Calling All Freaks!
My guests this episode are Nico Daunt and Corbin Corbin, the guys behind the new and very cool FREAKSCENE.us Indie/D.I.Y. social media network now taking the underground by storm.
What is Freakscene? How is it different from Instagram or the other oligarch-owned, algorithmically driven, surveillance and advertising platforms masquerading as ‘social media’ in 2025?
As Corbin and Nico explain in our conversation, FS is not intended to be just another 'virtual community'. Instead it is an online space where already existing real-life D.I.Y. communities, organized by regions and cities, can network, strengthen and grow, free from corporate overlords. Its design harkens back to an era of the internet before it sucked, with lively forums and up to the minute flyer walls, all 100% free from algo-bots deciding what you will and won’t see.
The mission and vibe of Freakscene.us will likely sound familiar to TMpod listeners who came of age in the punk/HC/indie scenes of the 80’s and 90’s. Freakscene is bringing that same resourceful, handmade energy to your devices right when it’s most sorely needed.
I salute the work Nico, Corbin and all the volunteers have put in making FS a reality and I encourage everyone interested to get involved, after all, just like every cool underground scene, it is what we make it.
LINKS:
Jaron Lanier 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Account Right Now' talk
Music in order of appearance:
Porridge Radio ‘Born Confused’
West America ‘The World Destroys Itself’
Porridge Radio ‘7 Seconds’
Aaron Hartman is a bassist best known for his 30 year collaboration with visionary artist /vocalist / multi-instrumentalist/ Arrington de Dionyso in trance punk world travellers Old Time Relijun. His propulsive upright bass playing works as the blood pumping heart of that very heartful combo.
On Halloween of last year Aaron and I sat down in his living room in Portland, OR. to talk about his new foray into the realm of podcasting with LaJolla Babylon: Making of a Suburban Punk on the Ruinous Media network. The pod consists of Aaron reading from his lightly fictionalized memoir of his ‘feral’ Gen X youth in San Diego, as told through his avatar character Adam Waxman. Each episode, before and after his readings, he checks in and processes what was covered with his New York based comedian / actor half sister Katie Hartman.
The warm and funny intergenerational rapport between ‘coddled millennial’ Katie, 12 years his junior, and Aaron makes for delightful listening. It’s a compelling snapshot of time and place, a coming of age story and portrait of a family that gets a little harrowing, alot humorous and is always intimate.
Our conversation goes beyond pod talk as well, we cover the gifts and hazards of touring, the pain and redemption of life in bands, as well as our common experiences in the indie/punk/post-hardcore scenes of San Diego and Olympia, WA. in the 80’s, 90’s and oughts.
It was great to talk with Aaron and I hope TMpod listeners will check out La Jolla Babylon. Thank you for listening!
Links:
La Jolla Babylon: Making of a Suburban Punk
TraegerMethod Poadcast Instagram
Music:
Old Time Relijun
‘In This World’
‘Mystery Language’
‘Baby Dragon’
IQU ‘Flower and Moon’
Elijah Moore is a much loved and revered veteran of the Pacific Northwest indie rock/pop scene best known as one of the creative forces behind the band LAKE.
In addition to his bands, Palisades and LAKE, Eli has been a frequent collaborator with other artists such as Karl Blau, Your Heart Breaks, Laura Viers and most recently with Jonathan Davis of the Folk Implosion and Nick Delffs.
In this conversation recorded in the summer of 2024, Jason and Eli talk about his path in life and music, their personal friendship and the music and art he finds and has found most inspiring.
LAKE's new LP 'Bucolic Gone' is available now for preorder
TraegerMethod podcast is happy to return after a long hiatus with one of Jason’s all-time favorite musicians Elijah Moore.
Thank you for listening!
Host: Jason Traeger (@traegermethod)
Guest: Elijah Moore of the band LAKE (@eli_guitar_and_stuff / @laketheband)
Music:
Palisades ‘Road Driving’
Jonathan Davis ‘Change’
Ashley Erickson ‘Come Along w/Me’
ML Buch ‘Flames shards goo’
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:
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:
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 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
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’
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'
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'
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:
Music:
Inside Miracles /Paul Schlesinger w/Jason Traeger
'Summer'
'Alt Break-up Song'
'Universe (Lovely Gift of Life)'
The podcast is back. We were gone for a spell. Now we’re back. Episode 87 finds us easing back into the podwaters with a low-key ‘comfort food’ conversation between myself and TMpod regular Sean Kelly (father, Tight Bros From Way Back When, SUBPOP, K Records, west coast punk rock real one)
We share a warm hearted conversation that touches on the joy of vinyl records, old guitars, self directed programs of learning and growing and other stuff that confirms we are walking, talking embodied cliches of late middle aged Portland music/culture guys.
It’s all love and light with some very tiny dustings of existential horror and dread on top to keep things balanced. Thank you so much for listening and for supporting the pod. WE LOVE YOU.
