20 Early Holiday Season Gift Ideas For A Music And/or Movie Fan
With Black Friday just right around the corner, the Holiday Season of 2019 is edging closer and closer. In turn, many readers of The Hype Magazine are about to be in gift-seeking mode for friends, family and co-workers. To get you ahead of the game, below are 20 new-ish, music and/or movie-themed gift ideas for a loved one, all of which already in stores (or at least available for pre-order).
Roy Orbison – Black & White Night 30
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album for Roy Orbison’s renowned televised comeback concert at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings has teamed up with Roy’s Boys LLC — the Nashville-based company founded by the late icon’s sons to administer their father’s catalog and safeguard his legacy — for a special commemorative album release. Black & White Night 30 is a 2LP vinyl set which includes three tracks omitted from the original 1989 A Black & White Night live album. To make this all happen, Roy Orbison’s youngest son Alex Orbison and his co-editor Luke Chalk went back and re-edited the television special, using previously unseen shots from the hundreds of hours of footage that existed from the seven-camera shoot.
Housed in a gatefold jacket, Black & White Night 30 also comes with a download card for all 19 tracks. For those unfamiliar with the original 1987 concert, it amazingly included appearances by Jackson Browne, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Jennifer Warnes, and Elvis Presley’s TCB Band (James Burton, Glen D. Hardin, Jerry Scheff, Ron Tutt). And also impressively, the aforementioned Alex Orbison and co-editor Luke Chalk restored the tracklisting on Black & White Night 30 to reflect the evening’s correct set order, just as the star-studded live audience witnessed it on that very night at the Coconut Grove nightclub.
Ben Merlis – Goin’ Off: The Story Of The Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records
As Hip-Hop first exploded throughout New York City’s boroughs and surrounding towns, a new generation was emerging: the first to be raised on the genre. At the center of it all was a collective known as The Juice Crew, as led by the charismatic radio personality Mr. Magic, whose Rap Attack was the first program of its kind on a commercial station; that show was of course name-checked within the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy.” His DJ/engineer Marley Marl — also name-checked in “Juicy” — pioneered production techniques that defined the golden era of Hip-Hop and formed the basis of Cold Chillin’ Records, as founded in 1986 by Len Fichtelberg and Tyrone Williams.
Goin’ Off: The Story Of The Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records chronicles the rise and fall of Cold Chillin’ and its partnership with Warner Bros. Records. It follows the careers of the label’s recording artists through first-hand accounts of industry players, producers, MCs, and DJs, including Roxanne Shanté, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, and The Genius (a.k.a. Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA). Author Ben Merlis — a top music industry publicist — gets to the bottom of the Cold Chillin’ story with plenty of interviews, research and insider insight. And as added bonus, Peanut Butter Wolf wrote the book’s foreword.
In Acid For The Children, Red Hot Chili Peppers co-hounder Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years, spanning from Australia, to the New York City suburbs, to Los Angeles. It is in L.A. that young Flea, looking to escape a turbulent home, found family in a community of musicians, artists, and junkies who also lived on the fringe. In turn, within the pages of Acid For The Children you can expect to read about all the highs and the lows you’d want to know about from an L.A. street kid turned world-famous rock star.
For over two decades, The Black Crowes topped the charts and reigned supreme over the radio waves, thanks to hits like “Hard to Handle,” “She Talks To Angels,” and “Remedy.” The group was on the cover of Rolling Stone, MTV played their videos regularly, and the tours kept getting bigger and bigger. Founding member Steve Gorman was there for all of it — backstage hangs with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and The Rolling Stones included — and was regarded by many as the Crowes’ voice of reason.
In Hard To Handle — the first ever account of this great American rock band’s beginning, middle, and end — Gorman makes it clear just how impossible it was to be the Crowes’ voice of reason. Fortunately, Gorman tells this rock tale with great insight, candor, and humor.
