Sal Rodriguez @renewsmp and his cousin Gabriel Barboza @precise_smp are on a mission to change people's lives in a unique way. Listen to their story, which started out in the Salinas Valley and then led them all over the world, all while they gained new experiences. Enter Scalp micro pigmentation, and Gabriel saw a vision of his future. He became a certified SMP artist and started a shop in Southern California. He soon called Sal, who enrolled in classes and became certified himself. They have a great story that has a lot of chapters left to be written.
After his first sip, Fabian Torres fell in love with craft beer. That love of drinking it soon became a hobby of brewing at home. The step after the hobby was starting his own brewery, which he did when he founded @firstgenbrewing
He recently came back home to Salinas after spending some time in Kalamazoo, Michigan, gaining more knowledge about the brewing industry. We sat down at a table at one of his pop-up events featuring his beer and food from @chefaleks_ I talk with Fabian, his brother, and a couple of the attendees of this fun event on a sunny afternoon in Salinas.
Recently, the Salinas community lost a big pillar with the passing of Sergio Alejo, the owner of Stonies Taphouse. We were fortunate enough not only to know him personally, but back in 2020, we were able to get him into the studio so he could tell his story in his own words.
This episode originally came out on January 10, 2020.
Jose Luis Barajas and Ruby Salazar are the President and Vice-President of @s.v.y.p , a group that empowers local young professionals by connecting them and educating them on what it takes to grow as a leader. They put on networking events all over the Salinas Valley to bring together people with similar ideas to help bring them to reality. If you are a young professional looking for like-minded people to hang out with and brainstorm, check out their next event!
The modern history of Alisal dates back to the first post office, which was built in 1866. It grew alongside Salinas until 1964, when the voters of Alisal joined their neighbors to the west and became East Salinas. This vote may not have passed were it not for the influential voice of a tough Italian lady named Virginia Rocca Barton. She came to Salinas as a 23-year-old teacher and transformed the Alisal School District into one of the most progressive in the state. This is the fascinating story of how two communities came together as one and how one person can make all the difference.
Some know him as Lombriz, others call him Werm, and others call him @the_essence_music
We got him in the studio to talk about himself if you don't know who he is. If you want to see the artist at work you can find him every Wednesday evening at XL Publichouse hosting a weekly vinyl night. That event is one of the best places in the 831 to find and listen to rare music.
@goth_girl_photographer24 also known as DivineGoddess33 on TikTok does makeup tutorials, unboxing videos and so much more! She comes to the studio to tell us about her journey and how she went from the stage to making her own content to share with the world.
Over 150 years ago a slough named El Sanjon de Alisal flowed around Oldtown. Over the years Salinas grew over the slough but if you know where to look there are still signs of it flowing underground.
Huge shout-out to @jamessmena for helping me put this video together!!
Mialana is a recording artist who first got a taste of the stage when her high school production of Grease needed another singer. Three years ago, she started writing and performing her own music. She writes from the heart, so many of her songs are more like journal entries that she shares with the world. She is a young singer with a lot of potential, and if you live in Salinas, you can probably see her live really soon.
The story of @oreezofficial831 started in the 831 and then took him around the West Coast but he is back home and is in the studio to tell us his story. From discovering Hip Hop to jumping on stage for the first time at the last minute, these are only the early chapters of his story. The episode is out now!!
For the last year, Indie Basement cinema has been a monthly showcase of local short films. It is a place where local filmmakers can screen their films in front of their hometown crowd for free. Once a month the basement of @xlpublichouse is turned into a cozy cinema where you can relax and have some popcorn and a beer while watching locally made films.
I sat down with the two filmmakers who were having their movies screened for the anniversary. Jesus Cruz @jxcruz510 is a filmmaker from Newark who came down to show two of his films: "Peanut Butter and Zombie" and "La Cobija". Julie Ruiz @julieruizcinema is a young director from Salinas who screened a music video she directed as well as her short film "Louie's Scary Movies." Sergio @the_essence_music can be heard spinning records multiple times a month. He sat down with us to talk about his time watching Indie Basement grow. Joey @sinistaselecta is one of the two people along with Rob @masa_831_ who came up with the idea, and it is their hard work that has made this into the great event that it has become.
On September 7, 1963, the worst road accident in American history happened on a railroad crossing just outside of Chualar. This set off a battle for the 32 bodies of the victims that ended up uniting the Mexican community against the bracero program that had been giving low-wage workers to American farmers since WWII. It also helped unite a Mexican-American civil rights movement that had been divided between "urban" and "rural" Mexicans, setting off a larger struggle for the representation of all Mexicans in the United States.
@gin_fragonard is a Monterey-based singer and all-around talented artist. She is releasing an album in several chapters that is an ode to the place she currently calls home. This was a fun conversation that covered a range of topics, from musical inspirations to French cows and ferret cults and her music. The first part of the album comes out on October 20, but make sure to follow her on social media so you can watch one of her live shows.
The governor of Florida is paying a visit to Salinas to raise money from a group of people he says is ruining this country. That is just one of a mountain of reasons why this is a terrible idea. Oz has a couple of more on this episode.
@seadotlvl are the tracksuit-wearing bad boys of instrumental R&B and they are in the studio to tell us all about the band! We also have the magician behind the tracksuits, Ari from @helladandyapparel on the mic. This fun conversation takes us from the band's origins to why we have a bunch of bananas on the desk and the reason for the tracksuits. You can catch them playing shows around the area or follow them on Spotify to get their new music as it comes out.
@genevievevianne is a lifelong Salinas resident who dreams about stars in more ways than one. She represents her home region as Miss Central Coast in the Miss California Organization. She is also the founder of the non-profit Women Are Limitless, which supports Monterey County girls and women pursuing careers in a male-dominated industry. She sits with us to discuss her journey in the Miss California pageant. We talk about housing insecurity, greek philosophy, beauty peagants, and so much more. You may want to have some tissues around when you listen to this episode because we get deep!!
The Prancing Ponies Women's Car Show is one of the largest gatherings of women car owners and it happens in the middle of car week in Downtown Carmel. We set up our equipment in a corner of Devendorf Park and got some really great interviews. First off we talk to the guys from @seadotlvl who brought the party on stage with their instrumental R&B sounds. We also talked to the founder of the whole event, Chanterria McGilbra, who first got the idea to gather other women who owned Ferraris when a group of high school girls could not believe the one that she was driving was actually owned by her. Finally, we interview @missferrariusa whose 2013 Ferrari California won the best exotic award.
Caro Perez is a writer, performer, and all around great human being. She has turned a lifelong passion for storytelling and honed it into a unique style that will have you laughing at some of her harrowing life events.
She sits down with us to tell us her story from crossing the border to working at a factory so she could buy her first camera and her escape into womanhood. There are not enough episodes to tell her complete story, but this is an excellent introduction to a great local writer and actor.
Setting up for today's @montereybayfc2 AND @montereybayfc today at Cardinale! It's Fan Fest so the team has a bunch of activities set up around the stadium. If you can't make it out be sure to tune into ESPN2 at 7 to watch the boys take on @oaklandroots
During WWII, Japan controlled 90% of the world's rubber production, and the United States knew it needed to do something to protect itself in case the supply was cut off. On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S., and the fear became a reality. With the country quickly using its reserves, the nation turned to an obscure desert plant called Guayule that had the potential to end our dependence on foreign rubber. Salinas was selected as the center of this massive undertaking, and overnight, millions of dollars and thousands of workers descended on the city. Then the war ended, and the project ended as quickly as it began. Plants and machines were destroyed, but the stories they made live on in the short but fascinating story of our city's history.
