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History of Music and Raz Kennedy (Re- Release )
The Beyond The Fog Radio team is currently recording and editing new episodes for our upcoming Season 4 this August — but meanwhile, we’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week, we listen once more to our 2021 interview with Raz Kennedy (Season 2 Episode 08), a legend of the Bay Area’s music scene for the past four decades.
Raz has involved himself in just about every aspect of the music business. Behind the scenes, he’s worked as a promoter, producer, and vocal coach with credits on multiple Platinum and Gold records; in the limelight, he’s sung alongside artists like Whitney Houston and Sting, and is a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s world-renowned Voicestra project. He’s also a faculty member of the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco.
Raz never stops working to expand his vocal and musical range. It’s no wonder, then, that he’s collaborated with many different artists in many different genres — from Metallica to Hillary Duff, to Third Eye Blind, to musicians from SF Jazz and Jazz Camp West. He’s also a charismatic, warm, and thoughtful individual who was a complete joy to interview. Join us as we take a step back in time to our wonderful conversation with Raz Kennedy.
(Find more information about Raz at www.razkennedy.com .)
Music with Martin Luther and Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy (re- release )
The Beyond The Fog Radio team is hard at work recording and editing new episodes for Season 4, releasing this August! In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week, our retrospective takes us back to our interview with the utterly fashionable Bay Area power couple, Martin Luther & Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy (Season 3 Episode 1).
San Francisco native Martin Luther is a musician and actor best known for his work with hip-hop collective the Roots, and as the character Jo-Jo in Julie Taymor’s 2007 film “Across the Universe”; he was also a key figure in the “neo-soul” scene of the 1990s. Artist, activist, and entrepreneur Jeanne collaborates on art projects with African-American artists both in the Bay Area and nationwide. Through their community-focused production company “A Little x,” Jeanne and Martin Luther have worked with clients such as SFJAZZ and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD).
Join us as we take another look at our interview with Martin Luther and Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy!
S3: Ep 1: Martin Luther McCoy and Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy
Welcome to Season 3 of BTFR! We are honored to start off with musician, actor & SF native Martin Luther McCoy and his artist & activist wife Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy. This talented and stylish 1970’s “Soul Train'' couple play an extensive role in the Bay Area’s art and activism communities.
Martin Luther was fundamental in the 1990’s Bay Area neo-soul scene and is a recent member of the SFJAZZ Collective. He is widely known for his work with hip hop collective the Roots and is likewise acclaimed for his role as “Jo-Jo” in Julie Taymor’s 2007 film Across the Universe. Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy is impressive in her own right. She is an entrepreneur, businesswoman, and community leader. Jeanne is devoted to collaborating on art projects with African American artists in the Bay Area and nationwide, including a new art and community-focused production company called “A Little x” which she co-founded with her husband. Through their company, Jeanne and Martin collaborate with clients such as SFJAZZ and the Museum of African Diaspora (MoAd), where Martin will be performing live on February 26th!
For more information about Martin Luther and his upcoming performance, please visit:
https://www.moadsf.org/event/sfjazz-and-moad-co-present-a-black-history-month-celebration-concert-with-martin-luther-mccoy
Meet Martin Luther and Jeanne Anyanwu McCoy!
S2: Ep 6 The Bay Area Club Scene & DJing W/ DJ Mind Motion
S2 Episode 6: The Bay Area Club Scene & DJing W/ DJ Mind Motion
Erick Recinos– or better known to The Bay as DJ Mind Motion– is a legendary San Francisco Bay Area Hip Hop DJ. He and his partner Chuy Gomez started DJing in high school for parties, weddings and community events, and when hip hop influence started to spread, Mind Motion and the Pirate DJ’s played a huge role in its success in the Bay Area.
This spread was in part influenced by Mind Motion and other DJ’s efforts to have the “ear of the street” and take control of laying down what was the newest hot music. By forming a partnership with other artists and DJ’s in the City, they paved the way to change how records were played. No longer did record companies and radio stations dictate what music was popular, and for the first time, the community and artists themselves got to influence their musical tastes. DJ Mind Motion has become a force in the Bay Area because of his leadership in this change, and now a second generation of people are flocking to his and the Pirate DJ’s famous parties.
DJ Mind Motion is a master at reading the crowd. He is kind, honest, charming, down to earth and so joyous. His positive energy is infectious– a large reason why he is so successful and legendary in the San Francisco Bay Area today. Probably the best testament to his ecstatic character would be his favorite quote: “GO GET MY SHINE BOX!”
We are thrilled to have him on Beyond the Fog Radio this week.
Meet DJ Mind Motion!
Additional information about DJ Mind Motion can be found at: http://blog.trueclothing.net/tag/dj-mind-motion/
S2: Trailer 2 History of Music in The Bay Area
S2 Trailer 2: History of Music in the Bay Area
The history of music in the Bay Area could not be a larger or more exciting topic for us to explore. Music is the life blood of our city and it may be one of the biggest reasons why so many people have found themselves here over the years. It colors our world and is what keeps San Francisco going.
In the 1950’s, Jazz was everywhere. San Francisco became known as the Harlem of the West as musicians on tour would often come straight here after New York City. The City was also the home of free love, free expression, anti-war and anti-establishment movements in the 1960’s. From these movements and San Francisco’s Summer of Love in 1967 came artists like Janis Joplin from Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Earth Wind and Fire, Green Day, Carlos Santana, Joan Baez, Crosby Stills & Nash, MC Hammer… the list goes on and on.
