Once again, holiday season is upon us. If you’re scrambling to find that perfect gift for a music-loving friend or family member, then we’re here to help. While you’re at it, why not pick up something for yourself; you know you deserve it. We’ll have more suggestions later in the week…

The House of Marley audio products place an emphasis not only on quality but also on earth-friendliness and a commitment to global charitable causes. The company’s headphone and audio systems are sustainably crafted from its own REWIND fabric, recycled plastics and metals, and Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood.

Winter is coming. No, strike that. Even if it hasn’t reached Westeros yet, it has indeed arrived here. However, with Echo Design’s Headphone Hat, which features lightweight, removable headphones sewn right into the hat, “you can keep the tunes in and the cold out without missing a beat.”

Kraz! The Soulive/ Lettuce guitarist has his own signature instrument. The Ibanez EKM100 semihollow electric guitar offers the same feel, features and
sound as Kraz’s own prized axe. Pick it up, get down and turn it out.

Thomas Lieber has been creating guitars since 1971. His early days were spent with D. Irwin Guitars, where his initial ornamental design was on Jerry Garcia’s Tiger. Lieber Instruments creates a number of guitars and basses but also looks back to those days with The Garcia—the original name for Tiger—the American Beauty Classic and now the Graphite Speedneck Wolf.

Founded 40 years ago by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, Taylor Guitars remains a leading manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars, offering the ideal
instrument to suit your taste and style. (Taylor’s artist roster is in the thousands.) Bob Taylor has long been hailed as an acoustic guitar visionary but be sure to explore the electric lines as well.

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While we’re on the subject of that guitarist in your life—maybe that’s you—D’Addario NYXL guitar strings are a necessity. These new break-resistant, high-carbon steel core and plain steel alloy strings provide more strength, higher output and up to 131 percent more tuning stability.

WholeWorldBand is an iPad and iPhone app that allows users anywhere in the world to record music and video in a virtual studio with anyone else, including participating musicians such as Ronnie Wood, Stewart Copeland, Dave Stewart, David Gray, Passenger and New Model Army.

Are you an aspiring game designer? Do you have it in you to create and release a game in a month? If the answers to these questions is yes then you should participate in Buildbox’s 30 day Game Challenge. Buildbox is the most advanced drag and drop game building software out there and you can use it free of charge for 30 days, while receiving instruction from Buildbox CEO Trey Smith, who has over 13,000,000 downloads in his personal game business and also the creator of the first Buildbox game, Phases.

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Dysonics has created the means to experience 3-D audio. The company’s hardware (RondoMotion) and software (Rondo Player, Rondo Player for Spotify and Rappr) allow someone to enjoy music, games and just about anything that uses sound in a new, immersive environment.

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Has your sister’s soldering gun been gathering dust? Well, it’s time to fire it up and make yourself a synthesizer. You can purchase your kit from Bleep Labs, where “Dr. Bleep and company have been hand making Thingamagoops in Austin, TX since 2006.”

For aspiring DJs on your list, check out the Pioneer DDJ-WeGO2. This compact controller will allow them access to the music library on their iPhone, iPod or other iOS device. www.pioneerdjusa.com

Were you aware that Galactic’s Stanton Moore is on the team of drummers and drumming enthusiasts that owns Crescent Cymbals? Well, you are now. Both Stanton and Jeff Hamilton (another partner) have their own series. Stop by the Crescent website to hear more.
www.crescentcymbals.com

Why not support a writer? Here are four self-published books that may interest you. David “ZZYZX” Steinberg looks back 20 years with This Has All Been Wonderful. The subtitle, A Travel Monologue from Summer 1994, The Year Phish Became Phish says everything you need to know. Pete Pidgeon’s
Hampton 98: The Dephinitive Experience picks up the action four years later.

Aces Back to Back: The History of the Grateful Dead 1965-2013 by Scott W. Allen is a concise and homegrown guide to the band with pencil drawings by Lauren J. Kroutil. Finally, Laura Bloch Bourque, who co-founded New York’s Wetlands Preserve with her late husband Larry Bloch, has lovingly collected archival photos, the club’s original calendars and subsequent Village Voice strip ads along with other mementos in Wetlands NYC History: A Visual Encore

If you prefer your books oversized and laden with images, then we have some suggestions as well. Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page offers photos and commentary from the iconic musician spanning his schoolboy days through the present. Page’s old friend Robert Plant contributes the foreword to Aubrey Powell’s Hipgnosis Portraits, which explores the innovative cover art that he created with Storm Thorgerson and Peter Christopherson at Hipgnosis for Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and many others. Danny Clinch’s Still Moving (with a foreword by Bruce Springsteen) collects nearly 300 inspiring and often intimate images by the acclaimed rock photographer.

Still stumped? How about the gift of Relix? We have all sorts of holiday gift offers, which come bundled with music and even our latest Relix throwback T-shirt. Eight issues of pure joy each year. Buy one for your mail carriers so they don’t wrinkle yours, while thumbing through it prior to
delivery. www.relix.com/holiday