SUPPORT THE POD: PATREON
LINKS of stuff mentioned in episode:
MUSIC:
Intro:Come Closer ‘Castle Walls’ from 'We Died with Print' LP
Segue: Tight Bros From Way Back When ‘Hurricane’
Outro: Be Fair ‘Hadfield 5’
Hello and welcome!
Our ‘Legends of San Diego Punk’ series continues on the pod…
Episode 86 is a conversation with one of the great flyer artists of early 80’s ‘Slow Death’ scene, the very talented artist / tattooer Bobby Lane.
Bobby paints a picture of his experiences going to his first shows as a teenager in 1980 just as the ‘hardcore’ era was adding a new even more aggressive and stripped down feel to the punk/new wave style that came before.
He shares memories of San Diego / Los Angeles punk graphic masters Mad Marc Rude and Shawn Kerri. Two greats whose styles informed his own and pretty much every other punk who’s ever picked up a pen in their wake, myself included.
We talk about tattooing in San Diego and the evolution of the craft from the earlier period of wall flash, sailors and bikers to the modern era of bespoke designs and market saturation.
We go on to discuss how the rebellious spirit at the heart of punk naturally leads to endless cycles of orthodoxy and overthrow as new generations reimagine, reinvent and make it their own. He cites SD experimental/ecstatic collective/band Crash Worship as the embodiment of this spirit without any of the proscribed stylistic cues.
I know you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed talking with Bobby. I look forward to having him back on the pod soon.
Thank you for listening!
SUPPORT THE POD: Patreon If you love the pod, please tell a friend!
LINKS
Bobby's Instagram
In reference to my episode intro:
Israel/Palestine vids from AJ+
How Israel Automated Occupation in Hebron
Palestinian voice: Noura Erakat
Dr Gabor Mate On Trauma
Music:
Bobby's band Cholla
Crash Worship live in Bremen 1996
TMpod theme by Jason
Hello and Welcome, dear listener.
Episode 86 is the beginning of a conversation with San Diego punk legend Chris Squire. Chris has done it all, he’s run a record label, booked bands, done sound production, and he’s either sung, played bass, guitar or drums in a ton of bands; PG13, The Tori Cobras, Belle Cora, Tit Wrench, Tiltwheel, Battalion of Saints, Russian Tremors, Kerosene, Tar Halos, Dark Sarcasm, TV Eye, Digital Leather, Bizarro Son, No Laughing Matter, Dog Boy, Royal Pains, Half On Tongue, Sloog, Blades, Unit Unit, Go Go Lords, King Wheelie, Plasticman, Cholla … to name most of them?
Part one of the Squire story really starts around 1980 when he begins attending The San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts where he meets his guitar and boombox toting soon to be lifelong friend John Reis who introduces him to Dead Kennedys and Black Flag and sets him on a course that takes us through to Chris starting his first band PG13 later in the 80’s. Amazingly, the first hardcore show he attends in 1984 is an Aggression and Ill Repute show at Fairmount Hall that my friends and I produced! A very cool factoid I did not know.
Along the way, as Chris’ story unfolds we get a road map of the SD punk family tree in the 80's that is a really great historical record, told in his engaging and colorful style the conversation is as compelling and entertaining as it is information dense.
I’m glad to share this episode with you all and I’m looking forward to part two as well!
Thank you for listening and for supporting the podcast!
If you can't support the pod with $ but you like it, please tell a friend.
Music:
Fishwife: 'Chad' (feat. Squire name drop)
Conservative Itch: live in '86 pulled from Youtube
TMpod theme by Jason
Episode 84 is a conversation between myself, Lia Friedman and Britt Neubacher celebrating the life of artist and musician Rick Froberg.
Lia and Britt have been friends for decades and the two were close friends of Rick’s going back to the 80’s. Britt tells us how in recent years her relationship with Rick transformed into an intimate partnership that she felt was still only beginning at the time of his untimely death. While Britt is a new friend of mine, I’ve known Lia since we were classmates at San Dieguito HS in Encinitas, California.
The two share their memories of coming of age in the vital and influential North County San Diego punk/post-hardcore scene of the 80’s and 90’s, a scene that produced bands like Crash Worship, Heavy Vegetable, Boilermaker, powerdresser and Rick’s bands Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu among others.
Of course, most of the conversation focuses on celebrating the immensely talented, perpetually intellectually curious, self-educated, complicated genius that was Rick Froberg the man and the artist and musician.
Rick Froberg Forever!
Links:
Britt Neubacher's Tend Project
Music:
Hot Snakes: Audit in Progress
Big Boys: Red/Green
TMpod theme by Jason
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!
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:
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
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:
Support the pod:
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:
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:
Music:
Clear Rivers 'Dead Star' and 'You're Not Here'
TMpod theme by Jason