Some may recognize the name Travis Shettel from the Massachusetts based Piebald, a band Shettel fronted for 14 years. Since the group’s breakup in 2008, Shettel has moved on to new projects. Most recently, Shettel has been at work on TS and The Past Haunts, with the Past Haunts being comprised of the husband and wife duo Ben and Heather Heywood.

Throughout TS & The Past Haunts’ debut full length, entitled Gone and Goner, the trio show off a brand off psychedelic tinged indie rock. “East Jesus” begins the record with twangy guitars until they form a riff, followed by Shettel’s unique voice. “East Jesus” is the most accurate representation of Gone and Goner, so anyone not enjoying the opening track had best look back now.

Gone and Goner’s biggest downfall is that the record blends together to the point where it becomes difficult to differentiate songs without the help of a tracklisting, especially once the first three tracks pass by. “Let’s Be Lazy” is the choice cut from the record, as it has the most straightforward musicianship, and the catchiest chorus, on Gone and Goner.

The biggest thing that Gone and Goner has going for it is the bass guitar performance. The bass lines stand out through the entirety of Gone and Goner, especially on two minute “Unknown,” a track which is carried by the instrument. The bass guitar is not the only noticeable piece of musicianship, as there is much experimentation throughout Gone and Goner. “Citrus Mistress” uses a synth-like sound to enhance the psychedelic elements in TS and The Past Haunts’ music.

Gone and Goner most certainly doesn’t fit in the same realm as Piebald, or many of their No Sleep labelmates, but there is no doubt that Shettel and his Past Haunts will find their place somewhere. Gone and Goner is an admirable debut effort, but ultimately falls short in the end, whether it is due the short running time, or the bleeding together of songs. That aside, it’s easy to admire Shettel for keeping it up, and trying something new.

Tracklist:

1. East Jesus
2. Janice Haynes
3. Let’s Be Lazy
4. Circumstance
5. The 33
6. Unknown
7. Heaven in Your Hair
8. All I Can Tell You
9. Patience is Just Waiting
10. Citrus Mistress

Rating: 6/10

Declaration 1776 just continue to impress and explode in the indie clothing world. Their brand of patriotic fashion has really been catching fire and rightly so. Declaration has made quick work of creating tees that are extremely wearable, iconic and simple. Truth be told creating simple yet wearable designs is not as easy as one might think, so when you can find a brand consistently releasing quality designs you stand to be impressed.

On top of the new tees Declaration have also released a series of hand numbered and embossed prints of their most popular designs. Round that out with some beautiful leather wallets and you can see that Declaration 1776 is truly transforming from a t-shirt line into a full fledged indie clothing line.

Make sure to check out all the new wares at www.declaration1776.com

For those interested here is a breakdown of the new items and the inspiration behind each one.
McHenry
The bombardment of the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. This poem would later become our national anthem.

JPJ
During a naval battle in 1779 Captain John Paul Jones uttered the now famous words, “I have not yet begun to fight” in response to taunts from the captain of the superior HMS Serapis

The Eagle (grey and vintage maroon)
In 1782 Congress approved the outstretched eagle holding arrows and an olive branch as the seal of the young nation. Emblazoned across it’s chest we depict the year that America severed ties with the British crown.

Royal Americans (slate and royal blue)
First formed in 1756 the 60th Royal American Regiment was created to defend the colonies during the French and Indian War. It consisted of American, German, and Swiss soldiers all trained in forest warfare.

Attucks- (navy)
Of Wampanoag and African descent Crispus Attucks was the first person to die at the hands of British redcoats during the Boston Massacre. This event furthered the building tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Crown.

The Bonhomme (pullover hood in oatmeal and charcoal)
The USS Bonhomme Richard was a warship in the Continental Navy. Given by the French crown, it was helmed by Captain John Paul Jones. She was 152 feet long and carried 42 guns. She now rests somewhere at the bottom of the Ocean.

I went ahead and started a clothing line. Starting a business based around my love of art and stories seemed too good to pass up. After a year or more of hard work and planning I finally launched Que Terror. I’ve only just started this adventure, and surely have a lot more to learn, but this is what I’ve learned so far. Hopefully it’ll give you something to think about before following me off the ledge.

Time, precious time:
It takes considerably more time than you’d expect to start clothing line, even a humble one. Everyone seems to fixate on the start-up costs but time is even more important. Everything from dreaming up the initial idea, to organizing suppliers and even choosing what pantone colour to use will take time. The more work you do yourself to save money the more you’ll need to spend in time. Better think about saving up some free time to do it all properly.

Have a story to tell/sell:
Having a central story or idea that defines your brand is essential. It’s how you connect and relate to people. Threadless is built on the idea of democratic art, while Johnny cupcakes runs on the idea that you can have your cake and eat it if you strive for it. Strong stories work.
Your central story influences everything you do, from the designs down to the way you write emails. It’d better be a good idea then no?

If the binding thread is isn’t very alluring then no amount of marketing or money will change that. In the indie business world you have to connect with people, you can’t fake it.

