This very special emergency July Fourth Election Day Special is my attempt to make the case that Joe Biden must step aside and allow for an open Democratic convention.

The arguments and dire predictions I share this episode are not meant to stir panic or fear, they are intended only to encourage action. I call this an 'Election Day Special' because I, perhaps naively, believe that if enough voters raised their voices now to demand Biden step aside it might help sway the powers making this monumental decision to make the what I think is the right one.

In the next few days the decision will be made. If you write your reps, senators, dem governors, the White House TODAY and encourage others to do the same, you will have voted for the best candidate (someone other than Biden) in what I think is the most important election ever held.

"Maybe none of this matters, the decision is out of our hands. Why bother?" If nothing else, in taking action you will have worked the muscle of participation in collective activity. This is something we all need to do more of no matter what the political situation.

Thanks for listening!

To contact reps simply search "find my rep", "find my senator" etc.

Good pod about how an open convention could work.

Episode 92 is finally here, featuring the return of musician, DC punk and now AUTHOR Seth Lorinczi.

Last time we spoke back on Ep 62 we said we’d talk again when his book was released and I’m happy so say that day has come!

Writing show notes is my absolute least favorite part of making this podcast so here’s my first show notes written in with ChatGPT: 

Episode Overview

In this episode of the TraegerMethod Podcast, host Jason Traeger sits down with Seth Lorinczi, the author of the captivating new book, Death Trip: A Post-Holocaust Psychedelic Memoir. This episode delves into the transformative power of psychedelic plant medicines and how they have helped Seth navigate and heal from the deep-seated ancestral trauma stemming from the Holocaust.

About the Guest

Seth Lorinzci is a debut author whose first book, Death Trip, is garnering attention for its honest and compelling narrative. Seth's journey is one of profound personal healing and exploration, offering readers a front-row seat into his experiences with psychedelic therapies. His work is not just a memoir but a guide and inspiration for those looking to understand the intersection of trauma, healing, and consciousness.

Book Spotlight: Death Trip: A Post-Holocaust Psychedelic Memoir

Seth’s memoir takes readers on a journey through his encounters with various psychedelic medicines such as MDMA, 5-Meo-DMT and Ayahuasca. This book is a page-turner, combining gripping storytelling with profound insights into the human psyche and the healing process. Death Trip explores:

• Ancestral Trauma: How the trauma of previous generations, specifically the Holocaust, can continue to affect descendants.
• Psychedelic Plant Medicines: The role these substances play in therapeutic and spiritual contexts.
• Personal Transformation: Seth's personal growth and healing as he confronts and integrates his familial pain.

Now this is me again. We also talk about the newly released LP of demos by Seth’s teenage garage rock punk band The Vile Cherubs ‘Lysergic Lamentations’ OUT NOW on LG Records

I love talking with Seth and his book is absolutely fantastic!

Support the podcast: PATREON

Notes:

Seth Lorinczi

The Vile Cherubs LG Records

Michael Galinsky Saved by Sarno

US and the Holocaust film by Ken Burns

Seth Speaks book I mentioned.

Music:

The Vile Cherubs 'The Man with the Photograph'

Circus Lupus 'Super Genius'

Episode 83 is a conversation with prolific podcaster and veteran DC punk Brian Gathy. 

Brian is co-host of End On End, a pod that examines every Discord Records title in the order they were released, he also singlehandedly produces and hosts The Unanimous Hour dedicated to deciphering the fractal brilliance of DC band Lungfish’s catalog of songs as well as Dweller On the Threshold which explores the music of Van Morrison.

Our conversation touches on those projects but the bulk of our talk focuses on a new podcast (my second, his FOURTH) that we discuss and name during the course of this episode. The new pod will be called Deathless Neverborn and is dedicated to exploring what might be called ‘the spiritual journey’ primarily from a Buddhist and Non-dual perspective. 

Having just met, we share how the idea for the pod came to be and we open up about some of the formative experiences that have shaped our lives and led us to want to make a pod like DN. 

So here it is dear listener, the birth of Deathless Neverborn podcast!

Thank you SO MUCH for listening and for supporting the pod!

Traegermethod Patreon

Music:

Rites of Spring 'End On End'

Jason Traeger 'Neutralize Existence'

Episode 82 is a free-form conversation with TMpod bestie Sean Kelly (Tight Bros From Way Back When bassist, Derrick Tape originator, Father etc.)

Together we talk: Sean's pre-punk years as a Marine kid moving around, Toronto radio in the early 80's, San Diego 'Alternative' format pioneer 91X, the lives and careers of Sinead O'Connor and Pee Wee Herman, UFO/UAP disclosure, the horrors of Late-Stage Capitalism, and our mutual rediscovered love of playing music and musical gear among other subjects.

Content warning: We also get into some talk about pain and suicide. Hopefully we handle the subject respectfully but thought I'd let you know we do talk about it.

Thank you so much for listening!

Show note links:

Maui Fire Support

Rev Left Radio Podcast

Wildfire Project

Blindboy Podcast

The Intercept article

SUPPORT THE POD: Patreon THANK YOU!!

Music:

91X clip from 08/01/1984

Pee Wee Playhouse theme by Mark Mothersbaugh, Paul Reubens and George McGrath

Closing YouTube clip by James Rundle

TMpod theme by Jason

Hello Deathless Neverborn,

I had to toss a conversation with previous TM pod guest Don Ankrom because of some technical difficulties (aka heavy nose breathing on my part and a non-stop barking wiener dog named Enzo) so I am offering TM pod listeners a remix of that episode's introduction with some of my music thrown in for color and intrigue. It's a new twist on the podcast you love. ...you do love it right?

Some links of people and places mentioned in the episode:

Host of the open mic I played Johnny Franco

Place I played the open mic: Craft Factory

Place I played a show: Mother Foucault's Books

Poet Dehlia Ackley

Musician Caspar Sonnet

TMPOD PATREON

Music by Jason

Episode 80 is a celebration of Rick Froberg's life and a celebration of life in general. I'm flying solo here, strolling down memory lane on a summer morning.

When I started the TMpod I did so with the goal of connecting and reconnecting with old friends and sharing those conversations with whoever might want to listen. Rick was an early guest (Episode 15) because he was top of my list of people I wanted to reconnect with. I loved the guy even though we hadn't hung out in years. I always took special joy in making him laugh and we did laugh together again on that episode which felt great.

I had Rick's name on my list of guests I wanted to have back on the pod but was waiting until the new Hot Snakes record was out to have him on again, I see now that was a mistake. Lesson learned: don't wait!

Much love to all Rick's family, friends and fans. His memory, music and art live on in all of us who have been touched by his life and work.

Thanks for listening and for supporting the pod!

LINKS:

Tour Stories Podcast tribute to Rick Froberg

Plants of the Gods Podcast

Snowmade

I got the name of this shop wrong, it's not Blue Moon Music it's Moonlight Music

William S. Burrough's Dream machine

SUPPORT THE POD THANK YOU!

TM pod theme by Jason

TraegerMethod Pod Episode 79 celebrates the return of writer, NO IDOLS HC kingpin Tony Rettman! 

