Tattoo 408

In this episode, Ethan sites down with San Jose tattooer Jerry Moran to talk about what first pulled him into tattooing, how he’s stayed grounded through the industry's shifts, and why collaboration and connection remain at the heart of his work. From his earliest obsessions to the way he brings clients' ideas to life, Jerry shares what it means to him to be part of the tattoo community—and why he never plans to stop.

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Support the Show

⭐ Rate & Review – A quick 5-star rating on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ helps a ton and only takes a few seconds.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, your artist, your cousin who’s obsessed with ink—let’s grow the 408 tattoo fam.

💸 Leave a Tip – Want to support the pod directly? ⁠⁠⁠Drop a tip here⁠⁠⁠—every bit helps.

Connect with Tattoo 408

📲 Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ to see the faces behind the voices and keep up with the scene.

📬 Want some free Tattoo 408 stickers? DM your address—Ethan’s got you.

Shoutouts

🎨 Logo by the incredibly talented ⁠⁠⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠⁠

🎵 Theme music by ⁠⁠⁠mint.beats⁠⁠⁠

🎙️ Produced by ⁠⁠⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠⁠⁠

© 2025 Ethan Gregory Dodge. Released under the ⁠⁠⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License⁠⁠⁠. Share it, remix it, just don’t sell it—give credit where it’s due.

Ethan Gregory Dodge sits down with Milwaukee tattooer Julio Ávila about his start in tattooing and how his career brought him to the 408.

Julio lives up to the stereotype of a storied tattooist with some truly wild stories. In fact, he just published a book detailing many of them. Support him by picking up a copy 👇🏻

⁠Tales of a Tattoo Apprentice by Julio Ávila⁠

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Support the Show

⭐ Rate & Review – A quick 5-star rating on ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ helps a ton and only takes a few seconds.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, your artist, your cousin who’s obsessed with ink—let’s grow the 408 tattoo fam.

💸 Leave a Tip – Want to support the pod directly? ⁠⁠Drop a tip here⁠⁠—every bit helps.

Connect with Tattoo 408

📲 Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ to see the faces behind the voices and keep up with the scene.

📬 Want some free Tattoo 408 stickers? DM your address—Ethan’s got you.

Shoutouts

🎨 Logo by the incredibly talented ⁠⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠

🎵 Theme music by ⁠⁠mint.beats⁠⁠

🎙️ Produced by ⁠⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠⁠

© 2025 Ethan Gregory Dodge. Released under the ⁠⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License⁠⁠. Share it, remix it, just don’t sell it—give credit where it’s due.

Ethan Gregory Dodge sits down with Milwaukee tattooer Julio Ávila about his start in tattooing and how his career brought him to the 408.

Julio lives up to the stereotype of a storied tattooist with some truly wild stories. In fact, he just published a book detailing many of them. Support him by picking up a copy 👇🏻

Tales of a Tattoo Apprentice by Julio Ávila

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Support the Show

⭐ Rate & Review – A quick 5-star rating on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ helps a ton and only takes a few seconds.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, your artist, your cousin who’s obsessed with ink—let’s grow the 408 tattoo fam.

💸 Leave a Tip – Want to support the pod directly? ⁠Drop a tip here⁠—every bit helps.

Connect with Tattoo 408

📲 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠ to see the faces behind the voices and keep up with the scene.

📬 Want some free Tattoo 408 stickers? DM your address—Ethan’s got you.

Shoutouts

🎨 Logo by the incredibly talented ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠

🎵 Theme music by ⁠mint.beats⁠

🎙️ Produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠

© 2025 Ethan Gregory Dodge. Released under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License⁠. Share it, remix it, just don’t sell it—give credit where it’s due.

The second half of Ronita's interview with Ethan.

Episodes now drop the first Monday of every month and both parts of the interview drop on the same day!

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Support the Show

⭐ Rate & Review – A quick 5-star rating on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ helps a ton and only takes a few seconds.

📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, your artist, your cousin who’s obsessed with ink—let’s grow the 408 tattoo fam.

💸 Leave a Tip – Want to support the pod directly? ⁠Drop a tip here⁠—every bit helps.

Connect with Tattoo 408

📲 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠ to see the faces behind the voices and keep up with the scene.📬 Want some free Tattoo 408 stickers? DM your address—Ethan’s got you.

