Many musicians have day jobs and side work that allow us to pay the bills (and allow us to keep being musicians). And it’s pretty much the norm for bands to have their own t-shirts available as merchandise along with their CDs and such. Mark Miracle of Sawmill Road – west coast folk might have caught them last Spring at the Strawberry Music Festival – took it one step farther and developed Grassware.com, a site that sells bluegrass-related apparel. He also proves that the words “bluegrass” and “bling” are not mutually exclusive.
I first became a Grassware customer years ago when I picked up one of their “Eat Sleep Pick” shirts – which I still proudly wear. (The things are American made and hold up really well.) Grassware sports just a few key bluegrassy designs such as “MONROE” (all caps intentional), a graphic of the RCA Victor 78 “Mule Skinner Blues”, or my personal favorite, “Banjo Hero”, printed with the “Guitar Hero” font. (And when folks ask, “Hey, can you play the banjo?” I proudly proclaim, “No, I can PRETEND to play the banjo”.)
The Banjo Hero T-shirt
New this year (and just in time for Christmas) is Grassware’s line of “bluegrass bling”, customizable charms that can be suited to your favorite player (or fan).
Bluegrass Bling
And speaking of December 25th, Grassware is running a Christmas special through the end of the month. Buy any two t-shirts and get a third for free. (They also fold down into a compact little package, perfectly suited to stuff the stocking of the bluegrasser on your list.) More info is at Grassware.com.
www.michaelgaither.com