Shows
SGV ConnectSGV Connect 130 - Streetsblog Editors Recap the 2024 ElectionThe post-election special featured a pair of Streetsblog editors, Joe Linton of Streetsblog L.A. and Melanie Curry of Streetsblog California, joining Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. Most of the talking was done by Curry, Linton and Newton, and the trio kicked off the discussion by outlining the impact of the Trump administration on federal transportation funding, particularly high-speed rail and public transportation. In a new administration, California will face challenges securing federal funding. In LA County, some important county measures including the “climate bond,” Measure A for maintaining the county’s homeless services and Measur...2024-11-1540 min
Stand on Guard with David KraydenBOTTOM FALLS OUT on Govt's Freedom Convoy Persecution: Freedom Convoy Trial Day 44 | Stand on GuardRight to Protest is Fundamental Freedom. The BOTTOM FALLS OUT on the government's persecution of the Freedom Convoy! Watch FC lawyer Lawrence Greenspon says that any country that sacrifices liberty for so-called security doesn't deserve either and DEMAND AN APOLOGY FROM TRUDEAU for FREEZING BANK ACCOUNTS!...Aug. 23, 2024: The Post Millennial: Criminalization of Freedom Trucker organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber would violate 'fundamental freedoms': defense attorney in closing arguments. In a passionate conclusion to his summation at the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, defense counsel Lawrence Greenspon said “it would be wrong to criminalize [their] behavio...2024-08-2427 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 126: Melissa Mora Hidalgo and Jonah KannerThis week's SGV Connect returns to our regular formula with a pair of interviews by Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. First, Chris interviews Melissa Mora Hidalgo, a queer entertainment writer living in Whittier. The interview goes back and forth between fun and serious, as the two discuss both her work and the performative allyship that occurs during Pride month. In short, Hidalgo would prefer a city that works to create safe environments for all its residents to one that puts up rainbow flags one month a year. You can read a transcript of the interview...2024-06-2850 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 121, El Monte Region: David Diaz and Pedro GonzalezWelcome to the first SGV Connect podcast of 2024! We start our new year with the first in a new series that focuses on different regions and communities in the San Gabriel Valley and examines both the state of their mobility projects and cultural and community projects. This week, both interviews were completed by Chris Greenspon. The first is with David Diaz, the executive director of Active SGV, where they discuss several projects going on in the area: a multimodal projects coming soon to the area, a linear park and greenway on Merced Avenue, the Rosemead B...2024-02-1928 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect Special Edition : Happy Anniversary, Foothill TransitLast Friday, Foothill Transit celebrated its 35th anniversary with a party in the parking lot of its West Covina headquarters. Joe Linton and Chris Greenspon were among those on-hand and they had a chance to catch up with a handful of people that helped shape Foothill Transit's past and will guide the agency into the future. Those short interviews are included in this podcast and include: Congressmember Judy Chu Foothill Transit Executive Director Doran Barnes Former Duarte Mayor John Fasana Former Glendora Councilmember Bob Kuhn Deputy Chief Executive Officer...2023-12-1215 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 120: Basking in the Glow of ArroyoFestThis week's SGV Connect podcast is a special episode where the Streetsblog San Gabriel Valley team, Chris Greenspon, Joe Linton and Damien Newton, sit down and discuss the great success that was ArroyoFest 2023. All three were at the event but experienced it differently with Linton and his family biking the route, Newton completing the "Run the 110" 10k race and Greenspon walking along the 110 later in the morning. Of course, this is Streetsblog so we also discuss what the success of the event could mean for future open streets and open freeway events in the region and Newton...2023-11-0326 min
Stand on Guard with David KraydenFreedom Convoy Trial Day 1 | Stand on Guard TAKE 5CANADIAN NEWS LINK: EXCLUSIVE: Freedom Convoy lawyers REJECT portrayal of protest against Trudeau Covid lockdowns as an ‘occupation' during first day of trial. "It's a ridiculous characterization. It's complete hyperbole and absolutely unnecessary." https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-freedom-convoy-lawyers-refuse-to-allow-ottawa-covid-protest-to-be-called-an-occupation-on-first-day-of-trial?utm_campaign=64466 My recap on today's Ottawa Court proceedings; the trial of Tamara Lich & Chris Barber (Big Red). What we all need to remember about the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is that the state is also putting the Freedom Convoy on trial and publicly trying to humiliate and punish two political dissidents who defied the COVID orthodoxy. Than...2023-09-0608 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 112 : Nathan Allen and Carlos MoralesIn our first interview this week, Chris Greenspon interviews Nathan Allen, the owner of Underdog Bookstore in downtown Monrovia. In Nathan's own words, "Underdog Bookstore, targets specifically books by and about authors of color, as well as LGBT authors, who we consider underdogs, as well as local vendors." Allen explains the need to create safe spaces for youth, especially people of color and