too many tee shirts

Day 133: Alkaline Trio, Blood Pact. 

I got this shirt because I spent money to be in a fan club for the band Alkaline Trio. This was probably in 2006? I also got a plastic membership card, and some other junk I lost or forgot about. Oh man I am so glad I spent my hard earned money on this shirt, and a plastic membership card, and some other stuff I totally needed for 10 minutes and then totally forgot about. I totally have way too many alkaline trio shirts, so I guess this was just another one I had to have. I think it might say alkaline trio on the back, but I don't remember now, because I am really behind on posting these shirts. 

Day 132: MTV

Day 131: Ringers, destroy. I got this shirt either at the Fest 6 in Florida in 2007 or at Gilman street a year or two later. I've only seen Ringers twice ever so it was definitely one of those times.

This shirt is cool and ultra punk cause it says DESTROY in really big letters across the top. The only place where it even says the actual band name is at the bottom in a small blue square thats kind of unreadable in this picture. Sorry about that. I like to think that they made a tiny little screen for that part, since it's the only blue on the shirt. 

This shirt is a dingy gross white because I have worn it a lot, also because I bought it before I knew how to properly do laundry. For the record I am still not certain that I know how to properly do laundry. 

Day 129: The Copyrights, button smasher. I ordered this shirt off of interpunk.com but I am not sure when, for some reason I remember wearing it to a Pinhead Gunpowder show so that was probably 2008 but that could have been a completely different Copyrights shirt. I just remember having a conversation about how great the Copyrights were with Chris from Nothington. I am fairly certain that is how we became friends.

Day 128: The Hextalls, gobble gobble burp burp.

I bought this shirt the last time I saw the hextalls in August of 2010 at Insubordination Fest in Baltimore, MD. I feel like most of the shirts I have worn so far have been purchased at some sort of Fest, I can kind of explain this.

When I go to a music festival, it's that awesome time of the year I get to see all the bands I never see! It's a magical magical time when I usually pack almost nothing at all because I know I will be coming home with about 13 new tee shirts! I'm on vacation what do you expect? Also bands always have the best shirts at these things, I can't explain it. ALSO seeing bands at a Fest means you're with a bunch of people from all over who love this band. When I am at home it's usually like me and some other dude. It's way more exciting and something I want to remember, with a souvenir, perhaps a tee shirt!

Day 127: Mates of State, coolest chair ever!

I got this shirt when I saw Mates of State open for Taking Back Sunday and Jimmy Eat World at the Henry J Kaiser arena in Oakland on May 13th, 2005. If I am remembering correctly, I stood in line all day with my friend Tisha, actually that's how we became friends, standing in line at that show. I just remember the building being round, and nothing else really. 

I remember I got in free to that show somehow, I think Adam from TBS's dad had him get me in, I was totally Internet friends with the singer of Taking Back Sunday's dad, he was awesome. I met him once too, in new jersey! There is photographic proof. Sometimes I wish my parents were invested in things I did and talked to kids who liked my band on the Internet and went to my shows but on the other hand it would be totally weird and I would probably hate it if I were on the other end of it.

Day 126: RVIVR.

I got this shirt at Awesome Fest 4 in San Diego, CA in September of 2010! It was I think my first time seeing RVIVR and I was really impressed. I had listened to them before but seeing them live was really intense and everyone had so much fun, so I needed a shirt and an LP. They played at that bar with the comfy red booths, I can't remember what it's called right now because I'm on the bus. Oh I remembered it's called the office!

Day 125: The Queers, space bird.

I got this shirt at a Queers show on November 27th, 2010 at bottom of the hill with the Riptides and Kepi! I am pretty sure it was 2010 because my boyfriend couldn't go, he was on tour a lot that year with his band the Atom Age. I also remember buying this from Adam from the Leftovers, who was drumming in the Queers at the time. He is a really good drummer.

Random Tangent: One time the Leftovers slept at my house, and so did my friend Jose Garza. Jose is a very loud snorer and the leftovers were, according to Jose, silent angelic sleepers. Jose was gone when I got up in the morning and when I asked him what happened he told me he was worried his snoring was keeping them awake so he got up in the middle of the night and left. I thought that was pretty hilarious, and very considerate. Jose is a nice guy. 

I used to have a Leftovers shirt but I let my boyfriend wear it and I never saw it again. I think he lost it on tour. I have wanted to get another one, but none of them I have seen were as cool as that one. It was a white shirt with this crazy beach party flyer on it. 

Day 124: Chixdiggit, the red and black one.

My intention when I bought this shirt was that it would be for my boyfriend. I love Chixdiggit a lot and I already have the same shirt in blue. He likes to wear black (on the outside cause black is how he feels on the inside?) so I was like "I'm gonna get him his own!" and then I got home and I was like "I'm gonna wear this all the time." so the ownership of this shirt is kind of up in the air but I am sure he will take it over as I probably can't wear it again until I am done with this stupid blog.

