Ubiquity Tees

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Ubiquity, band t-shirts, band tees, music t-shirts, music tees

Based out of Costa Mesa California, Ubiquity Records are as you’ve probably guessed by now, a music label. But don’t let that sway you, I mean if anyone is going to know how to design great music tees, it has to be a guy inside the music biz. Their Spring Collection is out now, I’ve taken a pick of old and new to give you and overview. Most are on sale in sizes S-XXL (where supplies are available). Anyway I’ll let you decide for yourself, but to be honest I haven’t seen music tees this cool in a long old while…

Sunset Analog Tee

Currently their bestseller, inspired by album art of the 60′s to the 80′s, and designed by Freddy Allen Anzures – an Art Director, Designer for Wax Poetics and Apple and a DJ. Only small sizes left but plenty more in S-XL in white. From the new Spring Collection.

Music On The Mind Tee

A nice ‘n’ jazzy little number from the Spring Collection, this one’s available in white and navy in sizes S-XL. Designed by Christopher David Ryan.

Radio Citizen Tee

Inspired by German Jazz/Soul combo Radio Citizen‘s new LP. $24.99 in White and Kelly Green sizes S-XXL.

Boombox Tee

Part of the classic collection, and my fave, still. Available in white but personally I think it looks far better in black (although only S-M sizes left) at $22.99 each.

The prices don’t include tax but I guess that’s local taxes.  I’d think about hiving off the apparel side in the future and get a domain name like ‘ubiquitees”. Even a subdomain could help exposure for their tees but I s’pose it’s all about the music ;)

More?

Lucky Dragons Tee

admin    T-Shirts     Lucky Dragons, Musicians as Designers, Soundscreen Design, music t-shirts, music tees

Before all you dragon lovers out there get too excited, this post has nothing to do with dragons, it’s a simple typographic tee designed by Lucky Dragons who are an experimental band from LA, who are also behind the drawing collective Sumi Ink Club. The shirt is part of a series by Soundscreen Design called ‘Musician as Designer’, which theoretically is a great idea, unfortunately most of the tees look a little amateur asides this one called Edition 09 available in black and natural…

Lucky Dragons Tee

Officially known as ‘Series 09′ of the Musician as Designer series, it’s big, bold and (at first glance shiny), most likely a big hit with the fashionistas, or it will be now! Get this tee in two colours for $34.99 each in unisex sizes XS-XL. The fantastic thing about this design, especially in black, is the fact that using an intricate jungle/graffiti style abstract pattern it manages to look a little like metallic ink. In fact I’d reprint a new metallic version just to hammer this one home. Then again I have no class :p

Here’s the blurb on Soundscreen Design:

“Soundscreen Design is a product design company inspired by music, based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. We design, produce, and distribute music related products to both wholesalers and retailers. We aim to advance the concept of music merchandise through meticulous design coupled with a fan’s appreciation for and obsession with the ‘thing.’ We make products that can be categorized as books and prints, apparel and housewares.”

Bruno Blum Tees @ I’n'Eye

admin    T-Shirts     Bruno Blum, French designer t-shirts, French tees, I and Eye, cartoon t-shirts, funny tees, music tees, reggae t-shirt

Bruno Blum is something of a legend in France and the world of reggae, being a singer-songwriter, guitarist and music producer (nicknamed ‘Doc Reggae’) you’d think he’d have little time for anything else. Think again. He’s also a celebrated cartoonist, illustrator, painter, photographer, writer and lecturer. What’s more a brand new French fashion label I’n'Eye who are heavily influenced by the reggae scene (can’t you tell?) have chosen 3 of Blum’s magnificent illustrations for their first release. A set of 3 tees, all of which are also available individually, screen printed with loving care, (although the designs are a little bit small for me I guess that’s the way they do things in France), and on offer in sizes L/XL at €20 each or 3 for €50.

