This week Ryan chats with DJ Rose, owner of Halo Tattoo and a community builder of underground culture. Despite being best known locally for founding Halo Tattoo in 1997, DJ’s entrepreneurial spirit also helped build the Syracuse hardcore punk scene in the early 90s when he booked groundbreaking bands like Fugazi, Earth Crisis, ALL, Quicksand, and Uniform Choice using resources at Syracuse University. Internationally, DJ is a vegan straight edge icon, having made appearances on media outlets like MTV and CBS to talk about animal rights and the global sobriety movement.

In this conversation, DJ sheds light into his early home life growing up in a little town called North Bay, NY. He talks about attending SUNY Potsdam, starting his first band, and then transitioning into booking shows in Central New York. He talks about his unique method of utilizing college resources from Syracuse University to book large shows and establish Syracuse as a staple of hardcore punk culture. As the originator of the band name “Earth Crisis,” he talks about his brief time in the metalcore band and expresses the pride he feels seeing them reach the world with messages of animal liberation. DJ sheds light onto his goals in creating Halo Tattoo and the chance encounter with famed artist Dan Higgs that helped him feel confident to start tattooing clients. He also talks about the importance spirituality plays in his life and how his relationship with god has provided comfort in difficult times. It’s a conversation filled with messages of self-empowerment and perspective into the way in which one person can truly help change the world.

For more information about DJ Rose you can find @DJRoseDNA on Instagram, Halo Tattoo on Instagram and Facebook @HaloTattoo, or email him [email protected].

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook, @ryanzlomek on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok, or email [email protected].