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

Instagram

TraegerMethod Poadcast Instagram

Music: 

Old Time Relijun

‘In This World’

‘Mystery Language’

‘Baby Dragon’

IQU ‘Flower and Moon’