Huh? Hand-made band shirts?

Why? Because we're LUNATICS!!! And only lunatics would have this incredibly time-consuming, exhausting and easy-to-screw-up idea for creating/selling merch!

See, we were playing all these concerts/youth retreats and fans wanted to show their Maywood allegiance via the internationally accepted method of endorsement - the "I've been there" commemorative shirt, but we were  are poor and couldn't can't afford to both record an album and have shirts printed. But before we could ask people for money or take on a second job, I went through one of my CRAFT FRENZIES, which, like any phase, is temporary but strangely empowering while it lasts. So, as though I took a swig of Felix Felicis, I decided we would MAKE ALLLLL THE SHIRTS!!! And by "we" I mean "I" since I lived in a different state at the time was the only one with sewing machine skills and access to my mom's dusty Closet O' Fabric & Supplies From 1987.

So, based on this cheesy photo from our "early years," I designed our shirts simply. "MW" or just "maywood".

Basically, I use material from my aforementioned Closet ^ and from any old thing lying around my house that I  don't really need anymore for the patch design. As for the shirts, themselves, we buy them new for the cheapest possible price. After washing, they artfully fray around the edges, giving them a worn-in look.

This undertaking was born out of a desire to save money while the band paid for a CD and to give our awesome fans something to take home with them. But the experience of laboriously pumping blood, sweat and tears into each shirt by hand sewing them has forever altered my point of view on rock band merchandise.

I mean, where are you most likely to purchase a band shirt? A concert, right? And you probably just have to choose your size because all the shirts are the same, no? I mean, most bands have "tour" shirts that commemorate a particular album/tour, but in an unestablished band like ours, we don't really have much more than the fact that we exist to commemorate, you know? We have an album now, but we played at events for almost 2 years before that happened, so this is what we sold. Anyway, typical band shirts are one design and made in a factory somewhere. You can't even be sure that said band personally designed them. I mean, let's face it, the most involvement they probably had was saying "yay" or "nay" in between being fed grapes and dressed for television appearances. 

The entire concert experience is somewhat impersonal anyway, right? You go and stand in the audience, give a fist pump or two, sing along and then leave. If you buy a shirt, it's just one more piece of clothing that will eventually end up in the Goodwill pile, no? It's not much, maybe, but Maywood shirts are hand-made with love by a lead singer and completely customizable to fit your style. You can forever say that you had a hand in the look of Maywood's advertising campaign. Look, even letter placement is customizable now!

   

But do people really care if it's hand-crafted? Do they really care what it looks like? Do they WANT all of these choices? I don't know yet. Some concerts sell 5-6 shirts while others sell none. I'm tempted to believe that folks just want to be told what to do. It requires less thought and effort. They just want to support the band, you know? Why do we have to make it complicated - trying to get more involved by customizing something just for them? It's exhausting to open up to people in this way - to stop and think about what you, personally, might prefer before taking action. It's easier to just be told what to wear, isn't it? It's easier to be told what's stylish, what's a good song, who to vote for, what to believe, right and wrong ...

Maywood will probably get printed shirts soon. I can't do this forever. My craft frenzy is not nearly as strong as it once was and, as I just mentioned, the market for choices is strangely small so far in the land where Maywood plays. So if you have one, hold onto it! It'll be rare very soon. To order one, go here.

What is worth pouring your heart and soul into? We do it with our music, don't we? Why not give that kind of attention to every aspect of our band? Otherwise, we're just hitting the print button and collecting cash. I don't want to sell you worthless junk. I want it to mean something to you, just like our music.