The Californian from Salinas, California • 25

Gafflornssm Saturday, August 2, 2008 CENTRAL COAST LIVING Touring togs more stylish They're bread, butter for bands on the run merch is solid in the shaky music industry: "You can't illegally download a T- shirt," Waddell says. Female fans help Female fans also have boosted the bottom line, says Chaser's Salem, who began thinking out of the boxy prototype after noticing women "were only wearing T-shirts that had been washed 2,000 times to get that worn-out look. We had to come up with slimmer, softer garments without those crispy, rubbery inks. You couldn't buy them from Fruit of the Loom or Hanes." Even celebrities responded. Janet Jackson has sported Chaser's Rolling Stones increased in importance and status," says Ray Wad-dell, touring editor.

"It's right up there in the big revenue streams with recording, publishing and touring. Many labels have their own merchandise divisions, and when an artist signs any deal now, merchandising and how it can be maximized is part of it" Merchandise figures Unlike CD or tour data, merchandise sales figures are not readily available, since only some acts report those totals with concert grosses. Estimates range from $2 to $20 spent for each attendee, Waddell says. "High-end $75 hoodies are not uncommon," he says. "Artists put a lot of thought into graphics and designs.

If a walking billboard. And for a lot of indie bands, if gas money." Demand for vintage gear has expanded the market, as has online access. But "smart artists will sell exclusive stuff on tour, because if a badge of honor for fens," Waddell says. Metal and country see the strongest sales, pop fares well, while and hip-hop lag. In all genres, fans are paying more for finer fabrics and styles, and artists keep the lion's share of profits.

One reason tee, while Britney Spears donned one of its ACDC motifs, and Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus wore the brand's New York Dolls shirts. Katy Perry and Chaser designers discussed roughly 40 ideas before exchanging mock-ups to execute seven products. "I put all my personality into it," Perry says. "I was over-involved to the point that my control freakness freaked out Stylewise, I'm influenced by the 1940s and "Lolita." I have a fascination with fruit motifs, especially strawberries and cherries. I have a fashion sense with a sense of humor, and I want to share that with my fans." '( ih) li.

ft 4 V. i i a let ff 1 V. fr OUTLET) FLOOR! Chaser president Hadi Salem. "The bands we work with want shirts that are politically correct, environmentally friendly and fashionable," says Salem, 45, whose firm is the licensing and tour division of apparel maker Co, which he co-founded in 1988. Most Chaser shirts are manufactured locally.

All are made in compliant factories. "Young consumers pay attention to those details, and the music industry was quick to grasp that" Keith Urban, Radiohead, Brian Wilson, Louis XTV, Type Negative and Sigur Ros are among acts that have i enlisted Chaser to manufacture tour wear. The company also acquires licenses to sell a wide range of retro designs, from ACDC to on its Web site (chasermerch xom) and through such retail outlets as Virgin Megas-tores and Urban Outfitters. The made-in-China, one-size-fits-all, toxic-dye template may be losing cachet, but the oldie acts never say die. A crowd snapshot at any contemporary rock festival will reveal a generous number of T-shirts touting musicians that haven't toured, or breathed, in decades.

Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain are mainstays. Oldies still sell In the apparel world of the living and dead, "there are no bands outselling the Rolling Stones," says designer Blaine Halvorson, co-founder of 10-year-old Junk Food Clothing, which specializes in soft, weathered pop-retro clothing (junkfooddothing.com). "The Beatles are right there, as welL They run the market and hang from the best department stores to Wal-Mart "With some things, when it moves to Target, you've hurt the brand and it's not good anymore at (upscale boutique) Fred SegaL The Beatles and the Stones are above that It's like Levi's. They have the strongest legs, and it's not surprising. We're talking about the two biggest bands ever to hit the planet" Junk Food, which holds roughly 90 licenses, plumbs classic rock iconography for tee images of Blondie, Hendrix, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd and Sex Pistols, yet doesn't rely on nostalgic baby boomers to drive sales.

"Our buyers are definitely young and very aware of rock history," Halvorson says. Two years ago, rock apparel hit a retail peak and then began dropping, for reasons that aren't clear, he says. "It's picking up again, and some bands always sell Obviously, for bands on tour, it's a huge revenue source." Especially now. With the decline of CD sales in recent years, "merchandise has definitely a By EDNA GUNDERSEN Gannett News Service That Billy Joel T-shirt commemorating his 1987 USSR tour may be a nostalgic keepsake. But politically and socially, it's as out of date as a Soviet map.

