Beyond The Fog Radio

Classical Performance: Harlan Hays of the SF Opera Chorus w/ guest host Carolyn Tyler

When thinking of Harlan Hays, music almost immediately comes to mind. His whole life all he’s wanted to do is sing. Growing up in San Francisco, Harlan had access to the rich musical world of his home city and asked his parents to join the San Francisco Boys Chorus (SFBC) when he was only 8 years old. For nearly 25 years he’s been part of SFBC, working now as a voice teacher and Director of the Graduate Chorale. Harlan’s musical presence extends even farther, as he sings in the Extra Chorus for ...

Classical Performance: Max Cauthorn and Luca Ferrò of the SF Ballet w/ guest host Annette Ribeiro

Beautiful, athletic and graceful, ballet dancers have discipline that is unmatched by most other professions. Dancers at San Francisco Ballet have just this and more. Our guests this week dance with SF Ballet, Max Cauthorn a Principal Dancer and Luca Ferrò a member of Corps de Ballet. The two have both originated roles and soloed in classics, all with keen artistic sensibility and intense athletic technique. While Max began with SF Ballet School at age eleven and worked his way through the ranks...

Classical Performance: Michael Belle of the SF Opera Chorus w/ guest host Carolyn Tyler

Michael Belle is a Tenor with the coveted San Francisco Opera Chorus. Starting with a trade for free voice lessons, Michael was drawn to the artistic life of a classical musician. From singing the chorus in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Porgy and Bess to performing leads in productions across New England, Michael’s career only bloomed until landing a spot in the world famous San Francisco Opera Chorus in 2009. Michael’s time at the San Francisco Opera has been one of much change. The traditionally el...

Stanlee Gatti: The One-Of-A-Kind Event Designer

Stanlee Gatti is San Francisco’s premier event designer and art administrator. Known to be one of the best of his trade, Gatti’s designs are unique, innovative and artistic. He challenged the city’s traditionally conservative taste in public art by bringing Keith Haring sculptures to the Moscone Center, and threw some of the city’s most lavish parties. In 2008 Gatti founded the SF-based art and design fair called FOG FAIR that has grown to become one of the preeminent art and design fairs in the...

The Original "Athleisure" Fashion of Julienne Weston

Innovative designer Julienne Weston is a Bay Area native and founder-owner of Weston Wear, a fashion boutique in SF’s Mission District. A lifelong dancer, Julie combined beautiful clothing designs with flexible dancewear using cotton lycra, a nearly undiscovered fabric at the time. With her dance-fashion concept, Julienne established Weston Wear in 1981. For 36 years, she designed and manufactured her eclectic collection of sensuous apparel, with inspiration from European prints to thrift shop f...

Interior Design w/ John Anderson

John Anderson is as lovely and charming as his home state of Texas, his taste in residential design just the same. As principal designer of John K. Anderson (JKA) Design, John takes a personal approach to every client’s home, listening to their needs and desires so that every client’s unique flair can shine through. His experience spans more than 25 years of residential design in San Francisco, working with eminent Bay Area designers like Steven Volpe and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. Since his studio ope...

Bay Area Jewelry Design w/ Dorian Webb

Dorian Webb is an award winning designer and artist specializing in jewelry, home decor and luxury art. She is inspired by her desire to elevate daily living through design and aims to exemplify, celebrate and support black excellence through her high quality products and community focused actions. She is also a frequent lecturer and panelist at universities, design schools and business conferences where she speaks about her entrepreneurial philosophy and artistry. Dorian currently sits on the b...

A Retrospective on Wilkes Bashford w/ Sharon Kish, Denise Johnson, and Yuriko Takata

The History of Fashion and Design series begins with a tribute to Wilkes Bashford, the iconic name in San Francisco fashion. With his first store in Union Square in 1966, Wilkes Bashford became SF’s top trend-setter. He introduced young European designers like Brunello Cucinelli and Brioni, and was the very first in the city to carry popular names like Ralph Lauren and Alexander Julian. Wilkes described his style as “clothing for the bold conservative” as it was favored by famous politicians lik...

