Salinas Underground

In this episode we talk about the upcoming Salinas Valley Food and Wine festival happening October 17 in downtown Salinas. To help explain all the cool things happening before and during the festival we asked one of the organizers to come on the podcast and talk about it. Jessica Mckillip, who is pretty much Ms. Oldtown, was gracious enough to come join us. One thing we are really excited for is the Oct 8 home-brewers showcase and evening farmers market on Gabilan St. This is a great episode with a lot information of yet another fun event happening in Salinas.

In this episode we talk about the continued change in downtown Salinas. After recording in the neighborhood for 18 months we have seen the change happen first hand and had the opportunity to meet a lot of the local business owners that are making it happen. We also talk about the amount of world-class businesses within 1 mile of each other that every person would love to have in their city. We also bring up Austin, Texas a lot. Seriously Austin. What are you doing out there in no mans land?

One of the reasons we like to record at XL Public House is, you never know who might walk in the door. This week it was our friend and Santa Cruz based musician Steve-O. Oz and Steve-O have been friends for over 18 years so they have a lot of stories to pass back and forth. Steve-O talks about the difference between the Santa Cruz and Salinas music scenes and what can be found under the grates and manholes in downtown Salinas. We also play our interview we recorded with The Letters Home after their latest show at the Public House. They have very kind words to say about our city and tell us all about their nationwide tour and new album.

In this episode we discuss the recent change that has The Californian only printing 3 days a week and how bad that is for local discourse. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in California and an excellent tool for such a small city to get its information. We also play some sound clips we recorded at the Fire and Ice party hosted by Jack Daniels at 201 Main. Some really great sounds of a bunch of people partying in downtown Salinas.

In this episode we play an interview we recorded with Watsonville Mayor Pro-Tem Felipe Hernandez. He talks with us very candidly about the reason behind the Watsonville Food Truck Festival and how their community rallied around the food trucks after a couple councilmembers tried to ban them. He also expresses his confusion around the citizens of Salinas allowing the city council to dictate how they can have fun in their city. We also talk about the recent tragic domestic violence shooting that left two people dead in south Salinas. Finally, we talk about The Californian switching over to a 3 day print cycle and how that is going to affect how people get their news in Salinas.

In this episode we welcome back Monterey Electronic Pop band Lillie Lemon. We first had Lillie Lemon on the show last September when they brought some of their equipment and played live for us in the basement. This time they didn't bring any equipment but they did bring more new music from their upcoming lp (or is it ep?) which we play during the show. They are about to go on a national tour and we get the low-down about their plans.

In this episode one of our previous guests comes back on the show and this time they bring a friend from across the Atlantic. Paul "Firepower" Gray is an expert in cutting edge recovery techniques to help heal your body after workouts or just at the end of the day. He tells us an inspirational story of how he became a boxer after battling a life-threatening situation as a child. We also get to hear a great story that takes place in Paris and involves Steven Seagal repeatedly throwing Paul to the ground. 

In this episode we welcome an addition to the Salinas Underground Family and it's a girl! Angelica joins us with much more education and a more worldly view. She will be helping us both in front of the mic and behinds the scenes so get used to her. This will be her introduction and will come one from time-to-time. You also get a 5 minute sample of what our brother-podcast Grab A Beer and Jacket is like when Electro joins us after a trip to the bathroom.

In this episode we welcome in James from our podcasting brothers, Grab a Beer and Jacket for a discussion about Salinas. We recorded this as the Italians would say "al fresco" at the Lions Den. We talk about the unfriendly business environment in the city of Salinas and how that is benefiting the surrounding cities in the valley and peninsula. Oz also goes on a rant about what a bad idea it is to build a Salinas' newest high school a mile out of town in the middle of a lettuce patch. 

In this episode our guest is one of the many regulars at the XL Public House. This is an example of a typical conversation that can be had with the locals in oldtown Salinas. We compare Spotify to Pandora, Oz explains why he is also a Jaguar, talk about the best place for fresh juice in Salinas, and many other topics. Listen and be in our world for a couple of hours. 

In this episode we shout-out all of the cool local businesses where you can find us any day in downtown Salinas. We have met a lot of cool business owners in the last year and we would like to acknowledge them. We also change the mood and talk about the video that has Salinas in the national headlines. It is a difficult discussion and we tried to be as objective as possible.

This 20-minute episode is our interview with chef Javier Plascencia, a Tijuana born chef who is trying to turn his city into a foodie destination. We talk about his new restaurant Bracero in San Diego and how we can showcase the farmworker who is sometimes a forgotten part of the food chain. We also talk about the modern food customer and how they are pushing chefs to make innovative cuisine. Finally we talk about how Mexican food joined the ranks of other cuisines on the international stage to be one of the most respected foods in the world.

This is one of the episodes recorded at the lair. What is the lair? Well you're just going to have to listen to the older episodes to find out. In this episode we discuss why we should be so proud to live in the Salinas Valley. A lot of these newly skinny Americans are using locally grown produce to shed some pounds and eat healthier and we should be proud of that. 

In this episode our guest is Jim Romig from Wolf Fitness Systems in Salinas. Their gym on John St. teaches a cutting edge way of "communicating" with your body. We talk about what the Wolf Fitness System is, how it was created, and how it is connected to the Onnit Academy in Austin, Texas. We also talk about the recently passed budget and what new projects we can see being built around town. 

In this episode we talk about a day trip we took to the top of Fremonts Peak. This park is one of the least used parks in the area that offers some of the best views of Salinas Valley. We also talk about how the local media loves to sensationalize crime and in Salinas. 

In this episode we continue our historical journey through Salinas. This week we talk about Salinas during WWII up to the start of the '50's. We also introduce our partnership with Wolf Fitness System of Salinas. We are planning a weekly Question and Answer segment with their coaches and trainers plus other fun stuff. In the coming weeks you will hear a lot more about it. Stay tuned...

In this episode we talk about our upcoming one year anniversary. One whole year of Salinas Underground is complete and we hope there are many more to come. We also talk about the new Salinas food scene and our experience at one of the newest restaurants in Salinas, Arigato. We also read a little Salinas history and talk about how life was during the depression. We also discuss the similarities of life in Salinas then compared to now.

In this episode we do what we do best and talk about Salinas. Did you know that Salinas is one of the 50 densest cities in the United States. We can use this density to our advantage and create new economic opportunities. We also talk about the slow but change happening around Chinatown. Also, we give tips on how to spend a night in downtown Salinas.

In this episode we shout out all our listeners not from Salinas. We hope you are enjoying the show and hopefully you are learning something about our city. We also talk about the release of Lagunitas Waldo once-a-year release with an interesting story behind it. We also talk about one city councilmembers unfortunate encounter with a neighbor and ask questions of and about the meaningless Measure G committee. Finally we ponder the impact of Salinas dropping from MST and forming its own city bus service. Could it work and would it improve public transit in Salinas. Yeah, it's one of those episodes. Enjoy.

This week we talk about the expansion of the El Gabilan Library in North Salinas. We also tell a tale of a crazy day at Avaya Stadium in San Jose. Also, how you could get a traditional shave with a straight razor and a shoe shine within one block in downtown Salinas.