Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

Why are men the way they are? Why do they forget birthdays but remember every detail of their first crush? Why do they seem stuck at 14... even when they’re 54? Legendary music executive Tom Sturges has worked with icons like Foo Fighters, Outkast, and 50 Cent, but his newest project may be his most revealing yet. His book Men Explained, Finally is a laugh-out-loud, startlingly wise, and surprisin...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with two powerhouse talents, Cameron Douglas and David Morse, to talk about their new film Looking Through Water, a stirring new drama about estranged fathers and sons reconnecting during a fishing competition in Belize. Cameron Douglas, actor, author, and the son of Michael Douglas and grandson of screen legend Kirk Douglas, shares how his deeply persona...

If you’ve ever told yourself, “One day I’ll write that thing…” this is that day. Adam chats with Meagan Friberg, writer, journalist, and director of the Central Coast Writers Conference , now celebrating its 41st year. This year’s theme? “It’s Time.” And it is. After a few years of pandemic pivots and Zoom fatigue, the conference is back live and in person at Cuesta College. Two full days of keyno...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Andrea Gunning, the voice behind the hit true crime podcast Betrayal Weekly. From fake cancer scams to shocking double lives, Andrea isn’t just telling wild stories, she’s exploring what happens when trust breaks so badly, it redefines reality. A Best Crime Podcast Winner, she will dig into some of the most jaw-dropping cases from the show, h...

Adam will be leading a live workshop on The Art of the Interview at this year’s Central Coast Writers Conference , happening September 26–27, 2025 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. For details and registration, visit cuesta.edu/writers-conference Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRa...

Few restaurants capture the SLO CAL vibe like Sunsets at Pismo . For six years, Brian Appiano’s shiny silver Airstream on the Pismo Pier has been serving up tacos, fish and chips, and margaritas with one of the best views you’ll find anywhere. But now, because of a decades-old zoning technicality, the City of Pismo Beach has voted to phase out commercial food vendors on the pier, and Sunsets will...

On this episode of Up + Adam, we’re joined by Kai Beckstrand , the 18-year-old champion of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Season 17 . Known as the fastest ninja on the planet, Kai has broken records with his speed and precision, hitting buzzers and making history alongside his brother and father. But his story runs deeper than the highlight reel. Kai is also a certified EMT and firefighter, dedicati...

What happens when true crime gets personal? When the mystery isn’t something you binge in your earbuds, but something you’re suddenly living inside? On this True Crime Tuesday, Adam sits down with award-winning journalist Maggie Robinson Katz, the host of the gripping new podcast Hands Tied, an original series from BBC Studios and iHeartPodcasts. The show follows Lizz Melgar Rose, whose mother was...

What happens when the man behind some of the biggest names in music, like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Justin Bieber, starts asking the real questions of himself? In this powerful episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Lex Borrero, the visionary co-founder of NEON16 and host of the podcast You vs You. Together, they dive deep into the mindset behind meaningful success, the internal battles that conti...

We talk to Robin Coleman from the Woods Humane Society about our Pet of the Week Today’s episode runs a little shorter than usual — Adam got rear-ended (he’s okay!), and he’s got to take care of the necessary things. ******** Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRa...

This morning on Up+Adam, we take it all the way back to when “indie” wasn’t a playlist category—it was a movement. Adam sits down with Chris DeVille , longtime music journalist and Managing Editor at Stereogum, to talk about his incredible new book, Such Great Heights. From blog rock to Bon Iver, from Phoebe Bridgers to the almighty O.C. soundtrack, this is a nostalgic, clever, and heartfelt conve...

In this episode, Adam Montiel chats with Glam Ham (callsign: NW6S), the truth-seeking ham radio operator and content creator whose viral dive into the San Luis Obispo blackout during the Gifford Fire turned heads across the Central Coast and beyond. From decoding strange signals and fire maps to asking the questions most news outlets won’t, Glam Ham has built a following of nearly 100,000 (Used to...

What happens when a rockstar trades the stage for the archives? Bob Crawford, bassist for the Grammy-nominated Avett Brothers and now host of American History Hotline, joins Adam Montiel for a conversation that hits harder than any history class you’ve ever taken. From tales of Founding Fathers dying on the same day to asking if the Constitution can really stop a dictator, Bob’s new podcast is fli...

