The Merch Legacy of Alkaline Trio

All on Black

From 2001-2005, Alkaline Trio was my favorite band in the world. They’re probably still my favorite band, but back then, there was no contest. I listened to them every day, knew the entire catalog by heart, and preached the Trio gospel to anybody who would listen. I also loved their merch.

I got into Alkaline Trio via their label-mates, Link 80. Asian Man Records sent you a catalog with every order, and Alkaline Trio really stood out to me for some reason. I received Maybe I’ll Catch Fire for Christmas and was immediately hooked. In the winter of 2000, AMR sold a trio of A3 shirts (heh heh): “Stripe,” “Clash,” and “Spooky”

“Spooky” (right) is the clear standout. The Trio continue to make spooky t-shirts to this day, and I love this particular design. “Clash” (middle) is sort of a mystery to me. The Trio doesn’t sound like the Clash. Both bands do have three members, so maybe that’s the connection. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this shirt out in the wild. “Stripe” (left) is another oddball. Purple and gold? The Trio traffic almost exclusively in black t-shirts with red and white print. Maybe they were going through a Lakers phase. Here’s a close-up.

I’ve never seen this shirt in the wild, either. Would I even recognize it? Maybe not!

Shortly after From Here to Infirmary came out (2001), I bought my first Trio merch – a black hooded sweatshirt with the band name on the front (in Lafayette) and the heartskull on the back. It’s as plain and straightforward as hoodies get. I want to say I got it from Interpunk. I still wear it.

I bought my first Trio t-shirt in 2003 at the Chicago stop of the Vagrant Tour (support: No Motiv, Reggie & the Full Effect, and From Autumn to Ashes). Here’s the design. It was done by Heather Gabel, currently of the band HIDE. She’s the chief architect of Alkaline Trio’s merch aesthetic, responsible for more than 100 designs. Here are some other shirts from that era:

For years, the band stayed in one lane with respect to merch design. They sold black shirts with red, white, and black graphics depicting the macabre. Cemeteries, surgical scissors, skeletons, and their ubiquitous heartskull logo. The merch perfectly aligned with the album covers, and both aligned with the music. Strong, cohesive work. This is probably my favorite merch era for them. They put out so many iconic shirts.

The designs that feature children are unsettling, but there’s a touch of humor, too. The obvious analog, to me, is David Lynch. Both Gabel and Lynch understand the power of Norman Rockwell’s vision of America, and they subvert it to great effect.

Between then and now, Alkaline Trio has released five LPs, an odds ‘n’ ends comp, an acoustic record, a live boxset, two EPs, and so on. They’ve been busy. With each subsequent release, they change things up just enough to keep it interesting, and that can be said of their merch as well. Let’s have a look.

The shirt on the left has an incredible amount of detail. Meanwhile, the middle shirt looks like something the band might’ve screened themselves in the early days. Both are superb. The shirt on the right hardly scans as a Trio shirt. It’s a rip of the old Eveready batteries logo. I don’t love it, I don’t hate it, but I am glad they’re trying new things. Speaking of…

Alkaline Trio continues to produce strong merch. The hoodie on the left is super refreshing. As for the baseball shirt on the right, the font looks great, and I’m really digging the blue accents. Over the past decade, A3 has slowly evolved their design language, and I think that’s wise. That being said, I can’t support the middle design, but I wouldn’t blame a Cubs fan for wearing it, either.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Trio has had its fair share of wack merch. When you’ve been a band for as long as they have, it’s bound to happen. You can’t win ‘em all.

Yes, those are A3 x Nike 6.0s in the middle. You might still be able to snag a pair on eBay. Good luck. They’re real ugly.

Alkaline Trio’s latest EP (titled “E.P.”) came out earlier this year. You can visit their webstore or search eBay, Depop, Etsy, etc. for those tasty vintage garms. Heather Gabel’s band HIDE has a Bandcamp. Check that out. I saw them outside Empty Bottle this year before the world went to hell. It was fun.