Salinas Underground

Marlene and Steven are the couple behind Brew-N-Krew the fastest-growing homebrew project in Salinas. They took their passion for brewing their own beer and sharing it with friends and are transforming it into a brewery and tasting room in Oldtown Salinas. They talk about their journey in the beer world and what their plans are for their brewery and also mention some events they will be at where you can sample their tasty brew.

No, Oz and Cujo didn't go out and find some hot gossip from the belly of Salinas, but they did start this episode with a conspiracy that could only happen in 2019: The Saga of Jeffrey Epstein. That has nothing to do with Salinas, so we quickly transition into more local events like the Salinas Valley Food and Wine Festival that went down in Oldtown last Saturday. Also, you know you live in a small city when a CVS getting renovated is celebrated as economic development.

Last week was the 38th annual Steinbeck Festival in Oldtown and were there with our microphones to find some stories! Cujo's schedule was not agreeing with the one for the podcast, so our social media manager Leah jumped on the mic and handled co-hosting duties. We ended up having a great conversation with three powerful women that were all working on helping farmworkers across the country. Lauri Coyle and Albertina Zarazua Padilla worked on a documentary called "Adios Amor" about Maria Moreno one of the first organizers of farmworkers in this country. Also joining us is Valentina from Lideres Campesinas, a national organization working for the rights of women farmworkers across the country. 

This week we have an old friend of the podcast on the show. If you have been to a local event in the last couple of years you probably saw Rob behind a camera or holding a microphone. Through his own show, MASA Rob goes out and promotes as many local events as he can and he is one of the hardest working people out there doing it. He talks to us about his plans for the show and of course we talk about some upcoming events in Salinas.

This episode our guests are the people behind Monterey Flipper Pinball League! That's right Salinas has had a pinball league for at least five years, and we are here to tell you all about it. The first thing you need to know is that they won't be in Salinas for long, but they are not going far as they are only moving 20 minutes away to Seaside. Listen to how they got a pinball league started, what their plans are for the future, and how you can get involved all in this episode!!

This episode is the first to be recorded in our new studio in Oldtown Salinas! That's right we went from a dinner table in Cujo's house to XL Public House, and now we have our own space to keep growing and interviewing all the cool people that make Salinas the dope city that it is. Along those lines, this episode is all about our journey and our new neighborhood. Take a listen and tell us what you think!!

This week we bring back another one of our "Cannabis Report" episodes where we talk to people involved in one of Salinas' newest and fastest growing industries. We talk with Vance, David, and Abraham about their work in the local cannabis industry and how it has changed over the years. Vance and David both work at East of Eden in their delivery division and they talk about the struggles and successes of getting that up and running.

In this episode, Oz tells two stories of two different bars, one in Carmel and one in Salinas. In one he has a great time with friends, music, and dancing and in another, he has to deal with broken glass and people wanting to fight. To figure out which bar is in which city hit that play button!!

The last episode we promised you a recap of the Cali Roots Festival that happened at the Monterey Fairgrounds over Memorial Day weekend so this episode we brought on our social media manager Leah to tell us about her experience. This is Leah's sixth-year-in-a-row attending and camping out all three days at Cali Roots, so she has a lot of stories to share including an infamous after party at Planet Gemini and sneaking into more places than someone hiding from the cops. 

In this episode, we interview several of the comedians from the May 18 edition of the Bricks N' Beer Comedy show that happens monthly at XL Public House. If you have not been to this FREE comedy show, you are missing out on a great night of jokes and beer. But you don't have to take our word for it listen to the comedians tell it in their own words! Featured comedians include Mac Ruiz, Matt Bokemeier, Molly Stein, and the guy that put it all together Mike Booth!

We are back and finally recovered from the drinking madness that was the 2019 Steinbeck Homebrew Festival. The weather was beautiful, and the beer was delicious, at least the ones we remember, and we can't wait to come back next year. We also talk about the events coming up the last couple of weeks of May. If you have any events, you would like us to talk about, send us a message!

We recorded this episode at XL Public House which has been our studio for most of our 200+ episodes we have recorded but this episode was different. This was the last day that the original owners, the De Leon's, we're going to be running the bar! After six years they decided it was time to spend more time with their families and let someone else take over what they have started. We believe the new owners will continue the tradition of being the locals drinking hole and look forward to recording back there under the new owners.

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.