The Grit City Podcast

This episode is a Grit City Follow UP with Rusty, longtime friend of the podcast, and one of the owners of The Church Cantina. The Church Cantina is located at 5240 South Tacoma Way in Tacoma. Their grand opening is on September 8th at 5 PM where the kitchen will be open and the drinks will be flowin!!! Make sure to check them out, they’re planning to be open also on Sunday the 9th so people have...

This week the guys discuss the bad week Brogan’s had including Wizards Keep being burglarized and him almost dying. 4:42 – After discussing Justin’s house warming party, conversation turns to Wizards Keep recently being burgled at 3:46 am the day of Justin’s party. Brogan talks about getting the call notifying him of the break-in alarm going off. They talk about the person that broke in, Brogan pu...

This week, the guys sit down with local hip hop artist, Benjamin J, at the Union Club in Tacoma. Benjamin has been in the PNW for the last year and is originally from North Carolina. He recently put out his first album, First In Flight. People can hear his music on the majority of the platforms online, including: SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify. The show kicks off with Benjamin talking about...

This time the guys sit down with Nacho, owner of Apache Six. Apache Six is a veteran based company that trains, recruits, and staffs security guards, private investigators, and executing protection agents from some of the most demanding industries. Apache Six is located in Tacoma and started in 2012. In addition to Apache Six, Nacho also runs This Heals Cancer, a company who’s mission is “to empow...

This week the guys sit down with longtime friend of the show, Rusty, to chat about his new bar/ restaurant in Tacoma, The Church Cantina. This is the 4th time he’s been on, previous episodes he has also joined them on were Episode 1, 10, and 11. The Church Cantina is located at 5240 South Tacoma Way in Tacoma. People interested in visiting this Tacoma gem can find an update to the days their open...

On this episode the guys visit Alice Lubic and Guion Rosenzweig from SURGE. They recorded at the Union Club location. SURGE Coworking “empowers startups, freelancers, entrepreneurs, students, and non-profits by providing state of the art offices, coworking space, resources and networking opportunities, freeing up members time and energy to focus on their goals.” They have three locations in Tacoma...

This time the guys recorded from Tacoma’s Art on the Ave 2018. Art on the Ave is Tacoma’s largest art based event that celebrates music and arts along 6th Avenue from State St to Alder. This year was its 18th year and attracted thousands of supporters. The show kicks off with Brogan admitting to stealing some of Justin’s BNB, Justin discussing setting up his man cave at his new house, co-working s...

This time the guys do a GCFU with Derek Graziano from The Sometimes Geek Podcast, a show that covers all of the major news from the gaming industry in a short and easy to listen format. He’s kicking off a new podcast, Rolling Misadventures. GCFU is then followed by a Best of with April Sanders and Jennifer English, owners of SPUN Clay Arts Studio and Gallery in Tacoma. SPUN offers a different take...

This time the guys sit down with Ben Andrews, creator of RenCon, Renton Comicon. RenCon is a celebration for comic book fans, technophiles, cosplayers, & nerds of all ages! It is a place where you can buy your favorite comic book, find that collectable you have been looking for, & purchase a t-shirt that proudly displays your geekdom! It is a place to listen to the latest from leading scie...

On this episode, after a short intro, the guys replay a "Best Of" that was recorded with Sami Chohfi from Blue Helix. Blue Helix is a local alternative rock band that Sami formed in 2008. Their latest record, “A Tale of Two Halves” was released in 2014. The band does an amazing job playing live, something that they strive for. Sami said it all when he said: “If you can’t do it live don’t do it on...

This week the guys chat with Chris Staudinger owner of Pretty Gritty Tours at Wizards Keep Games in Renton. Chris is an Adventurer, videographer, social media consultant that has travelled around the world writing articles for places like USA Today. Pretty Gritty Tours offers various tours around Tacoma, including a Brewery Tour, Historical Tours, and Antique Row. You can find out more about Chris...

This time the guys sit down with Mike Selinker. Mike Selinker is the president and chief creative officer of Lone Shark Games. He's the co-creator of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Lords of Vegas, Unspeakable Words, and many other games, as well as the author of the books Puzzlecraft, The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design, and the interactive puzzle novel The Maze of Games. While at Wizards,...