LGBTQ+, and provides an overview of life underdogs throughout the SGV. To read a transcript of the interview, click here. In our second interview, frequent SGV Connect guest (and Streetsblog LA Editor) J...2023-06-1550 minSGV ConnectSV Connect 108: Senate Candidate Sasha Renée PérezDamien Newton and Chris Greenspon catch up with Alhambra Councilmember and State Senate candidate Sasha Renée Pérez on the state of her candidacty and what is going on in Alhambra. The interview, the first in a series on the election, pings back and forth between her work in Alhambra and her vision for Senate District 25 This is Pérez's third time on SGV Connect. To listen to the other podcasts, click here. To read a transcript of the interview, click here. SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San...2023-03-1520 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 107 - Happy Centennial West Covina This week's SGV Connect is a special episode celebrating the centennial for West Covina. Chris Greenspon interviews local historian John Garside about the city's history, covering topics ranging from how the city hall got its name (from a stagecoach company) to lamenting some businesses that closed in recent years. You can read a transcript of the interview, here. West Covina is holding a festival this weekend to celebrate 100 years of being incorporated. You can get all the details at the city's special events page. SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the...2023-02-1621 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 106 : El Monte Poet Steve Valenzuela and an Update on Puente Hills Landfill ParkWelcome to SGV Connect episode 106, the first episode of 2023. This episode is nearly an hour long with a pair of great, but very different, interviews. First, Chris Greenspon interviews Steve Valenzuela, El Monte poet and writer in residence for the new Zamora Art House in El Monte. The interview touches on Valenzuela’s poetry, his work as a school teacher and how his life experiences influence his poetry, teaching and advocacy. The interview touches on his collaborations with the South El Monte Art Posse, who have been a fixture in our coverage going back to SGV Connect #4. Fo...2023-02-0155 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 106 : Au Revoir 2022 and Zine Editor John Axtell.It's mid-December, and that means it's time for our annual end-of-the-year SGV Connect Podcast featuring not just Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon, but also Streetsblog LA Editor Joe Linton and Streetsblog California Editor Melanie Curry. After that, we have one last interview by Chris with John Axtell published a literary zine this year about the landscape and culture of the SGV. John and Chris talk quite a bit about open spaces, and rebuilding the industrial wastelands around the 605. But first, Curry kicks off the podcast with a review of the legislation and other decisions made in Sacramento...2022-12-1543 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 105 : Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and Frontier Nostalgia in L.A.This week’s SGV Connect features an over forty minute interview by Chris Greenspon with author and history professor James Zarsadiaz about his recent book, Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and Frontier Nostalgia in L.A. (Buy it from University of California Press, here.) Zarsadiaz’s book focuses on six communities, five in the San Gabriel Valley (Walnut, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, and Heights, and a community within the city of Pomona known as Phillips Ranch) and Chino Hills in San Bernardino. The six communities have a similar development pattern and history where a large incoming comm...2022-11-1847 min
SGV WeeklySGV 023: Could teens design a better El Monte city seal?
On the Season 2 finale of SGV Weekly, we dive into “A People’s Seal of El Monte.” This gave students and residents in Monte the chance to design their own seal, “not for the city, but for all those who identify with the region and are inspired by El Monte’s history,” according to project organizers SEMAP. The group has been a consistent voice against celebrating El Monte’s pioneer narrative for some time.
“A People’s Seal of El Monte” by Daniel Gonzalez
Could it inspire people to make their own community based artworks? To answer that, we went to Alf...2022-10-2100 min
WonkEp. 70: Technology, work and safeguarding the internetThis week, Edward Greenspon (PPF’s President and CEO) is joined by Chris Barry (President of Microsoft Canada) to discuss all things technology. This episode was recorded at Microsoft’s Toronto Offices.
Barry and Greenspon chat about the workspace Microsoft has created and the workforce changes that came out of the pandemic. They discuss collaboration, productivity, sustainability and how Microsoft’s space contributes to all three of those things. Looking at Russia’s war against Ukraine, Barry discusses the role cyberattacks have played during the war and what work is being done to combat these attacks.
2022-10-2027 minWonkEp. 70: Technology, work and safeguarding the internetThis week, Edward Greenspon (PPF’s President and CEO) is joined by Chris Barry (President of Microsoft Canada) to discuss all things technology. This episode was recorded at Microsoft’s Toronto Offices.
Barry and Greenspon chat about the workspace Microsoft has created and the workforce changes that came out of the pandemic. They discuss collaboration, productivity, sustainability and how Microsoft’s space contributes to all three of those things. Looking at Russia’s war against Ukraine, Barry discusses the role cyberattacks have played during the war and what work is being done to combat these attacks.
2022-10-2027 min
Off-Ramp with John RabeJim Tully, hard-boiled detective pioneer, Chaplin's wingman, the first real Hollywood journalist, and maybe the most famous Angeleno you never heard ofSheesh. They even got the details wrong on his gravestone! But that's the way it was 80 years ago. People passed in and out of the public consciousness like trains in the distance. And that's the way it was for Jim Tully, who was a household name here in LA in the 1920s and 1930s, then forgotten by the 1940s. The story of this hero-to-zero is told by Off-Ramp's Chris Greenspon, host of the podcast SGV Weekly, the best podcast ever about the San Gabriel Valley. (Subscribe!) Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona C...2022-09-2316 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect: Safe Systems and SGV CyclingThis week's SGV Connect features an interview with the director of the Pasadena Department of Transportation and Vincent LaRocca of the new group ride bicycling group SGV Cycling. As Damien notes in our first interview with Pasadena's Laura Cornejo, SGV Connect was long overdue for a story on the Rose City. In the couple of days since we recorded the podcast, Chris Greenspon covered the 19 projects that the city is planning to build with repurposed funds from the defunct 710 expansion project, but before that it had been awhile. In just the past couple of months...2022-09-1630 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 101 - The East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan and the Future of JournalismThis week's SGV Connect features two interviews by Chris Greenspon on two different, but important issues. First, Chris interviews James Drevno, a Senior Regional Planner with L.A. County Planning. James is working on the East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan which focuses on the unincorporated “islands” that are scattered throughout San Gabriel Valley. Within these areas, the Mobility Action Plan focuses on where there is the most need for bicycle and transit infrastructure improvements. To read a transcript of the interview between Chris and James, click here. Next, Chris sits down with Josh Sanchez, a fo...2022-08-2644 min
SGV WeeklySGV 022: Could Veteran Raver DJ Spiñorita get the key to Alhambra?
DJ Spiñorita has been raving since she was born… give or take 14 years and a hundred backyard dj’s hired by her family.She lived an important part of not only So Cal, but SGV history. Bygone party scenes like the 626’s Catholic high school dances and iBrowse Coffee and Internet live on spiritually through her streaming shows on Twitch and NTS Radio.
But most importantly, she “reps the SGV HARD!” Electronic music fans all over the world toss up her custom SGV emote on Twitch. Even though most of ‘em have never been here, they get...2022-08-1200 min
SGV WeeklySGV 021: BIPOC Library Flowers at El Monte’s Valley Mall
Matilija Lending Library sits in an alleyway sized room that used to house a shoe repair shop on Lexington Avenue at the Valley Mall. That works in its favor though; it’s like your favorite aisle at the library went on Pimp My Ride! Said ride was pimped by the shop’s founders, Amy Wong and Andrew Yip.Cushioned with benches and armchairs, the brightly colored hall of books feels like your woke Grandma’s living room. Cringe if you must at that description, but once you sit down with an eye-catching novel (and try to covertly open y...2022-07-1500 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect: Bike Shop Owner and Former Newspaper Publisher Carlos Morales This week's SGV Connect features an interview with Carlos Morales of the Eastside Bike Club and Stan's Bike Shop. The interview, conducted by Chris Greenspon, discusses Carlos' history as a carfree journalist and how bicycling saved his life. Longtime readers may remember that when Morales wasn't publishing his by-line with Voice Community News, you could occasionally find his work at Streetsblog L.A. THIS is a long-form interview you won't hear anywhere else. So please, as you listen to this interview with a local LEGEND, think about giving a few bucks to Streetsblog’s...2022-07-0757 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 96: Memories of El Monte Moves to New Space, Celebrates 626 FestThis week's SGV Connect Podcasdt features an interview by Chris Greenspon with two members of the Memories of El Monte collective, Aron Montenegro and Alma Zarate. Chris visited the collective's new home on 626 Day when Memories of El Monte celebrated their new space and the local holiday. Memories of El Monte is planning to open a soup kitchen in January and possibly expand with a cafe and even bar in the coming years. The interview covers their plans, the collective's goals, and what makes Memories' preferred coffee so special. For a full transcript of our...2022-06-3014 min
SGV WeeklySGV 020: The Vinyl Eruption; when will it cool? With The Midnight Hour
Covina’s Midnight Hour Records is a store for music fans at every level. Brand new to the game, “just here for your ten records that you really need”? Sure, you’ll be back though. Longtime fiends buying 45’s instead of groceries? Put it on your tab.
The entryway to The Midnight Hour Records SGV in Covina, CA
Midnight Hour SGV and SFV are sibling stores run by the Amalfitano family, Argentineans by way of La Puente. Brother Brian grew up in the backyard punk and powerviolence scene, but these days he’s more into Fiona Apple. The stores h...2022-06-2400 min
SGV WeeklySGV 019: If only I took English at Mt SAC with John Brantingham
John Brantingham was a driving force behind Mt San Antonio College’s creative writing club for decades. If you went to SAC in the last 30 years, you probably recognize his trademark shock of white hair and weary expression. He was a fixture around the 26 Building where everyone takes their humanities classes, and he taught all three levels of transfer-required English too.