The best idea is one your passionate about, have the skills to bring to life and care enough about to share with others.

Take your idea and write it down, it will either need to be refined or scrapped. Out on the page it can’t hide from scrutiny.

 With my brand, Que Terror, I sat down and wrote exactly what it stood for and even explicitly what it didn’t. I honed the idea down to something that I felt would resonate. I even wrote down the values I wanted to work under.Having a clear definition of what I wanted to do made very other decision easier. It also keeps you focused amongst the millions of options you have for every little decision.

Selling tees is hard:
Even if people love you, love what you do and rave about your tees they still might not end up buying anything. It takes patience, persistence and a willingness to invest in more than just a transaction. You have to build a relationship.

Indie brands seem to work best when they befriend their customers rather than market to them. I’ve found even a bit of a personal touch goes a long way to getting people on board to support you.

Numbers matter:
You’ll need to have some handle on numbers. Knowing your unit costs, how transaction fees work, taxes, how many tees you’ll need to sell and if you could ever make money are important. If you want a business that sustains itself you’ll have to know how to run the numbers.

Expect to learn:
You should be willing to treat your brand as a learning exercise. You can’t expect to be good at something you’ve only just started. Be honest about what your doing well and what isn’t working. The hardest part for me as the designer was admitting which designs weren’t working.

In the early stages of Que Terror I started a blog and updated it with my ideas, designs and everything else. I got some trusted friends to critique it as I worked. I think being open to this feedback resulted in a better product and it gave me more confidence for the real launch.

It can be hard to admit your baby isn’t perfect. The great thing about starting small is you have the flexibility to change and get better.

Making decisions:
One of the difficulties of starting a clothing line is your faced with innumerable decisions. Some are important and some aren’t but regardless they all have to be made. Your clothing line can be whatever you want, and that’s a scary amount of freedom at times. What if you make a mistake? The trick is to be okay with making mistakes. I’ve already made quite a few.

Starting a business is by definition risky. I’ve learnt indecision doesn’t really get you anywhere, at least a bad choice will teach you something. When in doubt it’s best to jump in, screw it up and learn a thing or two.

Doin’ it:
If it’s something your passionate about then today is the best day to start working on it. Even growing my business from a tiny idea to an actual e-store shipping tees has been very satisfying. I’ve done it all on my own and im excited to see where I can take it. You wont regret starting it, you’ll regret not doing it though I’m sure.

www.queterror.com

In this episode of IAMTHETREND TV we take a look at new indie t-shirt line Edward Teabelly. Owner Dave Young has been working on this brand for quite sometime trying to perfect every aspect from packaging to finishing, but how does Edward Teabelly stack up against the 4P’s of Tees?

www.edwardteabelly.com

Congrats! You found the first posting of the Collab Blab column. The goal of this column is to uncover and share the most creative design collaborations ever seen. In the spirit of golden first place… for the first posting I just had to share this Stay Gold design. It was used as a shirt print and as an album cover for a recent Dustin Cavazos EP. Over the summer, both groups came together for a free concert and cookout in Dallas to promote the Stay Gold design. A party is always the best way kick it off right!

The true nature of a great collab has a theme that helps the design work on several levels. The design captures visual elements of the Cavazos character, uses a trendy 8 bit digital style which is also representative of the music style, and the golden bike represents a theme from both creators of staying on the righteous path no matter what you do.

I can only research so much… If you worked on or have a favorite collab project you think should have a spotlight review on Collab Blab, please email a short description and link to the design creators at sleepydanclothing at yahoo dot com. If the collab has serious merit, it will get some recognition! Just so you understand how much I love graphic apparel and know where I am coming from, I’ve been an apparel designer for 10 years and I’m working on a apparel project of my own you can check out at www.sleepydan.com

As many of you know I started working for Storenvy back in October focusing on Community Management & Special Ops. Part of my job has been to help recruit as many new kick ass stores as possible. While on my quest I started seeing some recurring myths surrounding what is possible when using Storenvy as your storefront. People don’t realize just how awesome Storenvy really is. So rather than let these un-truths keep you from setting up an awesome store, I figured it was time to go myth busting!

MYTH: Since Storenvy is free it must be lacking some features.
FACT: Setting up and running a blog is free, so why should setting up a store be any different? We have all heard the saying “you get what you pay for” and while I usually agree with you, this is simply not the case with Storenvy. Storenvy is simple but powerful and even has a lot of features the other guys don’t have. Unlimited products, built in analytics, full customization, discount codes, easy order management, the ability to upload five images per product and a Facebook integrated store, consider this myth busted. Just because Storenvy doesn’t charge you, doesn’t mean that it’s not just as good or better than the other guys that are taking your money every month.

MYTH: Storenvy isn’t as customizable as ______.
FACT: Storenvy gives you the ability to completely customize the CSS, HTML and Javascript for your store giving you the opportunity to make your store truly your own. We absolutely love it when a store takes the reigns and completely redesigns their store.

