Hailing from Washington D.C., Jim Saah has been working professionally in photography and video for 25 years. Steeped in the DC Punk and Hardcore scene of the 1980’s Jim immediately started documenting the bands and culture around the scene. This formed a life long passion of music and photo- graphy. Thrills is excited to announce a t-shirt collaboration with the iconic imagery of Jim Saah and the bands that have influenced what punk and hardcore music is today.

Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary song- writer, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of post-hardcore. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. Black Flag’s sound mixed the raw simplicity of the Ramones with atonal guitar solos and, in later years, frequent tempo shifts. The lyrics were written mostly by Ginn, and like other punk bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Black Flag voiced an anti-authoritarian and nonconformist message, in songs punctuated with descriptions of social isolation, neurosis, poverty and parnoia. These themes were explored further when Henry Rollins joined the band as lead singer in 1981. Most of the band’s material was re- leased on Ginn’s independent record label SST Records. Over the course of the 1980’s, Black Flag’s sound, as well as their notoriety, evolved in ways that both embraced and alienated much of their early audience. As well as being central to the creation of hardcore punk, they were the were the innovators in the first wave of American West Coast punk rock and are considered a key influence on punk subculture in the United States and abroad. Black Flag has been well-respected within the punk subculture, primarily for their tireless promotion of an autonomous DIY punk ethic and aesthetic. They are often regarded as pioneers in the movement of underground do-it-yourself record labels that flourished among 1980s punk rock bands. Through constant touring throughout the United States and Canada, and occasionally europe, Black Flag established a dedicated cult following.

Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. Mackaye and Nelson had played in several other bands, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitarist Lyle Preslar to form Minor Threat. They added a fifth member, Steve Hansgen, in 1982, playing bass, while Baker switched to second guitar. The band was relatively short- lived, disbanding after only four years together, but had a strong influence on the punk scene, both stylistically and in establishing a ‘do it yourself’ ethic for music distribution and concert promotion. Minor Threat’s song ‘Straight Edge’ became the eventual basis of the straight edge movement, which emphasized a lifestyle without alcohol or other drugs, or promiscuous sex. AllMusic described Minor Threat’s music as ‘iconic’ and noted that their groundbreaking music ‘has held up better than that of most of their contemporaries.’ Along with the fellow Washington D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains and California band Black Flag, Minor Threat set the standard for many hardcore punk bands in the 1980s and 1990s. All of Minor Threat’s recordings were released on MacKaye’s and Nelson’s own label Dischord Records. The Minor Threat EP and their only full-length studio album Out of Step have received a number of accolades and are cited as landmarks of the hardcore punk genre.

Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist/ vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four album and eight EPs before Boon’s death in an automobile accident in 1985; after Boon’s death, the band broke up. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of ‘jamming econo’- a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and presentation - while their eclectic and experimental attitude was instrumental in pioneering alternative rock and post-hardcore.

The Cramps were an American punk rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line- up rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist and occasional bass guitarist Poison Ivy comprising the only ever-present members. The addition of guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Pam Balam resulted in the first complete lineup in April 1976. They were part of the early CBGB punk rock movement that had emerged in New York. The Cramps were one of the first punk bands, and also widely recognized as one of the prime innovators of psychobilly.