Social Media has become a part of everything we do on the airwaves. Here’s some links: Facebook “Public Figure” page for Lobster – Please give it a Like. Same thing for The River’s Facebook page. We have a Lobster’s Sunday Brunch / SF Bay Radio group as well. You can also follow @DJ Lobster on Twitter and Instagram. And, check out The River’s website for more of the 411 to download The River App or stream live. We are across all audio devices with Alexa, Google Home or the TuneIn Radio App. There’s also our company, Flow Communications Facebook page. Be great if you could give that a Like, too!
To listen to the show online or with a mobile app, click the 97.7 The River logo next to the cartoon crustacean’s left claw above. It will take you to the station’s website. Once there, click the Listen Live button on the right. THANKS FOR CHECKING IN!
If you every read the House of Blues book of radio interviews, you’ll come across one with the late, great James Brown. It may be credited as a conversation between Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues, but that was done in post-production. The interview was recorded at the Fairmont Hotel on a New Year’s Eve in the mid-’90s when James Brown and his band played the ballroom. As Director of Production, I had been sent to record the interview with James Brown. We had to rent a separate hotel room. First James Brown’s Security chief came in the room, and went through drawers, in the bathroom, looked under the bed to make sure it was safe. James Brown came in afterwards, wearing black leather gloves and shook my hand, and that of Juan, one of our crew at BMP, the company that produces the House of Blues radio shows. Before we could record, his handlers told me that we had to guarantee that we’d play his daughter’s new record on the shows, or no interview. They then produced a contract and asked me to sign. They were serious. I said; “Mr. Brown (I was coached to address him as Mr. Brown), I’ll sign the contract but I don’t have the authority to guarantee that she’ll get played. I can only give you my word I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.” James Brown smiled at me and said; “That’s OK. You don’t have to sign it. The fact that you were willing to is good enough for me.”, and he waived off his handlers. I started the interview, first telling him to address me as Elwood in his answers, and broke the ice by telling him that one of my prized possessions was the 45 I bought as a young teenager of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” on the King Label. He told me that I had the good one, then. He had many labels release the song, with bad pressings and recordings. Mr. Brown wasn’t too fussy about what he signed…and it was one of the best interviews I’d every had the pleasure of doing. His show that night was in the groove.
From 2002 t0 2007, Lobster’s Rock Box, aka The SF Bay Radio Hour ran on 97.7 The River in San Jose, 98.5 KFOX in San Jose, and in 25 Markets, Coast-to-Coast, including Charleston, SC, Nashville, TN and Pittsburgh, PA. Steroids had been headline news, and our San Francisco Giants were a few years away from becoming MLB Champions. Here, without commercials, is the highly produced, hand-crafted special, complete with fun bits of baseball ephema from movies, TV shows, classic baseball bits from George Carlin and even Humphrey Bogart. Enjoy!
On July 4th weekend, 1976, the Declaration of Independence was personally celebrated by signing off at KOME at Midnight on Friday Night, and then signed on at KSJO 6PM on Monday. Even with the confines of the streaming 128kbp file, you’ll hear the highs, lows, and stereo separation improve as I was tweaking the Top 40 compressor/limiters that were putting out a “wall of mud” sound. You can hear the volume drop for a second as I found the dials during Gary Wright’s “I Know A Place.” The changes are happening as Santana “Batuka / No One To Depend On” plays.
Listen to Lobster celebrate freedom and independence in the first hour at his new home…listen to the mostly local and very few commercials and the claws finding their way at the unfamiliar controls. After the first night, it was down to business the next day when the office was opened. The slow cueing turntables were changed at my request, and an Optimod was bought to replace the the old school “pump and suck” processing. Have fun entering a time machine before the words “Corporate” and “Rock” were linked. Click the play button below to listen.
Btw, the Billboard campaign was part of the contract. Our Program Director, Donald Wright, did the artwork. Listeners would call and ask me what was burning in the claw…and I assured them I didn’t smoke tobacco. ; )
Check It Out
If you roll over the above “Check It Out” and click, you’ll be taking to the page entry made after the 20th Anniversary of the Helicopter Crash that claimed the live of Rock Impresario, Bill Graham. It’s not about that day, but the 10th Anniversary of KSJO San Jose, held at Winterland in San Francisco, May 19th, 1978. It was a concert experience like no other, and started the musical friendship of Sammy Hagar and Neal Schon by the act of putting together a jam at the end of the show. It was posted originally before the Sunday that was the last full, live, five hour Lobster’s Sunday Brunch during the 2011 NFL Season due to the Oakland Raiders broadcast preemptions for The Raiders games that season. When Sonoma Media Group replace Maverick Media as the owners of The River, the management moved The Raiders to sister station KSRO AM. A much better place for football to be heard.
Greg Kihn and Paul “Lobster” Wells are old friends. When Greg was first starting out in the ’70s on Matthew Kaufman’s Bezerkeley Records, our neighborhood, friendly local Crustacean DJ championed his music. For the “Jeopardy” video, Paul’s company, Flow Communications, was an Executive Producer of the ground breaking video, and can be seen in the video in a cameo role, throwing rice at the “Married couple” as they get into the limo outside the church. Greg came by Flow Communications at 69 Green Street in San Francisco for this in-depth interview: Kenny Wardell was there to take pictures, and threw in a couple of questions himself. Click to listen to the interview below 
the picture.
With a great deal of GRATITUDE, I’m celebrating the 40! Anniversary my first radio show in California October 8th, 1971 at KZSU, Stanford, after moving from NYC to the SF Bay Area. It’s been a bumpy ride, and there’s still much I’d like to accomplish before I head to that destination that Steve Jobs pointed out we all share. This past week, we were all shocked by his passing. Age 56 is altogether too young, especially from the perspective we “baby boomers” now have on aging. I thank him for his passion for music that inspired what Apple did with iPod and iTunes. And, I thank you, the listener. The ones that tune in every week… Although tomorrow the Oakland Raiders game on 97.7 FM The River will preempt the broadcast. FYI, you can still listen to a special internet only version. Just click the roll-over on The River’s logo next to the cartoon crustacean’s left claw above.
Also, check out the San Francisco Chronicle article that was published on April 28th, 2011 and please add any Anniversary comments there, share it on facebook, twitter, +1, etc. Thank God (or whatever you see as a higher power in the Universe) that we have souls that love music. Cheers!
The celebrity chef for the 25th Annual Fall Charity Festival for the Friday night auction dinner this year was Sonoma County’s own Guy Fieri. He has in a short time moved beyond being the chef / owner of local restaurants like Johnny Garlic’s and Tex Wasabi’s to be a major Food Network star and also a TV Game show host. This hard traveling, hard working show business and culinary phenomenon has a big heart as well. In this quick interview with the Bay Area’s only Crustacean / DJ, Guy gives us a glimpse into his motivation to make time to oversee this dinner for nearly 700 people that raised over $200,000 for local charities. The wordpress upload takes time to play, so you can also go view the interview by clicking this link to YouTube.
Was a great pleasure to escort Jonni Smith and her friend Deanna backstage at Shoreline. First time Def Lep played San Francisco, it was opening for Pat Travers at The Warfield in 1980. They blew me away then, and still play a powerful set. Heart was on before them, and in addition to their usually one or two covers of Led Zeppelin songs, they had decided to close the set with The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me.” The special effects were generated by nature, with lightning and a rain shower to punctuate the finish. Here’s a short video:
