By Tracy Kimberly Fuentes
Thirteen years ago, Long Beach was a landscape of raw potential and vanishing venues. For G and his partner Vicky, it was a city that needed an outlet—a place where the vibrant, colliding worlds of punk, hip-hop, metal, and Latin music could be documented without a corporate filter.
“Culture always has to be promoted,” G says, leaning back. “There always has to be an outlet. We used to have a shop called No Regrets, where we held punk shows every two weeks. We realized we needed to showcase the people who actually deserved to be seen.”
Vicky agrees, noting that the move to television was almost inevitable. “The scene has been here for a long time. It made sense to take what we were already doing in the shop and put it on the air.”
What started as a labor of love has become an institution. Airing Friday nights at 11:00 PM for over a decade, Road Dogs TV operates on a simple, uncompromising ethos: If we think you’re cool, you’re on. If we don’t, you aren’t.
“We don’t do this for money or glory,” G explains. “We do it because we truly want to keep music, art, and culture alive in Long Beach. We believe it’s our obligation as Californians.”
The Green Room Confidential
When you spend a decade in the underground, you witness the surreal. Asked about the wildest moment they couldn’t broadcast, G chuckles, recalling a guest who “wanted a platter of guacamole and chips and went absolutely crazy when we didn’t give it to him”- “all while holding a tall can.” added stage manager Juan.
But for the most part, the “after-hours” nature of their slot provides complete creative freedom. The show has played host to heavyweights like Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, Dave Lombardo of Slayer, and the late DH Peligro of the Dead Kennedys.
“I feel like I’ve lived four lives just by doing this,” G says. “We’ve interviewed Jack Grisham from TSOL and all the guys from D.I. when nobody else could get them. All the big magazines and newspapers were there, but the only people in the green room were the Road Dogs TV crew.”
Mission from Gods
Reflecting on their longevity, the crew—including stage manager Juan and HTTH band manager Dennis—maintains that their success is rooted in the refusal to “sell out.”
“I’ve always had the mentality that I’m going to finance my own art,” G says, his intensity rising. “I just feel like the Blues Brothers. I’m on a mission from the Gods.”
Vicky adds that the “Road Dogs” network is built on genuine human connection, not industry status. “Money won’t bring you happiness. Being able to support local art and create unity within our own surroundings—that’s bigger than anything.”
Coming Full Circle
This year, the show turns 13, and their band, Heavenly Trip to Hell, hits the 30-year mark. To celebrate, they are hosting their first-ever Road Dogs Legacy Awards show at the iconic Art Theatre on 4th Street.
“It’s the last standing single-screen theater around,” says Dennis. “Hollywood and the film industry actually started in Long Beach before moving to LA. It’s full circle, bringing it back.”
As for the “rules” of this new awards ceremony? Vicky is characteristically blunt. “The first rule is: there are no rules. We’re recognizing people who have left a legacy of music and art, and because they didn’t do it for money. At the end of the day, art will pay you.”
For a crew that has navigated the highs of Mexico City festivals and the lows of seeing beloved local clubs shuttered, the mission remains unchanged.
“We’re not stopping,” Vicky promises. “We’re looking forward to so many more places, so much more art, and meeting so many more people.”
Road Dogs TV airs Friday nights. To catch the latest in the Long Beach underground, tune in—just don’t expect them to play the hits if they don’t think they’re real.
Thirteen years. Zero apologies. The Road Dogs Legacy Awards show hits the Art Theatre August 13,2026.