Boudin Bakery w/ Dan Giraudo

Smells of fresh bread filled the air as we interviewed Dan Giraudo, owner and CEO of Boudin Sourdough in San Francisco. This bakery has produced sourdough from the same starter used by Isidore Boudine back in 1849. Today, it is the oldest continually operating business in the city. With crisp tart edges and a fluffy core, this bread has become as iconic as the cable cars that pass it by. Tune in as Dan Giraudo tells us the history of Boudin and the story behind their famous Original San Francisc...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ Governor Gavin Newsom

Governor Gavin Newsom is the 40th Governor for the State of California. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Newsom has dedicated his career to bettering our city and state. He started as an entrepreneur, learning to navigate the world through business. When his talents were noticed by then Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Newsom was appointed to the Parking and Traffic Commission. From there his passion and influence in SF’s political sphere continued to grow until he was elected Mayor of San Francisc...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ Gregangelo Herrera and Marcelo Defreitas

SF native Gregangelo Herrera is the Founder and Artistic Director of the most magical place one could visit – the Gregangelo Museum. Together with his Creative Director Marcelo Defreitas, Herrera has created a fantastic immersive arts experience in his own home on the west side of the city. Local and international artists alike help create this technicolor acrobatic dreamscape, with 27 unique rooms each telling a different story of time and space, the human psyche and life itself. Herrera spent ...

Special Guest Carolyn Tyler

Carolyn Tyler is most famously known in San Francisco as a reporter and news anchor on KGO ABC7 News. She had an outstanding 32 year career chronicling some of the most important moments in SF history. Tyler detailed the long fight for marriage equality starting in 2004 and brought stories of social justice for African Americans to the forefront. She also reported extensively on the impacts of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, for which she and her team won a Peabody Award. Over the years Carolyn...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ the Vitero Sisters

Our guests on this week’s episode of Beyond The Fog Radio are a very creative bunch — and they happen to be Susan’s family! Sisters Blanche Brown (Susan’s mother), Julia Vitero, Ginger Irwin-Vitero, and Dolores Presley grew up in Berkeley, California in the 1940s and 1950s, when things were quite different from how they are today. These four amazing ladies were lucky enough to experience the tidal wave of social change and freedom of expression that arrived in the Bay Area in the mid-20th Centur...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ PJ Johnston

PJ Johnston is one of SF’s top crisis communications specialists and political strategists. From former journalist and Press Secretary for Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. to speech writing for US Senator Kamala Harris, PJ Johnston has helped many influential people achieve their goals. He is the Principal of PJ Johnston Communications, where most of his high profile work is done. He likewise serves on the board of several non-profit organizations and is a strong advocate for women and African American...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ Stan Flouride

Stan Flouride (alias cum art-name of Kevin Kearny) is the unofficial historian of one of the city’s most eccentric neighborhoods, the Haight Ashbury. Stan gives historical walking tours that cover everything from the 1870s to today, with great focus on its role as a pivotal location for the cultural revolutions of the 1960s. Having inherited a strong love of history and a keen sense of justice from his progressive mother, Stan poses a complex view of the Haight. From the flower children and the ...

Exploring the Neighborhood w/ Mayor London Breed

Welcome to Season 4 of Beyond The Fog Radio! It's our honor to begin this season with our interview with San Francisco's Mayor London Breed. Raised in San Francisco's Fillmore District by her grandmother, Mayor Breed saw firsthand how redevelopment brought great challenges to the people in her community. She began her public service career as Executive Director of the Fillmore's African American Arts and Culture Complex. Since then, after rising through the ranks to become Mayor, she hasn't forg...

Old Skool Café w/ Teresa Goines (re-release)

Beyond The Fog Radio Season 4 begins NEXT WEEK! We're so excited to begin sharing all of the great new interviews we've conducted in the past few months. But, to tide you over until then, we have one more re-release episode to present: our interview with Teresa Goines (Season 3 Episode 10), the founder and executive director of Old Skool Café in San Francisco's Bayview District. Formerly a juvenile probation officer, Teresa made a career change to give troubled youths a chance at community and p...

Music In The Bay Area w/ 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 vo...

Making Change In San Francisco w/ Art Agnos (re-release)

The Beyond The Fog Radio team is hard at work recording and editing new episodes for Season 4, releasing in August! In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week, we listen back to our conversation with former Mayor of San Francisco Art Agnos (Season 3 Episode 04) — politician, social worker, and game-changer. Art Agnos served as Mayor from 1988–1992. During his term, he fought nepotism in both Fire and Police Departments to pave the way for th...

