Episodes

Up+Adam March 5, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Actor Rob Morrow joins Adam Montiel on Up+Adam for a conversation that moves from television history to American history. Many listeners know Morrow as Dr. Joel Fleischman from the beloved series Northern Exposure, the role that turned a young working actor into a household name almost overnight. In this conversation, Rob reflects on that moment. He talks about landing the role without realizing it would become a cultural landmark, the complicated re...

March 4, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Food, wine, creativity, and a little bit of magic. That is exactly what the Untamed Dinner is bringing to the Central Coast this weekend. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Chef Candace Custodio, executive director of At Her Table, and Chef Katie Prescott, the culinary mind behind this year’s Untamed Dinner happening Sunday at Ella’s Vineyard in Creston. The dinner is part of the monthlong At Her Table celebration, a Central Coast movement dedi...

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 between the notes. From recording in Los Angeles during the chaos of the fires to mixing at Sonic Milk...

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, sexuality, and perception. But in this episode of Up+Adam, we go deeper than film credits. Her new memo...

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 family ritual. Now reunited for their iHeartPodcast, Welcome to the Family, Telma and Kellie are rewatc...

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 takes to wrangle 40 stand-up comedians, how you build a comedy community in a wine country town, and wh...

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 executed wine tasting experience built from the ground up by the next generation of event leaders. From ma...

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 upbringing and that wild Agoura Hills connection, to the now-legendary $500 storage unit that reportedly...

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, small business realities, and what kind of downtown SLO we actually want to build. Libertine has...

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 policy, housing, homelessness, and what it actually means to serve the Central Coast. They dive into: ...

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 headlines. Noah opens up about the responsibility of portraying a real person with respect, what it m...

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 beyond the headline. Aaron opens up about the emotional weight of years under scrutiny, flying to W...

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 survivor facing early dementia, in a story that examines generational love, role reversal, and the fragile ...

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. Benway, a National Book Award winner and beloved voice in YA literature, joins forces with Scobie to...

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 the Grand Tasting before prices climb to $165 and eventually $175. It is Paso Wine’s way of saying...

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. She shares who’s using her service, who’s struggling the most to connect, and how her process is helpi...

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 results. We talk about why so many "rah-rah" events fall flat, how DRIVE flips the script with tactical ...

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 language, and unspoken trust that make human and animal relationships truly powerful. Whether you are a ...

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 training marine mammals for the Navy to working alongside Jack Hanna and even bringing animals to The...

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 flame-grilled tradition, family-rooted recipes, and an unwavering love for community. Sina shares how a ...

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 Pyramid, Dr. Hawass shares discoveries that sound too wild to be real. And yet, they are. Adam and...

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 pointing us toward something deeper. Hesta opens up about how music from her teen years shaped her identi...

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 Beda’s Biergarten in San Luis Obispo and one of the most beloved local figures on the Central Coas...

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 that cross generations. And why their upcoming March 6 show at the Fremont Theater is their most im...