Day 123: Psyched to Die, pick your king.

I bought this shirt at Insubordination Fest in Baltimore, MD in June of 2009! It was literally two days after Michael Jackson died. (so June 27th?) Basically Psyched to Die are geniuses and thought up this brilliant Poison Idea parody shirt fast enough to print them and bring them to Baltimore the next day. So rad. The original poison idea shirt has Elvis instead of Michael Jackson. That other guy is supposed to be Jesus, in case you didn't know.

I remember that Frump saved me one of these and when I saw him, he gave me a really big hug and picked me up and carried me around, I think it was during Full of Fancy, or maybe right after. All of my memories of any Fest are kind of just a big jumble of colors and moments because I am way too overstimulated to remember things precisely.

Day 122: Allegiance, wake me when it's over.

I probably got this shirt in 2005 or 2006 at Gilman street cause that's pretty much the only place I really ever saw Allegiance, even though I saw them a whole bunch of times. The majority of Allegiance shows I went to were at Gilman, and a big chunk of them were also with Go It Alone.

I really loved this band when they were around. They were angry and they didn't fit in and they were FUCKING STRAIGHT EDGE, just like me. I wish they still played shows so I could yell about my rage and about how I'm different or something. I would throw my fists in the air and yell, except it would sound like a muppet yelling cause I've never figured out how to actually harness my yelling power, so it comes out kind of throaty and weird like Kermit the frog.

I pretty much stopped going to a lot of hardcore shows when Allegiance broke up. They were one of the last straight edge bands that I could actually relate to and all my other favorites had broken up recently too, It was a weird time. I tried to like other bands it just didn't work, they were all too aggro and grunty or something. Allegiance had this passion and this heart that other bands at the time just didn't have.

Day 121: Dangers.

I got this shirt at a Dangers show, I don't remember which one. It was probably in 2005, either at the 418 project in Santa Cruz, or Gilman street. The singer of this band's name is Al Brown and he likes to slide around on the floor when he sings, and I can picture him sliding around on both of those floors.

The 418 project was this awesome dance studio behind the jumping monkey cafe in Santa Cruz. The cafe always had cheap vegan spice cake and sometimes free vegan vegetable mush stuff after they closed the kitchen. It was always so wonderful and delicious, even though I was never quite clear on what I was eating.

Day 120: Yellowcard, cheerleader.

I am now starting to find shirts I haven't worn in at least 5 years, some of them are a little embarrassing. Yellowcard was totally awesome when I was like 19! I think I got this shirt for free at a warped tour, I think it was in 2002. (that was an entire decade ago holy shit!) I was friends with this band Gametime from Kansas city, MO, and they introduced me to/got me into Yellowcard, and got one of them to give me a free shirt or something.

I remember that at this warped tour I had bright red hair, I remember standing on stage for their set and several months later finding a picture of me and Gametime standing onstage behind Yellowcard in an issue of thrasher magazine. The subject of the photo was obviously the band but the way I phrased it sounded weird and my brain doesn't want to rethink it.

Day 119: Lipstick Homicide, the one with the TV.

I am getting to the point where I think I have worn shirts that I haven't yet. That was definately the case with today's shirt. I put it on this morning at my boyfriend's house, this must be the last of the shirt I haven't worn that lived there because the past few weeks finding one has been challenging. I seriously believed I had already worn this shirt and just needed to go home and change so that I wouldn't miss a day, but I thought to myself, maybe I should check the blog just to be sure. Low and behold it was not there. PHEW! 

I got this shirt on valentine's day of 2011 at a show Avi let me put on in the basement of his house. Lipstick Homicide, Mikey Erg, and Strong City were supposed to play, but Strong City had van troubles and had to drop off the show. It was a weird show because it was valentine's day so everyone who should have been at this show was on romantic dates or something. Since we only had two bands we just kind of went for it, had everyone play and then we had a karaoke party. 

This was my first time seeing Lipstick Homicide and they were amazing. The boyfriend and I were completely floored. We each bought every piece of merch they had. His shirt is the same color as mine but not a V-neck. Mikey was wonderful too but he didn't have any merch, although I was able to pre order his heart shaped 12" earlier that morning. He was in town recording an album with Star Fucking Hipsters so I don't blame him for not having merch. 

Day 118: Don't Touch my Junk.

The first time I saw this shirt was in a Walgreens in Berkeley with my friend Mikey. We both freaked out about how cool it was but both couldn't actually justify buying it. I think I bought some lemonheads and we drove around with my boyfriend listening to the dandy warhols. I hadn't really listened to the dandy warhols much before but I freaked out when the theme song from Veronica Mars came on. It was a good night, but I can't remember what else we did. This was in February of 2011 because Mikey was in town recording with the Star Fucking Hipsters. We picked him up at motor studios OMFG!