Tony has literally written the book on hardcore punk having penned three crucial books on the subject; NYHC: New York Hardcore 1980-1990 ,  Straight Edge and his first book Why Be Something That You’re Not: Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985. That book is about to be reissued in a new edition on June 21st through Revelation Records.Tony will have 100 signed copies with the rare green cover available through his NO IDOLS site, so be quick!

(LINKS BELOW!)

Before we get into the book, we talk about Tony’s life today living with multiple health concerns, the foremost of which is cancer. He shares some funny stories from the frontlines and some wisdom learned in the process of dealing with everything. I know all us TM Pod people wish him well and I’m grateful he shared his experience with us.

I've been obsessed with The Sopranos since I started rewatching it when I had Covid. Tony and I discuss the show and and we get some insight into New Jersey culture from one who has definitely lived it. I really enjoyed talking with Tony and I know you’ll dig listening! Thank you again Tony for joining me and THANK YOU TO ALL TM POD SUPPORTERS AND LISTENERS. If you like the pod, please tell a friend.

Music:

Negative Approach 'Nothing'

The Fix 'Vengeance'

TM pod theme by Jason

LINKS:

BUY THE BOOK

NO IDOLS

Support the pod:

PATREON

As the episode title suggests Episode 78 is The Very Special ‘Jason finally got Covid 19’ Special episode of the TM pod.

A solo thang recorded straight from my sick bed, in it I share some body sounds and assorted horror, tales of the virus, live music reviews, thoughts on my own musical journey and our entertainment saturated culture and some of my current flix pix from the streaming services. I also celebrate the lives and music of Tina Turner and Elliot Smith.

Heretofore and furthermore I share an account of an algorithmic journey I took on YouTube that went from researching my Covid related ear-clicking condition middle ear myoclonus to exploring the culture and music of Newfoundland where I encountered the music of NF folk revivalists The Dardanelles and the much celebrated keeper of the flame of NF folk music the late Rufus Guinchard. All this by way of via Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

It’s a hell of ride and we live, love, laugh and (almost) cry along the way. So mask up and strap in for the ride.

Thank you SO MUCH for listening and for supporting the pod.

If you don't currently but would like to: PATREON

If you can't contribute but you like what I do PLEASE TELL A FRIEND about the pod.

Much love and gratitude to you all, each and everyone.

LINKS:

Rufus Guinchard

His music

The Dardanelles

Saloli

Deja Bleu

You can just look up 'middle ear myoclonus' if you want to go deeper into my ear situation.

Music: 

Plain Wrap ‘Red Light’

The Dardanelles: (doing a tune from a live performance on Youtube, no title was given)

Rufus Guinchard: (also doing an unnamed tune from a short CBC news documentary from the early 80's on YouTube)

TM pod theme REMIX by Jason

Hello and welcome and HAPPY SPRING.

Episode 77 is the return of Hutch Harris to the pod. We talk about the formation of his new band Clear Rivers with Jordan Hudson the original drummer of his beloved former band The Thermals. The band's recently released self titled LP is out now and it's a smash that listeners must check out. We also talk pretty extensively about psychedelics and the pro's and cons of altered states of mind. There's also a bit of discussion of home recording and the differences between 'lo-fi' and 'hi-fi lo-fi'

It's great to have Hutch back on the pod, the episode is a lot of fun and I thank you very much for listening and for SUPPORTING THE POD!

LINKS:

Clear Rivers

Hutch's instagram

TraegerMethod podcast PATREON

Music:

Clear Rivers 'Dead Star' and 'You're Not Here'

TMpod theme by Jason

Here's a different way to do show notes.

EPISODE 76

Intro: Spring has arrived. Mindfulness.

GUEST: Marc Maxey

Bio: bass / guitar / singer Justice League, Pollen 

Art, The Killing Flame, Slothfist

Co-owner (with Justice League bandmate Ryan Hoffman) of Quiet Panic Records

Date/Place of our first meeting:

Southern California Early/mid 1980’s 

Conversation notes:

Inland Empire/Pomona punk history:

Toxic Shock Records 

Fartblossom Records / Bob Durkee

Straight edge hardcore history.

Reno punk history.

San Diego punk history.

Los Angeles punk history

Violence at shows.

Tour stories.

1980’s punk

MUSIC

Pollen Art 'Damn Jam'

Justice League 'Shattered Dreams'

TMpod theme by Jason

LINKS

Marc's instagram

Quiet Panic Records

Mindpower Records

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND FOR SUPPORTING THE PODCAST!

PATREON

It has been my great privilege to count this week’s guest low-end legend Christopher Sutton as a friend for near three decades now. Episode 74 marks his TMpod debut, the first of many appearances I hope!

The conversation starts at the beginning, wherein we meet a young Chris in the 80’s walking down the strip mall streets of his hometown of Lacey, WA carrying his new $208 bass guitar toward home where he would begin practicing his hair metal bass shredding. 

It wasn’t until his mom insisted he and his friend Dan check out a music festival happening downtown that he had any inkling that he lived in a punk rock epicenter. All that changed the moment they stepped out of the car to check out the International Pop Underground Festival.

It wasn’t long before he met IPU creator, K Records founder Calvin Johnson while recording with Oly ska band Engine 54 and was swept away on a musical odyssey that continues to this day and has taken him around the world beginning with Calvin’s Dub Narcotic Sounds System continuing with C.O.C.O, The Gossip, The Dirt Bombs, Chain and the Gang to name a few.

Always a prolific musician, Chris has recently released a collection of selected solo tunes on the Antiquated Future label created between 1998 and 2019 called you brought me back from the dead. It's great listening and I urge you to seek it out either in it's cassette form or streaming on all the web places!

Enjoy my conversation with Chris!

LINKS:

Antiquated Future

Bandcamp

SUPPORT THE POD!!! THANK YOU!!! https://www.patreon.com/traegermethod

Music:

Christopher Sutton 'We're So Ugly' 'Baby Ornette' and 'Love Dub'

We also feature a short excerpt from The Transfused musical recorded live in Olympia in 2000.

TMpod theme by Jason

Episode 91 is a conversation with New York based artist, musician, curator, zine maker, scene maker Rich Jacobs.

After having moved in often overlapping punk rock/DIY friend circles for the better parts of our lives, I’m happy to say Rich and I finally got to know one another in the early days of the pandemic talking over the phone, just like we're doing here.

This episode covers his early years, discovering punk rock as a preteen in the early eighties, his family’s moves from So Cal to the Pacific Northwest, where he saw his first punk show, and then to Colorado where he started his first band Atomic Dilemma.

We talk about the punk rock zine culture we both were a part of and the skateboard/straightedge zine scene he cut his teeth in. Rich traces a line from these early publishing efforts to the work he is doing today; creating books of his paintings and drawings as well as acting as an art director on a forthcoming retrospective of the graphic work of our friend, the brilliant late artist/musician Rick Froberg. 

