That quote has context — MacKaye was talking about his old band Minor Threat’s if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em solution to shirt bootlegging — but in general, D.C.’s best-known record label really doesn’t do band swag. You won’t find any accessories, posters or clothing in the official Dischord store, not even from non-Dischord bands it distributes. If you want to buy a Dischord tee, you’ve got to go elsewhere, like Pedestrian Press, a company owned by the imprint’s other founder, Jeff Nelson.

But most touring D.C. musicians probably don’t share MacKaye’s position, and if they once did, they are probably rethinking that in the age of tepid physical sales.

So what D.C. bands and labels make the best merch-table fodder, besides records? Tough question. Bandwidth contributors put their heads together and came up with this list of creative standouts from local artists and record labels.

If you’d rather get your music from Soundcloud or Bandcamp, fair enough — you can support local music by buying this swag instead.

Note: We can’t guarantee that all of these items are still available.

Via Bandcamp

Coup Sauvage And The Snips’ “Your Condo Will Not Protect You” T-shirt

The D.C. dance-pop ensemble calls its music “a soundtrack for the children to watch the first world burn” — and this T-shirt won’t assure wealthy urbanites that they’re safe from the flames.

Via Tumblr

Ras Nebyu’s “Washington Slizzards” gear

The uptown MC christened his crew the Washington Slizzards, a name that even he acknowledges doesn’t mean much. Nebyu says he came up with the Wizards pun when he was joking around with his friend, and they thought it was funny, so they rolled with it. Then it blew up on Twitter. So Nebyu recorded a song by the same name and cranked out some T-shirts. That did it: the Washington Slizzards are totally real now.

Via Bigcartel

Moshers Delight sweatpants

The D.C. hardcore label makes its own sweatpants, probably for cozy roundhouse kicking in the pit.

Marijuana paraphernalia from Weed Is Weed and Dying Fetus

Both heavy Maryland bands have sold ganja supplies in the past: Dying Fetus slapped its name on an “herbal grinder,” and Weed Is Weed had its very own glass pipe. These guys understand their fans.

A Sound of Thunder “Blood Vomit” T-shirt

This shirt makes no attempt at subtlety. Then again, neither does the over-the-top metal band that commissioned it.

Via Bandcamp

Jack On Fire matchbook

From the band that wrote “Burn Down the Brixton” comes D.C.’s most black-humored merch: an official Jack On Fire matchbook — complete with a disclaimer, in case you get any funny ideas.

Via Bigcartel

Shy Glizzy’s “FXCK RAP” beanie

D.C.’s biggest street-rap up-and-comer takes a utilitarian approach to music: He said in a Fader interview with Bandwidth’s Briana Younger that he raps to make a living, calling hip-hop a “last resort.” His song “Fxck Rap” makes that much clear. “I know how to hustle, so f**k rap,” he says on the track. It’s all a little meta — a rapper rapping about the uselessness of his own rapping — and this rap beanie (yours for $10!) doubles the effect.

Via Causticcasanova.com

Caustic Casanova’s Bullets-style T-shirt

Dig stoner rock and D.C. sports history? Caustic Casanova has got the shirt for you.

A mildly NSFW shirt from Coke Bust

D.C. hardcore stalwarts Coke Bust sell an elaborate hand-drawn T-shirt designed by Brazilian punk rocker Xavero. Mind the nudity.

Via Silver Sprocket

Lemuria comic book

I wouldn’t doubt that the Syracuse/D.C. indie-pop band has loads of fun on tour, but this 40-page Lemuria comic book has them “travers[ing] the vast landscape of Russia, dodging roves of violent Nazis, crooked cops, mobster shakedowns, gunshots, a tropical storm, rabid dogs and a substandard German pizza.”

Windian Records 45 spinner

You can’t play most releases on the D.C. garage-rock label without one of these little guys.

Via Sean Gray

Accidental Guest’s “Morrissey Still Sucks” button

Record label owner (and Bandwidth contributor) Sean Gray seems to take glee in bashing musicians he dislikes, and these (free!) buttons make that contempt wearable.

Ex Hex tote bag

D.C.’s best rock band doesn’t sell any swag online, but catch the three-piece on tour and you’ll probably spot one of these simple tote bags at the merch table.

Via PPU

Peoples Potential Unlimited leggings

Andrew Morgan’s boutique funk record label makes excellent merch for vinyl obsessives, including slipmats and record bags that come in two sizes — for 12-inches and 7-inches — but I can’t think of another D.C. label that makes its own glamorous leggings like these ones designed by Lisa Stannard.

Via Facebook

Gloom sunglasses

If one day our world is destroyed by an exploding sun, our oblivion will probably sound like blackened death-metal band Gloom — and we’ll want to be wearing these shades to go out in style.

What merch did we miss? Drop us a comment or an email.

Photo by Flickr user Barb Crawford modified and used under a Creative Commons license.

Some of this year’s most unforgettable local songs didn’t come from comfortable experiences. They sounded fed up, and particularly urgent in a year marked by growing inequity at home and multiple slayings by police in places that didn’t feel far away.

