Features

12 Holiday Gift Suggestions

As the holiday deadline looms, we’d like to share some last minute gift suggestions. Of course our first suggestion is a subscription to Relix or a choice back issue. Beyond that though, here are some more suggestions for the music lover in your life.

1. Concert posters: Concert posters are one of the best ways to remember good times at shows – and to decorate your home. If you can’t get your hands on the limited editions from Phish tour, check out online shops such as this one for some cool concert posters of musicians like Trey Anastasio, Wilco and Yo La Tengo or this one for My Morning Jacket, The National and more.

2. Radio subscription: A subscription to streaming radio services like Spotify or Pandora would be a good gift for the music fan who enjoys zoning out at work without being interrupted with advertisements.

3. Beats by Dre: Perfect to drown out the roar of the subway – and the music blasting from the iPod of the kid sitting next to you. There are lots of options in terms of noise-cancelling headphones, but Beats are the coolest.

4. Ticket stub diary: Don’t know what to do all of the ticket stubs that have accumulated over the years? This is a good option for overflowing boxes or CD cases or bulletin boards.

5. Talking Heads’ Chronology: If you have worn out Stop Making Sense, this new Talking Heads concert compilation will allow for some new insight and enjoyment. The DVD is full of live performance clips from the band’s younger days as well as commentary from the band members and a 1978 interview with David Byrne.

6. Keith Richards’ Life: Hands down one of the most interesting musicians in rock and roll, Keith Richards’ autobiography (written with the help of James Fox) will satisfy not only Rolling Stones fans, but all types of music lovers. The behind-the-scenes honesty to his stories is enough to make the most naïve listener fall in love with Keef.

Two bonus book suggestions:
David Browne’s Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970

Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped by Relix editors Dean Budnick and Josh Baron