Along the way he pays tribute to many friends, collaborators and influences who have enriched his life and informed his ideas about art and music making and Rich shares some of his strategies for finding joy in an imperfect world.

I really enjoyed talking with Rich and I hope you find the conversation as inspiring and enjoyable as I did.

Thanks for listening!

              REST IN POWER GARY FLOYD

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: PATREON

LINKS: 

Rich Jacobs @movezine  Instagram

The art of Marian Zazeela

Tim Kerr’s Music

Music:

Big Boys ‘Red/Green’ from Live at Raul’s

Atomic Dilemma ’Scars’ 

Tim Kerr with Rich Jacobs ‘One Foot in Front of the Other’

We’ve had run of Olympia music history episodes on the pod but with this one we’re heading south on i-5 and sprinkling in some stand-up comedy history.

Episode 73 is a conversation with my good friend, stand-up comic and 90’s/00’s Portland punk Gabe Dinger.

Now based in Los Angeles, Gabe and I met in 2011 when we were both working the stand-up stages of Portland. Gabe was one of my favorite established comics on the scene and after becoming friends we bonded further on our shared punk history.

He tells us about his preteen punk awakening in the Nu metal era. After being informed by a skater friend that there was more to punk than Green Day he followed the breadcrumbs left by bands like 7 Seconds and the DK’s to discover a vital current Portland scene centered around all ages Stage Four club and his high school punk band (and Recess Records' artists) Berserk.

From there we explore Gabe’s bio as a stand-up comic and the history of the Portland comedy scene that has helped develop many well known comics of today like Shane Torres, Ian Karmel, Amy Miller (TMpod ep. 31), and Gabe's tourmate and bestie Ron Funches to name but a few.

Thanks for listening and for supporting the pod. Enjoy!

Gabe's Instagram

SUPPORT THE POD THANK YOU!

Also mentioned:

Recess Records 

SMEGMA Dives First into Punk Rock 1978/79 CD

Christopher Sutton 'You Brought Me Back From the Dead Cassette

Music:

Berserk: 'Traitor' and 'Die Questy Scum'

Theme by Jason

So good to have Pete back on the pod.

This episode Pete Chramiec and I stretch the very definition of what a podcast can be. For instance, together we prove that a podcast CAN consist of two late-middle age men looking through some old stickers and flyers in real time.

We also demonstrate that if you space out a guest’s appearances it really doesn’t matter if we tell the same stories we’ve already talked about. Podcasting is a very intimate medium, I hope my voice feels like the voice of a friend even if we’ve never met. One thing I know about friendships, especially long term friendships: we tell and listen to the same stories a lot. So consider this episode a relaxed chill sesh with your friends Jason and Pete.

We do cover some new territory: we talk about the Unwound shows we recently caught, Pete tells us about the last couple Verbal Assault tours they did and I talk about the power of mindfulness when dealing with mood disorders. It’s a cool episode and I’m proud of it, so there!

Music:

Verbal Assault

‘Vicious Hippie’

‘Dead Society’

TM Theme by Jason

Support the Pod: PATREON (THANK YOU!)

It was a real thrill talking with Seattle punk/hardcore/thrash LEGEND Blaine Cook for episode 71.

As a kid coming of age in the pre-Grunge Seattle punk scene of the early 80’s, for me and my friends The Fartz set the standard of what it meant to be a hardcore band. Their name sometimes drew snickers from the uninitiated but the intensity of their live shows and recordings, which owed everything to Blaine’s guttural sandpaper delivery, immediately dispelled any idea that this was some kind of novelty punk act. They were as hardcore as it gets.

In our conversation Blaine and I talk Seattle music (and skateboarding) history, and we chronicle his four decade career fronting and snarling with The Fartz, proto-grunge pioneers 10 Minute Warning, crossover/punk/thrash mainstays The Accused and Toe Tag up to his work today with The Accused AD. He is the epitome of an uncompromising punk rock n roll survivor.

I’m so happy to be able to share this conversation with Blaine Cook.

Links:

Blaine Cook:

Instagram

The Accused AD

Support the pod:

PATREON

Music:

The Fartz “You Got a Brain”

The Accused “Martha Splatterhead”

TM pod theme by Jason

Episode 70 is a SOLO MINI-SODE.

I've decided that here in season/year three of the podcast I am going to release an interview episode and a solo episode alternating weekly.

If you subscribe and support the pod because you love the conversations I have with musicians, artists and friends NOTHING IS CHANGING you will still get an episode like that every other week, just like you've been getting. The difference is now you will ALSO be getting another episode in-between those ones.

These solo episodes will be more free-form in nature, they’ll likely be of a shorter duration and will be whatever I want them to be; funny, philosophical, musical, meditative, self-help etc.

This week’s episode I talk about overcoming resistance to doing things you know are good for you, I share some funny stories and I talk about how much I enjoyed seeing The Mona Reels live in Portland.

Thank you so much for listening and supporting the pod!

PATREON

The Mona Reels

Music:

The Mona Reels live in Portland at Dante’s 01/11/23

Background ambient:

Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Episode 69 (...grow up) is a conversation with low-end god and Oly punk legend, Jared Warren. Jared has kept it heavy since high school where he met his KARP bandmates, the late Scott Jernigan and guitarist Chris Smith.

From those beginnings he has gone on to front and play in several legendary combos, The Tight Bros From Way Back When, The Whip, and his current and most enduring job fronting and playing bass in his Big Business , his mega-duo with drummer Cody Willis. Big Business joined forces for many years with The Melvins and did the seemingly impossible: made the legends of heavy even heavier.

Today he is looking forward to playing bass on the upcoming Unwound tour where he will stand in the spot where the late Vern Rumsey once stood. Jared tell us about his relationship with him, one that stretches back even before high school when he first met 'The Straw Haired Boy' at their mom’s Tupperware party as children.

CONTENT WARNING:

We also share some darkly funny stories of our time working together in Olympia with a developmentally disabled population some of whom were formerly institutionalized sex offenders. We don’t get into anything graphic but thought I should still mention it.

We also share even more harrowing stories of the time we started doing stand-up comedy in Seattle in the very late 90’s/ early 2000’s.

Please enjoy my conversation with Jared Warren!

support the pod: Patreon thank you!

Music: Karp ‘Bacon Industry’

Big Business ’No Vowels’

short excerpt at break: Silly Killers ‘Knife Manual’

TM theme by Jason

HAPPY NEW YEAR TM POD LISTENERS!

This episode I say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023 with some reflections and projections on them both.

The bulk of the episode is dedicated to examining the non-dual perspective that has so informed and made possible the transformation I’ve experienced since a profound depressive episode at the end of 2021. Hopefully some of what I share is useful and helpful to listeners who might struggle with being ok and finding joy in their lives.

Here’s some of the names I mention in the episode:

‘Seeds of Consciousness’

‘I Am That’

collected talks by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Rupert Spira on Youtube

Wisdom of the Masters podcast

THANK YOU for listening and for supporting the pod!