The Story of Sal Garcia (re-release)

The Beyond The Fog Radio team is hard at work recording and editing new episodes for Season 4, which will release this August! In the meantime, during this "summer break," we’re taking another listen to some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week's re-release is particularly special, as we revisit Sal Garcia (Season 3 Episode 03), the "Ferrari Doctor" of Waterfront Automobili in Potrero Hill. An immigrant along with his family from El Salvador, Garcia spent his formative year...

Developing Bayview Hunters Point w/ Michael Baines & Cathy Davis (re-release)

The Beyond The Fog Radio team is hard at work recording and editing new episodes for Season 4 — releasing this August! — but in the meantime, we’re looking back at some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week, we revisit our interview with developers and community leaders Michael Baines and Cathy Davis (Season 3 Episode 06). Michael Baines is a developer and contractor for low-income housing and the founder BGI Group Inc., the largest employer of formerly-incarcerated people i...

The Mill Valley Film Festival w/ Zoë Elton (re-release)

The Beyond The Fog Radio team is hard at work recording and editing new episodes for Season 4 — releasing this August! — but in the meantime, we’re looking back at some of our favorite interviews from Seasons 2 and 3. This week, we revisit our interview with the longtime director of the Mill Valley Film Festival, Zoë Elton (Season 2 Episode 16). Zoë has a keen, creative eye from years of exposure to the world of film, and through the Festival has brought exposure to future Academy Award-winning ...

Exploring The Neighborhood w/ Martin Luther & 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, a...

A Tribute To Justice Harry Low, Part 2

The Food Industry and the Environment w/ Jenny Huston

This San Francisco native has championed the intersection of food and nutrition services. Jenny Huston is a trained chef, former catering company owner, and holds degrees in both dietetics and food sciences. Having worked with government and non-profit social enterprises like Project Open Hand in SF, Jenny actively addresses issues of equity, nutrition and social justice within the food industry. She also teaches culinary arts at local community colleges and works with Bay Area Community Service...

The History and Mission of the Sierra Club w/ Chance Cutrano

The Sierra Club began in 1882, founded by Californians who wanted to sponsor wilderness outings. Its first president, conservationist John Muir, rallied to preserve California forests, the Sierra Nevada, and the Pacific Coast. 140 years later, the Sierra Club has evolved into the prevention and now recently environmental activist that it is today. Chance Cutrano is on the all-volunteer executive committee of the Sierra Club. Originally from Chicago, Chance studied political science and philosoph...

A Tribute To Justice Harry Low, Part 1

Justice Harry Low was the first Asian-American Judge in California. He served as Municipal Judge under Governor Edmond G. "Pat" Brown, as Superior Court Judge under Governor Ronald Reagan, as a Judge in the 1st District Court of Appeals under Governor Jerry Brown, and as Insurance Commissioner under Governor Gray Davis. Justice Low reformed numerous civil rights and immigration laws. Notably, he revised the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and also partnered with Jewish attorneys to sue the govern...

Earth Island Institute w/ Dave Phillips

David Phillips is a biologist, activist, and Executive Director of the Earth Island Institute. This environmental non-profit is dedicated to developing and supporting fellow environmental non-profits and projects in need of legal, financial, technical, and organizational assistance. With a strong youth division, an award winning journal, and several globally-recognized awards and achievements, Earth Island Institute is one of the leading environmental activist organizations in the U.S. today. Da...

Alemany Farms w/ LisaRuth Elliott

LisaRuth Elliot is a visual artist, farmer, and longtime volunteer at Alemany Farms. This urban farm, located near the freeway in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, produces food that is donated to food-insecure neighborhoods. Serving on the Friends of Alemany Farms Auxiliary, LisaRuth has a palpable devotion to the farm. She’s attuned to all the nooks and crannies. From the best plants to ward off pests, to the birds that nest in the trees above, this green-thumbed guru’s passion for ...

San Francisco Baykeeper w/ Sejal Choksi-Chugh

Sejal Choksi-Chugh is a fierce defender of the environment. From a young age she wondered why the water was murky, why the air was polluted, and why no one seemed to be doing anything to fix it. After receiving her law degree with a certificate in environmental law in 2002 from UC Berkeley, Sejal’s been taking charge at San Francisco Baykeeper, a non-profit whose mission is to protect our Bay. Using law, science and advocacy as their tools, SF Baykeeper seeks out polluting businesses and holds t...