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I wear my bands shit when it happens to be on top of the clean pile. That said, I do make a point of wearing shirts to shows from other local bands I dig, who are not playing in that same show. I figure if they are listening to us, they probably already know who we are, and if they don't, I'll be informing them while we tune up for a minute after the second song. If wearing a stereo creeps or Ancient Warlocks shirt gets someone who liked us to go check out their show, it's a win for everyone. I'll also wear ILF gear or stuff from pedal companies. My board gets geeked at a bunch so I figure I should advertise for that too.

If you don't know who the band is... just ask?

or check the bill

It's not always easy to ask which band is playing when it's loud or when I don't know anyone at the show (I've gone solo to a fair number of shows). Also, checking the bill doesn't always work because sometimes bands go on early or late or even out of order and it's not clear from the bill who's currently on the stage.

A band doesn't have to wear their own merch on stage but I don't know why a struggling, local, unsigned, and/or unknown band doesn't want to make it easy for people to know who they are.

I do the other local band's shirt thing as much as possible. Support your scene, support your friends, and I usually can trade one of our shirts for them or something so i don't feel weird about them getting fucked up onstage.

BoatRich wrote:I do the other local band's shirt thing as much as possible. Support your scene, support your friends, and I usually can trade one of our shirts for them or something so i don't feel weird about them getting fucked up onstage.

This. It's a community, right? Or sort of/hopefully it is.

I too go to plenty of shows solo, and around where I live it's common for people to put up flyers like a week out, but still have a change or two, sometimes even day of. One time I spent two weeks tracking down the name of a band that thad been a last minute substitution, and the only reason I figured it out is because the guitar players roommate is a buddy.

I'm in on the support the scene train as well. Too many cool bands that no one's heard of, and that feeling you get when someone digs something you told them about is always da beez kneez. If a band chooses to wear their shirts so be it, I'm more interested in their music and attitude anyway. I think I'd feel kinda awkward if it were me, but then I'm not currently in a band so.......
-foot

Krosis wrote:It's not always easy to ask which band is playing when it's loud or when I don't know anyone at the show (I've gone solo to a fair number of shows). Also, checking the bill doesn't always work because sometimes bands go on early or late or even out of order and it's not clear from the bill who's currently on the stage.

A band doesn't have to wear their own merch on stage but I don't know why a struggling, local, unsigned, and/or unknown band doesn't want to make it easy for people to know who they are.

You can't ask them after the set?

I go to shows by myself all the time... doesn't mean I lose the capacity to talk to people.

I'm not always in a social mood, especially when I'm alone and/or I hit a lot of traffic on the way there and/or the venue is full of annoying people.

Well, sure, but now you're creating hurdles to what is ultimately a very easy problem to solve. It's not as if you're going out to a battle traffic and nameless shitheads on your own to see NAMELESS FACELESS BAND X in the first place, right?

Nameless Faceless Band X is opening for the band I went out to see but since there's 4 bands on the bill and I got there after the show started I have no idea who's on stage.

"Sound guy, who's this"???

But... you could still ask someone, or google the bands on the bill. I don't get what's so hard. You could even e-mail the venue the next day.

I'm gonna print all my Power Crystals shirts in Sanskrit so as to confuse and not offend...

If you can't Shazam them they prolly suck...

As someone who runs a business, I always look for opportunities to rep the business. All I'm saying is a band should consider the same logic.