In one of the year’s rawest rock songs, Thaylobleu cranked up its guitars to tell a personal story of police harassment. Chain and the Gang and Jack On Fire assailed gentrification with wit and hyperbole. Punk band Priests declared everything right wing. Two remarkable hip-hop works channeled frustration and fatalism among young black Americans: Diamond District’s Oddisee cried, “What’s a black supposed to do — sell some crack and entertain?”, while Virginia MC GoldLink rapped about all the glorious things he imagines happening to him — when he dies.

Not that peace and love felt impossible in 2014: In a touching song released two years after his death, Chuck Brown sang of a “beautiful life” enriched by the warmth of community. Promising newcomer Kali Uchis made us kick back with a soulful number steeped in giddy infatuation. Experimentation thrived in D.C. music: Young artists built on the region’s strong punk pedigree and expanded its boundaries. Mary Timony’s band Ex Hex embraced a classic sound and made one of the country’s best rock ‘n’ roll records. Local bands with shorter but distinctive resumes — like Laughing Man, Two Inch Astronaut and Deleted Scenes — sounded better and more creative than ever before. A Sound of Thunder and Gloom reminded us that the D.C. area is still a reliable producer of top-notch metal.

As expected, Bandwidth contributors faced hard choices while making this list of the year’s best local songs, and not only because it’s our first one. Up until deadline, we were still hearing new D.C. songs we wanted to include. But in a place where mounting wealth has created a challenging environment for art, that’s not a problem, really. It’s a testament to a music scene that perseveres despite long odds. —Ally Schweitzer

Warning: Many of these songs contain explicit lyrics.

A Sound of Thunder, MindMaze, Iris Divine, and Metanium
Friday, June 6 at the Pinch, $10

Local power-metal quartet A Sound of Thunder doesn’t often play within D.C.’s borders, so this is a rare chance for Metro-dependent fans to catch its crazy guitar riffs and thunderous lead vocals live. ASOT is one of the more prolific local metal acts, having released an album each of the last three years, with another one due out this year, so it’s always adding new tunes to its set. Joining A Sound of Thunder are the Pennsylvania power metal band MindMaze, local progsters Iris Divine and Metanium. (CPL)

Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang
Friday, June 6 at Tropicalia, $10 to $13

Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang’s En Yay Sah was one of the most exciting D.C.-affiliated albums to come out in 2012. Around the time of its release, Nabay—originally from Sierra Leone—was working here, on Fojol Bros. food trucks. His band was also one of the first acts to play Tropicalia when the club opened in the fall of 2012. Nabay hasn’t released much new music since that fine LP, but the speedy sound of his very own bubu genre hasn’t aged whatsoever since he first brought it to D.C. listeners’ attention. (Ally Schweitzer)

Nothing, Superheaven, Myrrh Myrrh
Saturday, June 7 at DC9, $14

Philadelphia’s Nothing features a Dominic Palermo from the hardcore band Horror Show, but this new project has far more of a shoegaze sound than a punk one. It’s not a surprise that Palermo has left his aggressive side behind: After a 2002 knife fight, Palermo spent two years in prison for assault and attempted murder, eventually starting the Nothing project in 2011. It’s a good transition: Nothing’s debut, Guilty of Everything, is reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine with its distortion and indistinguishable vocals. Nothing will be joined by Pennsylvania rock band Superheaven and local newcomers Myrrh Myrrh. (CPL)

Typefighter
Saturday, June 7 at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, free

The Kennedy Center has a free show every day at 6 p.m. as part of its Millennium Stage series, and once in a while, they team up with local promoter Listen Local First to bring D.C. artists to the stage. This month’s LLF show features D.C. garage-pop quartet Typefighter, who will certainly be playing a lot from its new album, The End of Everything. (CPL)

Babe Rainbow and Rich Morel’s Hot Sauce
Saturday, June 7 at the Black Cat (backstage and mainstage), $10

It’s Capital Pride week, and there are events all over the city. During the day on Saturday, dance the day away to the sounds of Rita Ora, Betty Who, DJ Cassidy, Bonnie McKee, and Karmin. At night, move the party up to U Street, where DJs are taking over the entire Black Cat: downstairs, you can boogie to the Rich Morel half of Blowoff, and upstairs you can blow off steam to a whole cadre of DJs that you’ve heard at Gay/Bash, Cobalt, and BearZerk. (CPL)

Deafheaven, Pallbearer, Wreck & Reference
Tuesday, June 10 at Rock & Roll Hotel, $15

With the release of Sunbather last year, Deafheaven eclipsed Liturgy as the most buzzed-about hipster black-metal band. This isn’t trve black metal, though: imagine shoegazer instrumentals with black-metal vocals on top, and you’ll get a pretty good picture of how Deafheaven sounds. Opener Pallbearer is a fantastic doom band from Little Rock, Arkansas, and the first band of the night is California’s Wreck & Reference. (CPL)

Other notable shows:

Beautiful Swimmers, Sami Y. and Jane Junior at Lost Society (Thursday); Feedel Band at Bossa (Thursday); Pharoah Sanders at Blues Alley (Thursday through Sunday); Spoonboy, Colour Me Wednesday, and The Goodbye Party at DC9 (Friday); The Men, Heavy Breathing, and Passing Phases at Rock & Roll Hotel (Saturday); Future at Fillmore Silver Spring (Sunday); Ratking, Show Me the Body, Sir E.U at DC9 (Tuesday); Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 at Howard Theatre (Wednesday).

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.