Salinas Underground

In this episode, we talk about some of the events coming up in April including a big party in Chinatown. We also talk about a significant change that may come to Salinas streets soon with the city thinking about installing several red light cameras around town. Do they work? Where will they be? Where won't they be and how much might it cost the citizens of Salinas? We talk about it all in this episode.

This week our guest is Duane from Bottoms Up Home Brew a homebrew supply shop in Seaside. He is on the show to talk about the upcoming Steinbeck Home Brew Festival on May 4. This year the event was moved to the Salinas Sports Complex which should give it a more festival-type feel. With over 600 gallons of brew from all over the Salinas area, there is something you are bound to love. See you on the 4th!!

This week we come back with more Salinas history for your ears! We start the show talking about some events coming up in April around Salinas then switch over to our main topic which this week is Carr Lake. We have all seeing that empty piece of land in the middle of town that floods ever winter but what is it? Why is it called Carr Lake? What is going to happen to it in the future? We got all your answers!

Most of this episode is spent with Oz and Cujo trying to answer a question posed by one of our listeners: Why is Salinas called Salinas? Is it for the river, maybe some hidden salt mines that were lost to history? Listen to this episode to find out what we discovered. If you have any questions about the local history, let us know, and we will go out and find out!

Most of the time on the podcast we just talk about the events happening in town but every once-in-a-while we get to talk to some people involved in the event, well this is one of those episodes. Friday, March 22 at XL Public House one of Salinas' newest bands is going to share the stage with one of Salinas' most veteran bands when The Rudians share the stage with Wasted Noise. Our buddy Gio comes on the show to talk about his latest project called The Rudians and talks about their style, influences, and the way you can get a producer credit on their first album. 

In this episode, we go through a whole list of upcoming events happening in and around Salinas. If you have any event you would like us to bring up on future episodes sends us flyers, links, info to our social media accounts and we will do our best to promote your event! Oz also gives us an update on his fledgling company Salad Bytes Media.

This week we welcome on CSUMB business professor Brad Barbeau. He is one of the people that run the Startup Monterey Bay business competition, and he is on the podcast to tell us all about it. If you have ever wanted to start a business, this episode is a must listen! Brad tells us all about how you can enter your idea/business and what to expect from the competition. You have until March 11 to apply. For more information head over to www.startupmontereybay.com!

In this episode, Oz talks about the startup business competition coming up put on by CSUMB. He entered last year which lead to the creation of our podcast network Salad Bytes Media. We also talk about a compost workshop put on by our friends at Salinas Valley Recycles and the recent move of Fish and Chips from the Eastside to Oldtown.

In this episode, Oz talks about his experience trying to start a business in Salinas. We talk about "Startup Monterey Bay" the FREE startup business competition that led to him creating the business and how you can enter your idea in the competition. Applications are due March 11. We will also have some of the people that put on the competition on the podcast in a couple of weeks so if you have questions send them our way and we will make sure they get answered!

The biggest sporting day in the country is not enough to stop us from recording! We start with our usual events section where we talk about a fundraiser put on by Casas De Humo Barbecue then later on in the show we talk to one of the people that will benefit from the fundraiser. We then get into our topics which include our thoughts about the latest police shooting, the location of a potential new homeless shelter, and what is happening at the train station.

This episode we welcome back Cujo from his trip to the old country. We spend the first part of the show talking about the upcoming events including one we are co-hosting on January 31 featuring Mike PZ at Alvarado Street Brewery. Oz also attempts to discuss his recent attempts at becoming a corn tortilla wizard.

This episode our guests are Jorge and Sandy Casas from Casas de Humo Barbeque in Salinas. They are a two person catering machine that dishes out some of the best barbeques we have ever had! They tell us how they got going and how a couple of Californian's got into Texas barbeque as well as their plans for the future. We could have talked for hours, but with a couple of pounds of smoked meat in front of us, we had to dig in.

Day 2 of our Salinas Comic-Con adventure is up and ready to consume!! This episode we talk to Salinas-based graphic novelist Alex Schumacher (14:56-28:46), the rest of our guests were a variety of cosplayers including Ashton Taylor aka Faye Valentine (28:50-45:30), Veronica aka Tracer (45:33-1:20:15), Camislyce (1:20:17-1:45:12), and Sparkle Stache aka Nico Robin (1:45:16-2:22:33). This was a long episode but it is full of excellent interviews. Next year is going to be even better!!

This episode was recorded from the main floor of the Salinas Valley Comic Con at Hartnell. Our guest list includes local acting superstar Nikki Moon aka Ariel (17:25-29:00), Michelle Stone aka Squirrel Girl (29:05-44:47)owner of Storybook Character Events, Chris Perguidi (44:50-59:30) creator of Pokey Man and who was stabbed in San Jose while playing Pokemon Go, Nikki Pardee aka Tinkerbell (59:45-85:30) a cosplayer from Sacramento, and Super 8 Bit Rafa (85:35-101:50) a  game developer from Salinas that created 30 games in 30 days. Check back Saturday for our interviews from day 2 of the Comic-Con!!

This week we welcome back a guest we have had on the show several times before, Joey Espinoza. The last time he was on the show was two years ago when recreational cannabis was legalized in California, and he is back to give us an update. We talk about how the regulations have been received and how they might change in the future. He also talks about his businesses he is working on in the heart of Seaside's new downtown.

This episode we talk about a prediction Oz had like 100 episodes ago, the city of Salinas is running out of money, again. There are no plans to cut services at the moment but the future looks bleak. In typical Salinas fashion, they hired a consultant to tell them what to do and the consultant's great idea? Cut services and raise taxes!! What does Oz have to say about that? Then listen to this episode.

This year's Thanksgiving episode is extra special because it is also episode number 200 for the podcast!! When we started this show in 2014 we had no idea where it would take us, we just wanted to tell a different Salinas story. This year we are thankful for all our listeners and guests that have made this such a fun podcast to produce. 

In this episode, Oz talks about the advantages of owning a super TV then talks about Carr Lake like he is a geologist and not a guy that just reads news articles about the topic. We also talk about the opening of East of Eden Co. a new dispensary that opened up on John St and is more Apple Store than weed store.

This week our guest is local comedian Mike Booth. For the last couple of months, Mike and a group of other comedians have put on a comic showcase in the basement of XL Publichouse. He talks to us about his plans for the showcase and where a young comic can find mic time in Monterey County. If you didn't know Salinas has a tiny comedy scene check this episode out!

This episode is for all the hip-hop heads out there! Our guests represent three generations of Salinas hip-hop and they came on the show to share their stories. All three have unique stories but all revolve around the same theme, hip-hop. We also talk about some events coming up including one this Saturday, October 20 at Somos Gallery in Oldtown Salinas.