Orem band mounts counter-protest against T-shirt 'censorship'

You may remember the story, from February, of the Orem woman who was so offended by the lingerie-clad models on T-shirts in the window of the local PacSun store that she bought the lot of them and then returned them for a refund.

The Orem indie-rock band My Fair Fiend remembers that story. And frontwoman Callie Crofts decided to do something about it.

Crofts and her bandmates will conduct an "alternative" protest in the form of a free concert, Saturday at 8 p.m. at Muse Music Cafe, 151 N. University Ave., Provo.

At the concert, My Fair Fiend will give away those same PacSun t-shirts, for free, to the band's fans.

"One of our local businesses was essentially bullied out of selling merchandise they had every right to sell," Crofts said in a statement. "The personal opinions of a few people have affected the rights of many in our town and, as artists, this is of great concern to us."

Crofts' anti-censorship anger extends to the Orem City Council, whose members (except one) signed a letter of disapproval to PacSun.

When Crofts went to the PacSun store at Orem's University Mall, where the whole dust-up started, she was told that the chain's corporate office forbid the Orem store from selling the "offending" shirts.

So Crofts bought 20 shirts, total price $598, from PacSun online, using what she and the band has earned from their music on iTunes. (Crofts also works part time in a music shop.)

Crofts recently won a songwriting competition at Muse Music Cafe — and the grand prize is a free, recorded show at the venue. Crofts decided to use that award to hold this "freedom of expression demonstration."