Music:

Surreal Forest by Meydän | https://linktr.ee/meydan

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

and 

Serena (Longer Version) by Spheriá | https://soundcloud.com/spheriamusic

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Episode 67 features the return of Tobi Vail to the pod! Last time she was on we spent most of the episode covering her musical / cultural biography, growing up punk rock in western Washington.

This time around we focus primarily on her life today, making music at home and in residencies with groups like Girlsperm and Morgan and the Organ Donors when not touring the world with the newly reformed Bikini Kill.

We hear her account of the fraught and sometimes alienating reality of touring in the Covid era and also how fun and exciting it is to be out there playing to the biggest crowds of her decades long career.

Tobi also shares with us her enthusiasm for a current crop of artists and the joy she finds pursuing a lifelong course of learning and growing both as a musician and scholar of music history.

It’s a fun and inspiring conversation, and I’m happy to share it with you, dear listener.

Music:

Bikini Kill ‘Hamster Baby’ Live at Capitol Theater, Olympia 11/09/22

Girlsperm ‘What Do I Do with My Guitar’

TMpod theme by Jason

SUPPORT THE POD THANK YOU:

PATREON

Happy (American) Thanksgiving to all TM pod listeners! I’m delighted to say TM pod ep. 66 marks the first ever podcast appearance, here or anywhere else, of musician, friend, founding Unwound member Brandt Sandeno!

Brandt and I talk about his musical origin story beginning as a teen at Tumwater High School with his (pre-Unwound) Giant Henry bandmates Justin Trosper and Vern Rumsey. He describes how as a passionate guitarist, he was the band’s drummer out of necessity and was happy to turn over the throne to Sara Lund not long after G.H.’s name change.

Brandt went on to play keyboards with Unwound and would throughout the years frequently collaborate with Justin in other projects such as Survival Knife, The Young Ginns, Replikants among others. He shares a ton of great stories and paints a vivid picture of the influential Olympia music scene of the 80’s and 90’s from his perspective as a local kid growing up in that fertile place and time.

The two of us also get into some funny tales of our time as co-workers at K Records and in the halls of power at the Washington State capitol.

Hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did making it. Thank you for listening!

Music:

Survival Knife 'Divine Mob'

Giant Henry 'Chris Jordan'

TM pod theme by Jason

Survival Knife

Unwound self titled LP featuring Brandt

Support the pod! 

The podcast is back baby! Artist, musician, dear friend of the pod, Tae Won Yu is also back! Season Three of the TMpod begins now with episode 65.

I certainly don’t need any special excuse to have Tae on the pod but I am very pleased to be able to have him on at this moment to celebrate the release of The Antiquarian Sticker Book: Imaginarium. The new third installment of his much beloved and successful series on MacMillan/Odd Dot.

Tae and I talk about the book and his process and experience gathering and creating the images that fill its pages. We discuss flow states, fallow states and the editorial thinking that must be kept at bay when the muse is at hand. Tae is a friend and artist I have admired and marveled at for decades now and it’s always inspiring to learn more about his thinking and process, I’m sure listeners will be similarly delighted to hear his take.

I also mention in the intro how much making and listening to music has been helping me through the challenging days I’ve been through recently. I have added a new feature to episodes this season: I will be playing a song at the end of each episode. Thanks for listening!

Music:

‘Milquetoast Brigade’ by The Go Team with Jeffery Kennedy

'The Best I Can Do' Song of the week by Jason

Support the pod:

Patreon

Additional links of stuff mentioned this episode:

Heart ‘Crazy on You’ Live 2013

Scandal: ‘The Warrior’ Live 2006

Adam Phillips talking about his book ’Missing Out’

This week’s episode marks the return of pod favorite, old school San Diego ‘Slow Death’ punk and underground skate legend Andy Newton aka OMA aka Old Man Andy aka Lord Shanty.

Our freewheeling conversation takes the listener back to his pre-punk teenage years when he was listening to Ted Nugent, ditchin’ school, skating drainage ditches and smoking ditch weed as a member of The Chula Vista Cruisers skate team. Andy breaks down the legendary spots that preceded the arrival of the first skate parks in the San Diego area.

We dissect the blurry lines he navigated between Hard Rock, New Wave and Punk Rock and how in the end it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re stoked! There’s plenty of San Diego/Tijuana punk history with tales of beaches, the border, bands and of course brawls because this was ‘Slow Death’ one of the country’s most notoriously violent punk scenes in that rough and tumble late 70’s early 80’s era.

Be sure to check out Lord Shanty’s previous appearance on TM Pod episode 10 and follow him on instagram to keep up with his adventures carving the empty pools of Chula Vista today.

Thank you SO MUCH for listening and HUGE thank you to our Patreon and Anchor contributors!

LINKS

 OMA instagram

mentioned in the pod:

'Friends of Shawn' Shawn Kerri instagram

Support the pod:

TM POD patreon

Music:

Battalion of Saints 'Cops Are Out'

Mad Society 'Riot Squad'

TM pod Theme by Jason

TraegerMethod podcast has finally made it to the 90’s!

Appropriately  Ep.90 is a conversation with a friend I met in the Olympia scene of the 1990’s; punk rock n’ roll multi-instrumentalist powerhouse Jessica Espeleta.

She shares the story of how she arrived in Oly as a teenager when she was recruited to give the scene a try by the guys in Lync after a show they played at 924 Gilman where she was volunteering. Her decision to jump in the van not only led to a new town but it also marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship and frequent collaboration with Lync’s Sam Jayne in Love As Laughter or LAL,  the moniker under which he’d make music for the rest of his life.

We recorded this conversation on what would have been Sam’s 50th birthday and to celebrate his memory she shares some stories of their days together recording and touring and describes the impact their friendship has had on her life.

Jessica has been in too many bands to name but I’ll name a few, that come up in our conversation: WitchyPoo (with Slim Moon), Weird War (with Ian and Michelle from The Make-Up and Niel Haggerty of Royal Trux), Frenchie and The German Girls (with Tobi and Maggie Vail), and SO many more….she and I even played together in a hardcore band called the Reagan Years .

Today ‘Jesspo’ lives in Los Angeles where she plays bass with Bart and the Bedazzled and Wayne Faler and works hard everyday to keep the flame alive in the big city.  We love her for it.

Thanks for listening. Enjoy the conversation!

Links: Jessica's Instagram

SUPPORT THE POD PATREON

Music in order:

Love As Laughter 'Nude Hose'

Reagan Years 'Cold War of My Own'

Lync 'Pennies to Save'

Black Fork 'Live in Rapid City'

Seasick Steve 'Live @ Hardly Strictly Blues Fest'

Bart and the Bedazzled 'Blue Motel' Live

Soddamn Inssein 'Live'

The pod is back! This episode I let you all in on what’s been going on, how it’s going now and where the pod is going in the future. I explain how a couple of months ago pod momentum and all creative practices were derailed by a series of unforeseen illnesses in the family. Life suddenly got very focused on my immediate reality and not much else.

I share some of the practices and teachings that have helped me through this challenging time, specifically the guidance I’ve found in the straightforward, simple yet profound teachings of Pema Chodron author and American Buddhist nun trained in the Tibetan tradition. Her words about meditation, mindfulness, and loving awareness have been essential.