The Dread Brothers Tee

A very furry freaky design, can’t help thinking the prints should be far bigger though. Anyone remember the Freak Brothers? When the hell is that coming out as a movie? Anyone? Okay give me the money and I will make it :p

Don’t Drink and Drive Tee

…Smoke and Fly! Sounds good to me, bad to most of you I’m sure, but it’s one of many reasons I think I might have been French in another life, I love the  arts quarter café culture there. If only they could add a little Amsterdam shenanigans into the mix, I’d probably emigrate!

Mystic Vibes Tee

Yeah man, peace out, groovy. One big happy family of freaks, this is the way life was meant to be.

Let’s hope for larger prints for the next series, until then buy one Bluno Brum shirt or the lot at www.ineye-shop.com or keep up-to-date via their blog at www.ineyeblog.wordpress.com. Make sure you brush up on your French (or at least Franglais) first though!

The Sick Kids

admin    T-Shirt News, T-Shirt Reviews     British tees, The Sick Kids, character t-shirts, hip-hop t-shirts, indie tees, music tees, rap, toon shirts

The Sick Kids is a streetwear brand launched in South London during the Summer of 2009 by comedy female rapper Kelly Jackson aka Jackson Kid, who makes up one third of ‘The Sick Kids’ alongside her sister Lele [SPEAKS], who is also a published solo artist through EMI Records. [SPEAKS] set out on her own, fresh from finishing up at ‘the Brit school of arts’ in Croydon and started working with various random producers making beats and sending them over to her on Myspace, as well as collaborating with her rapper boyfriend ‘Worthless’ and their beat maker friend ‘Pig Man Dan’, recording on basic home studio equipment and software.

It was whilst performing gigs that she and her sister came up with a few t-shirts for a show in Camden Town, it wasn’t long before the team branched off into t-shirt design, and what started as band merchandise has now become a fully fledged indie t-shirt label. The Sick Kids’ influences include a love of street fashion and music, from hip-hop sportswear to punk rock studs and denim… from cartoons, Disney, and comedy to horror, TV, the news, film, the 80’s and 90’s, toys, photography, churches, graveyards, junk food, crooked teeth and Rosehill Council Estate.

Here’s a few tees from their first collection, all are available for girls and guys in all sizes at £16.99 (some are a little cheaper)…

Ghost Kid Tee

Available in 3 colours for girls and guys.

Puppet Kids Tee

Wasteman Tee

I’m a big fan of ‘bad’ rap, the funnier the better, The Sick Kids might not be at the level of hilarity of say GLC and The Lonely Island, but considering their lo-tech roots this track is pretty impressive too:

If you fancy keeping updated with everything from the Sick Kids stable then you can hook up with them at Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.

Do Believe The Hypothesis

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     art t-shirts, hpothesis inc, hyp-inc, hyp-inc.com, indie design, indie t-shirts, music tees

Hyp-Inc.com (aka Hypothesis Inc. Theory Of Self Co.) are a hot label with some very smooth tees on offer, in fact the same can be said for their very Flash site which exudes a gritty urban surrealist style from the word go. Their eye for the new and original is something to behold, don’t expect anything but out of the ordinary at Hyp-Inc, who essentially have a slant on life and all that entails you won’t find on your big labels or even most home-grown indie brands. Their positioning is near enough unique, more commercial than the usual art t-shirts available on the net, but always distinct and irreverent in both graphic sensuality and purpose rarely found in the back catalogues of their larger competitors.

Be different, that seems to be the ongoing theme, not as such an out and out ‘shock passers-by’ tactic for design, but they make a strong impression and a lustrous statement of intent all the same. If I didn’t know better I’d guess these guys have been channelling Magritte from beyond the grave, their array of surrealist tricks is impressive, their simple messages are definitely head turners in a crowd, but subtlety (for once) abounds. Fine t-shirts for fine minds.