This episode is served spicy, with a splash of community spirit. Adam welcomes Maegen Loring, General Manager of the Long Branch in Creston, and Lisa Miller, President of the Creston Women’s Club, to talk all about the Creston Bloody Mary Battle, a 21+ event that mixes local flavor, homemade Bloody Marys, live music, burritos, beer, wine, and even bovine bingo (yes, cow plop for a cause). Recorded...

Today we have a curve ball in Don from Los Osos called in as Adam was preparing the show OUT OF NOWHERE - So mix in a little adhd, and you got a Don from Loso Osos (IYKYK) flashback with Robin from Woods along for the ride as well  ******** Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRadio: Up+Ad...

Today on Up+Adam, we sit down in the Timbre LoBro Studios with Shawn Sherman, owner of Golden Apple Cannabis Company, for a conversation that cuts through the clichés and digs into the real cannabis industry, past, present, and future. Shawn’s been in the game since before legalization, navigating one of California’s most overtaxed and overregulated markets while staying true to his mission: educa...

In today’s episode of Up+Adam, comedy icon Colin Mochrie, whose lightning-fast improv on Whose Line Is It Anyway? has kept us laughing for decades, joins Adam for a conversation that’s as hilarious as it is heartfelt. We talk about his decades-long run on television, his two hit live tours (Asking for Trouble with Brad Sherwood, and HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis with Asad Mecci), and his new film...

Today on Up+Adam, we meet two young entrepreneurs who are redefining what it means to “start early.” Fourth-grade best friends and baseball teammates Jackson Houser and Jackson Judge turned a simple school “mini mall” project into The Drip Bros, a real business making custom, team-colored “drip” necklaces that blend sports style with community spirit. Their first run sold out in 15 minutes, raised...

Adam’s back from a long vacation and hitting the ground running with a Hollywood heavyweight, Lou Diamond Phillips. From La Bamba to Longmire, Lou’s career has been a masterclass in range, resilience, and reinvention. In this episode, Lou talks about stepping into the role of Brent in his new film ET TU, a darkly funny dramedy about love, betrayal, and the beautiful chaos of live theater. He opens...

Adam is on Vacation - Please excuse the scrappy editing - . Robin Coleman returns to the show after many weeks off after she lost her dog. We talk to Woods Humane each week, so if you love dogs, this will touch you. We love Robin, her work, and glad shes back. ******** Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam...

Today on Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Emmy-nominated journalist and host of The Bright Side, Simone Boyce. From breaking news to breaking cycles, Simone opens up about her transition from the hard edges of national news to the warmer, deeper spaces of cultural storytelling and soul-level joy. They get into it all. What it's like leaving legacy media for something more personal. How motherhood rewi...

What’s the deal with jam bands?  Are they cults? Are they concerts? Are they just… long songs with extra sweat? Turns out, they were something bigger—a full-blown movement with its own rules, rituals, drug codes, and DIY economy that quietly rewired the way we experience music today. In this episode, Adam sits down with Mike Ayers, veteran music journalist and author of Sharing in the Groove: The...

They’ve shipped over a million handcrafted wellness products around the world, but still fly under the radar in their own hometown. In this episode of Up+Adam, we sit down with the magnetic duo behind Life Elements , Martha and Curt. Based in Atascadero, these two have been quietly redefining wellness with small-batch, plant-based products that actually work. Their CBD relief sticks are legendary,...

In this very special episode, Adam sits down with Don Felder, guitar legend, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and the man behind one of the most iconic solos in rock history: Hotel California. But there’s a whole lot more to Felder’s story than one song. We talk about his brand new album The Vault: Fifty Years of Music, a stunning collection of unreleased tracks, reimagined demos, and personal time...

When you hear the word Taser, what comes to mind... safety, control, compliance? But what if behind that word lies a story of unchecked ambition, corporate influence over public safety, and a device that has contributed to the deaths of over 1,000 people in the U.S. alone? On this episode of Up + Adam, Adam Montiel welcomes award-winning journalist and filmmaker Nick Berardini, the voice and mind...