Bridge Nine 'Lion of Judah' T-Shirt B9RTS050
In 1999, back when the label was flirting with making both records and skateboards, I re-worked the Bad Brains ROIR album logo to say 'Bridge Nine' and printed it on a short run of t-shirts, to accompany a bright yellow skateboard paying tribute to their debut 1982 album. I made a limited run of 100 skate decks and maybe 50 or so tees to acknowledge one of my favorite bands. Shortly after, I gave up on making skateboards, I needed the scarce resources that I had to release records.
Ten years later in 2009, I decided to make another short run of tees paying tribute to them, tweaking Bridge Nine to look like the logo from their I Against I LP. I had 100 shirts printed with a red/yellow/green blend of ink on the screens, and hand numbered woven labels that were sewn onto the sleeves. It's still one of my favorite B9 tees to date.
Now it's 2019, and yup I still love Bad Brains. I figured I should continue the tradition of making a new tee every decade, so here is the third installment! I re-worked a Lion of Judah inspired illustration from a circa 1981 flyer to give it a Boston touch and printed it in black ink on a short run of heather red, gold and green 52% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton / 48 % polyester t-shirts (Bella+Canvas 3001CVC). The heather charcoal gray tees are printed on a 65/35 poly/cotton blend Tultex brand tee. They're kind of an "athletic" fit so if you like your shirts baggier, go a size up. Grab one now or wait till 2029!
- Chris Wrenn
Bridge Nine
