I've been exposed to a good deal of bands via their merchandise, particularly live members showing their support of other bands. Have you ever found gems this way? Does it feel weird, or worse, redundant, when bands wear their own merch? I love supporting the underground and have made some good friends and dialogue that way:"Dude! Fucking Archgoat! Lemme' buy ya a beer my brother!" I'm hoping for this to not devolve into a thread about 'fashion' and 'posers'. I found Infernaeon, Tirant Sin (Rob Barret was wearing it), Fear, Deeds of Flesh, Archgoat, Leviathan and others that I can't remember at the moment this way.

Yea actually it's happened a couple of times. Hell the reason I sought out Atheist was cause Mike Smith wearing one of their shirts in Effigy of the Forgotten's booklet. I checked out more bands around that time due to that, nowadays def. doesn't happen. Most of the time I already know all the logos so to speak...

As far as band members wearing their own band shirts... sometimes it seems redundant... esp if it's some local band but I know sometimes it's just cause they don't have enough clean clothes while on tour which happened to me a couple of times.

As far as meeting new people due to the shirt I have worn, it's happened a couple of times, but as far as someone else wearing one from a band I know.. i usually don't bother talking to them. I'm not the most social to begin with and just cause you know of a band I enjoy doesn't mean I want to talk to you anymore than before.

I decided that I didn't like the band Decrepit Birth based on their t-shirts. Then I heard them and they were as noisily bland as their t-shirts suggested, so I didn't feel too bad about being such a judgemental prick.

I first sought out St. Vitus when I was like 11 because Phil Anselmo was wearing their shirt in a promo shot. Other than that I can't think of too many other instances, though I do keep my eye out for it at shows and such (I've been meaning to check out Book of Black Earth because I saw some dude with their backpatch at Napalm Death a while back and it looked fucking awesome).

For me its usually the opposite effect. I see someone with a shirt on with a band I know and definitely try to ignore them b/c the band sucks.

Oh man, all the time. I can name several instances how I found out about bands through their tees being sported by other bands.
I think that's how I discovered bands like Drudkh, Joy Division, Rotten Sound, Wolvhammer...just those come to mind at the moment.

As far as bands wearing their own merch, I am fine with that idea if maybe one or two members do it. I was disgusted when I saw In Flames many years ago. They all had matching outfits which had the band's logos plastered.

If a band is mainstream enough to have merch like shirts, they probably suck.

ha ha ha oh wow

Welcome to Metal Archives!

Its okay, Necro's favorite band is The Black Dahlia Murder.

Band shirts seem to be a good form of "free" advertising and as far as I know, bands make more money off merchandise like shirts than records.

Hey, what's wrong with BDM?

I don't see too many band shirts outside of Cannibal Corpse, Iron Maiden, Pantera and Slayer when I'm out and about, so I can't say that I've ever really been inclined to check out a band based on someone else's shirt. I do, however, get compliments every now and then for my Primordial, Neurosis, Witchcraft and The Lord Weird Slough Feg shirts when people recognize them; especially at the building I work in. Being a TV editor, I get to dress the way I normally dress when I go out, so I almost always have a band shirt on.

I think anyone who wears their own band's shirt on anything above a local or underground level is rather redundant. Below that I can certainly understand as it's a matter of trying to get people to acknowledge your existence.

But yeah, I do recall a time when I checked out bands based on their appearance on other people's shirts and thanks lists. It happens far less often since I spend so much time looking bands up online.

Yeah, fuck shirts! Tr00 bands know their fans walk around in the nude and carve the fucking band logo on their chest!

Then I want someone to carve this!

If you're so dumb to believe what Necro said, you obviously don't know him. But yeah, Necro, be cool. That's more like someone on NWN! would say albeit this guy would be serious.

Of course I understand he didn't mean it, but it certainly is in the spirit of the M-A regulars.

And how is it that I'm dumb for not knowing Necro? I'm sure there are plenty of people you don't know.

Nah, you gotta know everyone before you become a mod.

Anyway, I don't think I've got into bands by seeing a shirt but I've definitely struck up some friendly conversations based on a shirt I or the other person were wearing.

I'm pretty sure Metantoine was talking to Frank Booth, not you.

Both of 'em. More Booth than Opus for sure though. Also, I've never seen this kind of holier than thou elitism that much here, god, it's obvious that it was a sarcastic joke.

i hate wearing band t shirts around in public,i used to never go out without one on ,now i just get sick of people like the stupid super market check out ladies asking stupid fucking questions about your t shirt,and also people steering at you like balls are hanging out everywhere you walk.And at gigs its all a underground fashion fest of who has the most patches the coolest t shirt or whatever...who cares.i will buy a t shirt to support a band...maybe,if i'm feeling rich, but wont hardly wear it out.
iv never found out about a band by seeing a band on a t shirt of a band member,i have made convo with a few people with the band shirt i am wearing,but that hardly EVER happen's as there isn't much people on this tiny island.i never really go to shows these days anyway

Pretty sure frank booth knew it was a joke and was laughing at it. Anyways, didn't mean for it to derail this much.

It always depends on whether or not I can make out the font or not. Most of the time I cannot.

The first band that got me into heavy metal was Blind Guardian, and I discovered them because a good friend came into class wearing one of their shirts. Looked like the coolest thing in the world. Got him to lend me a CD that same day and now here I am...

shit yeah dudes, i've discovered heaps of bands like this! i saw billy from faith no more wearing a napalm death t-shirt all those years ago ha ha
and martin from pungent stench wearing a brutal truth beanie [which i discussed with the BT guitarist [brett?] when they played here]
in my area i see quite a few sweet t-shirts and i always give the horns

bands wearing their own shirts is totally acceptable

I don't have a problem with band members wearing their own shit. I enjoy listening to my own music. After all, that's why I wrote it in the first place. When I design my band's merch, I come up with designs that I think are cool and would like to wear, so god damn it I'll wear my own shit if I want to. I don't care if bands wear their own shit. I've never heard anyone complain about Iron Maiden doing it.

I found Helloween after seeing a pic of bruce dickinson wearing a helloween shirt. Got curious so looked them up, next thing i knew i started listening to power metal. Had no idea what power metal was. At that time the only metal bands i listened to were iron maiden, judas priest, black sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, and scorpions.

depends what ya into really,if i was into napalm death or pantera or something it might be different,most people no of that shit anyway,might aswell be wearing a billabong t.

I'm the opposite, usually I can tell by name what the band will sound like IE; "Woods of Winter Despair" black metal, "Raging Bonotron" Brutal Death/Grind and so on, it's when I can't figure out what the name is I feel the need to investigate a band.

Hear you
I do not exactly feel the urge to look up every band I see on a tshirt, I have to be honest, but when a musician a appreciate talks about a band, then I do look it up.
I take interviews and/or chronicles in a much bigger consideration than tees eheheh

I remember checking out Benediction after I saw a picture in the booklet of Atheist's Elements re-release with one of the guys wearing one of their t-shirts. Good decision, that was.

Generally no, because cool design doesn't necessarily mean cool band. I have got several people into Kvelertak simply by wearing their shirt though, so there's always that.