Acclaimed Pomona poet Michael Torres says John is a major pillar of the college for aspiring writers. John, his wife Anne, and coworkers Lloyd Aquino and Michelle Dougherty organized Mt SAC’s Culturama and the SGV Lit...2022-06-1000 min
SGV WeeklySGV 018: Homeless Crisis in Flux with Sasha Renee Perez
Alhambra City Councilmember Sasha Renee Perez has gone through real heartbreak when it comes to the homelessness crisis, having lost family to it. In April ‘22, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis appointed her to the LAHSA Commission. And then LAHSA’s executive director stepped down.That’s when SGV Weekly interviewed her about the difficult and uncertain task she’ll have on the commission (finding Marston’s replacement) as well as what housing policies she’s pushing for in Alhambra.Then after we taped, the Board of Supervisors announced a new entity would supersede LAHSA in managing hom...2022-05-2600 min
SGV WeeklySGV 017: Sweatshops in the Food Desert with Christine Tran
Christine Tran knows how the system can fail us when we need it most. Her parents struggled to walk the tightrope of qualifying for food assistance and not getting kicked off of it. They were refugees of the Vietnam War and raised their kids alongside them as they worked through garment jobs and painting houses. Now Tran works to get healthy food available in working class communities like her hometown of South El Monte.Tran is executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, which connects farmers with corner stores, food banks with surplus foods, and...2022-05-1300 minOff-Ramp with John RabeBONUS EPISODE: Carol Downer, 88-year-old abortion rights pioneer, reacts to SCOTUS draft on Roe v. Wade(CONTENT ALERT: This piece includes frank discussion of abortion and clinical descriptions of abortion procedures.) We're all processing the news that a draft ruling from the US Supreme Court supports overturning Roe v. Wade, which has protected a woman's right to an abortion in the US for almost 50 years. A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. On this bonus Off-Ramp episode, we meet Carol Downer, now 88. Before the 1973 Supreme Court decision, this Eagle Rock woman had made it her mission to take abortion from the back alley...2022-05-0315 min
SGV WeeklySGV 016: The Pocho Paradox with Isimo Podcast
[Publisher’s note: Isimo Podcast has broken up as of July ’22.]Imagine you’re a young comedian, who just crushed it at the mic, going outside to cool off, when some older comic shouts from behind his cigarette, “Ey foo, you’re funny, but you should be louder on stage!”That happened to one of our guests – the hosts of Isimo Podcast, Rian Reyes, Dominic Angel, and Gerardo Alarcon – and it’s symbolic of all the shit pochos get for not speaking Spanish. We talk about where suburban Chicanos fit into the cultures they’re caught between: the...2022-04-2900 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 92 : Meet Chris GreensponThis week, the Streetsblog team is happy to introduce you to Chris Greenspon, our new writer and podcast co-host in the San Gabriel Valley. Many of you already know Chris from his other podcasting work as host of SGV Weekly, now in its second season. You can download or listen to past episodes at the SGV Weekly website. As has become our tradition, we like to introduce readers and listeners to our new team members by featuring them in a podcast episode. Listen in as Damien and Chris talk about their backgrounds and their ties...2022-04-2927 min
SGV WeeklySGV 015: Chris Greenspon – The Unauthorized Autobiography
SGV Weekly began as (and remains) my love letter to the San Gabriel Valley. We have great stories here, and my wife said I should include my own. Last season, I opened each show with a personal monologue, but I’m tired of doing that every time and this seemed like a good way to get it out of my system.Why should I be a guest on my own show? That’s the central question a panel of Valleros asked me. Obvious answer: it’s a show about people doing stuff in the SGV – I’m a people d...2022-04-2200 min
SGV WeeklySGV 014: Band kid to ska star with Jackie Mendez
Jackie Mendez is a rocksteady and soul artist from South El Monte. She honed her chops singing in the backyards and dive bars of the Mid-Valley, starting with her legendary band The Boss Beats.
She’s one of the SGV’s most recognized songwriters after putting in over a decade, working her way through different styles. Her path seems to be a patient one; now she’s poised to release a flurry of top tier, lived in, “soulsteady” music.