Shoutouts

🎨 Logo by the incredibly talented ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠

🎵 Theme music by ⁠mint.beats⁠

🎙️ Produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠

© 2025 Ethan Gregory Dodge. Released under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License⁠. Share it, remix it, just don’t sell it—give credit where it’s due.

Tattoo 408 is finally back after a long hiatus with a very special guest: Ronita Yvarra. In this episode, Ethan sits down with Ronita to hear the story of how she went from being a teenage artist in East San Jose to one of the region’s early female tattooers. Ronita learned the craft under Chuck Marshall, a fixture in South Bay tattoo scene in the '70s and '80s. She shares vivid memories of her apprenticeship, opening her own shop in Paradise and Chico, and so much more. With humor, honesty, and deep reverence for her roots, Ronita offers a window into a lesser-known corner of San Jose’s tattoo history.

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Here are some things Ethan has been up to:

Tattootime: Hardy Hits

Taki, Molly, and Ethan's interview on "Books Closed"

Ed Hardy’s S.F. tattoo shop changed the industry forever. Many are making a pilgrimage before it closes in December

Trace Ed Hardy’s global influence on tattoo design, roots in San Francisco with this timeline

Ed Hardy’s legendary S.F. tattoo shop is shutting down, but fans can still get inked by former employees.

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Support the Show
⭐ Rate & Review – A quick 5-star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts helps a ton and only takes a few seconds.📢 Spread the Word – Share this episode with your friends, your artist, your cousin who’s obsessed with ink—let’s grow the 408 tattoo fam.💸 Leave a Tip – Want to support the pod directly? Drop a tip here—every bit helps.

Connect with Tattoo 408📲 Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see the faces behind the voices and keep up with the scene.📬 Want some free Tattoo 408 stickers? DM your address—Ethan’s got you.

Shoutouts🎨 Logo by the incredibly talented Tessia Spisak🎵 Theme music by mint.beats🎙️ Produced by Ethan Gregory Dodge

© 2025 Ethan Gregory Dodge. Released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Share it, remix it, just don’t sell it—give credit where it’s due.

This week, I'm taking the time to address some questions I've gotten, the primary one being my own tattoo story. I dive into some of my religious upbringing, my love for San Jose, and my overall vision for Tattoo 408. Please bear with me as I turn the mic around this week.

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Show Support:

• Rate and Review: Love Tattoo 408? Show your support by leaving a 5-star rating on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠—it only takes a few seconds!

• Spread the Word: Share the podcast with your tattoo-loving friends and family. Let's build a community!

• Exclusive Discount: Enjoy a 15% discount on tattoo healing products at ⁠⁠⁠saniderm.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ with the code "tattoo408."

• Leave a Tip: Help us grow by ⁠⁠⁠leaving a tip⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Connect and Engage:

• Follow Tattoo 408: Stay updated by following the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

• Exclusive Stickers: DM your address, and Ethan send you some cool Tattoo 408 stickers!

Acknowledgments:

• Logo: Special thanks to ⁠⁠⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the killer logo.

• Music: Shoutout to ⁠⁠⁠⁠mint.beats⁠⁠⁠ for the awesome music.

• Production: Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠⁠⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠⁠⁠.

Copyright Information:

• © 2024 under the ⁠⁠⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠⁠⁠⁠. Feel free to use and share it as long as you give proper credit and refrain from using it for commercial purposes.

This week is the rest of Ethan's interview with ⁠Klem⁠. Learn why Klem left the 408 for Santa Cruz, what led him to open his own shop, O'Reilly's, and how it became a staple in Santa Cruz tattooing for many years. Plus, hear why Klem feels that tattooing is better than winning the lottery.

If you'd like to book an appointment with Klem, email [email protected]

⁠Klem's origin playlist⁠

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Show Support:

• Rate and Review: Love Tattoo 408? Show your support by leaving a 5-star rating on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠—it only takes a few seconds!

• Spread the Word: Share the podcast with your tattoo-loving friends and family. Let's build a community!

• Exclusive Discount: Enjoy a 15% discount on tattoo healing products at ⁠⁠saniderm.com⁠⁠⁠ with the code "tattoo408."

• Leave a Tip: Help us grow by ⁠⁠leaving a tip⁠⁠⁠!

Connect and Engage:

• Follow Tattoo 408: Stay updated by following the pod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠.

• Exclusive Stickers: DM your address, and Ethan send you some cool Tattoo 408 stickers!

