After years of being an easy listening station, KFOG-FM, converted to a rock format in 1982. At first, they were just one of many formatted stations in the Bay Area, but by the late 80s, they made a grab for the brass ring; they wanted to be heir to the legacy of KSAN-FM, one of the first "free formatted" stations launched in the late 1960s. While KFOG had a playlist, they made a regular commitment to broadcasting live concerts from local venues, plus "studio shows with a small audience," usually recorded at The Plant, in Sausalito (and later on at Fantasy Studios, in Berkeley). KFOG pioneered the "Adult Album Alternative" format.
Their on-air personalities, Morey, M. Dung, and Rosalie, became part of the local rock landscape, and their broadcasts of the Bay Area Music Awards featured jams you never would have expected, such as Metallica's Kirk Hammett jamming with Carlos Santana.
KFOG also put out an annual "Live From The Archives" CD, starting in mid-90s, with tracks from their various live broadcasts in the preceding year. Early volumes of this are highly collectible, selling for stupid-money on EBay.
All that comes to an end this September, when KFOG-FM will be folded into KNBR, and became a "sports talk" station, becoming KNBR-FM 104.5.
They had a good run; times change.
So...let's raise a glass of whatever we're drinking to one of the GREAT SOURCES OF QUALITY LIVE MUSIC recordings over the last four decades; it is not likely we will see their equal again.
Here on Voodoo Wagon, we have the following KFOG shows, sourced from my master cassette tapes. I usually used a high bias tape, so most of these sound great...
I think all of these links are still "live," if not, please let me know. KFOG: requiescat in pace.
11th Annual Bammies
1988 |
12th Annual Bammies 1989 |
15th Annual Bammies 1992 |
Boz Scaggs / Fillmore October 8, 1997 |
Boz Scaggs / The Plant June 26, 1994 |
Brian Setzer / Bimbo's 1994 and 1998 |
Brian Setzer / Warfield December 31, 1995 |
Buster Poindexter / Bimbo's January 11,
1988 |
Chris Isaak / Fantasy Studios October 29,
1999 |
Dave Edmunds / Slim's October 23, 1994 |
David Bowie / Fantasy Studios September
16, 1997 |
Greg Kihn / Slim's December 17, 1992 |
Hot Tuna / Fillmore March 4, 1988 |
James McMurtry / Yoshi's July 28, 1995 |
Joan Osbourne / Yoshi's November 19, 1995 |
John Hiatt / Warfield September 18, 1987 |
John Hiatt / Warfield, January 24, 1989 |
Little Feat / Fillmore Sept 1, 1988 |
Los Lobos / The Plant July 30, 1994 |
Los Lobos / Watsonville November 26, 1989 |
Old 97's / Fantasy Studios, September 25,
1999 |
Paul Westerberg / Fantasy Studios
September 12, 1996 |
Rembrandts / Club Oasis July 7, 1995 |
Richard Thompson / Sausalito Arts
Festival Sept. 5, 1994 |
Robben Ford / The Plant 2002 |
Robert Cray / Warfield January 24, 1989 |
Robert Cray, Warfield September 18, 1987 |
Smithereens / The Plant June 24, 1994 |
Squeeze / Fantasy Studios September 29,
1999 |
Squeeze / The Plant November 19, 1993 |
Susan Tedeschi / The Plant February 16,
1999 |
Toad The Wet Sprocket / The Plant 1994
and 1997 |
Tom Petty / Fillmore February 7, 1997 |
Train / Fantasy Studios October 2, 1998 |
Wallflowers / The Plant January 10, 1997 |
Wilco / Fantasy Studios September 4, 1997 |