Tonight is a milestone. I am celebrating the fifth anniversary of WERB 107.5. They say that every artist needs a canvas. For me, that canvas has always been the airwaves.

Looking back to 2020, in the thick of the pandemic, I had a home for this show—”East to West”—at a radio station in Asheville, North Carolina: WPVM 103.5. People liked it. The listeners were there. The feedback was warm, and the music was flowing.

And then, on April 19th, I received a letter. It was short, cold, and certainly final. It said the show was “no longer a good fit” to the station. And just like that, the music stopped.

I don’t have to tell you how devastated I was. Imagine a painter having his brushes snapped, or a photographer told that he can never take another photo. I didn’t know where to put the music. I had a show finished, polished, and ready to go for April 21st, but nowhere to send it.

And then my friend PJ, that introduced me to the Asheville, North Carolina station, saw me struggling. And he told me, “Listen, when you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, let me know. I got a plan”.

The plan become WERB 107.5. We didn’t have a fancy website yet—we still don’t—we didn’t have host or programming, but we did have that “homeless” radio show from April 21st: the “East to West” number 27 that was never aired in Asheville.

Looking back, about being fired from that volunteer job was the greatest gift I could have received. It forced me to create a home. A home for the radio station, a home for my passion, and a home for “East to West”. Since then, I have produced over 250 programs; most of them are two hours. Hundreds of hours of soul, sweat, and world fusion music.

Yes, the door was slammed in our face, but we turned it into a gateway to the world. It was sad when it happened. It really, truly hurt. But we overcame it, and we here now five years later, stronger and more independent than ever.

So tonight, for the music, it’s a journey from the bad situation to the beautiful one. And most of all, it’s for you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for being part of this global family of “East to West”.

This is Eitan Battat, and this is “East to West” World Music Songbook. Stay with me.