Here are some great examples of storefronts that have taken it upon themselves to completely customize their storefront and even built their store directly into their existing website.

lilchiefrecords.storenvy.com

store.cureapparelco.com

capitlclothing.storenvy.com

shopwalkinlove.storenvy.com

MYTH: Since Storenvy is free there must be a catch or trick.
FACT: No tricks here! We truly believe that opening a store should be free just like setting up a blog. Now of course, we have a few upgrades you can turn off, if you want (custom domains, advanced discount support, etc), but the basic store is totally free with no catch.

MYTH: Customers have to go through the Storenvy Marketplace to get to your store.
FACT: No way! You get your own URL where you can point your shoppers directly to your store. But don’t worry about having to promote all on your own. One of the best parts about Storenvy is that along with your individual storefront all of your products automatically get included in the Storenvy Marketplace. Having your items listed in a marketplace allows customers to find your store when they may have not known you existed if you were on your own. Having your products listed in the Marketplace is a huge bonus of having a store on Storenvy.

MYTH: I can’t use my own domain name.
FACT: Storenvy launched Custom Domain support last year! When you first sign up for a store by default your domain does include .storenvy.com. But if you choose, you can change it to your own .com, .org, .me or whatever other URL you’ve got. This a paid feature that will run you $5.00 a month but for brands looking for that cohesive look it is five bucks well spent.

MYTH: “Setting up a store is going to be hard, right?”
FACT: It doesn’t get any easier than Storenvy. Storenvy was created to make setting up a shop as simple, fun and human as possible. The truth of the matter is most people do not know how to write and customize HTML or CSS and we get that. Each Storenvy store comes with complete with tools to make uploading products and customizing the look of your store as easy as possible. With just a few clicks setting up and launching a store can be done in no time. If you really wanted to hustle through it you could have your store up and ready for taking orders in under ten minutes. No joke.

Hailing from the Bay Area, in California, Troubled Coast has started off the year with a bang in hardcore music. After two decent EPs and a passable full length, Letters, the group has proven their worth with their latest release, and first on Pure Noise Records, I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You. The EP features a traditional hardcore sound, while bringing many different elements into their vocal approaches.

I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You starts off with “Patient Hands,” an adequate introduction to Troubled Coast, for those unfamiliar with the band. The song shows off the band’s modern day hardcore sound, while also displaying the group’s clean vocals, an aspect that is not often used in like-sounding bands such as Defeater and Touché Amoré. “Patient Hands” also greatly benefits from guest vocals, courtesy of Matt Vincent (from labelmates The American Scene), whose voice adds a great contrast to the group’s harsh vocals. “I’m Still A Loner, Dottie” provides a more spoken, rather than screamed, approach to the vocals, while remaining heavy musically, a style that works greatly in Troubled Coast’s favor. On “La Jetee,” the clean vocals come across too forced. While Mile’s scream/yell sounds fantastic, and the opening bass line is one of the musical highlights on the EP, the track is by far the weakest link on I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You. The EP’s six minute closer, “The First Night of the New World,” expands on the spoken style of “I’m Still A Loner, Dottie,” overtop of the strongest musicianship the group has presented, to date, led by Troubled Coast’s powerful guitar work.

Fans of the latest wave of hardcore bands will surely find something to appreciate in Troubled Coast. Whether it is the aggressive musicianship or the desperate sound in the multiple voices heard on the EP, Troubled Coast has proven their place in their scene with this release. After I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You, it’s hard to deny that Troubled Coast will be one of the most talked about new comers in the hardcore scene this year.

Tracklist:

1. Patient Hands
2. I’m Still A Loner, Dottie
3. La Jetee
4. The First Night of the New World

Rating: 7.5/10

I absolutely love the thought, time and effort that Andrew puts into his brand Lion Caster. With that in mind I highly suggest that you check out the Lion Caster video series and story behind the brand to really get a grasp on what the brand is all about.

To help clear stock Lion Caster is offering their $55 bundle which includes: Pocket Knife, Flask, Handkerchief, Logo T-shirt, and an exclusive letter from The Haberdasher, all inside a cotton drawstring backpack for only $38!

Also anyone who likes the page www.Facebook.com/CastLions and then tags the page in a post will be entered to win a Make Shift First aid Kit which holds some subtle hints inside to the next line.

Check out everything Lion Caster HERE

To kick off the new year the Editions just dropped three brand new designs over two tees and one thermal. Each new tee is hand printed on a new quality extra soft blanks, and from the pictures look fantastic.

All three new designs are available now at: theseeditions.com

Outcry Apparel have just put up a new pre-order on their site outcry-apparel.com for their Deceiver Crewneck. I typically shy away from posting pre-order tees but thought the new design from Outcry looked solid. You can pre-order your tees now for €25.00 HERE

The boys from Regan Smith Clarke have just dropped two new tees and frankly they kick ass. Namely the “Defender of the Saloon” shirt, I am a huge fan of this design. Everything from the typography to the overall design of the axe, is just awesome. I can see axe inspired designs catching some fire this year.

You can pickup both tees right now at www.regansmithclarke.com