In this episode we talk about her life all over the Valley, buying used cd’s in the KROQ...2022-04-1500 minOff-Ramp with John RabeThe Rags to Riches to Rags story of Pio Pico, a giant of Los Angeles historyPico Boulevard, Pico Union, Pico Rivera ... they tell the story of one of the most fascinating figures in California's 19th Century history: Pio Pico, the last governor of Alta California under Mexican rule, and a revolutionary who helped make the missions forfeit their land. But at the time of his death, he couldn't afford his own grave. Off-Ramp contributor Chris Greenspon has his quintessentially Californian story. Originally broadcast September, 2015. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to l...2022-04-0110 min
WonkEp. 62: The Shattered Mirror RevisitedIn marking the fifth anniversary of PPF’s The Shattered Mirror report, the host of Policy Speaking and PPF’s President and CEO Edward Greenspon sits down with three of the principal researchers on The Shattered Mirror project, Colette Brin (Professor in the Department of Information and Communications at the Université Laval), Chris Dornan (former Director of both the School of Journalism and Communication and the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs at Carleton University) and Elizabeth Dubois (Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa). They discuss what’s changed in the past five years regarding the role of journal...2022-02-0343 minWonkEp. 62: The Shattered Mirror RevisitedIn marking the fifth anniversary of PPF’s The Shattered Mirror report, the host of Policy Speaking and PPF’s President and CEO Edward Greenspon sits down with three of the principal researchers on The Shattered Mirror project, Colette Brin (Professor in the Department of Information and Communications at the Université Laval), Chris Dornan (former Director of both the School of Journalism and Communication and the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs at Carleton University) and Elizabeth Dubois (Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa). They discuss what’s changed in the past five years regarding the role of journal...2022-02-0343 minSGV ConnectSGV Connect 87 : A New Cartography of Greater El MonteThis week, Kristopher talked this week with Romeo Guzman, a member of South El Monte Art Posse, about the bike ride series “A New Cartography of Greater El Monte,” that they’ll be launching this Saturday. SEMAP has spent the last decade excavating the region’s history, and uplifting the art, culture and social justice contributions of the region in order to “rethink how we tell the history of the place and dig into its radical roots,” Guzman said. This work has resulted in a “3,000+ digital archive, the book East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte, high sc...2021-11-0428 min
Under the Radar PodcastThe Flaming Lips - Wayne CoyneThe Flaming Lips are one of the most beloved psych-pop bands. They've managed to achieve commercial success and win multiple Grammy awards without having to sacrifice their instinct for the wierd and wonderful. Led by Wayne Coyne, an unconventional but committed frontman, this once band of 'wierdo outsiders' have gone on to inspire a generation of psychedelic rock bands and collaborate with a diverse range of artists—from Henry Rollins and Peaches to Miley Cyrus and Kasey Musgraves. Their latest masterpiece American Head has Coyne and longtime band member Steven Drozd reflecting on their youth and ho...2021-04-081h 02
SGV WeeklySGV 013: Pomona’s fading graffiti reborn as exalted poetryMichael Torres doesn’t revel in the idea of ‘making good and getting out of the hood.’NPR’s Best Books of 2020? Yeah, that’s pretty sweet.Getting paid to write and teach? Of course, that’s good.Being able to hold the memories of your past life as a graffiti artist and not feel like you betrayed or lost who you were? Maybe that’s what success is.
Torres was born in 1986 and raised in South Pomona. The speaker in his book, An Incomplete List of Names, describes the joy and pai...2021-02-1930 minSGV WeeklySGV 012: David & Bigot Goliath after El Monte's church bombing
Looking back at the news coverage of the explosion at First Works Baptist Church, the question that rises to the top is why weren’t we hearing more from the group that had protested the Church’s hateful teachings? Keep El Monte Friendly was treated fairly in local reports, but we mostly just saw them in the context of their one protest. Their profile felt greatly overshadowed by the multitude of existing soundbites and loud personality of Pastor Delfin Bruce Mejia.
Meeting two members of KEMF over Zoom, Abby and Bee, they were neith...2021-02-1224 minSGV WeeklySGV 011: Thwarting bike death - non-profit designs street justiceEl Monte and South El Monte are emblematic of inequity in the Valley. That’s where Active SGV’s executive director David Diaz is from. From his “frozen food” fueled childhood to being a new father there today, little has changed in the area’s streetscape. There are few neighborhood parks, an unreliable sidewalk system, and it's still a dangerous place to commute on a bicycle.
After going to Rio Hondo College, Diaz became fixated on how the built environment he grew up in affected its residents' health. The two cities are surrounded by three freeways, a dump, frei...2021-02-0518 minSGV WeeklySGV 010: Mish Mash Grab Bag! A Real Sausage Fest!
The saga of Phil Spector’s murder castle in Alhambra... A chat with a young progressive delegate hopeful from Bassett… The rebirth of Dr Rubin’s World Famous Pomade… and a mystery meat lunch in Arcadia Regional Park.
This is our first compilation episode.-First priority. If you are registered to vote in the ADEM Election, the deadline to submit your ballot is Wednesday 1/27. With Bassett education worker Aaron Simental, we discuss what his vision is for progressive politics in the 626. He’s running with the slate Challenging the Establishment in the 48th District.