As I explain in the episode, along with my own contribution, I donated all the money I received from our generous pod supporters these two silent months to three GoFundMe’s. (THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!) Below you will find links to these very worthy campaigns if you’d like to contribute further.

From the bottom of my heart I’d like to thank you all for listening and sticking with the pod, it means so much to me. Stay tuned for many great guests in future weeks and months. Love you all!

Readings:

Chogyam Trungpa: 'Working with negativity'

Pema Chodron 'Comfortable with Uncertainty'

Pema Chodron 'How We get Hooked By Shenpa and How We Get Unhooked'

GoFundMe:

Rop Vasquez medical GoFundMe

Reuben Lorch-Miller medical GoFundme

Victims of Portland's February fascist gun attack GoFundMe

Music sample: 

Code of Honor 'What Price Would Pay'

I didn't plan on taking a pod hiatus but that's what happened! Feels good to be back with EPISODE 62 a conversation with my dear friend, author, bassist, DC Punk, Seth Lorinczi. 

Our conversation covers how his early fascination with the 70's Mod Revival led him to 60's garage rock and punk before discovering and becoming enmeshed in the very vital, now-legendary harDCore scene happening right in his own backyard. Seth tells us about reuniting as a teenager with his childhood best friend Tim Green to form DC psyche-punk misfits The Vile Cherubs  and how joining the recently relocated Circus Lupus gave him a new start in music at the dawn of the 90's.

Beyond exploring his musical biography we go deep into our shared fascination with ayahuasca and other plant medicines and the profound impact they have had and continue to have on our lives. He also talks specifically about the benefits he has experienced working with MDMA in a therapeutic setting. Enjoy the ride! Thank you for listening!

Seth's website

Seth's instagram

Non-Duality / Nisargadatta Maharaj

SUPPORT THE POD! Thank you!

Music:

Circus Lupus 'New Cop Car'

Vile Cherubs 'The Man with the Photograph'

Theme by Jason

A short update on all things TraegerMethod and a springtime message of gratitude to all pod guests, listeners and supporters.

Check out Jason's upcoming shows with Hutch Harris! new episodes COMING SOON!

April 29th Astoria OR

 May 1st Portland @ Kelly's Olympian downtown

Music:

The Fartz 'You Got a Brain'

Other music by jason

Freshly returned from his recent east coast Verbal Assault reunion tour, Pete Chramiec has returned to the TMpod as well.

It is always a delight to catch up with Pete. Our conversation covers his experience on the VA 'two-er' (the band played two shows), his fear of having preshow diarrhea (he didn't!) and how wild it was for this 'humble carpenter' to take the stage again after all these years.

We cover a ton of other stuff like house building, A-frames, my job at Amazon and the madness and tragedy of Putin's idiotic war in Ukraine. It's a perfect episode that perfectly sums up what it is to be TMpod episode 61.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the pod!!!

Things we mentioned:

Battle for the South of Ukraine

Putin's Road to War

Music:

Verbal Assault 'Running'

Verbal Assault 'They're Talking'

TMpod theme by Jason

SUPPORT THE PODCAST THANK YOU:

PATREON

Episode 60 is a conversation with west coast punk rock veteran and practicing therapist Pete Normal. 

Though we never met 'back in the day' our time spent in many of the same cities and our web of mutual friendships made talking with Pete feel like I was visiting with an old friend. In addition to our shared cultural and musical history we share a deep interest in mental health, personal transformation and spiritual growth. We talk about how his life in music and his interest in these subjects led him later in life to pursue the work he does today as a licensed clinical social worker and therapist.

It's a fun, inspiring and sometimes surprising conversation: I mean how many therapists do you know who found themselves on a neo-nazi hit list when they were teenagers? Well, after you listen to this episode, you'll know at least one!

Thanks for listening and for supporting the podcast!

For more Punk Rock Therapy talk: 

Tony Mengis' Titanic Reaction Podcast

MUSIC:

Lazyboy 'Fill It'

Hooray For Everything 'Step Away'

TM Pod Theme by Jason

Support The TM PODCAST

Patreon

Venmo: @Jason-Traeger-1

Episode 59 is a conversation with my old friend Olympia based musician, artist, world / interdimensional traveller, Arrington de Dionyso.

It was so good to sit down with Arrington in person in my painting studio a couple weeks back to record this conversation. I've long admired his singular, steadfast approach to art and music making over the decades we've been friends. His passion and creative fire shines through in everything he does and this light has been a consistent inspiration to me over the years. I'm happy to share this conversation.

We cover wide ranging territory starting with his musical roots in the Spokane punk scene of the 80's. He describes the profound impact seeing live touring bands like The Go-Team, Steel Pole Bathtub and NoMeansNo had on him as a teenager. We go on to visit some highlights of his world travels including his time with The Master Musicians of Joujouka and interdimensional explorations with plant medicines. We cover the history of his long running band Old Time Relijun and so much more.

Thank you for listening! 

Arrington de Dionyso bandcamp

Arrington de Dionyso instagram

Become a Traegermethod Podcast Supporter $5 a month!  Patreon

Music: 

Old Time Relijun 'Tigers in the Temple'

Old Time Relijun'Cold Water'

TM Pod theme by Jason

My guest this week is Portland based singer, songwriter of insanely catchy punk music Hutch Harris. You know Hutch from his years fronting The Thermals and if you're hip, you are keeping up with his new solo music exemplified by his perfect Covid-era lofi bedroom LP 'Suck Up All the Oxygen'. During our conversation he also tells us we can look forward to listening to his new band Clear Rivers. 

We talk about Hutch's life in music and we get deep into his love of the TraegerMethod podcast. This conversational thread leads us to a general celebration of the benefits of coming of age and livings one's life in artistic community. It's feels like a good thing to focus on in this week where war, division and confusion seems to have taken center stage in many of our hearts and minds. I'm glad to share our conversation with you dear listener.

LINKS:

My Guest:
Hutch Harris 

Other episode mentions:

Support victims of Portland mass shooting fascist attack

(All proceed from this month's TM pod will go to this fund)

Come Closer (thank you J Wang!)

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: PATREON

Music:

Hutch Harris: 'Suck Up All the Oxygen'

Hutch Harris: "I Used to Think I Was Beautiful'

TM theme: Jason

Fundraising break background sounds by:

Jay Shingle

It's been a little over a month since our last episode, and it feels good to be back with a return guest: photographer, artist, roots DC/LA punk Cynthia Connolly. We talk about her new Minor Threat, Dischord House, 1982 photo box set release and the epic heaps of work, reflection and feeling that went into making the project a reality. Speaking of work, we also talk in depth about my new job at a local Amazon sortation center and how surprised I have been by how much I like it. We also talk about our mutual friend Timojhen Mark and his early 90's San Francisco based record mail-order company Vacuum Records. We talk about how his early success in IT prompted him to start the company as a way to lose some of the money he was making at the time. We failed to mention that he was entirely self taught and had made his way to where he is today from pretty desperate circumstances early on. I'll see if I can get Timojhen to tell his story on a future episode!

