Listen Now

THE GRIT CITY PODCAST! If you enjoyed this episode of The Grit City Podcast, send us a quick shout out on Twitter or Facebook: TWITTER.COM/GRIT_CITY FACEBOOK.COM/GRITCITYPODCAST Resources from this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BiffsBBQSauce @BiffsBBQSauce   HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe in iTunes and write us a review! This helps us stand out from all the other podcasts out th

Check out Fred Bowski! On Facebook: www.facebook.com/fred.bowski On Twitter: twitter.com/fredbowski And soon on Kevin Hart's Hart of the City!

Episode 118: Return of Vibe from Down to Reiki This podcast is in tribute to Jyl Fairchild Adams, one of the shows biggest fans that did everything she could to support the guys, including liking and sharing all of their posts, and cheering them on along the way. She recently passed a couple weeks ago, she will be greatly missed. On this episode Vibe Smith, owner of Down To Reiki returns. The guys first interviewed him February 2016 on Episode 80. Taken from his site, he is: a certified healing hands practitioner and Reiki master. He works with people from all walks of life and all types of physical and emotional pain, ranging from anger, emotional disconnection, PTSD, insecurity, unease and instability to stiffness, soreness, irritability, weakness and fatigue. Vibe looks beyond the physical symptoms and visible emotional scarring to identify the root causes of suffering so patients can deal, heal and feel good again. Vibe’s gift isn’t something he learned. Healing energy flows strongly through his family, as it has throughout the ages. Over the years, he developed his own technique that harmonizes Source Energy, the high vibration energy that unites all living things, with Love Energy, the lower frequency, easily absorbed energy that flows between souls. Some come for one session, others come from many. No matter how many steps one’s journey takes with Vibe, it’s a step forward to good health and happiness. For those looking for ways to get in touch with him to schedu

Episode 117: Katlyn Hubner This time on The Grit City Podcast, they guys sit down with Katlyn Hubner, a visual artist and model, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She describes herself as an ambitious painter based out of Seattle, Washington. She has upcoming solo events on April 22 at The Factory on Capital Hill in Seattle and at the Feast Art Center in Tacoma in November. The show kicks off with the discussion of hiding Girl Scout cookies from the fam, Katlyn’s bug out bag, and the sharing of germs between Katlyn and the guys within the first five minutes of the show. Katlyn discusses being from Baltimore and how she ended up in Tacoma while modeling and the death of her husband. She also covers her art and shows she does around the community and upcoming events. 14:58 – Katlyn talks about her show in November at the Feast Art Center in Tacoma, a local Tacoma community art school that she is renting space from to do her paintings at. They also talk about Amazons excellent customer service, the way Amazon encourages small business growth and what each of them changed their name to when they’re were kids. At the ½ way mark, Katlyn explains her art style and the different types of feelings that they generate in the people that view her art. She expresses her thoughts on people that wear Affliction clothing, where people can see her art, and the award she received at the Coos Bay art show. 31:45 – Katlyn gives information on where fans can find her online, including her website, Instagram, and Snap Chat. She talks about plans she has for future performances in Portland and the guys talk about their upcoming plans for Norwescon in April. They also talk about the guests they have following her interview that day. This show

Episode 116: Gritty City Sirens This time, the guys are joined by Ava D Jor, Dessie Devine, and Adora Borealis from the Gritty City Sirens, a local Tacoma burlesque troop that perform in the PNW area. The group celebrates different body types, ethnicities, backgrounds, talents, and strengths of their performers. It’s also important to the group to give back to local non-profits in the community through proceeds and volunteering. Places they’ve helped out include: YWCA, Rainbow Center, Race for a Soldier, and Broadway Center. The show kicks off with the guests explaining that Gritty City Sirens is a sisterhood of 12 women based on trust, mutual respect, and empowerment. They talk about their founder Rosy Cheeks and the beginning of it all 6 years ago. They give props to local Tacoma sponsors that have helped them throughout the years, including: Valhalla Coffee, 1111, and Minuteman Press. 11:14 – The ladies talk about places they’ve performed in Tacoma including The Swiss, Jazzbones, Pantages, and the Temple, where they performed in front of an audience of over 1,000 people. They talk about the first performances at the old Hells Kitchen that was on Pacific Ave and random places they are setup to change at the performance locations, one being next to a grease fire in a kitchen. 18:20 – Discussion goes through the process of creating the show, the beginning month long creative writing, choreographing of 75% rehearsed routine, and the final part that is fine-tuning and polishing everything for the stage with the production team. They talk about the upcoming show on April 15th, BoobTube and the guys discuss Norwescon happening the same weekend. At the halfway point, conversation dives into the different committee’s within the group, counting the production team, marketing team, merchandise team and sponsor team and th

