Hear that bands? We’ll soon have a dedicated machine streaming YOUR music. Feel free to send any more songs, and permission to use them for free (for promo!), to Mike@SalinasRadio.com

To any geeks reading, the server is a Dual Xeon 2.8GHz with 5GB of RAM. More than enough to handle a few (different quality) streams.

For now though, we’ll work on getting the streams back up, getting some new bands promoted, featuring some new music in our On Demand Player, and hopefully setting up some more shows!

Soledad High School Students inside the SoMoCoCAT mobile audio recording studio.

Grassroots organization, South Monterey County Center for Arts & Technology (SoMoCoCAT), is offering digital media workshops for the first time in Monterey County’s ‘salad bowl of the world.” A ‘lettuce curtain’ isolates residents of rural Salinas Valley from opportunities in a 21st century creative workforce.  SoMoCoCAT has therefore started a movement to cross the a ‘digital divide’ and part the ‘lettuce curtain” to bring free arts and technology training to underserved, mostly Latino, agricultural communities in South Monterey County.

SoMoCoCAT recently crossed the ‘digital divide’ to introduce arts and technology training to residents in Monterey County’s rural communities south of the ‘lettuce curtain.’ Until now there were no outlets where local residents could learn the digital media technology skills that are increasingly in demand among employers.

Communities in South Monterey County suffer from problems such as poverty, drug use, high unemployment and school dropout rates, gang violence, and few employment and education options. Lack of transportation and limited English skills further prevent many South County residents from attending training programs that are located 25-35 miles away.

Director of SoMoCoCAT (http://www.SoMoCoCAT.org) Megan Heath, works for L-3 GS&ES Language Technology Services in Monterey, California, a company that employs artists and designers who use digital technology to create instructional materials.   Heath is also involved in Monterey County economic development efforts that capitalize on local creativity and technology (http://www.cfmco.org/CAA/pdfs/mntry_cult_plan01.pdf). “I know first hand that there are viable career opportunities for people who know how to blend art and technology to earn a living, but we have a hard time finding well-qualified candidates in [the Monterey] area,” says Heath.  She believes that “if we really want to develop a strong creative economy in Monterey County, we must invest in the tremendous human potential that lies in the oft neglected South County.”

Heath created SoMoCoCAT in 2008 after she produced a media project that explored the socioeconomic division between the Salinas Valley and the rest of Monterey County that is sometimes referred to as the ‘lettuce curtain.”  She vowed to bring digital media training with an emphasis on career development, directly to these communities at no cost to the students.

Sara Papineau, from the Gonzales Parks and Recreation Department sees SoMoCoCAT  as good for the community.  “Anytime we can offer free quality programs to our residents both young and old we enhance the quality of their life.  The classes that SoMoCoCAT are offering in South Monterey County are opening people’s minds through creativity and diversifying their interests,” she says.

Among South County’s farmworker communities many do not have computers, or if so they often find the unfamiliar technology intimidating.  Dr. Drew Waters at California State University Monterey Bay’s Music and Performing Arts Department, volunteered to teach a SoMoCoCAT audio recording workshop for South County teens.  He believes this project “demystifies the technology and literally puts it under the hands for those people that can be most creative with it and benefit most from it in their future.”

SoMoCoCAT has already implemented several workshops–in Spanish and in English–and they are planning more.  So far the workshops have been possible due to many volunteer hours, two small grants, and modest corporate support from technology training firm, QuarterPoint, Inc., and L-3.

SoMoCoCAT’s current workshops in South Monterey County include:

• Digital Photography for adults in Gonzales;
• Animation for students of Frank Ledesma Elementary School in Soledad;
• Audio and Video Production for South County youth at the California State University Monterey Bay;
• Mobile Audio Recording Studio Workshop at Greenfield High School;
• PowerPoint and Microsoft Word Workshops in Gonzales.

Principal of Greenfield High, Rudy Garcia, allowed SoMoCoCAT to extend its mobile audio workshop for a week after he saw great interest among his students.  “It was amazing how excited the kids were when they stepped in the studio and heard themselves on the headphones,” said Peter Meuse, owner and instructor of the mobile recording studio.

Tara Vikjord, the 21st Century and After School Programs coordinator for the Soledad Unified School district in South County said of the animation workshop that SoMoCoCAT brought to one of her elementary schools:  “It was wonderful.  The kids were very engaged and the parents were happy.”  Animation teacher and artist, Andrew Dolan, said the experience was “awesome” and he thought the students seemed “so hungry for something creative to do.”  Jacob Ruelas, Director of the Center for Employment training in Soledad agreed when he said, “let’s get these kids off the street and doing art.”

Simon Salinas, Monterey County Third District Supervisor sees the benefit that SoMoCoCAT offfers South County, especially for  young people.  “Investing in our youth today will return great dividends by strengthening our community in the future,” says Salinas.

For Heath, SoMoCoCAT’s future is a self-sufficient social enterprise that is a pillar of Monterey County’s thriving creative economy. In the mean time they continue to seek ‘investors’ and community supporters who believe in that same future.

