Episodes

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Josh Baker and Jason Fullmer of Mercenary Premier join Adam for a bigger-than-wine conversation about where the beverage business is headed and how two Central Coast operators are building for what comes next. Mercenary Premier recently acquired the old DAOU facility in Edna Valley, the former Baileyana Winery facility you may have read about in the paper, and they’re turning it into a full production home for winemakers...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Up+Adam welcomes Hunter Oehlschlager, Ava Lovelace, and Annabelle “Annie” Oglesby into SLO CAL Studios for a rip-roaring conversation about The Great American Melodrama’s current production, The Saga of Roaring Gulch. Since 1975, The Great American Melodrama in Oceano has been a Central Coast treasure, serving up musicals, comedies, classic melodrama, vaudeville, audience participation, and the kind of live theater chaos...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking WIN TICKETS TO PINK DRANK HERE Pink Drank is back, and this one has become one of Adam’s favorite summer events in SLO CAL. Nancy Lewelling, Secretary of Elks Lodge 322, joins Up+Adam to talk about the fifth annual Pink Drank, happening this Saturday, July 11 from 2 to 6 PM. Think local wine, poolside DJ, grazing table greatness, pink outfits, raffle moments, a wine pull, silent auction goodness, and one of the best pool...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Molly Clark, Director of Cal Poly Arts, joins Adam for a behind-the-curtain conversation about what it really takes to curate a season of live performance on the Central Coast. From Broadway crowd-pleasers like Beetlejuice, Six, and A Beautiful Noise, to global music, National Geographic Live, family programming, contemporary dance, and unforgettable nights at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, Molly shares how ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Lee Greenwood joins Adam right before the Fourth of July, and the timing couldn’t be better. The Grammy-winning country icon behind “God Bless the U.S.A.” talks about the life of that song beyond the charts: writing it on the back of a tour bus in 1983, watching it become something much bigger than a single, and learning how to sing it differently depending on the room, the moment, and the meaning. From Yankee Stadium af...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking What happens when the dream you've spent your whole life chasing doesn't turn out the way you imagined? Actor, rapper, comedian, and podcast host MC Jin joins Adam for one of the most honest conversations we've had on Up+Adam. From making history on BET's Freestyle Fridays to navigating career setbacks, rebuilding his life, and discovering that some of our greatest disappointments can become our greatest teachers, this ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Lou Diamond Phillips joins Adam Montiel on Up+Adam to talk about his new film Gangland, a gritty crime thriller arriving in theaters and on digital July 10. Lou plays Teddy Sharp, a weathered tribal police officer trying to hold the line when a ruthless fugitive returns to a rural Indigenous reservation and exposes secrets that could ignite a violent gang war. In this conversation, Adam and Lou dig into the storm inside ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Ronnie Johnston, Food and Beverage Director at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, joins Adam for a warm check-in on one of the Central Coast’s most beautiful hospitality destinations. Allegretto is more than a resort. It is an art-filled, Tuscan-inspired Paso Robles escape with Cello Ristorante & Bar, Allegretto Wines, Spa Allegretto, social hour, staycation offerings, and a whole lot for both locals and visitors...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking What happens when a community becomes so desperate for answers that it embraces the wrong ones? In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with veteran Rolling Stone investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff, host of the gripping true crime podcast The Devil's Quarry. What begins as the story of two teenagers wrongfully convicted in the murder of a 12-year-old girl unfolds into something far more disturbing. A predator h...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking A world-class cellist plays a 175-year-old instrument on todays show. No, seriously. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Opera SLO Artistic Director Brian Alhadeff and acclaimed cellist Megan Chartier ahead of Opera SLO's upcoming America Turns 250: Patriotic Pops & Veterans Tribute. We talk about the power of live music, why the Central Coast continues to attract incredible artistic talent, and what happe...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking What happens when a kid raised around con men, mobsters, loan sharks, and chaos decides to start over... and accidentally lands in the middle of one of the most consequential stories of the last 35 years? On this True Crime Tuesday episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Jamison Firestone, author of Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride Through Chaos, Corruption, and Murder in Putin's Russia. What begins as the story of a young Am...