Episode 115: Roland from FSFL Podcast After a much needed holiday break, the guys are back!! On this episode they sit down Roland, one of the hosts of the FSFL (Flat Sideways Full Lock) podcast. FSFL podcast keeps people up to date on the automotive industry. The show kicks off with conversation about cheap beer, Red Hat, Sriracha flavored popcorn from Winco, and pickled flavored anything. After they introduce the guest, talk goes to multiplayer pin ball machines and adult arcades like GameWorks. 8:55 - Roland dives into explaining how the FSFL car podcast got started with him, Matthew, and Steve. He talks about meeting on Jalopnik and how quickly the podcast fell into place. The GCP guys then dive into how they got together and how the GCP podcast was born. Roland also explains how they pulled in the final guy for the podcast, GCP guys chat about the want to monetize the podcast, and Roland talks about expanding his podcast with guests. 19:48 - Conversation then turns to how cars, in the next 10 – 15, years will be driven “manually” on a recreational basis and daily commuting will be done with self-driving cars. They discuss Tesla’s current auto pilot cars, making the potential for auto driving cars happen sooner than we expect. Then chat goes to riding motorcycles, Planet of the Horses vs Planet of the Apes, and the bro-opera Sons of Anarchy. 33:35 - At the halfway mark, conversation turns to Amazon lockers, the ability to do returns via the lockers, and the guy from Tacoma that got tired of having his packages stolen and rigged a package with a 12 gage blank in a box to scare the people that had been stealing the packages. They also cover the frequency of home robbery in this area. 43:31 – The guys hear what sounds like gun fire and take a break to check it out, then continue their conversation about Old Soldier’s release of Butterscotch Whiskey. They discuss a hidden treasure of Tacom

Check out the original show notes here: http://www.gritcitypodcast.com/shows/106   Thanks for listening and have a great holiday season! -The Grit City Podcast 

Check out the original show notes here: http://www.gritcitypodcast.com/shows/100   Thanks for listening and have a great holiday season! -The Grit City Podcast 

Check out the original show notes here: http://www.gritcitypodcast.com/shows/99   Thanks for listening and have a great holiday season! -The Grit City Podcast 

Check out the original show notes here: http://www.gritcitypodcast.com/shows/83   Thanks for listening and have a great holiday season! -The Grit City Podcast 

Check out the original show notes here: http://www.gritcitypodcast.com/shows/80 Check out Vibe at http://downtoreiki.com/   Thanks for listening and have a great holiday season! -The Grit City Podcast 

Episode 114: Amani Taylor  Take two. On this episode the GCP guys sit down to catch up with Seattle comedian Amani Taylor. Since they last sat down on Episode 88, Amani has started a new adventure hosting Comedy Night at Trenchers Kitchen & Tap in Renton and also hosts Open Mic every Monday at The Local 907. He was featured in the hilarious first episode of Comedians in “Shower Thoughts”. This show kicks off discussing what he’s been up to since they last talked, including hosting Comedy Night at Trenchers Kitchen & Tap. Amani talks about how it got started, deciding to do a book show instead of an Open Night type show, and the challenges of scheduling comedians. They also talk about the recording of Shower Thoughts, what they learned while recording the show, and the other web series Amani has done. 15:45 Chat turns to visits to New Orleans, comedy and music shows going on there, including hunting down a band that plays the sitar guitar. They then call their comedian friend Marquis Carter to join the conversation and talk about the new chapter in his life in Florida in the wrestling circuit. Marquis and Amani talk about UFC, Marquis tells about retiring from comedy, and the guys give props to Marquis for chasing his dream. 26:15 Amani converses about multiple friends of his working to be competitors in wrestle mania, the crossover of comedians into wrestling, and his family love of wrestling, growing up with it as a kid. Discussion then turns to politics, Hillary’s second run, the two party political system, and the importance for including more of the third parties during elections. They also chat about fake news and Rock for president. 40:25 Here they break down the similar elements in a lot of Tim Burton’s movies, and seeing what lenses directors look through. The next

