On an unusually hot September night in San Francisco, a group of college students gather in a cramped space and listen to music. Some lip sync and dance as much as the limited space will allow them to – a head bob here, a little neck there, maybe some shoulder action. Others sit back and scope out the scenery, who’s wearing what, and who’s speaking to whom. Those who are not in the mood to boogie, socialize, or observe, simply zone out.

The guy trying to keep the crowd jamming is playing a mix of funk and old-school rhythm and blues. His name is Andrew Hogan, and right in the middle of a James Brown groove, he might flip it completely and break out a Sade track.

“I’m just trying to keep it fresh, ya know,” he informs.

Andrew Hogan doesn’t have some pimped-out moniker like Drew Scratch or DJ Hoagie. There is no cover charge for this gathering. The function lasts about 20 minutes maximum, and no alcohol is served. This isn’t a club, and Hogan isn’t a DJ, at least not in the conventional sense. Hogan was hired last month to drive one of the shuttle buses that take passengers from Daly City BART to SF State and back again.

Hogan tries his best to insure that every one riding his shuttle has a good time, “It’s simple, really,” he explains. “I just have a love for music. I try to provide a reliable, soothing ride.”

Every Monday through Thursday Hogan makes the trip from campus to Daly City BART and back again, more times than he’d like to count, “it would be too nerve racking,” he says.

At each stop, the Creative Arts building, Humanities building, Mary Ward Hall, North State Drive, Lot 25, 19th Avenue, and Daly City BART, students get on, students get off. For many, the BART to campus shuttle isn’t just a ride to school, but a social mixer, study break, a chance to relax and now, thanks to Hogan, a place they can go to hear music.

People are beginning to recognize Hogan and look forward to riding his shuttle. Leutisha Stills, a political science graduate student, sat up front on a recent trip on Hogan’s shuttle. The two talked about music and Stills commented on the different songs she’d heard while riding with Hogan. When asked which songs she enjoyed the most, she replied, “all of it.”

As Stills gets off at 19th Avenue, a young man in jeans and a T-shirt gets on, he gives Hogan a familiar sounding, “Hey man,” and when he hears the funk music leaking out of the speakers he notes, “jammin’ today, like everyday.”

There are too many names and faces for Hogan to remember. There is the girl with the blond hair and the grey sweatshirt with pink letters: S-F-S-U, she flashes a smile that would make a dentist proud when she sees that Hogan is behind the wheel. “This is the jam shuttle right here!” she exclaims. Then, there is the girl with braided hair sitting on the right middle row jamming to the music, and singing off key, no one shoots her any irritated glares.

“I get a lot of smiles,” Hogan says as students get off the shuttle at Daly City BART station, most saying ‘thank you,’ “it’s funny, it’s like they know me because they enjoy riding with me.” He is pleased with the positive feedback he gets from his passengers and says one young woman told him that after riding his shuttle she was much more relaxed. “That was nice to hear,” he says.

Hogan, who was born and raised in Oakland, has gone above and beyond his job description to try to make the ride enjoyable for everyone. He doesn’t just run out of the house each morning and grab a couple of CDs. He is a music person, who grew up listening to all his mother’s old soul records.

Hogan has carefully compiled tracks from his personal collection that flow nicely together. His disks have titles like James Brown and Friends, Sade and George Michael and Slow Groovin. Hogan likes to test out different artists and genres before adding them into the rotation. He is sensitive to students’ moods and the time of day, he plays the music he thinks will give them what they need, when they need it.

“I took a chance this morning,” says Hogan. “I played Sade and I got an immediate response.” He initially wasn’t sure if the Sade would be too mellow for the college crowd. But he thought the morning would be a good time to throw her into the mix.

In the morning Hogan observes students are feeling stressed out and anxious to get to school. In the afternoon and evenings, students are much more relaxed because the school day is over.

“I try to wait until around noon time to jam,” he says. He feels it is important to tailor his play list to complement the mood of his passengers, and he makes changes when he gets the impression that no one is feeling his choices. “I think it is weird when I get a vibe that no one is jamming. I mean, not that they don’t like it but that they just aren’t responsive.”

“Everybody get up!” The Gap Band commands when the shuttle pulls out of the Stonestown Mall parking area and makes a right onto 19th Avenue. “Heeeaaay!” a girl in rolled up jeans and a hoodie says as she boards at the front of campus, doing a neck roll.

“Still jamming,” replies Hogan.

As the shuttle turns left into the Daly City BART station, a pre-scandal Michael Jackson vents about working day and night to please a love who is never quite satisfied.

“One day I am going to freak everybody out and play some Garth Brooks or Lionel Richie,” says Hogan. “Yeah Garth Brooks be slammin’!” he chuckles.