Cynthia Connolly Website

Thank you so much for listening and supporting the pod! 

Support through anchor or Traegermethod Patreon

Music: Minor Threat 'Minor Threat' from 1981 demo.

TM Pod theme by Jason

Episode 56 is a TMpod first: I'm dropping this one the same day it was recorded. This one is fresh out of the pod oven!

My guest Portland based stand-up comic Nariko Ott is one of my favorite comics, a good friend and someone whose class conscious politics always resonate with me. Even though we're talking about the Jan 6th attempted coup and the rising fascist tide in America we still manage to have some laughs and share hopeful ideas about how to survive and win in our increasingly dystopian reality.

Check out Nariko's instagram and twitter and go see him live whenever you have the chance, dude is a RIOT!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you for listening, telling a friend and for SUPPORTING the TraegerMethod podcast.

You can do so through the Anchor app or here on Patreon

TM Theme by Jason

Episode 55 is conversation with "Rock and Roll Jackie" Stewart of legendary west coast noise/experimentalists SMEGMA. She also makes music today as half of The Tenses with her partner and Smegma founder Ric "Ju Suk Reet Meate" Stewart. Jackie joined Smegma in 1983, ten years after the collective was founded in Pasadena, CA. but her west coast underground bone fides stretch back before the 'Summer of Love'. She tells us about seeing the Grateful Dead playing on a flatbed truck in the panhandle of Golden Gate Park in 1966 as a 10 year old. 

Her adolescent dreams of coming of age in San Francisco and one day joining the The Cockettes were dashed when her family relocated from the Bay Area to Salem, OR. in the mid 70's. Determined to keep her freak flag flying, she quickly set her sights on Portland and immersed herself in the burgeoning punk rock / new wave scene. 

The conversation is a wealth of Portland punk / underground history. We learn about the long gone venues, people and bands that made this place the "Keep Portland Weird" city of today. Even the most dedicated scholars of PDX punk will likely be surprised to learn that Jackie's first band was called Gumby Anti-Christ and featured a teenage Jerry A. of Poison Idea!  

Enjoy this conversation.

Happy Solstice!

SMEGMA/Tenses WEBSITE

Jackie's INSTA

Oregon Painting Society 

TM POD PATREON

Music:

SMEGMA: 'One Moment'

                'Live at Earth Tavern 7/22/1979'

TM POD theme by Jason

Episode 89 marks the return Chris Squire for part 2 of our series that tells a history of San Diego punk through the life and lens of one of the scene’s legends.

Our conversation picks up where the last one left off in the latter part of 80’s toward the end of Squire’s high school career and the end of the old school SD punk scene. Part 2 moves into the acid drenched, post-hardcore years that in many ways were just as wild and wooly as the earlier period but were far more experimental and far out.

Squire shares his thoughts on the origins of the SD sound as he traces its way from the ground zero guitar work of Battalion of Saints’ Chris Smith filtered through the hands of his brother-by-another-mother Jon Reis who continues to spreads its gospel far and wide to this day with his many musical projects.

Chris and I recorded this conversation before the very recent, tragic and unexpected death of Mike Denny aka Mike Down of Amenity / Forced Down in a cycling accident. I mention in the intro that I got Mike’s contact information from Squire at the end of our talk and was planning to have him on the pod soon but sadly this wasn’t to be. Chris tells the story of how it was he who suggested to Amenity that Mike become their singer after Squire sang with the band at one of their practices. I’m glad we could share some memories of Mike here and we will do so again when we speak next time. RIP Mike Denny

Thank you for listening and supporting the pod: PATREON

If you dig the pod but cannot support it with $ please tell a friend! Word of mouth is the number one way indie pods like this one attract listeners. THANK YOU!

LINKS: Chris Squire Instagram

Music:

Battalion of Saints '2nd Coming' (with Squire on Guitar)

Amenity 'Follow'

Amenity 'This Is Our Struggle'

TM pod is one year old! This week we celebrate with a very special friend to everyone at the pod (me)... Nicky Thomas!

Nicky was drummer extraordinaire behind 80's Dischord / DC legends Fire Party,  great Seattle 90's band Mavis Piggott and today she plays with bay area mods Hard Left. As you'll hear there were many bands and collabs before and in-between these notables. Of course with a new covid variant on the way her current band isn't playing much but she tells us she's working on a memoir that she describes as a 'racial reckoning' in part exploring her experience as a black woman in punk rock.

We talk a lot about music but we don't only talk music. We hear about her experiences as a world traveller, as a working mother raising a kid in pandemic times. She tells us about her life-long passion for cooking, growing, eating and celebrating food and the places that passion has taken her, like her work with culinary visionary Alice Waters when she was as a teacher at the Edible Classroom in Berkeley.

It's a great conversation, I loved catching up with Nicky and I know you'll love catching up with her too!

PROFOUND thank you to all TM pod listeners, supporters and guests on this one year anniversary episode. I hope my intro was worth the struggle. THANK YOU!

Music: 

Fire Party 'Make it Quick'

Mavis Piggott 'Tense Money'

TM pod theme by Jason

SUPPORT THE POD: 

Patreon 

Venmo : @Jason-Traeger-1

This week’s episode is a transatlantic conversation with Sam Knee, UK based creator of the always impressive and seemingly endless ‘A Scene In Between’ instagram feed and author/compiler of the book by the same name which is available now in a new revised edition.

Sam and I talk about his life in music and fashion beginning with his immersion in the UK’s early 80’s Mod Revival through his years in the Indie guitar pop/garage rock scene documented in the ‘A Scene In Between’ book, into his time as a member of the band Marzipan living in San Francisco in the early 90’s. From there we explore the philosophy and motivations behind his work today as a documentarian of the underground scenes that he was a part of and the ones that preceded and informed them.

It was a pleasure speaking with Sam. If you don’t already follow ‘A Scene In Between’ you owe it to yourself to do so. I can’t recommend his book highly enough, it’s a remarkable survey of a brief but highly influential moment in UK music history.

Thanks for listening!

LINKS: 

A Scene In Between Instagram

Sam's blog where it all started

Music:

Talulah Gosh 'Talulah Gosh'

The Green Telescope 'Make Me Stay'

TMpod theme by Jason

Jason's art

Episode 52 is a conversation with brilliant Olympia-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter David Connelly aka The Mona Reels. His new album ‘Without Love’ is collection of songs that sound like classics you’ve loved all your life but are hearing for the first time. I just love it.

We talk about the album and the creative process, we get into his history, arriving in Olympia in the early 90’s as a tween from Ellensberg, Wa. As a teen, he rejected the bustling local scene in favor of the ‘grunge’ from up I-5. It wasn’t until a decade later after he embraced the Olympia community that the community embraced him and he began to release music and play in other bands, like KRS artists, Bangs.

It’s a great conversation between two old friends.