Episode 113: SPUN On this episode the guys sit down with April Sanders and Jennifer English, owners of SPUN Clay Arts Studio and Gallery. SPUN offers a different take on a pottery studio outside of the “Paint-By-Numbers” type of place. They like to offer a relaxed and easy going atmosphere where guests, old or new to the art, can walk away with a piece they’re proud of. SPUN moved to their new location, 1307 Martin Luther King Jr Way in Tacoma, at the beginning of November. Their hours are Thursday and Friday from 5 – 8, Saturday from 10 -6, and Sunday from 11-3. This episode kicks off with the ladies talking about what their business does, what brought them together and how they got started. Jennifer explains the idea coming to life while throwing pottery in April’s garage and the importance for them to keep a “laid back” atmosphere that makes learning fun. 13:45: Talk turns to Octomom and what she’s been up to since her TV show, including her recent article in People Magazine. Jennifer dives into SPUN being in business for two years and her taking the step outside of the corporate world, leaving her job after 20 years to pursue something different. 23:41: They jump into the conversation of shaving, why the guys set the 1 drink limit for guests, and Jennifer’s hate for raw onions, cucumbers, and yellow mustard. Jennifer also illustrations her salutary voice, gives the guys her recipe for barbeque sriracha street corn, and they discuss different combinations of food that shouldn’t work but do. 36:00 April and Jennifer talk about the decision to provide kids classes, realizing the memories they’re making for the kids, and nick names that they have with each other. The topic then turns to what’s included with the cost of a session at SPUN and they delve into the pics of each other’s phones. As this episode comes to a close the girls talk about wh

Episode 112: Mark Monlux Mark Monlux, the “Grand Poobah at Monlux Illustration”, is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist from Tacoma. He has been in the field for over 29 years and has multiple awards under his belt, including Award of Excellence from the Society of Technical Communication for Technical Art and Distinguished Award from the Society of Technical Communication for Illustration – Books and Manuals. He’s involved with C.L.A.W, the Cartoonist League of Absurd Washingtonians, Knight of Pythias and author of The Comic Critic. This episode kicks off with Mark telling the guys about where he grew up and how he landed in Tacoma 25 years ago. He then talks about going to school to become a commercial artist, working towards being and art director post school and what lead him to doing illustration work. Mark covers falling into graphic facilitation where he specialized in outcome driving innovation, helping departments communicate with each other by visually drawing out their concept and the features inside the concept. At 13:00 Mark talks about ways he helps keep the audience alive and captivated during presentations in addition to different parts of the brain that gets stimulated when people see someone drawing and the high retention level people have when seeing something drawn. He talks about doing over a dozen white board videos, including public service announcements with the City of Tacoma, Dick Sporting Goods, and Microsoft. He also talks about how his illustrations help people better understand something, and gives examples of drawing torques to help a sales person better understand the concept. Halfway point Mark talks about getting involved in the community, starting in 2008, participating in the Friday Sidewalk Chalking Challenge at Frost Park in downtown Tacoma, which is still running, starting from April and running through October. He then explains the creation of C.L.A.W, the Cartoonist League of Absurd Washingtonians, how many members they have, and what they do with the city, and other groups he’s affiliated with, including the Knight of Pythias.

Episode 111: Tacoma Fight Shop This time on The Grit City Podcast, the guys sit down with Kurt Fichtner from Tacoma Fight Shop. Tacoma Fight Shop is owned and operated by Kurt and his wife and carries any and all martial arts and boxing apparel and equipment. They are highly rated for amazing customer service and providing brands not carried by other stores in the area. A shopper on yelp posted: “The prices are fair. FYI not many stores carry the brands they do for MMA and martial arts training in general. Still they don't take advantage of customers in that respect. So if your in need of high quality gym shorts or gear to train in. Definitely check them out. The store is Family owned and the husband and wife are instructors as well. Great family environment and very skilled at what they do.” Tacoma Fight Shop is located at 2200 109th St S in Tacoma.   The show kicks off with Kurt talking about growing up in Tacoma and the Key Peninsula and how he got into Martial Arts at the age of 10. Scott talks about Salt Lake having a well-established MMA community there and they also discuss the great fighters that have come out of the PNW area. Talk then turns to how Kurt and his wife expanding from just providing MMA training into a full-fledged store that provides MMA and boxing supplies. 19:00 - Kurt talks about opening Tacoma Fight Shop in 2010 and the importance of them selling high quality brands and he and his family test out the brands before they sell them. They then dive into discussions about people’s service pets, including chickens and ducks, and the importance for Kurt and his wife to give back to the community and the local fighters that they sponsor. 28:36 – chat goes to the local and not so local places to train in Tacoma, including South Sounds Martial Arts. Kurt talks about his training place of choice and the growing trend for garage gyms where people that love the art train from their house. Kurt also discusses the pros and cons of owning a gym and the different areas of martial arts his wife is trained in.

