Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

Up+Adam with Adam Montiel - March 3, 2026 - Sponsored by Portabidet Local Americana rock with heart, history, and just the right amount of swagger. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Dan Curcio of Moonshiner Collective to talk about the band’s brand-new EP, Power of Now, and what it means to revisit songs written 20 years ago with a little more life lived and a little more space betwe...

PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS! ****** Gina Gershon has spent over four decades navigating Hollywood, Broadway, music stages, and cultural mythmaking without ever fitting neatly into a box. You know her from Showgirls, Bound, The Insider, Face/Off, and a long list of roles that challenged power, sexua...

For years, Friday night meant TGIF, pizza on the table, and the Winslows in the living room. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Telma Hopkins, who played Aunt Rachel Crawford, and Kellie Shanygne Williams, who played Laura Winslow, on the iconic sitcom Family Matters. Together, they revisit the legacy of a show that became more than television. It became part of America’s fami...

Forty comics. Nearly twenty shows. Four days of straight-up laughter on the Central Coast. The SLO Comedy Festival is back and it is taking over SLO Cal in a big way. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with festival creator Eric Shantz along with comics Kris Rubio and Mark Fry to talk about how this thing went from a bold idea to a full-scale comedy movement. We get into what it really tak...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Cal Poly Experience Industry Management (EIM) students Rylee Rust, Collette Madden, and Delaney Grau to talk about “Wine You Want to Listen To” happening Sunday, March 8 from 2 pm to 4 pm at Timbre Winery’s winemaking facility inside The Lobro Studios in San Luis Obispo. This is not just a class project. It is a fully produced, professionally execute...

Dan and Laura Dotson have been calling the shots on Storage Wars since day one, but this conversation goes far beyond what you see on television. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam connects with the fast-talking, faith-led duo behind American Auctioneers for a conversation about grit, integrity, California roots, and what really happens when the locker door rolls up. From Laura’s Thousand Oaks upbri...

Downtown San Luis Obispo is having a moment. And right at the center of it is Libertine Brewing Company on the corner of Broad and Pacific. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with John Pranjaic, Events Manager at Libertine, to unpack the noise complaint controversy that has made headlines in local media. But this is not just a recap. This is a deeper conversation about permits, enforcement...

What happens when the President and CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce decides to step out from behind the advocacy desk and run for County Supervisor? In Part One of this two-part conversation, Adam sits down with Jim Dantona , candidate for San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors District 2, for a wide-ranging and surprisingly candid discussion about local leadership, energy poli...

Noah Fearnley joins Adam for a layered, honest conversation about stepping into one of the most complicated roles in modern pop culture. In the new FX series Love Story, executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Noah portrays Michael Bergin, the model turned actor who dated Carolyn Bessette before her whirlwind romance with John F. Kennedy Jr. became American mythology. But this episode goes far beyond h...

What does it feel like when your life’s work is on the line? In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Aaron Steed, co-founder of Meathead Movers, for a candid conversation about the federal investigation that began in 2017, the lawsuit filed in 2023 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the settlement that could total up to $6 million. But this episode goes far be...

Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham joins Adam Montiel on Up+Adam for a short but powerful conversation about legacy, memory, and the emotional heartbeat behind his latest film, Bookends. From his iconic performance in Amadeus to his recent work in The White Lotus, Abraham has built a career exploring the deepest corners of the human condition. In Bookends, he portrays Saul, a Holocaust survivo...

In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with Omid Scobie and Robin Benway, two powerhouse authors who’ve teamed up to deliver Royal Spin, a sharply funny, satirical, and wildly entertaining look at life behind palace walls. Scobie, known for his fearless royal reporting (Finding Freedom, Endgame), brings over a decade of frontline journalism into his first work of fiction. B...

Paso Wine Fest is back May 15 through 17, and if you live in San Luis Obispo County, your moment is now. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Krista Smith, Marketing and Communications Director for Paso Wine, to talk about the return of Paso Wine Fest and the limited-time Locals Only ticket pricing that’s turning heads. SLO County residents can purchase $99 General Admission tickets for...

