Band Of Shirts

Stories of music tee's and the fans that wear them. A photographic journal by Director/Photographer Steve Birnbaum,  [email protected]

[bandofshirts]

"I'm 43 so I've been listening to them since back in the day. It's just youth...It keep me young. I use to skate a lot, but I don't any more, but that never leaves you. I think all the associations with skating...the music, the culture, it keeps me youthful. Especially now that I have to little kids. It's like my two little girls get to see Daddy try to be young and not grow old. I think Punk music and skating go together because of the energy and aggression. It's yours. It's personal. Although we're all participating in the same thing, we keep it as our own. Falling down and getting hurt is a form of release. I think the aggression in music is the same. It's a form of release, similar to skateboarding." - #suicidaltendencies

[bandofshirts]

"I like Alex G, and I was reading an article on him where he mentioned liking Built To Spill, so I decided to check them out and they were really good! I love how their sound is heavy, but also stays true to an indie sound. It's a good mixture of the two. I actually made this shirt. I do silkscreen and wanted to make one for them." - #builttospill #alexg

[bandofshirts]

"There use to be a record store called Rockit Scientist Records on this block when I was going to Cooper Union. I use to go in and just say, "Hey Man, what do you think I should listen to?" I was a kid from Florida, I really didn't know anything. But they were the one's that told me to check out Syd Barrett, and ever since then, I've been in love with him. At the time, I just thought he was a massive oddball. Some of the stuff he made was just so different from all of the other mainstream stuff out at the time. His story after Pink Floyd just added to everything. He became this underground cult hero in a a way. His life after Floyd just added to his whole mystique." - #sydbarrett #pinkfloyd #floyd

[bandofshirts]

"You need to read 'Girl In A Band!' It starts good and ends great. The first time I heard Superstar on the Juno soundtrack, I was hooked. Kool Thing is one of the best songs imaginable. After that, I was into everything Kim Gordan. Her idea, her look, everything! I've followed the band ever since." - #sonicyouth #KimGordan @kimletgordon #thurstonmoore #leeranaldo #steveshelley @leeranaldo

[bandofshirts]

"Hip Hop is primarily what I listen to. I find that you can't really be sad when listening to it, especially when it comes to the Beastie Boys. The just make you happy." - #beastieboys #adamyauch #miked #adrock

[bandofshirts]

"I first heard 'Rock The Casbah' and thought it was kind of interesting, but as I got more into them I started hearing and listening to their political standpoint on a lot of stuff, which you don't really hear in a lot of music these days. They have been a huge influence on my life and have become a main force in pushing me to become a musician. Joe Strummer was one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. He's just so important. I've only been into them for a year, I'm 14 now, but they've already had a huge effect on me. I'm currently playing the drums, but I want to learn how to play the bass purely on Paul Simonon and his influence on me." - #TheClash #joestrummer #paulsimonon #mickjones

[bandofshirts]

"I think they're kinda special because they don't take themselves too seriously, but they kind of have music that's open to everyone. They have music thats so excusable to everyone. I'm not a super huge fan of the band but when I went to see them it was amazing. You came across people that have seen them upwords of 12 times. It's just a great community of fans and it's kind of amazing to see." - #theymightbegiants #tmbg @flansyflans

[bandofshirts]

"Fresh from the Kanye show." - #ironmaiden @ironmaiden

[bandofshirts]

"Of course everyone knows this shirt because Kurt Cobain wore it, but come on, this guy is like one of the founders of Lo-Fi. I only recently started getting into him though, and really enjoyed the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He's a psychologically interesting artist. The vast majority of music is geared toward emotions, expressing that emotion and representing that emotion through sound. But people who have unique mental circumstance, as he does, and can express those emotional feelings, which I can't really connect with, it then becomes an observer's view of the someone else's music. You're not empathizing as as much as your observing the inside workings of a unique and interesting individual." - #danieljohnston

[bandofshirts]

"I've had this shirt since I was 15. I use to read a lot of magazines and take notice of the band lists they would have - like, '80's bands to check out.' So I started really looking into those bands, like the Pixies and other bands like The Smiths. Their songs just seem so simple musically, but they were the pioneers of what was to come after. The song 'Hey' is one of the best songs ever." - #thepixies #pixies

[bandofshirts]

"I feel like the type of music that Danzig does perpetuates a sort of no fucks given attitude and I feel like I'm a no fucks given kind of person. Glenn's music has lots of deep rooted meaning and feelings, much of it drenched in occult lore and very human experiences, such as love and loss, yet his music is still unapologetically brutal, and I definitely identify with that. Danzig doesn't give a fuck what you or anyone else thinks, yet it still has a really raw emotional side. That's basically me." - #danzig #glenndanzig

[bandofshirts]

#Danzig #Samhain #misfits

[bandofshirts]

"They rule! I'm in a band called Wyldlife and we've played with them before. We've been friends with them for awhile and I can't wait to play with them again." - #dirtyfences

[bandofshirts]

"I saw them during the Bridges To Babylon tour and it was amazing. Just great! This shirt is actually from The Rolling Stones exhibit that was over in London. It's coming here to the states now. I liked it because it had an older look to it." - #therollingstones #thestones

[bandofshirts]

"This shirt represents my love for them with Danzig, nothing after." - #Misfits #TheMisfits #138 #weare138

[bandofshirts]

"Punk is my favorite type of music by default. It's just what was around and what I grew up with. They're a band that was from New York, so being from here, it's what I grew to know and love." - #cromags @johnjosephcromag @harleyfflanagan

[bandofshirts]

"I got into Slayer when I was 13 years old. I bought Reign in Blood because I just needed heavier music. It was then that I quickly got into the metal genre. Heavy metal just always appealed to me and I always loved the community. They're all like brothers and sisters you never knew." - #slayer @slayerbandofficial