KBCO Studio C

Series of benefit projects from KBCO 97.3 FM in Boulder, Colorado. Many of the tracks were also recorded at KBCO Studio C. History of KBCO Studio C: In 1984, KBCO moved into a new building, complete with three studios for broadcasting. The main studio for KBCO-FM was known as "Studio A". The newsroom was "Studio B", and KBCO's sister station, 1190 KADE-AM, was "Studio C". By early 1988, KADE had become KBCO-AM, re-broadcasting the KBCO-FM signal on the 1190 AM frequency which eliminated the need for a separate on-air studio. Studio C was remodeled to include a recording facility to improve the radio station's commercial production capability. A large multi-channel mixing console with an 8-track recording machine was installed, taking up most of the space in the little room. On June 15, 1988, Melissa Etheridge made a visit to KBCO to personally thank the staff for being among the first radio stations to play her recently released debut album. Melissa brought her guitar in from the car to protect it from the mid-June Colorado sun. In a spur of the moment idea, KBCO audio engineer Mike Wiley set up a few microphones and Melissa performed live on the radio in what later became known as the first KBCO Studio C session. Over the next few years, there were occasional live performances. KBCO Studio C Volume 1 was released in the fall of 1991. It was a benefit for the Leukemia Society of America and featured 14 songs. All 4500 copies of the CD were sold through Rocky Mountain Records stores in Boulder and Denver. KBCO Studio C Volume 2 followed in 1992 with 16 songs. This time the charity changed to benefit the Colorado AIDS Project and the Boulder County AIDS Project. In the summer of 1993, Volume 3 was released and the number of CDs increased to 10,000. Volume 4 followed later that year. In October 1994 KBCO Studio C moved to a new location with a separate control room and dedicated performance room. 1995's Volume 6 showcased pictures of the new Studio C. The number of CDs released was now up to 30,000. The Boulder County AIDS Project became the exclusive beneficiary of the KBCO Studio C CD series. Volume 7 was released in the summer of 1996. It featured music from the first six CDs along with two previously unreleased songs. KBCO Studio C was upgraded that year, and the original analog mixing console and 8-track tape machine were replaced by a state-of-the-art digital recording system. In 1997, KBCO added drums, keyboards, acoustic guitars, guitar amplifiers and a bass amplifier to Studio C so that visiting musicians would not have to bring their own gear to perform. In the summer of 2001, KBCO Studio C Retrospective 2 was released. It featured 14 songs from Volumes 8-12 and two new recordings. Volume 13 followed later that year and was the first to be mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder.