Jason Traeger
RSS    Archive
Anyone who knows me knows I've never been one to revel in the past. I'm the last one to cast a misty-eyed glance back at the "good old days". In my experience the people who take this angle are usually the ones who weren't there. Whatever mistakes, false starts and missed opportunities I've had the pleasure of having, I was wherever I was for better or worse.

This blog is not meant to romanticize any choices I made or any particular era. It's simply a place where I share stories and take stock of where I've been as a way to figure out where I might want to go next. I'll celebrate some people along the way, some of them you'll know or know of, others will be new to you. I'm glad to have known every one of them.

The posts are in no thematic or chronological order. The date at the end of the post's title refers to how the content of the post relates to me personally. I make no claim about the accuracy of my recollections I only promise that I'll be as honest and accurate as I can be. If you were there and you remember things differently than I do, or you find evidence that contradicts my memory (I wouldn't be surprised or upset) feel free to let me know.

Rather than editing the posts for historical accuracy, I'll put ( * ) next to any parts that have been challenged or updated for that reason.


FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
portlandstandupsketchbook
blackflaglogo.tumblr
thriftyherder.tumblr
thrashyblurter.tumblr
oregonpaintingsociety.org
jasontraeger.com







   Ask me anything   Submit
March 23, 2012
SEATTLE PUNK: ASHBY 1982 I got wind of punk rock when I was 11 or 12 in 1980-81. I saw my first handful of shows when I was 13 in 1982. I split my time between my dad’s house in the suburbs north of Seattle and my mom’s house in Tacoma. Whenever I could I would make my way to University Avenue to hang out, go to record stores and meet other punks/freaks.  Since I was very young and the world of punk was so mysterious, totally underground, and more than a little bit edgy, even dangerous, pretty much everybody I met was older, more experienced. and wiser about the streets and world than me. This dynamic between myself and my new acquaintances made them all seem impossibly sophisticated, interesting and cool. Most of them smoked, drank, and did drugs. Some of them were homeless street kids and even hustlers. Some were kids more like me from homes of various levels of disintegration and harmony who were into aggressive, intense music, had a personal style with some flair, were looking for something exciting to call their own. and had found it in punk rock. Ashby, pictured here about to stage dive at the Eagles Hippodrome was one of the kids I thought was especially cool. He probably barely noticed me hanging around. He was at every show I went to, was always on The Ave. too. He wore a trench coat, army surplus spats over his combat boots, had a shaved head, wore a beret sometimes and seemed to know everyone in the scene. He was probably only three or four years older than I was but that made a lot of difference at the time.  The guy over Ashby’s shoulder is Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys who, it just so happens, would be my employer in S.F. about five years after this shot was taken. Small world huh? I’ll write about more of these “older, wiser” characters in future posts. Photo by Mike Leach

SEATTLE PUNK: ASHBY 1982

I got wind of punk rock when I was 11 or 12 in 1980-81. I saw my first handful of shows when I was 13 in 1982. I split my time between my dad’s house in the suburbs north of Seattle and my mom’s house in Tacoma. Whenever I could I would make my way to University Avenue to hang out, go to record stores and meet other punks/freaks. 

Since I was very young and the world of punk was so mysterious, totally underground, and more than a little bit edgy, even dangerous, pretty much everybody I met was older, more experienced. and wiser about the streets and world than me. This dynamic between myself and my new acquaintances made them all seem impossibly sophisticated, interesting and cool. Most of them smoked, drank, and did drugs. Some of them were homeless street kids and even hustlers. Some were kids more like me from homes of various levels of disintegration and harmony who were into aggressive, intense music, had a personal style with some flair, were looking for something exciting to call their own. and had found it in punk rock.

Ashby, pictured here about to stage dive at the Eagles Hippodrome was one of the kids I thought was especially cool. He probably barely noticed me hanging around. He was at every show I went to, was always on The Ave. too. He wore a trench coat, army surplus spats over his combat boots, had a shaved head, wore a beret sometimes and seemed to know everyone in the scene. He was probably only three or four years older than I was but that made a lot of difference at the time. 

The guy over Ashby’s shoulder is Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys who, it just so happens, would be my employer in S.F. about five years after this shot was taken. Small world huh?

I’ll write about more of these “older, wiser” characters in future posts. Photo by Mike Leach

6:44pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zl8DhvISs5z4
(Notes: 5)
  
Filed under: Ashby eagles hippodrome hardcore punk seattle university avenue jello biafra dead kennedys 
March 21, 2012
GREEN RIVER/ALEX SHUMWAY SEATTLE 1982-84 I met Alex Shumway/Vincent (far right in photo) on University Ave. (“The Ave.” to all us punk kids who hung out there in the early 80’s) in 1982. I remember he had on a green army jacket (that he’d magically turned into a vest) with a Square Cools  logo drawn on the back of it. I’d heard SQ’s on the recently released MRR “Not so Quiet on the Western Front” comp.. (Alex explained to me that he was in the band and that their name was a play on the name of the much more well known Circle Jerks…get it?). This obscure logo piqued my curiosity enough to approach him. I probably would’ve talked to him if he’d had a Siouxsie t shirt on, after all this was the era when I would’ve talked to anyone I met who was even vaguely punk looking. Alex told me he’d just moved up from Sacramento and asked if there was anything happening in Seattle. I told him Black Flag was playing that night and he should go. He was super stoked of course. More about that Black Flag show  to come… Alex would go on to drum for Green River and Spluii Numa.  One other thing about Alex, when we went to a record store later that day he recommended I buy Motorhead’s “Iron Fist” LP. I was hesitant because I wanted to buy punk records and this looked like shitty KISW rock, albeit the very gnarly edge of it. He swore to me that it was awesome. I bought it, I loved it and that was the beginning of my acceptance of “crossover” in my life. Maybe it was even a small drop of the water bursting during birth pangs of Grunge? Could that be? 

GREEN RIVER/ALEX SHUMWAY SEATTLE 1982-84

I met Alex Shumway/Vincent (far right in photo) on University Ave. (“The Ave.” to all us punk kids who hung out there in the early 80’s) in 1982. I remember he had on a green army jacket (that he’d magically turned into a vest) with a Square Cools  logo drawn on the back of it. I’d heard SQ’s on the recently released MRR “Not so Quiet on the Western Front” comp.. (Alex explained to me that he was in the band and that their name was a play on the name of the much more well known Circle Jerks…get it?). This obscure logo piqued my curiosity enough to approach him. I probably would’ve talked to him if he’d had a Siouxsie t shirt on, after all this was the era when I would’ve talked to anyone I met who was even vaguely punk looking. Alex told me he’d just moved up from Sacramento and asked if there was anything happening in Seattle. I told him Black Flag was playing that night and he should go. He was super stoked of course. More about that Black Flag show  to come…

Alex would go on to drum for Green River and Spluii Numa. 

One other thing about Alex, when we went to a record store later that day he recommended I buy Motorhead’s “Iron Fist” LP. I was hesitant because I wanted to buy punk records and this looked like shitty KISW rock, albeit the very gnarly edge of it. He swore to me that it was awesome. I bought it, I loved it and that was the beginning of my acceptance of “crossover” in my life. Maybe it was even a small drop of the water bursting during birth pangs of Grunge? Could that be? 

1:10pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Zl8DhvILhwLN
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: Green River alex shumway jeff ament mark arm pearl jam square cools seattle university avenue 
RSS feed: http://jasonotraeger.tumblr.com/rss
Theme is The Atlantic by Peter Vidani for Tumblr.