Made of a cottonpolyester blend and sewn in Jamaica with stiff inks prone to creasing and bleeding, the shapeless shirt is not unlike most tour tees that fans were scooping up in the 20th century. Fast-forward to summer 2008. Keith Urban's merchandise booths are selling shirts made of recycled plastic bottles. Radiohead is peddling a broad array of soft apparel, including kids' styles and slim cap-sleeve and halter-style tees for women. Type Negative offers its female fans snug black tank tops (and "Love you to death" panties).

Today's wearable concert mementos fit the times to a T. Fabrics are softer, with organic cotton often supplanting synthetics. Shirts are U.S.-made or crafted in factories that uphold fair labor standards. Stylish, body-conscious designs have replaced the baggy template. No longer simply sandwich signs, tour T-shirts finally have fashion appeal Just ask pop sensation Katy Perry, who worked with Chaser Merchandising to create her summer tour goods.

Her booth serves up tote bags, heart-shaped sunglasses, temporary tattoos and raglan and V-neck featherweight shirts in cotton, rayon and Micro-Modal, made with beech-wood fiber from sustain-ably managed forests. "I am a girlie girl, so I know what girls want," says Perry, whose "I Kissed a Girl" replaced Coldplays "Viva La Vida" at the top of singles chart this week. 'This is my first time doing merchandise, and I knew whatever I sold had to be stuff I was willing to wear myself. I think people will pay $5 more for a quality shirt they can wear year-round rather than a boring shirt that fades and cracks in the wash and looks really gross." Perry, touring this summer on the all-star Vans Warped Tour bill, says she never purchased concert T-shirts as a teen because they were loose and dull. "I would buy the poster or stickers instead," says Perry, 23.

"I didn't want a band T-shirt that nobody's going to see because I only wore it to sleep in." Concertgoers paying premium prices for band T-shirts as much as $55 for basic tees at venues, more for fancier items are both style-conscious and socially conscious, says Our' ujj .1 it Size Color Was Now 12x6 Spottedsand $219.00 $45.00 12x6.9 Green $89.00 $45.00 12x7.6 Driftwood $181.27 $45.00 12x7.6 Beige $149.00 $45.00 12x8.3 Gold $149.00 $55.00 12x9.6 Burgundy $289.00 SOLD 12x9.7 Moccassin $359.00 $69.00 12x11.1 Dark Olive $538.00 $89.00 12x11.1 Bluegreen $435.00 $89.00 12x12 Dark Blue $545.00 $89.00 12x12 Moss $359.00 SOLD 12x12.1 Sand $367.27 $89.00 12x12.1 Sandy Beige $399.00 $89.00 12x12.5 Green $386.00 $89.00 12x12.5 Beige $378.18 $89.00 12x14.3 Rust $507.00 $99.00 12x15 Bluegreen $439.99 $99.00 12x15 Firedclay. $369.00 $99.00 12x15.1 Yellow $694.59 $99.00 12x16 Brown $727.00 $99.00 12x17.1 Yellow $651.00 $99.00 12x18.5 Brite Green $839.00 SOLD 12x20.5 Yellow $740.00 $99.00 12x16.3 Olive $479.00 $99.00 12x21 Torquoise $767.00 $99.00 12x21.1 Calf. Gold $771.00 $99.00 areyowr chance save big 'I 1 Year NoJnterestf No Payment J-- if ALL FLOORING INSTALLERS ARE NOT ALIKE. Installation quality is often overlooked by most shoppers but it is actually the most important part of the floor shopping equation. Although product and price are significant, your installer is the person you invite into your home to perform a service that must stand up to normal flooring use for years and years.

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USA Today's Edna Gundersen, whose Leonard Cohen T-shirt drew moshpit glares at a Slayer concert, shares etiquette gleaned over years of experience and observation.lt's geeky to wear a T-shirt you just bought at the concert you're attending. Besides, your mother would want you to wash it first If you must wear a Metallica T-shirt at a Metallica concert, make sure it's from three or four tours back. Unless you're 8, a "High School Musical" T-shirt will draw snickers. However, a "Schoolhouse Rock!" shirt is kitschy. Keep abreast of feuds and dress accordingly.

It's not a good idea to wear your Slash T-shirt to a Stone Temple Pilots show. Consider genre compatibilities, Don't aggravate hostilities at an MDFMK show by sporting a Suzanne Vega T-shirt. A Nirvana T-shirt at a Foo Fighters concert is too obvious; Melvins, maybe. A Screaming Trees shirt at a Queens of the Stone Age concert or a Green Jello shirt at a Tool show will reveal you as a fan with roots. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Ramones, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and other indisputable legends are always appropriate.

Don't wear a Woodstock or Live Aid T-shirt unless you actually attended. Even if you were there, don't wear a Woodstock '99 T-shirt. Why admit it? Never wear a Gary Glitter T-shirt. If you don't know why, look it up..