Acknowledgments:

• Logo: Special thanks to ⁠⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠⁠ for the killer logo.

• Music: Shoutout to ⁠⁠⁠mint.beats⁠⁠ for the awesome music.

• Production: Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠⁠.

Copyright Information:

• © 2024 under the ⁠⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠⁠⁠. Feel free to use and share it as long as you give proper credit and refrain from using it for commercial purposes.

As I talk to tattooists all over the 408, many names consistently come up whom I have not interviewed. But one in particular came up for often than any of them: Klem. Preferring to go by his last name, Klem has been tattooing for over 30 years. Born and raised in South San Jose, Klem started tattooing at 22 and hasn't stopped. In this episode, he takes us through his time at his first two tattoo shops: San Jose's own Pinup Parlor and Marks of Art.

If you'd like to book an appointment with Klem, email [email protected]

Klem's origin playlist

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Show Support:

• Rate and Review: Love Tattoo 408? Show your support by leaving a 5-star rating on ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠—it only takes a few seconds!

• Spread the Word: Share the podcast with your tattoo-loving friends and family. Let's build a community!

• Exclusive Discount: Enjoy a 15% discount on tattoo healing products at ⁠saniderm.com⁠⁠ with the code "tattoo408."

• Leave a Tip: Help us grow by ⁠leaving a tip⁠⁠!

Connect and Engage:

• Follow Tattoo 408: Stay updated by following the pod on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Youtube⁠.

• Exclusive Stickers: DM your address, and Ethan send you some cool Tattoo 408 stickers!

Acknowledgments:

• Logo: Special thanks to ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠ for the killer logo.

• Music: Shoutout to ⁠⁠mint.beats⁠ for the awesome music.

• Production: Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠.

Copyright Information:

• © 2024 under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠⁠. Feel free to use and share it as long as you give proper credit and refrain from using it for commercial purposes.

Adam Barton takes us through the rest of his time at New Skool, his world travels, and the opening of Fog City Tattoo in Santa Cruz, CA, where he currently tattoos. ---

Show Support:

• Rate and Review: Love Tattoo 408? Show your support by leaving a 5-star rating on ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠—it only takes a few seconds!

• Spread the Word: Share the podcast with your tattoo-loving friends and family. Let's build a community!

• Exclusive Discount: Enjoy a 15% discount on tattoo healing products at ⁠saniderm.com⁠⁠ with the code "tattoo408."

• Leave a Tip: Help us grow by ⁠leaving a tip⁠⁠!

Connect and Engage:

• Follow Tattoo 408: Stay updated by following the pod on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Youtube⁠.

• Exclusive Stickers: DM your address, and Ethan send you some cool Tattoo 408 stickers!

Acknowledgments:

• Logo: Special thanks to ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠⁠ for the killer logo.

• Music: Shoutout to ⁠⁠mint.beats⁠ for the awesome music.

• Production: Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠.

Copyright Information:

• © 2024 under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠⁠. Feel free to use and share it as long as you give proper credit and refrain from using it for commercial purposes.

🌹 It's hard to talk about San Jose tattooing in the past 30 years and not mention Adam Barton. His career took an early turn when Adrian Lee⁠ invited him to guest spot at New Skool in downtown San Jose. It marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. Join us as we unravel the fascinating journey of a tattoo artist who transformed his religious upbringing in upstate New York into an indelible mark on California's tattooing scene and beyond.

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Show Support:

• Rate and Review: Love Tattoo 408? Show your support by leaving a 5-star rating on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠—it only takes a few seconds!

• Spread the Word: Share the podcast with your tattoo-loving friends and family. Let's build a community!

• Exclusive Discount: Enjoy a 15% discount on tattoo healing products at saniderm.com⁠ with the code "tattoo408."

• Leave a Tip: Help us grow by leaving a tip⁠!

Connect and Engage:

• Follow Tattoo 408: Stay updated by following the pod on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠Youtube.

• Exclusive Stickers: DM your address, and Ethan send you some cool Tattoo 408 stickers!

Acknowledgments:

• Logo: Special thanks to Tessia Spisak⁠ for the killer logo.

• Music: Shoutout to ⁠mint.beats for the awesome music.

• Production: Tattoo 408 is produced by Ethan Gregory Dodge.

Copyright Information:

• © 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠. Feel free to use and share it as long as you give proper credit and refrain from using it for commercial purposes.