I love KFOG

On Sunday night Ryan and I were sitting at the kitchen table reading and listening to KFOG which is my favorite radio station. I first discovered KFOG when I moved to the Bay Area in 1997 and when I moved away in 2002 I was really bummed. What radio station could be better than KFOG?

One of my favorite memories from living in the Bay Area was actually at a KFOG even, the KFOG Kaboom! which happens in the spring/summer. The KFOG Kaboom consists of daytime concerts on the San Francisco piers and then after the sun sets, they provide a fireworks show. The part of this experience which was so amazing was that the fireworks exploded over the top of the show. Maybe not the safest thing in the world, but certainly the most powerful. That fireworks show (in my opinion) rivals the 4th of July show in Boston.

Speaking of Boston...when I moved there in 2002 I really did miss KFOG. And then the heavens opened, beams of light shot down to earth, and KFOG started streaming their music online.

What joy! I could listen to KFOG at work online! The best part was that because I was 3 hours ahead of the San Francisco, I could get the morning show while I was having my own mid-morning slump at the computer. I didn't have to be awake at 6 am to enjoy Dave, Peter, Renee or Irish Greg. They were coming through loud and clear after I'd had my breakfast, tea, and was just getting into the nitty gritty at work.

So, when we returned to CA just a few months ago on our moving day, we turned on the radio in the car and listened to KFOG as we drove to our new apartment. Since then, Ryan has converted into a Foghead, just like me.

Back to Sunday night...we're sitting at the table enjoying Rosalie (the dj) and her "accoustic sunset" show they offer on Sunday evenings. The newest single off of Ray LaMontagne's album came on and we both sat in silence, soaking it in. We hadn't heard any of his new album yet and were, as always, in awe of his talent.

As the song ended, Rosalie came on the air and suggested people send her an email to win tickets to see Ray LaMontagne perform in Oakland on November 3rd. So, I did.

I told her in my email that I'd been a Foghead for 11 years and had recently returned to the Bay Area bringing a new recruit with me. I hit "send" and completely forgot about the whole thing. In part because I read on the website that my favorite morning dj, Dave, will be retiring in December. I have to admit that I got a little choked up. Some people may think that is silly, but I don't actually care.

Yesterday afternoon, as I watched a few items on my desk shake (I think it may have been a very very minor earthquake) I went to the USGS website to see if there was any news of any earthquake. Then, out of habit, I checked my email and saw this:

"Congratulations Elizabeth,

Thanks for listening to KFOG’s Acoustic Sunrise and Sunset. You’ve won a pair of tickets to see Ray LaMontagne at the Paramount Theatre on Monday, November 3^rd and passes to the soundcheck before the show! Please respond with your current phone number and a KFOG representative will contact you with details shortly.

Enjoy the show and thanks for listening to World Class Rock on 104.5 San Francisco, 97.7 San Jose – The Bay Area’s KFOG!"

What?? That's right, I had a hard time believing it too. I had simply sent an email and won TWO tickets to the concert AND TWO tickets to the sound check beforehand! Ryan of course, was beyond thrilled. He could hardly believe this was true.

One of our favorite concerts we went to together was Ray LaMontagne in 2004 at a seemingly small concert venue which holds 650 people, but you would never know it when you're inside. It was clear that he had not done a lot of performing - he seemed so uncomfortable on the stage and simply sang out his songs. No talking, no joking around, no stories from the road. But it didn't matter. His voice was MORE than enough. In fact, I remember that when he opened up his first song, my jaw dropped open. I'd heard his album but hearing him live was an entirely different experience.

The next time we saw him, he was at a much larger Boston venue, Avalon (3500 people), and he seemed tired. We were catching him at the end of a tour and you could tell that it had worn him down a bit. It was amazing though, his voice still had the power to silence the crowd. I've never seen anything quite like it. It took a moment, but on one of his songs there was an absolute hush of the crowd.

And the next time we see him perform, it will be at the Paramount Theater (3040 people). And we will be seeing him for FREE, all thanks to KFOG!