluegrass from the ‘50s on up to today.
“We’re playing country legends like Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Alan Jackson, and Dwight Yoakam,” explains Josh David, owner of Towpath Media, LLC. “The biggest item that separates us from anything you’ll hear on FM is the bluegrass and new country we’re playing. You won’t hear artists like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, or new Loretta Lynn playing on the FMs, we’re in a unique spot to introduce those artists to Northwest Ohio listeners, while giving them the music they know and love.”
River Rat Country also specializes in bluegrass music.
“The bluegrass music is the best part of the station,“ said David, who grew up along the Maumee River listening to his grandpa and uncles picking and fiddling. “My grandpa had a campsite back off Route 110 in Henry County, along the Turkey Foot Creek. He and my uncles would pick all night, and as kids, we would just be in awe of the music coming out of the woods. I never picked up an instrument, but my
calling has been to present it to the listeners.”
River Rat Country plays national bluegrass acts like Ricky Skaggs and Dan Tyminski but features local bluegrass artists.
“As far as I know, we’re the closest thing to local radio that’s presenting bluegrass in normal rotation every day. You’ll hear music you know like Tim McGraw, The Judds, Old Crow Medicine Show, and then Bill Monroe will come on and light your speakers up some of the best bluegrass ever recorded,” David said.
“Listeners will also experience the sounds of my late grandpa, Dave Moore Sr. With permission from my family we’ve been able to feature his fiddle playing throughout the day. We know there’s more local bluegrass out there and we’d love to play it. We’re currently in the process of building a studio that will allow local musicians to record live sessions for the listeners.”
David recently launched Towpath Radio, a local internet oldies station that has picked up a large following around Grand Rapids and Northwest Ohio.
“I haven’t taken my eye of Towpath Radio, we’re still pumping out oldies and have been seeing a steady increase in listeners,” said David. “Outside of the format, the biggest difference of the two stations is how we’re presenting them locally. Towpath Radio has local DJs and nationally known music, River Rat Country, as of now, has no DJs but plays music that reflects Northwest Ohio. Towpath Radio is fun, but River Rat Country comes directly from my soul.”
River Rat Country broadcasts along with Towpath Radio from the Village of Grand Rapids and serves Northwest Ohio with local news, announcements, and will soon have opportunities for advertising. It is free to listen through the Towpath Radio app, Alexa, various other free apps, and at RiverRatCountry.com. Local bluegrass musicians can reach out at TowpathRadio@Gmail.com to get their music played.
