Catalog

Avow #19 44 pages, 1/2 size, copied (3 oz) * OUT OF STOCK *

Oh my gosh! A top 10 favorite! Keith is one of the best storytellers ever and boy does he have stories to tell! Plenty about being broke beyond broke, getting into brawls, taking care of his friends, getting drunk, male privilege, and having guns pointed at him. This issue is about the book tour he did for the BEST OF INTENTIONS book with his friend Jeff and Lindsay. Fifteen days of mayhem, drinking, and Keith's usual nervousness and personality. It's hard to tell if the nervousness is an act that is part of the performance or if he's really on the brink of shitting his pants everytime he gets in front of an audience. Don't get me wrong though, Keith has some knowledge and understanding kicking around his brain, probably from just kicking around cities and towns for so long and he seems to have learned a lot from the hardcore community, doing artwork for Submission Hold, HeartattaCk, Against Me!, and more! Get this if you've got the sense!

Avow #20 72 pages, 1/2 size, copied, offset cover (4 oz) * OUT OF STOCK *

Still a top 10 favorite! Keith is one of the best storytellers ever and boy does he have stories to tell! Plenty about being broke beyond broke, getting into brawls, taking care of his friends, getting drunk, male privilege, and having guns pointed at him. This issue is a contributor issue celebrating the 10th anniversary of the zine. It features an interview with Mike Bukowski about his art, stories from Jonathan Spies (Abort!), Dave Roche (On Subbing), Nate Beaty (Brainfag), Ryan (Mishap), Mike (These Days), and a good number of new stories from Keith as well. Also contains new selections from the "punk heroes, punk villians" collection of punk collector cards of stereotypes and the requisite record reviews for the issue. Don't get me wrong though, Keith has some knowledge and understanding kicking around his brain, probably from just kicking around cities and towns for so long and he seems to have learned a lot from the hardcore community, doing artwork for Submission Hold, HeartattaCk, Against Me!, and more! Another winner.

Avow #21 32 pages, 1/2 size, copied (3 oz) $2.00

Keith is a fabulous storyteller ever and boy does he have stories to tell! Plenty about being broke beyond broke, getting into brawls, taking care of his friends, getting drunk, male privilege, and having guns pointed at him. This issue is another collection of stories and reviews - teaching preteens to play sports in down and out schools, learning the important rule "don't piss where you eat", atrocious kids on the bus, comic book nerds that turn into total thugs, having to live down the poetry that you write ten years prior, and a loose acquaintence dying. Don't get me wrong though, Keith has some knowledge and understanding kicking around his brain, probably from just kicking planet Earth for awhile and he seems to have learned a lot from the hardcore community, doing artwork for Submission Hold, HeartattaCk, Against Me!, and more! A fun read.

Avow #22 32 pages, 1/2 size, copied (3 oz) $2.00

Keith is a fabulous storyteller and has stories to tell! Plenty about being broke beyond broke, getting into brawls, taking care of his friends, getting drunk, male privilege, and having guns pointed at him. This issue is a downer issue of stories and reviews - his dad just passed away and his girlfriend broke up with him. There's humor relief moments too - buying the new Tim Armstrong album (with some embarrassment) and going to see an old ancient punk band for free. Don't get me wrong, Keith has some knowledge and understanding kicking around his brain, probably from just kicking planet Earth for awhile and he seems to have learned a lot from the hardcore community, doing artwork for Submission Hold, HeartattaCk, Against Me!, and more! A fun read.

The Best of Intentions: The Avow Anthology 280 pages, paperback, 1/2 size (12 oz) $12.00

This 280 page tome collects the entirity of Avow zine issues #11 through 16 and selected entries from the first ten issues as well. Avow is a collection of artwork and stories. Keith owes a few nods graphically to Aaron Cometbus but does a lot of his own ink drawings to develop more on creating his own style. He has done unique artwork for Microcosm, Submission Hold, Against Me!, HeartattaCk zine, and plenty more. His stories cut into the darker side of life growing up in a small coastal fishing town and the mischief that ensues. He reminisces about the days when demo tapes were commonplace and CD-Rs were non-existent, puts a good spin on his tales of figuring out how to obtain his next meal, and learns a lot from society, the hardcore community, and college that he employs into the analysis in his writing. Keith is a great storyteller and does a good job of deeply probing his brain to share these stories. ISBN 0-9726967-4-1

Avow is one of the best zines I have ever read. Keith Rosson writes with humility, passion and personality. His stories of rainy nights going out for ... Jason Theodorou

As the name suggests, this is a thorough overview of the best years of Avow fanzine. I’ve never come into contact with any originals of this fanzine, ... have I heard about it. It came to life in Seattle back in 1995 and the first issue, like most fanzines, was a photocopied and self-stapled affair. Setting out with the intentions of blending poetry with music and merging personal ramblings with band interviews, Avow, we’re told by its editor, didn’t start to hit its stride until issue seven, by which time they were beginning to get a hand on things and began to focus more on the personal elements. A ballsy move, as most personal fanzines aren’t worth shit, but Rosson was determined not to let this happen to Avow. He’d primed himself well in the first six issues and felt confident to make the plunge, having gotten his schooling through interviewing bands and reviewing records, before gradually working his way on to becoming a high caliber punk writer himself. The selections from these early issues contained here are pretty thin on the ground, but what I did read I enjoyed. By the time we reach issue seven, Rosson has gone off the idea of being a punk poet, as the poets didn’t like punk and the punks didn’t like poetry, so the fanzine became increasingly filled with stories and his observations on the world. What’s special about Rosson is that he’s a modest guy and truly doesn’t believe there’s anything exceptional about what he does, but a highlighted version of the past ten years of his life (i.e. this book) may make things sound more interesting – “It’s probably not high art, but it’s all that I’ve got!” Issues eleven through sixteen are included in their entirety, as this is where the author feels the quality of his work is at its best. Rosson is successful in transforming his fanzine into a 100% stories and artwork zine, which is pretty heaving going when you think about it. He becomes a keen observer in the various bars he frequents and writes about his lifestyle that inevitably seems to end up in a brawl most times. He’s an honest writer and doesn’t make any apologies for his feelings or thoughts. He questions himself, as much as others and the world around him, but as most people eventually figure out, none of it makes sense. The book is well written, descriptive and intelligent and puts some badly needed life back into the so-called “personal” fanzine scene. Riot77 #10

Zines becoming books is a trend that has really caught fire over the past couple of years. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't; it all ... Sean Stewart, New Pages

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Catalog / Artist / Keith Rosson