Who we are
Shakedown Relics started with a simple idea: band shirts are more than merchandise, they’re artifacts of a moment, a tour, a parking lot, a night that mattered.
I collect vintage band shirts to document and preserve the visual history of the fan experience, particularly within communities like the Grateful Dead and Phish. These shirts were made to be worn, traded, and lived in not framed, and each one carries the marks of the road, the crowd, and the culture that created it.
This project exists at the intersection of collecting, storytelling, and access. The goal isn’t just to sell shirts, it’s to help fans find their next favorite piece while building a growing archive that honors the creativity and history of these scenes.
The Archives
The Archives exist to preserve and share the visual history of fan culture through band shirts, objects that document the lived experience of touring, community, and creativity outside official records. These shirts were produced, worn, traded, and often discarded without thought to preservation, yet they hold essential insight into how fans expressed identity, humor, and belonging across eras and tours. By collecting and documenting them, Shakedown Relics works to ensure this history is recorded before it disappears.
At the same time, the Archives are not meant to be static. These shirts were made to move, to be worn, shared, and carried forward. Offering pieces back into the community allows the archive to remain active and sustainable, with each purchase directly supporting the documentation of future pieces. In this way, the Archives function as both a record and a living system—preserving the past while allowing the culture to continue evolving in the present.
