That wild buzz that we've been hearing in the air of late has to do with a radio signal not expected actually to hit the airwaves until late next summer. It has to do with the piles of volunteers, young and old, who have been scuttling up to the City of Hudson waterfront to build stages and bars and balloon-drops over the past weeks. It's all about that giant New Year's Eve party that'll be happening at Basilica Industria, the giant old manufacturing space looking out onto the river where Patti Smith and Moby have played recent benefits, and all the upper Valley's top young talents are coming out to play this December 31 and morning of January 1.

What's going down is yet another major benefit for the fledgling WGXC: Hands-On Radio, the community media spectrum coming together for Greene and Columbia Counties with help from a $71,000 US Department of Commerce grant that needs to be matched by April 1, 2010.

So what's with the WGXC New Year's Masquerade Ball that a few hundred have already signed up for on Facebook and other social networking sites? So far the lineup for the double-theatered show includes Lady Moon, MASS, Saber Coup, Bella's Bartok, Deejay Jackie Thomas, Mother Fletcher, Young Paris, Trixie (the emcee), Diata Diata, the Hudson City Ramblers, Evan Randall, Rob Hervey, the Magic Stranger, Deejay Jim McCabe, an aerial performance from Ryder Cooley, Liv Carrow + Alan Coone + Jake Plourde, the Bleeding Hearts, Giorgio's High-NRG, Ryan Clover & astickandastone, and a Norman Douglas radio play. Plus, there's a rumor that daycare's being organized for those with kids!

Tickets are available in person at Spotty Dog Books & Ale at 440 Warren Street in Hudson, the Inquiring Mind Bookstore in Saugerties or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/91294. And anyone heading out on Saturday afternoons to keep decorating Basilica Industria, located just beyond the Hudson train station on Front Street, gets free tickets. For more information visit www.free103point9.org/events/2223 or www.wgxc.org.