-Phil S...2021-01-2220 minSGV WeeklySGV 009: SGV LGBTQ president on El Monte’s hate churchIn November Camila Camaleon was elected to lead the San Gabriel Valley’s small LGBTQ Center through turbulent times. But her pedigree in this traditional quarter of Southern California may be just what the area’s queer residents need to push for greater service and representation from the region’s Council of Governments. This episode started out as a profile on the Center’s first trans woman president, but recent news highlighted the very reason for LGBTQ organizing in the 626.
Last week, a hate group in El Monte’s profile rose from obscurity as a petition circulated on social m...2021-01-1519 minSGV WeeklySGV 008: Rap transcends trauma for ‘Woman In The Crowd’ Vel the WonderVel the Wonder is an emcee from Baldwin Park with a very personal style. It’s unapologetic, “nuts hanging” out even as she tackles painful subjects. Hip hop seems to ground her wherever she is in life: the happy early years on La Sena Ave in North Baldwin Park, bussing it all over So Cal to paint graffiti, visiting countries she might never have thought of when she first picked up a mic.
She’s not always an easy listen. When she’s flowing about the traumas women go through, it’s spine chilling. When she’s expressing her...2021-01-0821 minSGV WeeklySGV 007: El Monte's racist pioneer myth exposed in East of EastThe history book East of East began out of disgust with El Monte’s origin story as the "End of the Santa Fe Trail." In 2012, the city celebrated it's centennial with a wagon train parade based on the sanitized narrative of the southern pioneers whose descendants founded the township - instead of honoring Monte's actual residents, roughly 95% of whom are Latino or Asian. The book’s editors decided that they would investigate the area’s public history, centering the stories of people of color while exposing the truth about the pioneer settlers.
The project was founded by South...2020-12-1820 minSGV WeeklySGV 006: KNX’s Fierce City Hall Reporter, Claudia Peschiutta
KNX 1070’s Claudia Peschiutta is known for many things in LA news: getting beanbagged by LAPD on her day off, yelling “I object!” at the second Lee Baca trial, and calling the Mayor of Los Angeles “Eric” at a press conference... Ok, those are all outliers, but her reputation is well-earned. She turns around compelling, human stories every day while pressing city officials for real information in an era of passing the buck. Claudia is a badass. And she probably has the best reporter Twitter too.
Perhaps part of what makes her such a...2020-12-1018 minSGV WeeklySGV 005: Post-Punk icon Jeffrey Lee Pierce in the heart of his sister, Jacqui
Very few SoCal punk bands are legendary on the level that Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s Gun Club is. And of course, legends can be misleading. Pierce is known to come from El Monte, but his hometown was in fact South El Monte. Though he would say he was from Texas, like his mother. Questions about who Pierce really was were left without a direct answer when he died in 1996. Why did he pretend to be other people, like Chili Con Chola? Why did he stray so far from home, to London, Osaka, Berlin, and Cairo?
Several documentaries ha...2020-12-0427 minSGV WeeklySGV 004: Daughter Skateboards, Dad films, Slurpee destroyed!Daughter Skateboards is a brand based in Hacienda Heights, dedicated to helping young girls in the skate scene. Bobby Redline and Jesus Ramirez founded Daughter after their kids Draven and Aberdeen got them back into skating.
Aberdeen Ramirez, her younger sister, and Draven Redline
The brand will belong to the girls when they get older. Meeting with Bobby, Draven, and friends Jaelyn Rose Sedano and her father Joe, the kids radiate confidence, and their dads seem happy and at ease. The girls take after their fathers; Draven the chaotic troublemaker, and JRose the foc...2020-11-1916 minSGV WeeklySGV 003: Black diaspora in Pomona sparks self-reparationsKhalif Rasshan founded The African American Museum of Beginnings in 2010 after retiring from a three decade teaching career at Garey High School. He attended the school himself after moving from Compton in 1965. Pomona was the whitest place he’d ever seen. But he felt fairly welcome. The Civil Rights movement had influenced his classmates - to the point where he didn’t realize they were living in a fantasy.
During his time at La Verne College (now a University, of course) the image cracked. Then named John Gordon, Rasshan began to expand his consciousness with the radical blac...2020-11-0628 minSGV WeeklySGV 002: Numbing Spice & The Boba Blow Up - West SGV foodwriter Kristie Hang
The San Gabriel Valley has America’s highest concentration of Asian immigrants, and a regional dining selection to match. The LA press corps has published plenty about this in recent years, but how much of it is actually relevant to locals? To kitchen workers?
