Today we hit up seller TomZ (courtesy of hows_your_edge) to find out what the hub bub is all about.

1. How did you get started in the punk/ hardcore scene?

In 1994, my stepbrother took me to my first hardcore show which was a few local bands playing at the Living Room in Providence, RI. At that point I had only gone to metal concerts, lolopalooza, and other “grunge” shows so this was a whole new thing for me. The next week I saw a flyer for Sheer Terror, Life of Agony, Lockdown and Smudge at Club Babyhead (r.i.p.) and took it upon myself to go. Holy John Christ…it was one of the scariest things I have ever seen and between dodging all the huge beasts that were destroying the place and getting my first black eye I was hooked. Any show that was at Babyhead or the Living Room I went to, any flyer I saw for a hardcore show in the tri state area I would take the train to. It was love at first sight.

2. How did you amass all these amazing tees?

I always would buy shirts and any other merch of bands that I saw, starting at my first show (damn I still wish I had that Times Expired shirt) and running up until the last show I went to (Edge Day 10/17/09). But what really got my t shirt collection going was when I started being a roadie for bands and working at Stillborn Recs in 2002. All the bands I toured with, I got a shirt from. All the bands that played on the shows I got a shirt from. All the bands on the label the band I was out with was on, I got a shirt from. When I sold the bulk of my shirt collection in 2005 I had over 450 shirts, some of which I had never worn.

3. What’s the strongest memory attached to one of these shirts (like a great show, or a funny merch table discussion)?

I’d say its the Earth Crisis basketball jersey. I bought it at the old Lupos in Providence. The show was Downset, ExC, VOD and StillSuit, (we didnt have Bane on our show like you guys in MA did) with no barrier! It was to this day one of the best shows I ever went to. I rolled up with a group of friends and from first band to last the place was insane…3 mosh pits, non stop stage dives and some of the biggest pile-ons this side of a Converge show at the Space! I bought the jersey at the end of the show and I wore it constantly because seriously…its an Earth Crisis basketball jersey!! I liked it so much I didn’t mind when my friend bought me the same one a few months later for my birthday at a ExC show in CT.

Word! And you know we LOVE basketball jerseys.