I can’t hook you up with product pages as such, but you will definitely have fun wandering around Hyp-Inc’s √ºber slick site, it almost looks like an online trailer for a Cannes winner or a game of mind over matter lushed out in gorgeous Photoshop grainy layers, drawing you in to a time that never was, to a place that never will be. The t-shirt titles are rather cryptic at times, which I like, the designs vary in styles, but there’s distinctly some Dada and Surrealist crossovers going on here. My favourites have a musical leaning, and as it happens Hyp-Inc have a strong following in the music industry, (amongst others) having created complex illustrative posters, CD and vinyl cover art, clothing and advertising imagery for a rich seam of cool bands and festivals including Phish, Matchbox 20, Disco Biscuits, as well as plenty of websites and businesses like www.footylovefilms.com. Expect the best of the best, no hype, just hypothesis with a firm footing in fact – check out these tees. read more

Movie Tees For The Movie Buff

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     arcane projects, arcaneprojects.com, band shirts, film tees, movie t-shirts, movie tees, music tees

Arcane Projects offer a wide range of movie t-shirts, we’ve reviewed quite a few similar stores now however I have to admit that there are two things that stand out about this label over the competition. Firstly their choice in film is a little bit more esoteric, not obscure as such, but you will really need to know your celluloid with some of their t-shirts. Secondly they offer a unique sideline, something I haven’t seen at their competitors and that is a custom movie t-shirt service. In essence you name your favourite flick and they design a t-shirt that will allude to a detail of the plot, sometimes one that only those who can really call themselves ‘fans’ might recognise.

You will of course find all your old favourites a Arcane, including Terminator (1 & 2), The Shining, Fight Club and Aliens, but there are a few titles on offer that may come as a surprise. The eighties sci-fi classic The Running Man, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story written in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, and Point Break, an early role for Keanu Reeves way before he found his place in movie history as Neo in The Matrix. However as I’ve already mentioned there’s nothing stopping you ordering your own custom movie tee, there are so many films out there that deserve this unique treatment, it would be great to see even more obscure movies get the ‘tee treatment’. As it happens I have THX1138 on the screen right now, the first and probably least well known George Lucas movie ever made, now that’s what I mean by obscure! Here are a few of my favourite t-shirts that have had the Arcane Project’s highly original going over, grab some popcorn, a giant cup of watery Coke, and kick back as we go to the movies… read more

Soul Power, The Concert, The Movie… The T-Shirts

admin    T-Shirt News     Africa, R&B, Rumble In The Jungle, Soul Power, Zaire 74, history, music history, music t-shirts, music tees

Miss Wit Designs have recently brought our attention to their licensed creation of their Zaire ’74 concert tee, marking the release of a documentary that celebrates the legendary festival Zaire ’74, made entirely using the original 1974 footage.

The legendary concert was brought to fruition by musician/producer and life long friends Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine (Grazing In The Grass, Don’t Go Lose it Baby), the music festival gained a great deal of notoriety at the time after the involvement of all-time number one boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with ‚ÄúThe Rumble in the Jungle,‚Äù the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Alongside Zaire ’74, the Soul Power t-shirt focuses on the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners among a host of others. All artists involved inspired by the return to their African roots, as well as the enthusiasm of the Zairian audience, ensured that they gave the performances of their lives. Since then history has imbued the concert with an almost mythological status marking it as the most definitive Africa(n)-American musical event of the 20th Century.

For almost 35 years the footage has This footage has remained unused and unseen until the release of vaulted for the past 35 years, unused, unseen, until now. Soul Power will make debut its public theatrical release on Friday, July 10th, both in New York and LA after already winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Filmed by some of the most celebrated documentary cinematographers of all-time including Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens), Paul Goldsmith (Rust Never Sleeps), Kevin Keating (Harlan County USA), and Roderick Young (Wattstax), Miss Wit aims to bring attention to the event through the production of these two exclusive tees. read more

Tie Dyed And Gone To T-Shirt Heaven?