The collection of phenomenal musical artists still grows today, and we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing several of them for this season’s second series. The first is prolific Jazz singer Paula West. Up next we have:
Erik Recinos– also known as hip-hop DJ Mind Motion,
“Big Russ” Russel Gatewood– a versatile DJ, producer, songwriter, arranger and musician,
Raz Kennedy– a veteran music and vocal educator, vocalist, and producer,
Skyler Jett– a Grammy-recognized vocalist and founder of Music For Global Change,
Gregory Cole– Director of Touch of Class Choir,
and Ian Robertson– Director of the San Francisco Opera Chorus and former Artistic Director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus.
This is only the tip of the iceberg of an enormous community of music and music artists who call the San Francisco Bay Area their home. Stay tuned weekly to learn more.
Enjoy the History of Music series!
S2: Ep 5 Music of San Francisco with Paula West
Music of San Francisco with Paula West
This week’s musical guest has been a San Francisco Bay Area-based artist for many years. Jazz singer Paula West began her successful career singing at the York Hotel in the city. Her career grew by word of mouth and excellent reviews from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Since her early years, Paula has had a lot of success nationally, with performances in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Europe, and regular appearances at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City and with Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center. Back in the bay, she regularly performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland and SF Jazz in the city.
Paula West’s contralto voice is rich and resonant. She is skilled at clearly articulating a strong combination of technique and soul. She is creative and willing to reimagine the ways in which Jazz singers perform. Her musical dynamism even goes beyond vocal technique, as she is well known for her “highly nuanced interpretations” of music from other genres of artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, and Lou Reed.*
We at Beyond the Fog Radio were very fortunate to interview Paula in August 2021 in between her first live performances in a year and a half. She is a household name when it comes to Jazz, and we proudly claim her as one of our own here in the Bay Area.
Meet Paula West!
*for more information about Paula West, please visit her website: https://www.mspaulawest.com/about
Ep:19 Marc Capelle & The Mission
Marc Capelle & The Mission
This week Susan and Michaela sit down with native San Franciscan Marc Capelle to talk about his artistic career and the city’s sunny Mission District. A musician, composer, producer, educator and entertainer, Capelle has performed with the American Music Club, Tommy Guerrero and The West Coast Spiritual Corinthians for decades. He’s even had guest performances with artists like The Plastic Ono Band, Rodriguez, Grandaddy, and Kelley Stoltz. Capelle founded SFO’s live music program “ You Are Hear,” and remained the programmer and producer of it for nine years. Likewise, Capelle is the founder and musical director of the Red Room Orchestra and the soul and pop dance ensemble Marc & the Casuals. He studied at Columbia College at Columbia University, and since returning to his home city, Capelle has taken advantage of the deep concentration of arts and music that the city offers.
Such concentration of the arts can be found in Capelle’s own neighborhood, The Mission. In the mid 20th Century, artists and musicians flocked to The Mission to find affordable housing, thus spawning an explosion of creativity that spilled out of every bar and restaurant. Its cultural history fueled the district’s colorful character, first by its inhabitance of the city’s Native American population, to the Irish, and now to the cherished Latinx community. Today, not only is the neighborhood dominated by an abundance of the arts, but the food, music, and culture has a vibrant Mexican and Latinx flare. There was even a time when Spanish could be heard more than English on the neighborhood’s streets.
The Mission has had its fair share of challenges, such as increased gang violence in the 80’s and rising costs from the growing tech industry of the last 20 years. Nevertheless, it maintains its lively artistic spirit, and who better to tell its story than Mission musician Marc Capelle, who can be found making music on The Mission’s streets or at various venues like The Chapel on Valencia St.
Check out Capelle’s compositions and sound design in the Bay Area art scene documentary “Tell Them We Were Here,” or read more about him on the local news website Mission Local: https://missionlocal.org/2021/06/people-we-meet-a-san-francisco-musician-who-never-left/
Meet Marc Capelle!
Ep 17: David Katznelson Haight & Divisadero
Ep 17: David Katznelson and Haight & Divisadero
The best way to describe GRAMMY-nominated producer and San Francisco native David Katznelson is “larger than life.”
The 30-plus-year music industry veteran is the Executive Director of Reboot, founder of the independent Birdman Records label, and board member of the Stern Grove Music Festival. David worked for Bill Graham Presents in high school and was former Vice President of A&R at Warner Bros. Records; today, he has a podcast, a daily newsletter called “The Signal,” and an upcoming first-of-its-kind double album box set.
Just as there’s no one on Earth quite like David, there‘s no place on Earth quite like the neighborhood of Haight & Divisadero — where soul and rock & roll music meet. And who better to tell the story of the neighborhood than David himself?
Meet David Katznelson!
Ep 06: Reverend Amos C. Brown & The Fillmore
The Western Addition, better known as The Fillmore, is one of the most vibrant and unique neighborhoods in San Francisco. Historically, it has been one of the three predominantly African American San Francisco neighborhoods, and from the 1950s to the 1970s it was known nationally as The Harlem of the West. The Fillmore lived up to this moniker, as was reflected in the music, food, and culture, unique to the vibrant neighborhood and her inhabitants. Third Baptist Church has been, and still remains, the hub of The Fillmore, and Reverend Amos C. Brown is its esteemed and beloved reverend. He is also a lifelong Civil Right leader, and President of the San Francisco Chapter of the NAACP. Reverend Brown sat down with us in September 2020 to tell us all about The Fillmore, and his life there.
Meet Rev. Brown!