On this podcast the guys do a GCFU with Donaven Brians from Rusted Portal Games to talk about them joining Wizards of the Coast for the upcoming Free RPG. They’ll be brining Apocalypse the Risen for people to try before it’s released! After they catch up with Donaven, they play the story of Jake Bird’s Hex from Steve Dunkleburger and Tacoma History. Sit back and enjoy a great GCFU and look into lo...

This week the guys sit down with Isaac Olsen, a local writer, director, and producer from Tacoma. His movies include Ich Hunger, Quiet Shoes, Semi Iconic and Strictly Sacred, The Story of Girl Trouble. Justin kicks off this episode chatting about his irate neighbor that he had to call the cops on. Conversation then goes to how Isaac got started in filmmaking and his latest documentaries, Semi Icon...

Steve Dunkelberger joins the GCP team this week to talk Pythians and the Pythian Temple. Steve has been a working journalist for more than 20 years at various publications around Washington's Puget Sound, and is currently the news writer/online editor at Pierce County Community Newspaper Group. He also does freelance writing and photography projects for websites in Pierce County. He is a member of...

One this episode they guys are joined with Suzanne Akerman. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun...

This time the guys are sitting down with Amani Taylor, a local PNW comedian and host of weekly comedy shows at The Local 907, Trencher’s, and The Hanger 205. People can find him on Facebook and at his website AmaniTaylor.com. ****** Avengers Spoiler ****** Note to Avengers Fans that haven't seen the Infinity War movie but plan to, when you get to 44:03 skip to 52:15!!!! The show kicks off with Ama...

This time Justin and Scott are joined by Andrew who is a part Tacoma Ghost Tours, the first and longest running paranormal guided walking tour of Tacoma. Running since 2012, they offer three different, entertaining, tours around the connection between Tacoma’s history and the paranormal. Andrew joined the guys in 2015 twice, one of the recordings was an actual ghost hunt done at Brandy’s Attic Ant...

The Norwescon 41 saga comes to an end with Fear and Loathing Part IV. This time they’re joined by their friend James and also David Carnahan from The Alexandria RPG Lending Library. The Alexandria RPG Lending Library is now an official non-profit in the state of Washington where people can write off their donations made to the library. Those interested in supporting them can donate to their curren...

The Norwescon 41 saga continues with Fear and Loathing Part III. This time they are joined by Tommy Rice, author of the book The Lok, and the guys from Rusted Portal Games, creators of Apocalypse the Risen. The show kicks off with the Justin sharing his recording the day before with Dan discussing his 10 years at the con, his first con experience and his favorite memory. They cover hanging out at...

On this episode the guys are back with Fear and Loathing Part II from Norwescon 41, this time with Kozar of Eldritch LARP and Rusty. They cover some of their favorite memories of the con, going for the first time, and what the convention means to them. The show kicks off with Brogan chatting about his wakeup call that day and Kozar tells the guys about his con experience and being floored his very...

This episode is part 1 of the Fear and Loathing at Norwescon 41 with their friends Rusty and Calvin. Norwescon is a sci-fi convention that promotes “science fiction, fantasy, and science through the written word, art, and educational programs, such as the holding of a yearly convention where the public is provided with the opportunity to hear noted writers, scientists, and educators speak on vario...

Billy and Misha return to give the guys an update on what’s new in the 253 cannabis world, this time joined by another fellow Mary Mart friend, Ava D'Jor from the Gritty City Sirens. Gritty City Sirens is a local Tacoma burlesque troop that performs in the PNW area. The group celebrates different body types, ethnicities, backgrounds, talents, and strengths of their performers. It’s also important...

On this episode, the guys sit down with Ken Carlson, Deena Ingley, and Emilie Rommel Shimkus to talk about Ken’s newest project, Penny Palabras. After his sci-fi comedy “Dead Drift,” Ken shifted gears to create a “cinematic adaptation” of the graphic novel. The storyline is based around ‘Penny Palabras, a strong young woman finding her place in a world that doesn’t always make sense. She’s been tr...

On this episode the guys are joined with Gaylon "Coop" Cooper the Coordinator Director and Jim Flood, the Storytelling Director of Dystopia Rising. Dystopia Rising is a completely immersed LARP (Live Action Role-Playing experience set in a post-apocalyptic genre. Events are held all year around, typically once a month and run from Friday – Sunday. They are a community based game and new players ar...