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     music rock tees, music t-shirts, music tees, rock band t-shirts, rock music t-shirts, rock shirts, rock tees, rock-band-t-shirts.com

Okay the site needs a little work I admit it, but Rock Band T-Shirts do something quite rare considering how mechanised and automated the world is these days, they airbrush and hand paint every one of their √ºber psychedelic tees, and if you’re one for trippy prints, then www.rock-band-t-shirts.com should definitely be on your journey of self teescovery ;)

Yes, yes, there are some problems with the site design, the navigation bar is floating and some of the title tags are showing up html codes like <br> but ignore it if you can, the dudes behind this label have their sights set on greater things and I’m sure they’ll get a nerd in to spruce it all up in the end, The reason I’m not laying into RBT ‘s site design (as I normally would) is because they’re obviously first and foremostly artists, t-shirt artists, creative types who just want to do what they do which is simply this:-

Immortalise guitar and rock heroes in the medium of the t-shirt.

You can’t ask fairer than that can you? They take the trouble where it counts, offering the best of the best in rock legend T-shirts from the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s & 90′s. inspired by rock music heroes like John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin & Reggae legend Bob Marley. If you’ve had it up to here (imagine my hand above my head) with rock legends (can’t understand why though) there are other categories to choose from – Biker Tees and Science Fiction / Fantasy Tees, so you can still get your mad and trippy coloured mayhem no matter what you’re tastes. RBT obviously are a lot more level-headed than may appear on first impression, for example they are meticulous in their production process. Always conscious to maintain uniform colour balance and pattern consistency whilst still ensuring that each tie dyed tee is totally unique. A tricky balance some may say.

Right – enough of the banter – let’s take a trip to the tie dyed land of Rock Band T-Shirts… read more

New Tees At 101Apparel.com

admin    T-Shirt News     101apparel, 101apparel.com, band t-shirts, music t-shirts, music tees

101 Apparel have just released a new set of music-related tees for Summer 09 and yes as usual they rock, erm, they jazz, they RnB, they soul, you get the idea, if you love music you’ll love this lot!

As usual expect fine designs, interesting concepts, great background stories and high quality tees you can wear just about anywhere and still get a knowing nod from a savvy muso or two. Some are old favourites in new colours others are brand new designs to get your toes tapping.

Check them out now – we have some great 101 Apparel product images to wet your whistle… read more

My New Invisible Friend

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     UK t-shirts, band shirts, band t-shirts, band tees, designer tees, invisible friend, invisible-friend.co.uk, music t-shirts, music tees, rock t-shirts

My old pal, well an online friend, perhaps he’s my invisible friend, anyway, Ian Cretney of Invisible Friend has just released his latest collection of revamped and highly original new tees at his fresh and snazzily redesigned site at www.invisible-friend.co.uk. This is probably a collection you won’t be familiar with, and it always surprises me that I.F haven’t had far more exposure than they do, the truth is that it just takes time for the public to catch on to new ideas and new ways of thinking.

To be frank, one of my all-time favourite t-shirts is by this guy, it’s called Dead Rock Stars, he sent me a freebie when I first reviewed the site, totally out of the blue, as you know I don’t ask for freebies to review t-shirts, I do it for the lurve as they say. Anyway, I love that t-shirt to death, which is rather apt, and looking down I’ve just noticed I’m wearing it again! Ian is what I’d call a true craftsman in the field of t-shirt design and production, he’s a dedicated soul who spent the first few years hand screen printing every single shirt, as the business has grown he’s branched out and took on a little help to keep up with demand, (in fact he’s promised to guide me through the art of screen printing so I can start producing my own graffiti posters), but rest assured, the ethos and philosophy of Invisible Friend is still as strong and true as ever.

Trying to pin down exactly what that might be is a tricky thing though, I suppose you could say it lies somewhere in an artistic mind’s interpretation of urban myth, social revolution and music folklore peppered with a healthy dose of cynical humour and a rather laid-back attitude to mortality. Each t-shirt is almost a work of modern art in itself, the iconography lies halfway between graffiti and Post-Modern illustration, the attitude, quirky, irreverent, and with an undercurrent of ever-so-slightly solemnity, which for me is an extremely refreshing change from the usual run-of-the-mill funny one-liners tees you’ll usually come across on the Net. read more