The South Monterey County Center for Arts & Technology (SoMoCoCAT) is a workforce investment initiative of the Monterey County Business Council’s Creative Technology Competitive Cluster program (http://www.c2.mcbusiness.org/).  SoMoCoCAT provides digital media arts, technology training and access to South Monterey County’s rural Latino communities.  SoMoCoCAT fosters ‘digital inclusion’ and enables equal opportunities for residents to contribute to Monterey County’s emerging creative economy.  For more information visit: http://www.SoMoCoCAT.org Media Contact:  Megan Heath, (831) 869-6055

Monterey, CA (PRWEB) October 30, 2009

Ken Girardey

On top of the three already available, “A Life on the Road,” “Hollis Brown,” and “A Table for Two,” we have added a bunch of new Ken Girardey songs to the “All Genres” radio stream, the “Rock, Metal, and Acoustic” audio stream, and the On Demand Player!

The new songs added are as follows: “Ali,” “Apache,” “Down in the Hole,” “For a Missing Cat,” “Life’s One Act Play,” “No Mo Joe,” “Smoking Gun,” “World in a Jug,” “Yes it is, it’s True,” and “You Belong to Me (Clara).”

Here is the press release for a few of the songs, written by Mr. Girardey himself.

A Table for Two…. this all original unique CD is a story about the life of Jack Kerouac and his daughter Jan Michelle Kerouac. It’s a fantasy fiction piece about a Father and Daughter who never really connected in life, and although they were like two peas in a pod, they seemed to pass each other like ships in the night. The story takes place after Jack passes away and is on his journey to his final destination where he gets one last chance to connect with the daughter he never took the time to get to know. The original story is narrated by the Author Ken Girardey and features lots of colorful sound effects and original music performed by the author.

Emmy nominated Producer of Thirty Something and Handwritten Theater, Joseph Dougherty, gave it 5 Stars and stated, “Ken Girardey confidently sculpts music, language and wishful thinking to create a contemplation of loss and regret on the road to eternity. Perfect overnight programming, this passes my test for appropriate audio company on a late night drive across the desert.”

Noted Producer and Peabody award winner Marjorie Van Halteren gave it a 4 star review. “Good writing, nice voice, full of music, sound, and humour, and truly from the heart.

- Ken Girardey

You can now contact us at:

email us at: Mike@SalinasRadio.com
Text us at: (831) 275-0477
Leave us a voicemail at: (831) 275-0477

Our ad on LiveEnVivo.com

Check them out at LiveEnVivo.com or pick up one of their magazines, hitting a news stand near you!

August Sky CD and Food Bank Logo

Congratulations to Akura Davis (@AkuraDavis,) for winning the August Sky CD Twitter Promotion! We’ll be sending him his free CD this week. Keep an eye out for our next promotion! Follow us on Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube to stay informed on new SalinasRadio events and promos!

We have also made a monetary contribution to the Food Bank for Monterey County. Remember, for every donation of $10 or more, we will send you a free August Sky CD (while supplies last) and donate 50% of the proceeds to the Food Bank for Monterey County. Contact me at Mike@SalinasRadio.com to donate!

"Just Like Magic" CD Cover

Please welcome Donnie Williams and Park Place to SalinasRadio.com, accompanied by LaToya London and Terrell Williams. Here’s some promo on the two albums we will be featuring on the station.

“Just Like Magic” -
Two American Idol Finalists Donnie Williams & Latoya London backed by Park Place, an all-star band. Have released a great new Cd on Chump Change records. The Cd is titled “Just Like Magic” and contains 15 outstanding songs with styles to enlist even the most discriminating taste, produced by Paul Tillman Smith,Norman Connors and Nelson Braxton. Suitable songs for: Urban R&B, Soul, Love Songs, Smooth Jazz, Easy listening, adult contemporary, lite rock formats, Gospel & Inspirational, Contemporary Christian.

“The Power” -
Chumpchange Records and Paul Tillman Smith have assembled a tremendous group of legendary musicians and singers and producers to produce a fantastic new Maxi Single Cd of Inspirational and healing songs that will be marketed to all Recovery and Rehabilitation centers in the USA, as well as churches and ministries seeking to help people suffering from addictions of any kind. The song “Higher Power” is already being called the “National Anthem of Recovery”.

The promotion and distribution of this life saving product will be supported by tours with Donnie Williams and Park Place where they will perform live at Rehab centers & Churches across the country.

The musicians and singers contributing to this product include: Paul Tillman Smith, Nelson Braxton Composer/Producers Vocalist: Donnie Williams, Latoya London, Nelson Braxton, Terrell Williams, Derick Hughes, Freddie Hughes, Denise Stewart, Michael Cheadle, Paul Tillman Smith, Yolandra Rhodes, Musicians: Pharoah Saunders, and The Saint Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band horns, Paul Tillman Smith, Raoul Smith, Nelson Braxton,Vincent Lars, Charles Spikes, Troy Lampkin

The” Higher Power Project” is a non-profit project of Chumpchange Records and all Profits and donations generated through the sales and distribution of this Product will be spent to support Rehabilitation programs and Recovery Programs.

Check out (and hopefully purchase) both CD’s from Chump Change Records. Show some love!