Salinas Underground

It looks like this shelter in place will keep going till at least the end of May but don't worry we got a cure for your "stay at home blues." This episode is dedicated to introducing everyone to the other shows on the Salad Bytes Media network. Together we will get through the madness so go check them out. Don't forget to subscribe to all of them so you never miss an episode. Here's a quick rundown: The Electro and Banno Movie Powe Hour (@theelectroandbannomph) A movie review podcast not for the faint of heart. If you want to know which movies are worth watching and which you should skip the Power Hour has your back! This is a show best enjoyed after a couple of brews and joints. 831 Comadres (@831 Comadres) Frenchy and Samantha are the two powerful women behind 831 Comadres. They talk about a variety of different issues relating to going through life as a Latina woman. If you have been sitting around wondering what your next step in life is then this podcast is for you! Dizzy Nerds Podcast (@dizzynerds) Crue

The news cycle seems to be a 24-hour scare-a-thon about the current COVID-19 outbreak around the world. We should be taking it seriously and following all possible precautions, but we must also remember that other parts of life are still moving forward. Like the re-building of three blocks of Oldtown sidewalks and the change of Main St traffic from one-way to two-ways. Also, it looks like a new pedestrian bridge is going up at the Sports Complex, and a new truck stop is being built by the airport. Lots to talk about, none of it doomsday related.

The world is going crazy over a virus, and Oz doesn't have health insurance, so he got creative when seeking medical advice. Dr. John Silva and Dr. Blair Cushing are two family health doctors that did not come on the podcast to talk about Coronavirus. Instead, they talk about their work with families in the Salinas Valley. Dr. Cushing also talks about traveling twice a month to the Texas/Mexico border to help out with the awful situation that is going on.

Monterey County, as a whole, and Salinas, in particular, has been at the center of California's legal cannabis revolution. Other than consuming it, Oz knows little about how a plant ends up in neat little packages on store shelves. Abraham, David, and Benny are three guys that have seen the industry grow from all sides. They sit down with Oz to talk about what is going on in Monterey County and where they expect the industry to grow.

Rob from Masa for the Raza is back to talk about all the events he has heard about and made it out to this year. If you do not follow his page on Instagram then you are missing out on a lot of cool stuff that is happening not only in Salinas but the whole Monterey Bay area as well!! This week he talks about some of the more memorable events of the last year and what he is looking forward to in 2020.

This week on the podcast, we talk to the hosts of one of the newest podcasts on our network. Sam and Frenchy are the two people behind 831 Comadres where "nothing is off the table cuando estas entre comadres!" They are here to tell us all about how they met, where the idea came from, and what they plan to talk about on the podcast. If you like what they have to say, follow then on Instagram and be on the lookout for their first episode!

Starting your own business is tough. Taking over an established business with a loyal clientele might be tougher. That is the challenge that three guys from Salinas took when they bought XL Publichouse earlier this year. We sit down with two of them to discuss their history and how they ended up owning Salinas' first craft beer bar and what their plans are for the future.

One day you are traveling around the country putting on events and the next day you learn that you are in a fight for your life. At 30-years-old this was the reality that Sergio Alejo was facing but he didn’t give up. Now 7 years later he opened up his second brick-and-mortar location in Salinas. Stonies Taphouse and Bistro is part craft beer bar part BBQ joint and Sergio is here to tell us his amazing story of how it all came together.

Housing is one of the most significant issues faced by a lot of Salinas residents. Viviendas Para Todos is a group of people from different walks of life with one common goal, fair and affordable housing for all citizens of Salinas. They came together after meeting each other at various community events, and now they are one group working towards a common goal. In this conversation, we talk about how they came together and what they are asking for from city officials.

There are around 160,000 people in Salinas, each with their own unique story to tell. We probably won't get to all of them, but in this episode, we talk to Silvia Trejo, who has a fantastic story to tell. From arriving in the US in style in a Grand Am to eating well to live a healthier life, our conversation was a great learning experience for us.

Flying through the air and getting slammed on canvas is not something that seems like a good time to us but our guest lives for it. Grace Jackson is a member of Big Time Wrestling a company that puts on wrestling shows all over the Bay Area including Salinas. She talks about her experiences in the independent wrestling circuit how she got involved and what her plans are for the future.

Our old friend James sits in on this episode to talk dirty lettuce. There is no better way to unite Salinas than to say our produce is making people sick. That get's us thinking how we can rally behind all the other cool stuff going on around town. Or do we do that already? Oz also lays out his plan for a "Salad Days" festival that would celebrate both the Salad Bowl and John Steinbeck.

This episode, Cujo was out in the happiest place on earth celebrating a friend's wedding, so we brought on our social media manager, Leah, to fill in for him. She and Oz talk about the continually evolving drinking culture in Oldtown and how bad Oz is at socializing with this new crowd. Oz almost loses Leah with a rant about the new red-light cameras going up on the Northside, but she quickly corrects course, and it's back to talking about drinking.

How does one person create a radio show, a clothing company, a music distribution company, and about half a dozen other projects? That is all going to be answered in this episode where our guest is Ghambit who is originally from Watsonville but now calls Salinas home. Hear his story about his Tree House Club brand and what his future plans are.

The Salinas nightlife scene continues to evolve in Oldtown, so we had to talk to somebody that was in the middle of the revolution. Casey has been a friend of the podcast for years now and is the right person to talk about all the changes. From pouring drinks at 201 to consuming drinks at XL Publichouse, Dubbers, Kings Den, Farmers Union, Jaime's/Jesse's/Sinaloa(seriously what's the official name?) she has the lowdown on the going on's in our beloved partying neighborhood. 

After nearly a decade of drinking in Oldtown, Oz and Cujo wonder what the next drinking establishment in the neighborhood will be? Brew-N-Krew has already announced its brewery and taphouse, but who is going to take the leap and put another full-service bar on Main Street. Also, Oz wonders if his days on this earth are limited due to his insistence on using bootleg vape cartridges he finds in Chinatown.

If we are going to talk about events, we need to bring on someone that knows what they are talking about, so we brought back a familiar face. If you still are not following Masa for the Raza on Instagram, you are missing out and a page with a bunch of events going on from King City to San Jose. Listen as Rob fills us in on what he has seen and what is coming up!

We like to pretend that this show is a deep exploration into Salinas and the surrounding area but really we are just a couple comadres sitting on the stairs gossiping about our week. This week we talk about the interesting vote by a school district to ask the city to cancel their contract with the TV show Live PD and the online fight that ensued. Also, we bring up a radical(strange) idea by a city councilmember to fix the homeless problem by buying them houses and shipping the out of state. Creative but oh-so-dumb.

Once a month for the last 11 months there has been a comedy show in the basement of XL Publichouse that was a showcase of local comedians. It's grown so much that you can now watch comedians from Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. September 28 marks the first anniversary of the Bricks 'N Beer show so we talked to a couple of the key people helping put this show together. Mike Booth and Anthony Barrera are back to let us know what we can expect from the first-anniversary show!!

The Monterey Peninsula Young Professionals is a group that puts on networking event. It was founded by three young women who were tired of the lack of opportunities young professionals in this area had to hang out in a fun, casual environment. Tabitha, Marieke, and Rachel started MPYP earlier this year, and they are already hosting monthly events that bring in dozens of people from all over the Monterey Bay Area. Check out this conversation and see you at the next meetup!