- The Crew
The People
Behind the Work
A small studio is a personal one. The people who make this place run — each with a role no one else can fill, and a story worth knowing before you sit down in our chair.
Matt has been tattooing in the Black Hills since 1997 and founded Thrash’s Tattoo with Cathy in 2001. He apprenticed under Bill and Peggy Stewart at Black Hills Tattoo, where he learned not only the technical side of the craft but the discipline, standards, and ethics that have anchored his work ever since.
A generalist by choice: portraiture, wildlife, color realism, black and gray, traditional Japanese Tebori. He builds his own machines and is trained in laser tattoo removal. Association of Professional Tattooists (APT) member since 2002. Works with clients who have waited years for the right piece, the right artist, and the right time.
Cat Thrash is co-owner of Thrash’s Tattoo with her husband Matt.
Matt and Cat founded the studio in 2001 and married in the same year. With Matt tattooing, Cathy keeps the show rolling behind the scenes – handling personnel, meetings, marketing, events, accounting, payroll – you name it. She jokes that “Matt is the brawn, and I am the brains.” As luck would have it, they excel in areas the other does not.
She earned a Bachelors of Science degree, majoring in Sociology with minors in Psychology & Human Services from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD. She is ever-curious and looks to keep learning. Growing in the realm of personal development, and relationships are very important to her. She has attended multiple workshops and seminars in many areas over the years.
Cat’s passion lies in helping women with subtle energy bodywork and reiki in private intuitive sessions within her own business, Dharma Energy & Spirit. Founded in 2016, it has ebbed and flowed with life. She reached reiki master level in 2017, and is now putting more energy, time, and love into seeing more clients and doing more events. Open-heart surgery in October 2023 at the age of 53, along with a couple of major procedures, contributed to her desire to learn more about and participate in body-mind-spirit healing. You can reach her at www.dharma-spirit.com or thru IG (cat.thrash.dharma.energy) or FB (Dharma Energy & Spirit).
Cathy enjoys supporting natural resources and sustainability including the local Earth Day Expo each April. She volunteers on the City of Rapid City Sustainability Committee, and served as social media officer. She was invited to and accepted a role on the Patient & Family Advocacy Council at Monument Health. She enjoys hiking, yoga, and cruising the Black Hills in her vintage VW Beetle. She and Matt have two children, Robin and Grayson and a Boston terrier.
Operations · Reiki Master
Jamie Grav has been tattooing since the Earth’s crust cooled. He teleported here from the third moon of Jupiter and brings his experience and skills back to Thrash’s Tattoo, after a few years on his own. He’s fueled by energy drinks and grilled Spam and processed cheese sandwiches.
Jamie’s up for nearly any style of tattoo. Bring your coolest idea and he may make it happen.
When he’s not tattooing, Jamie enjoys long walks with the goodest boi Pandi, his mini Aussie and listening to Gregorian chants and medieval madrigals.
Originally in the role of long-time friend and client, Leah joined the Thrash’s team in 2024 as an employee. If you want to get onto the books, you’ll need to talk with Leah. She’s responsible for answering inquiries, providing quotes, and scheduling appointments.
Leah retired from a twenty-two year career with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. She held a variety of roles including event coordinator, H.O.G. regional manager, marketing field manager, and district sales manager. She enjoys being able to apply the skills she learned there to her life in the tattoo studio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and French.
Leah is the President of the Motor Maids, Inc. (the oldest continuously operating women’s motorcycle riding club in North America) and is the secretary/treasurer of the Western South Dakota Journalism Foundation.
When she’s not in the studio, Leah enjoys traveling, both domestically and internationally, riding her motorcycles, and whipping up delicious food for her friends.
Assistant
Robin Thrash guests at the studio between semesters, and a rotating roster of artists from other shops set up in our chairs through the year. See who is in the chair now, who has guested before, and how to book them.
Tell us about your project. Leah reads every request and she’ll be in touch within a few business days.