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Food has a funny way of keeping people close. Chef Anna Francese Gass returns to Up+Adam to celebrate Season 2 of Instant Italian on FYI, but this conversation quickly becomes about much more than recipes. Adam and Anna explore the emotional power of food, the family recipes worth preserving, the memories hidden inside a plate of pasta, and why the kitchen might be the most vulnerable room in the house. Along the way, ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking What does wealth actually look like? For years, Mandi Woodruff-Santos thought the answer might be financial security, a bigger paycheck, or climbing the career ladder. After being laid off just three months into a dream job in New York City, she made a promise to herself: never again would she feel financially vulnerable. That promise launched a remarkable journey that led her from journalism to becoming one of the most...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Open Farm Days 2026: Olive Oil, Mushrooms, Gelato & the Faces Behind SLO County Agriculture | Up+Adam What happens when olive farmers, mushroom growers, and artisan gelato makers all sit down at the same table? You get a conversation about much more than food. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam welcomes Jennifer Tallent of The Groves on 41, Chris Batlle of Mighty Cap Mushrooms, and Niccolo Lekai of Leo Leo Gelato ahead ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking What does it mean to be truly fight ready? With the UFC back in the headlines and combat sports once again part of the national conversation, Adam sits down with one of the sport's most respected minds: Santino DeFranco. A former professional MMA fighter, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, elite UFC coach, former college English teacher, and now author of Fight Ready, Santino has spent decades helping athletes prepare for ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Spring in Paso Robles means olive oil tastings, lavender in the air, and one of the most beloved traditions on the Central Coast returning to Downtown City Park. Adam sits down with Gina Hambly of Hambly Farms ahead of the annual Paso Robles Olive and Lavender Festival, happening Saturday, May 9, 2026. From the calming power of lavender to the artistry behind steam distillation, Gina shares how a single plant can create ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica A. Stewart is back on Up+Adam, and this conversation covers a lot more than an election announcement. Fresh off announcing her re-election campaign, Erica joins Adam for a candid discussion about the state of San Luis Obispo, what she's proud of, what still keeps her up at night, and why she believes there's more work to be done. From housing and homelessness to downtown parking, local busine...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Independent artist. Viral filmmaker. Creative architect. But who actually is CITIZEN The Artist once the cameras stop rolling? In Part Two of Adam’s conversation with CITIZEN The Artist, also known as Phineas Peters, alongside creative collaborator and partner Grace Bennett, the conversation shifts from strategy and social media into something much deeper: identity, recognition, artistry, relationships, and what happens...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Independent artist. Viral filmmaker. Social media strategist. Modern-day storyteller. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with CITIZEN The Artist, also known as Phineas Peters, alongside creative collaborator and partner Grace Bennett, for a fascinating conversation about what it really takes to build a music career independently in 2026. From the viral success of “TIME” and the now-iconic reverse-edit trend flo...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking As Adam has said, there are some family transitions that have kept Adam off the air a few days, but he wanted to get this pre recorded interview from late last week on the show. Jimmy Paulding joins Adam for a candid conversation about leadership, growth, and the future of South San Luis Obispo County as he seeks reelection to the SLO County Board of Supervisors. From the rapid growth of Nipomo and infrastructure impro...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with SLO County Supervisor candidate Michael Erin Woody for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about the future of the Central Coast. Michael brings a unique perspective to the table as a civil engineer, Harvard graduate, tribal council member, former elected official, and longtime Central Coast local with deep family roots tied to Morro Bay and the Salinan tribe. Toge...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking The Greek Festival is back in San Luis Obispo and somehow bigger, louder, warmer, and even more soulful than before. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Eric and Ninon Atwood, two of the passionate forces behind Greek Festival 2026, happening May 30 and 31 at the Madonna Expo Center. What starts as a conversation about gyros, baklava, lamb shanks, and dancing quickly turns into something deeper about culture,...

SLOFreeParking | Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza Pinot Noir, paella, live music, and one of those Central Coast afternoons that just feels right. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Barby Wunsch, Executive Director of Paso Robles Youth Arts, to talk about the return of Pinot & Paella happening June 7th at Templeton Park. They get into why this event has become such a staple over the last 21 years, the insane lineup of wineries and chefs this year, and how ...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Summer break is supposed to feel carefree. But for a lot of families across San Luis Obispo County, it also means losing access to school breakfasts and lunches, stretching grocery budgets even thinner, and quietly trying to figure out how to make it all work. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Molly Kern from SLO Food Bank for a conversation about what food insecurity really looks like on the Central Coast,...