Alan Lilienthal

Mexican musician Javier Bátiz could very likely have been world famous had he headed north of the border with his good friend and bandmate Carlos Santana back in the 1960s. But instead, Javier went south to Mexico City, where he built a successful career in the country he loves. In a new episode of “Port of Entry,” we look into how Javier’s life, decisions and decades-long musical career have brought him internal peace and fulfillment he says is far more important to him than reaching the high-level fame his friend Carlos found. Today’s story continues our new season of "Port of Entry" focused on artists and musicians who’ve turned pain into superpowers.

You know what they say about one man’s trash becoming another’s treasure, right? At the border, the journey from trash to treasure often involves an actual trip from San Diego to Tijuana, where things like furniture, appliances and other used or discarded objects find a second life. But, of course, those objects don’t move themselves. The whole cross-border, second-hand world involves people like Seth Sullivan, aka “Art Pusher,” one of the best-known “pickers” in the borderlands. Seth is a fireball who’s been through a lot in his cross-border life. But his struggles have only fueled him to keep going and growing. Today’s story kicks off a new season of "Port of Entry" focused on artists and musicians who’ve turned pain into superpowers. Follow Art Pusher on Instagram. *** “Port of Entry'' is written and produced by Kinsee Morlan. Emily Jankowski is the co-producer and director of sound design. Alisa Barba is our editor. Lisa Morrisette-Zapp is operations manager and John Decker is the interim associate general manager of content. This program is made possible, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

In this bonus episode, meet a woman who takes people’s pets from San Diego to Tijuana for more affordable veterinary care. It’s a story about the great…

In a new “Port of Entry” bonus episode: One Baja chef’s pandemic story and the camera crew who followed it. Valle de Guadalupe has exploded over the last decade. It’s become a hugely popular wine and food destination for people from around the world. But when the pandemic hit, the flood of tourism to the culinary region just completely stopped at first, then slowly turned into a trickle. A new one-hour special on KPBS called “Ingrediente” tells the story of how Valle de Guadalupe chef Drew Deckman and his restaurant crew learned how to survive and even thrive through the ongoing pandemic. We talk to Deckman and the show’s producer, Jill Bond.

In this “Tour Guide” bonus episode, borderless artist Shinpei Takeda takes us on a tour of his exhibition, “Fantasia Moral” (“Moral Fantasy”), which is showing at the art museum in Tijuana, CECUT, through Aug. 8.

Phil Beaumont, lead vocalist of the San Diego band, The Color Forty Nine, has been belting out tunes since he was a kid living in England back in the ’70s. After he landed in Southern California for high school and college, he eventually made his way south to Tijuana to see show after show at the legendary music venue Iguanas. Over time, Phil found himself crossing the border a lot, spending hours writing poetry and lyrics at his favorite bar, Dandy Del Sur. In our recurring “Moved by Music” series, we tap into the ’70s rock records Phil and his brothers listened to as kids, and the punk, two-tone and dub reggae he caught on the John Peel show on BBC radio. Then we dive deep into Phil’s relationship with Tijuana over the years, and how his love of living in a border city led to The Color Forty Nine’s new collaboration with world-famous musician Rubén Albarrán of Café Tacvba and Tijuana artist Hugo Crosthwaite.