If dating apps feel like a desert, you’re not alone. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with professional matchmaker Casey Galli, founder of Found Matchmaking , to talk about why modern dating feels broken and what can actually help fix it. From dating app burnout to why even attractive, successful singles are struggling to get matches, Casey brings real talk and real solutions. Sh...

When was the last time a seminar actually changed your life? On today’s episode of Up+Adam, I sit down with Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, Central Coast leader, community builder, and the creator of DRIVE, a half-day professional development experience that doesn’t just hype you up. It hands you the tools to execute. No fluff. No filler. Just a proven roadmap to clarity, accountability, and real result...

In Part 1, we met the animals. In Part 2, we meet the why. David and Lisa Jackson of Zoo to You are back for the second half of this unforgettable conversation, recorded live at the LoBro Studio in San Luis Obispo. If you thought holding a baby kangaroo was cool, wait until you hear what it means to actually connect with one. This episode takes us beyond the surface into the instincts, body langua...

What happens when a spider monkey, an armadillo, and a baby kangaroo walk into the LoBro Studio? You get one of the wildest, most heartfelt conversations ever to hit Up+Adam. In this special two part episode, Adam welcomes David and Lisa Jackson, the powerhouse duo behind Zoo to You, a nonprofit rescue zoo based in Paso Robles that has been connecting humans with animals for over 36 years. From tr...

Guest: Sina Shakerian | Owner, Head Chef & Grill Master, Shekamoo Grill From Cal Poly engineering student to Central Coast kabob king, Sina Shakerian’s journey is what the American dream tastes like: char-grilled, saffron-slicked, and straight from the soul. In this episode, Adam sits down with the man behind Shekamoo Grill, the Persian food sensation that’s lighting up San Luis Obispo with fl...

He’s been called the real-life Indiana Jones, and after this conversation, you’ll understand why. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass ahead of the global release of his new documentary, The Man with the Hat. From crawling 60 feet underground to uncover a sealed tomb just days ago, to the mystery chambers still hidden inside the Great...

What if the song you can’t stop playing isn’t just a banger... but a breadcrumb? In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with DJ Hesta Prynn - internationally acclaimed DJ, licensed therapist, and host of the iHeart podcast Music is Therapy. This is not just a conversation about music. It’s about identity, nostalgia, grief, healing, reinvention - and how the songs we return to are often pointin...

HURRY — RESTAURANT MONTH ENDS THIS WEEK Savor exclusive menus and special offers at your favorite local spots, including Beda’s Biergarten, during SLO Restaurant Month. It runs through the end of January, so now is the time to taste something unforgettable. • https://www.visitslo.com/restaurantmonth In this episode of Up + Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with Beda Schmidthues, founder of...

If you know, you know. And if you don’t…welcome to Brass Mash. This week on Up+Adam, Adam sits down with three members of the Central Coast’s most electrifying live band: founder and fearless leader Colin Dean, saxophone slayer Anna Wilson, and trumpet powerhouse Ben Kerr. Together, they break down the method behind the musical madness. How mashups become dance floor anthems. How they craft shows...

What happens when one of SLO’s most iconic restaurants changes hands quietly, without fanfare, but with deep emotion and mutual respect? On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Phil Lang, the founder and original owner of Bon Temps, and George Parsons, the new owner stepping into some very seasoned shoes alongside his wife. In this candid, heartfelt conversation, Phil opens up abou...

Up+Adam is proud to partner with the City of San Luis Obispo for Restaurant Month 2026, highlighting the chefs, storytellers, and flavor-makers who are feeding the Central Coast in more ways than one. Today, we sit down with one of the most passionate, purpose-driven restaurateurs in town: Kiko Pomalaza, owner of Kiko Peruvian Restaurant & Pisco Bar. What started as a dream in a rundown café s...

When a local business you love is suddenly in transition, the headlines don’t always tell the whole story. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Feben Teffera, co-owner of Ebony, the beloved Ethiopian restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo that’s been a cultural and culinary anchor for the community. With Ebony now looking for a new home, Feben joins the show to talk about what’s really...