Episode 110: Lee Heath Lee Heath is a Tacoma local known for being Puppet Master of SharkBiteBarbie and does show promotion in the Tacoma area. You can find her promoting Tacoma happenings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube. This episodes kicks off with the group discussing chicken coming in strip form, the merger of Albertsons and Safeway, and bringing $5 chicken back to life. Lee talks about being born in Seattle, places she grew up in in her younger years, through the Pacific Northwest and places like Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She also talks about being kidnapped when she was 3 months old and family members adopting her out to a black market family, which involved the FBI to bring her back home a month after she was sold. At 12:44, Lee chats about her mom leaving her dad and fleeing to Canada to claim asylum. They discuss interesting characters around Tacoma, including the “mall guy” who wears beautifully tailored suites and walks around the Tacoma mall passing positive messages to others. Other Tacoma memes they converse about are The Sonics Guy and Sixth Ave Yarn Bomber. 20:40: conversation turns to the improvements on 6th Ave in Tacoma in the last 20 years, hookers fighting videos, and signs on Pacific Ave by Fred Meyers that say “you can’t hook here”. They also chat about recent improvements in other areas of Tacoma including Puyallup Ave by The Valley and one of the guys’ dives into working graveyard at the bus station on Puyallup Ave and stories of the arrests he saw during working hours. Halfway point: the guys talk about putting on comedy shows, what they get out of doing it, where the shows were, and their next adventure with Jazz Bones. Next they talk about the difficulty working with performers, great food people can get at The Eleven Eleven, and Peaks and Pints opening up in Tacoma. 40:20: topic turns to the businesses the guys have interviewed and the great feeling they get watching the businesses grown, knowing that they had a small part in getting the word out to the community about them. Lee talks about plans to expand into Seattle and other places that also

Episode 109: New Dawn Trading Company On Podcast 109 the guys sit down with Tony and John from New Dawn Trading Company that provides financial, logistic, and security services to people starting businesses in third world countries to help provide them with the same opportunities that people in first world countries have. They are also planning to launch a new podcast, Show kicks off with Tony talking about his friend Richard that survived the Sierra Leon civil war and them talking about starting a for-profit company that finds and funds companies in third world countries. They also talk about the issues have come up along the way, including challenges in dealing with countries like China, what they have learned along the way, and areas they are planning to expand business to. At the 13:51 mark they dive deeper into the stagnation of economies in Africa, the corruption that comes with providing aide because it goes to the people in charge instead of the people that need it, and the empowering feeling for people that build businesses that outlast their lifetime. Discussion then goes to the massive size of Africa, the growing amount of people there, and the need for people to help with the industrial revolution in Africa. On minute 25:30, Tony talks about being an engineer in the Special Forces group of the Army, and areas he worked, which include the combat engineering side and the construction side. John also tells the guys about finishing ranger school, and both discusses why they joined the military. Tony also tells the guys about expecting his first baby in November, and importing and exporting that goes in and out of the Port of Tacoma. As the show winds down, the guys talk about the minimal competition that is out there for the type of business they run. They also discuss the importance America is to the rest of the world, what makes this country great, even with the presidential run this year, and their plans to go to Africa once they’re out of the military in 8 months. They explain how the Army hasn’t let them travel there because of the risks that are tied into them going, their plans to sta