This week we hear from “Duchess of the SGV,” Kristie Hang, freelance food & travel journalist. She’s reported on the Valley’s full spectrum of Asian cuisine, from supermarket sushi to chicken you need a hammer to eat. We had a great conversation about the area’s Asian diaspor...2020-10-2318 minSGV WeeklySGV 001: The Song Of The San Gabriel Valley Is UntitledThis inaugural episode tells the history of a gone but not forgotten punk band from La Puente. T.U. aka The Uglies, circa 2005-2011. The band’s bassist and lead singer, Noe Silva, is a friend of the program, and an understated fixture in the Southern California scene. His adventurous (and at times pretentious) musical tendencies resulted in a song which in part inspired this program’s creation.
There are two main punk sounds associated with the San Gabriel Valley. Backyard street punk, and more and more, the Gun Club. Fifteen years ago though, it was...2020-10-0821 minSGV WeeklySGV 000: The TrailerComing Oct. 2020, SGV Weekly is an alternative podcast for the San Gabriel Valley. News and interviews about who we are and where we live. Hear the stories of punks, rappers, historians and more. East of East, West of Inland, North of Orange...From Alhambra to Pomona, get your fix of the 626.
Hosted by Chris GreensponLogo by Felipe Flores & Rita GreensponTheme song by the Gun Club, courtesy of Manifesto RecordsAmbient music by Kevin Greenspon2020-09-0802 min
Forever AgoSkateboards: When Roller Skates Met SurfboardsThe first skateboards didn’t come from a store. Kids had to make them from scratch! And they made for a bumpy ride… Joy Dolo and twelve-year-old pro skater Minna kickflip their way through history with reporter Chris Greenspon. We’ll get the scoop on low-tech early skateboards and the skaters who innovated their way to a smoother ride. Plus, we’ll talk with a skater who wants to change the world with four wheels and a deck. You can support Brains On and Forever Ago at brainson.org/donate.2018-11-2229 min
Podcast Center LA006: A Conversation With Chris GreensponIn this episode of Insights From The Studio with Mike & Steve, we sit down with Chris Greenspon. Chris Greenspon wears ... Read More2018-08-0200 min
The Vacuum SealTVS 007 – Ken Layne, the Desert OraclePsychedelic FM sermons are Layne’s specialty, but you may feel less tripped out than pissed off the closer you listen. Through hot and brittle realism, Desert Oracle Radio subverts diversion and asks the listener, “Which side are you on?” If there’s one thing that’s not going to stave off the apocalypse, it’s entertainment. This episode looks … Continue reading "TVS 007 – Ken Layne, the Desert Oracle"2018-06-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 007 – Ken Layne, the Desert Oracle
Psychedelic FM sermons are Layne’s specialty, but you may feel less tripped out than pissed off the closer you listen. Through hot and brittle realism, Desert Oracle Radio subverts diversion and asks the listener, “Which side are you on?” If there’s one thing that’s not going to stave off the apocalypse, it’s entertainment.
This episode looks at the core fundamentals of Desert Oracle Radio. Followers and strangers will both find something to ponder in this candid interview.
Listen/download here.
Links:
Desert Oracle Magazine sampler
Desert...2018-06-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 006 – SGV Stories: “Introducing J.P. Story”There aren’t many people who introduce themselves by their full name, but for J.P. Story, there’s no other way, and as for his relationship with the SGV, there’s no other place this self-proclaimed non-artist could hail from. Take a trip into the mind of one of our most relevant cultural critics (if he even knows … Continue reading "TVS 006 – SGV Stories: “Introducing J.P. Story”"2018-05-1000 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 006 – SGV Stories: “Introducing J.P. Story”
There aren’t many people who introduce themselves by their full name, but for J.P. Story, there’s no other way, and as for his relationship with the SGV, there’s no other place this self-proclaimed non-artist could hail from. Take a trip into the mind of one of our most relevant cultural critics (if he even knows it), and ask yourself, “Who is J.P. Story?”
This episode is for anyone who’s ever had a socially unacceptable idea, and the willpower to carry it out. As always, I agree with nothing my guests say.2018-05-1000 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 005 – Robyn Jameson, bassist for Flesh Eaters & Divine HorsemenThe Flesh Eaters are one of LA’s best cult secrets. No, not the famous line-up, the metal n’ soul one! Bassist Robyn Jameson recounts how creative tensions flowered, flamed out, and gave way to the more mature Divine Horsemen. He thought they were gonna make “A Minute to Pray 2,” but the records they made … Continue reading "TVS 005 – Robyn Jameson, bassist for Flesh Eaters & Divine Horsemen"2018-04-0400 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 005 – Robyn Jameson, bassist for Flesh Eaters & Divine Horsemen
The Flesh Eaters are one of LA’s best cult secrets. No, not the famous line-up, the metal n’ soul one! Bassist Robyn Jameson recounts how creative tensions flowered, flamed out, and gave way to the more mature Divine Horsemen. He thought they were gonna make “A Minute to Pray 2,” but the records they made are just as vital to Los Angeles’ history.