The Mona Reels bandcamp

The Mona Reels instagram

Jason's art show:

TraegerMethod.com

support the pod:

Patreon

Music: 

The Mona Reels 'Much Too Close'

The Mona Reels  'Spirit Banner'

TM Theme by Jason

Hello and welcome to TM pod SEASON TWO Episode 51 with my guest, the prolific, punk rock, political graphic art legend John Yates.

John and I met in San Francisco in the late 80's when we both worked for Jello Biafra at Alternative Tentacles. We've been in touch off and on ever since and I've never stopped admiring his artistic output over the decades. We talk about our time together in that very vital era of SF music before and after the dawn of the 90's. Working at the label gave us access to almost any show or concert around the bay and we were at the right age to take full advantage of that fact, going out every night. 

The conversation starts well before those days in a rainy coastal village in Cornwall, England. John tells us about his punk rock journey from seeing The Sex Pistols on the telly getting arrested on the Thames during the Queen's Jubilee to his moving to SF to work for Jello. He tells a hilarious story of his mom's question after he told her he had made up his mind to move to the states; "You're going to move to America to work for Jello Biafra? ...are you sure it's real?" It was real and England's loss has been our gain ever since.

Enjoy my conversation with John Yates.

Music:

NoMeansNo 'Rags and Bones'

Concrete Sox: 'Scientific Slaughter'

TM pod theme by Jason

John's site: Stealworks

John's IG: HERE

TraegerMethod Patreon

Venmo: @Jason-Traeger-1

Jason's art: TraegerMethod.com

TM Pod is back after a two week break with a special two part Episode 50 featuring guest Ian MacKaye.

Part two of Jason’s conversation with guest Ian MacKaye covers a very broad range of topics from the mystery of the cosmos to the difference between a Plymouth Scamp and Plymouth Duster (there isn’t much).

It’s a fun conversation between two old friends.

Thank you for listening!

Music:

Fugazi 'Great Cop'

Coricky 'Woulda Coulda'

TM pod Theme by Jason

Support the podcast:

Traegermethod Patreon

Jason's art: TraegerMethod.com

Venmo: @Jason-Traeger-1

TM Pod is back after a two week break with a special two part Episode 50 featuring guest Ian MacKaye.

Part One of the conversation focuses primarily on the hardcore years of the early 80's. Ian shares memories of barebones tours with Minor Threat, road tripping in vans, buses and drive-away cars, crashing in punk houses and wild (and sometimes surprisingly quiet) punk shows.

With a friendship stretching back to the mid 80's, "Birthday Twins" Ian and host Jason have more than just a birthday in common. The two also have a web of mutual friends, many of whom we’ve heard from on previous episodes. They talk about those relationships and experiences in the cities and scenes that have been reoccurring themes on the TM pod. Places like San Diego, Reno, San Francisco, Seattle and Olympia.

It’s a fun conversation between two old friends.

Thank you for listening!

Music: 

Egghunt 'Me and You'

Fugazi  'Arpeggiator' demo

TM pod theme by Jason

Support the Pod: 

TraegerMethod Patreon

Jason's art: TraegerMethod.com

Venmo: @Jason-Traeger-1

Episode 49 is a conversation with Jon “Quitty” Quittner.

Listeners will remember Quitty’s previous appearance along with his Tight Bros From Way Back When bandmate (and last week’s guest) Sean Kelly on TM Pod Episode 30. That conversation focused on the phenomenon known as ‘The Derek Tape’

This conversation Jason and Quitty discuss his earlier bands: Pinhead Gunpowder, Brent’s TV, Mukilteo Fairies, and Behead the Prophet N.L.S.L.

The episode closes with a taped phone call made in 1990 between Quitty and his friend Scott Garvey that, although it is much more brief, rivals The Derek Tape as a hilarious document of a uniquely California character.

Thank you so much for listening.

Music: 

Behead The Prophet N.L.S.L. 'Of Convenience'

Brent's TV 'Candy Shop Bop'

TM Theme by Jason

This episode Jason talks with return guest Sean Kelly (Tight Bros From Way Back When, Derek Tape) about becoming a father for the first time two weeks ago.

They also talk about Woodstock '99.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

Music:

Capitol Punishment 'El Salvador'

Code of Honor 'What Price Will You Pay?'

No Labels 'Ego'

TM Theme by Jason.

Episode 47 Jason catches up with his ex-wife, Los Angeles raised, former Olympia punk, now fellow Portlander Star Athena.

The two talk about Star's experience growing up in Los Angeles. Raised in a westside apartment down the hall from Punky Meadows, frontman of Casablanca recording artists Angel. Her brother Heath played in many LA bands, doing a stint with Angry Samoans among others.  She talks about how as a teen going to punk shows she was repulsed by the sexual violence and harassment she experienced in the crowd, but that it didn’t crush her love of music.

Star and Jason met in the very early 90’s when she was a DJ at influential college station KUSF in San Francisco and he was working for Jello Biafra at Alternative Tentacles. They discuss those vital years in SF before tech dollars leveled the city’s culture and the music industry was exploding with alternative grunginess.

They go on to explore their move to Olympia after attending the International Pop Underground Fest and they recall what they both saw as the D.I.Y. pastoral punk paradise they found in their new home. They get into her two bands Flying Tigers and SubDebs who both released vinyl on K Records.

It’s not all about the past; Star explains how her diagnosis of Autism in her forties has given her a greater level of understanding and self-acceptance. She also shares some of the techniques and practices she uses today to mitigate the stress and anxiety of life and the challenges of living with multiple chronic illnesses.

It’s an uplifting conversation that went on much longer than one episode could hold. Hopefully Star will be back for a part two soon!

Thank you for listening!

Star's instagram (links to her projects in her linktree)

Music: 

SubDebs 'Telephone TV'

SubDebs 'Overtime'

TM theme by jason

Support the pod: 

Monthly: thru Anchor/Spotify

One time: Venmo @Jason-Traeger-1

TM pod 46 is a first for the podcast in three ways: it is the first episode recorded with a guest face to face, it’s the first one recorded outdoors and it’s the first time Jason has talked with singer, writer, podcaster, and OG Riot Grrrl Allison Wolfe.

The two old friends cover her formative years in Olympia, where they met in the mid 90’s. They explore Allison’s multi-decade, ongoing run fronting more than half a dozen punk bands beginning with her ground zero Riot Grrrl band Bratmobile through to her pandemic era project Magic Witch Cook Box.

There is a lot of focus on the Olympia music scene of the 80s and 90’s. The two ask how a compact little town in an out of the way corner of the country produced such a diverse, remarkable and influential group of bands. While simultaneously acting as the setting for the first sparks of one of the most impactful grassroots political movements of the era; Riot Grrrl.

Special attention is paid to the DIY festival culture of Oly that began almost exactly 30 years ago with International Pop Underground and continued with subsequent Yo-Yo a Go-Go’s and Alison’s own brainchild LadyFest, an indie feminist gathering that would go on to inspire an international series of like minded festivals of the same name.

The conversation starts with honest talk about the formidable challenges maintaining hope and motivation in a world gone mad and ends with a celebration of the possibilities that arise when small groups of motivated people get together to create culture in a community bonded by friendship and creative self expression.

Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! You can make a one-time donation: Venmo: Jason-Traeger-1 or monthly recurring donation thru Anchor.

LINKS:

ALL THINGS ALLISON

Music:

Drop from M.A.D. ‘Holocaust’

Bratmobile: ‘I’m with the Band’

Deep Lust: 'Think Yr the Better One

Cool Moms: 'USAGI'

Sex Stains: 'Land of La-La'

Bratmobile: Live at Jabberjaw 6/27/93

TM pod theme by Jason

Episode 88 marks the return of TM Pod’s VERY FIRST guest Los Angeles based creative / clown Paul Schlesinger.

Paul is one of my best friends and favorite collaborators so it’s a special pleasure to catch up with him in the pod context. Our conversation focuses on his life today learning, producing and performing in the very happening LA ‘clown community’. 

He explains that modern clowning has roots stretching back to European traditional clowning and the circus clowns which most of us think of when we hear the word ‘clown’ but that it is also informed by the worlds of performance art, experimental theater, stand-up and improv as well.

This talk couldn’t have come at a better moment for me with my very recent return to stand-up comedy. I hope it is just as interesting for you, dear listener.

SUPPORT THE POD:PATREON

Links:

Paul Schlesinger Instagram

clownpoems Instagram

Eddie Pepitone comedy

Secret Room Press

Music:

Inside Miracles /Paul Schlesinger w/Jason Traeger

'Summer'

'Alt Break-up Song'

'Universe (Lovely Gift of Life)'

Episode 45: Jason speaks with acclaimed writer, musician and martial artist Eugene S. Robinson.

Listeners will recall his previous appearance on TM pod ep. 38 which explored the enigmatic late 80’s/early 90’s bay area Rollins doppelgänger Mark Sperry.

This time Jason focuses on Eugene’s incredible life story: his days as a kid coming of age on the gang dominated streets of Brooklyn, his teen years split between the discotheques and punk clubs of 70’s Manhattan, to his long and legendary career in music that began as a student at Stanford, fronting early 80’s bay area hardcore originals Whipping Boy and evolved into his 30 plus years with globe trotting avant-rock masters Oxbow.

As if that thread of his story weren’t enough, through it all he has worked prolifically as a widely published journalist and novelist and has trained in martial arts, from boxing in his youth to his daily practice today in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Oh, and he has a few podcasts of his own!

Listen and you'll have to agree: Eugene S. Robinson might just be the world’s most interesting man.

LINKS: 

Oxbow

Eugene's Substack 

Eugene S Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast 

If the Shoes Fit Podcast

Music: 

Whipping Boy "Human Farm"

Oxbow "A Cold & Well-Lit Place"

TM pod theme by Jason

Episode 44 is a conversation with Los Angeles based writer, stand-up comic, competitive kettle-bell athlete and old school East Bay punk (via Arkansas) Bucky Sinister.

The conversation begins by revisiting a subject explored in prior episodes, the late 80’s / early 90’s SF Henry Rollins-doppelganger Mark Sperry, who was a friend of his in that period. He offers insight and shares his admiration for Sperry.

The two get into Bucky’s biography, his discovery of punk rock, his move from Arkansas to California in the 80’s and his near fatal struggle with drugs and alcohol during his days crashing in the punk houses of the east bay. He shares his story of recovery and the revelation of his late life diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

He tells us how throughout his life writing stories and performing comedy and poetry has been not only an essential steam-valve release of creative self expression but also a means of finding community and a sense of belonging. He describes how inspiring it was to arrive in the bay area just as the emerging ‘spoken word’ movement associated with the punk scene was flowering.

Jason and Bucky also talk at length about a specific project he has undertaken to compile an oral history of beloved SF musician, the late Lance Hahn and his very prolific band J Church. Lance died of a congenital heart disorder in 2007 but his memory lives on in all who knew him.

Thanks for listening! BIG thank you to all supporters! You too can support the pod through the Anchor app

Bucky's instagram

Bucky's writing blog

Bucky's novel Black Hole

Bucky's books on recovery

Music: 

J Church: 'Foreign Films' and 'No Jazz'

TM Pod Theme by Jason

This week Jason talks with TM pod regular, Pete Chramiec about the recently announced Verbal Assault reunion shows scheduled to take place Sept. 2021 in New England. Pete shares his concern that the newly surging Covid-19 Delta Variant may lead to the postponement of the dates but as of now they are very much a go. He talks about his recent trip back east to practice with the band and how much fun it was to revisit their set after a silence of 30 years.

The two get deep into the reeds with talk about the equipment used to get the VA sound and a rundown of guitarists (all from Washington D.C.) who most influenced his style and approach to playing in a hardcore band. Jason reminds listeners that Pete won 'Best Guitarist' in the 1989 FlipSide readers poll (Flea got best bassist, Fugazi best new band). Along the way he spills the recipe for ‘New Englands best clam chowder’ and tells us why the pineapple is a symbol of Newport R.I., and why it has nothing to do with 'the swinger lifestyle'.

It’s mostly all fun with a little climate catastrophe and fascism talk too.

Thanks for listening and for supporting the pod!

Music:

Verbal Assault ‘Trial’

Government Issue: ‘Jaded Eyes’

The Clitboys ‘Gay’s Okay’

Verbal Assault: ‘Learn’

TM pod Theme by Jason

This week Jason talks with Fernando ‘Ferny’ Cruz Jr. about his formative musical years with San Diego (more specifically Chula Vista) hardcore madmen Run For Your Fucking Life.

The band cut a swath of music and mayhem through endless house parties, desert generator shows and clubs from 1994-2001. The 2019 passing of their beloved singer Jason Weedon has inspired the remaining members to reissue their classic self titled LP this summer on 31G records. Ferny tells us about the trials and tribulations of life in a band who lived as intensely as the played and singer Jason's enduring legacy as a performer, connector and scene maker.

The conversation also explores what it meant then and still means today to play in a band in an underground music scene that straddles an international border.

TO PREORDER RFYFL's LP reissue and a chance to win one of 50 recently discovered original 7"EP's (with new cover) click HERE

Music:

RFYFL:

'88 Kid, 

My Dead Friends and Those Who May As Well Be Dead

TM POD Theme by Jason

The last time this week’s guest Brian Walsby and Jason talked was in December of 1985 at a show in Northridge after Brian took an impromptu turn as the singer for The Descendents when Milo was delayed making it up from San Diego where he was going to college.

This conversation is the two catching up on everything that has happened in their lives in the subsequent 36 years since that evening, leaving out nothing ...Maybe a few things were left out but all the most important stuff was covered like the fact that at one point Jason and Brian had between the two of them drawn every Maximum Rock N Roll scene report header. We also learn that the Neos ‘Hassibah Gets the Martian Brain Squeeze’ is Walsby’s favorite hardcore 7” ep of all time.

Thanks for listening and for supporting the scene!

Brian's Website

Brian's Youtube Channel

Music:

Neos 'Destruct' 

No Labels 'Jane Doe' 

TM Pod Theme by Jason