Episode 108: Teresa Carol Intuitive Counselor, Psychic Medium, and Metaphysical teacher. In the spirit of Halloween, on this episode the guys sit down with Teresa Carol, an intuitive counselor that has been practicing for the last 26 years. She has travelled to over 29 countries and wrote the book "All Spooked Up", on hauntings in Tacoma. People can find the book on Amanzon in paperback and the Kindle version. Teresa starts the episode off discussing becoming a psychic in 1983. She explains that after having terminal cancer, while going through an emotional breakdown, she started seeing unseen people, auras around people, and knowing things she shouldn’t know which led her to the Psychic Energy Center. She explains how she has spent the beginning of her psychic path in life traveling to 29 countries and studying with psychics, medicine men, medicine women and others around psychic energy. She then dives into being an ordain minister and her relationship with God. Next Teresa talks about what her job entails, which includes meeting with clients, providing 4 – 5 ghost investigations a month, working with people that aren’t satisfied with life, and doing Hospice work, helping people transition into death. She talks about what she enjoys most with what she does, helping people help themselves and feel more excited about life. She also tells the guys about interactions she’s had with ghosts and investigating different cases. At the halfway point she talks about the doorways into other dimensions, vortexes, which coexist with us that we can transition into when we want. She explains that there is thought to be a vortex within every 100 yards around the world. They discuss Big Foot, her increase in calls with children seeing reptilian creatures that also travel through dimensions, and reptilian shape changers. As the show winds down, she explains that people can find her on Wednesdays at Crystal Voyage where she provides psychic

Episode 107: Justin from North End Social Club On this episode, the guys sit down with Justin Caillier, founder of the North End Social Club, a craft beer and wine bar in Tacoma that opened December 2015. Located at 3013 Sixth Ave, they carry beers on tap mostly from Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. They also have a nice variety of wines to choose from. In addition to great beer and wine, they appreciate having fun and offer shuffle board, board games, game night, trivia night and have open mic night on Tuesdays. To kick the show off, Justin explains his background, growing up in Tacoma, attending Wilson high school, going to college in San Francisco, and eventually coming back to Tacoma to establish a company in the bar industry. In addition, he talks about the things he considered when picking the spot for North End Social Club on 6th Ave. Next, they dive into the company’s focus on providing a cozy atmosphere that offers beer and wine to enjoy there in addition to offering bottles for guests to purchase and take home. He talks about having the ability for couples to enjoy a great beer and awesome wine all in one place. He also talks about the process of going into business, including the licenses that the city required. At 12:52 mark, they talk about what the bar has on tap, and their happy hour special, which is $1 off any beer or wine all day long. They then talk about where the Growler and its name came from, other bars in Tacoma and the work that goes into running a restaurant. The guys then turn conversation to food trucks in Tacoma and open mic music night on Tuesdays at NESC with Kim Archer. By the 20 minute mark, discussion turns to the guys’ favorite beers: porters, stouts, sours, and putting fruit in Mexican beers. At 22:22, they dive into people relocating to Tacoma from other states, the gentrification process of Tacoma, and how people moving here help bring the same great type of businesses that are in Seattle to Tacoma. The

Episode 106: Sami Chohfi of Blue Helix On this episode the guys talk to Sami Chohfi from the band Blue Helix. Blue Helix is a local alternative rock band that Sami formed in 2008. Their latest record, “A Tale of Two Halves” was released in 2014. The band does an amazing job playing live, something that they strive for. Sami said it all when he said: “If you can’t do it live don’t do it on the record.” They are the winners of the 2015 Puget Sound Battle of the Bands. The show kicks off with Sami explaining how the band came together in 2008, building a recording studio, how he learned about recording with other engineers, and putting out his first record. He talks about playing full time, being a music teacher, in addition to how he taught himself to play the guitar and writing his own music. Talk then turns to Sami discussing what his back up quest would be if he didn’t play music, which is playing in the NFL. He then talks about the other two members of the band, the move from a four person band to a three piece band, incorporating backing tracks, and future plans as the band continues to grow. At the halfway point the guys ask Sami’s opinion on a venues responsibility and an artist’s responsibility for promotion of the event. Sami explains that unlike most bands, they themselves promote their band via social media, where most bands are burnt out on self-promotion and they expect the venues/promoters to do most of it. Next they dive into discussion of the two years it took to make the “Aliens” video and what they went through for the planning and permits that were needed to make it happen. He explains working with Touch or Not Productions to turn his vision into a reality. (You can view the video