This episode is for fanatics and newcomers alike, blending Robyn’s candid interview with classics, deep cuts, and rare live tape, all …messed with… for this episode.
Listen/download here.
Links:2018-04-0400 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 004 – Ember Knight, actual jokerComedian Ember Knight would’ve gotten away with asking who had the biggest spicy sausage in the safe space… until Satan showed up and offered her fame. From there, it was a deep and raw digression into what’s problematic in contemporary stand-up, complete with faked death and real nudity. This episode interweaves Knight’s interview with tons … Continue reading "TVS 004 – Ember Knight, actual joker"2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 004 – Ember Knight, actual joker
Comedian Ember Knight would’ve gotten away with asking who had the biggest spicy sausage in the safe space… until Satan showed up and offered her fame. From there, it was a deep and raw digression into what’s problematic in contemporary stand-up, complete with faked death and real nudity.
This episode interweaves Knight’s interview with tons of live sound from her performance.
Listen/download here.
Featuring music by Ember Knight:
emberknight.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: @emburgler
Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/EmberKnight/
Hosted and produc...2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 003 – Ray Sanchez, Club sCUM co-founder“There is nothing brown and queer like that, and punk all together,” Sanchez friends pleaded with him, after a one-off dj night at Akbar. So Ray and his dj’ing partner Rudy Garcia concocted sCUM, a monthly club in Montebello. Since early 2016, sCUM has brought the likes of Martin Crudo, Alice Bag, Allison Wolfe, Seth … Continue reading "TVS 003 – Ray Sanchez, Club sCUM co-founder"2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 003 – Ray Sanchez, Club sCUM co-founder
“There is nothing brown and queer like that, and punk all together,” Sanchez friends pleaded with him, after a one-off dj night at Akbar. So Ray and his dj’ing partner Rudy Garcia concocted sCUM, a monthly club in Montebello. Since early 2016, sCUM has brought the likes of Martin Crudo, Alice Bag, Allison Wolfe, Seth Bogart, Brontez Purnell and countless drag performers to a loyal following of queer poc punx in ELA. Regulars have become performers and vice versa. Sanchez shares his roots in the club scene and the backyard scene in this great episode.
Listen...2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 002 – SGV Stories: “Desilu’s Camera”Valinda’s Desilu Munoz fell into film at an early age, and used it to document scenes and hoods all over Southern California, until she realized that everything she cared about was right in the SGV. But what’s next for the photog who covers the Valley’s humble beauty? A note from your host: After recording this … Continue reading "TVS 002 – SGV Stories: “Desilu’s Camera”"2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 002 – SGV Stories: “Desilu’s Camera”
Valinda’s Desilu Munoz fell into film at an early age, and used it to document scenes and hoods all over Southern California, until she realized that everything she cared about was right in the SGV. But what’s next for the photog who covers the Valley’s humble beauty?
A note from your host: After recording this interview, I decided to start a mini-series within The Vacuum Seal called “SGV Stories.” These episodes are dedicated to the people and places in the San Gabriel Valley.
Listen/download here.
Follow Desilu’s art:...2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 001 – Felipe Flores, the critical cartoonistLa Mirada’s Felipe Flores is the cartoonist behind Trabajo Press, a working class comics and zine publisher that examines pop culture. In this episode, Flores talks with Chris Greenspon about The Simpsons, his comic ‘Hyper Time,’ that pits the historical figures like the Ramones against fictional characters like the Warriors, AND, he also sheds light … Continue reading "TVS 001 – Felipe Flores, the critical cartoonist"2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 001 – Felipe Flores, the critical cartoonist
La Mirada’s Felipe Flores is the cartoonist behind Trabajo Press, a working class comics and zine publisher that examines pop culture. In this episode, Flores talks with Chris Greenspon about The Simpsons, his comic ‘Hyper Time,’ that pits the historical figures like the Ramones against fictional characters like the Warriors, AND, he also sheds light on why it’s important to make comics about things that disgust you.
“…Time exists in the subspace between the poetry created about it as well as from it.” —taken from the inside cover of Hyper Time #1, “New York 1976”
Listen/downloa...2018-02-2300 minThe Vacuum SealTVS 001 – Felipe Flores, the critical cartoonistLa Mirada’s Felipe Flores is the cartoonist behind Trabajo Press, a working class comics and zine publisher that examines pop culture. In this episode, Flores talks with Chris Greenspon about The Simpsons, his comic ‘Hyper Time,’ that pits the historical figures like the Ramones against fictional characters like the Warriors, AND, he also sheds light … Continue reading "TVS 001 – Felipe Flores, the critical cartoonist"2018-02-2300 min