Brian T. Atkinson – The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy Of Ray Wylie Hubbard
A proper compaion piece to Eight 30 Records’ The Messenger: A Tribute To Ray Wylie Hubbard — featuring the likes of Rodney Crowell (“In Times of Cold”), Bobby Bare (“Snake Farm”), Charlie Musselwhite (“Resurrection”), Tom Russell (“Dust of the Chase”), James McMurtry (“The Messenger”), Terri Hendrix (“Without Love”) and Jonathan Tyler (“Wanna Rock N Roll”) — The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy Of Ray Wylie Hubbard is a biography featuring forewords by Jerry Jeff Walker and Hayes Carll. The Texas A&M University Press title explores the legacy of Hubbard, who author Brian T. Atkinson sees to be up there with the likes of Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury, Billy Joe Shaver and Townes Van Zandt.
Jon Zazula – Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness.
Jonathan Zazula — known the world over as “Jonny Z” — has lived an intense life. Born in 1952, he began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering Metallica and others. Even in present day, Jonny Z remains one of the most respected names in both heavy metal and the music industry as a whole.
As a quick synopsis, Heavy Tales details the stories of how Jonny Z worked miracles by managing and/or releasing albums by Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Exciter, Stormtroopers Of Death, Method of Destruction, Ace Frehley, King’s X, Ministry, Mindfunk, Nudeswirl, Warren Haynes, and The Disco Biscuits. Also in the book is how one night in 1984 he jokingly created rap-metal before anyone else conceived the idea. Testamont frontman Chuck Billy wrote its foreword beyond the book featuring over 100 rare photographs unearthed from “the MegaVault.”
Bob Gruen is not only one of the most famous rock photographers of all-time, but one of its most prolific as well. If you’ve seen a photo of John Lennon wearing a “New York City” t-shirt, Gruen took it. If you’ve seen a photo of Led Zeppelin standing in front of an airplane with the band’s logo on it, Gruen took it. He has captured countless iconic images over the past five decades that even casual rock fans have grown accustomed to seeing within books and printed merchandise.
The latest book by Bob Gruen is Green Day. Authorized by the California-based band, Green Day includes a foreword by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and commentary by Armstrong and his bandmates Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. It also features a foreword by Jesse Malin, a singer/songwriter who toured with Green Day while fronting the punk band D-Generation. Many of the photos featured in Gruen’s book — which span 20-something years — were previously unpublished.
Tom Bejgrowicz & Jeremy Dean – Scream With Me: The Enduring Legacy Of The Misfits
Formed in 1977, The Misfits deeply influenced the genres of punk rock and metal alike by blending their music with horror film themes and imagery. Scream With Me is their visual story, as told through the original ephemera that helped define their legacy. Culled primarily from the extensive collection of archivist Umberto D’Urso, the book spotlights the band’s iconic and influential album and single art, fan club merchandise, original posters, show flyers, and one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen rarities,
Additionally, the book prominently features insightful contributions on the band’s legacy from members of Metallica, Pearl Jam, Avenged Sevenfold, and Dropkick Murphys. For more than 40 years, the band has had an inescapable influence on popular culture — including a recent headlining gig to a capacity crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, alongside Rancid and The Damned — and Scream With Me is the ultimate tribute to the original, beloved Misfits era.
A collection of wildly inventive portraits of musician Tom Waits, Tom Waits is the result of Waits’ 30-year collaboration with photographer and illustrator Matt Mahurin. Having shot magazine portraits, album covers, and music videos of Waits, Mahurin was inspired to resurrect 100 dormant film negatives as a jumping off point to explore his own surreal, poetic, and occasionally dark vision. The images vary from traditional portraits to ones that capture Waits in concert—but the majority are richly imagined scenes in which Waits is more muse than musician.
In addition to these diverse images, the book includes a foreword by Waits, an essay by Mahurin on his long-term collaboration with Waits, and 20 original paintings, drawings, photographs, and digital images inspired by Waits’ (often one-of-a-kind) song titles.
Fantasm Media – The Official KISS Poster Book #2
With an epic 45-year career that changed music and entertainment forever, KISS will be hanging up its touring boots at the conclusion of the current multi-year End Of The Road tour. To celebrate the legacy of KISS, Texas-based publisher Fantasm Media has teamed up with the rock icons again, this time to release The Official KISS Poster Book #2. For die-hard KISS fans, collectors and completists, the second issue brings the current bombastic stage show to life and celebrates their amazing past. This issue is packed with 6 giant pull-out posters featuring the current band members on-stage doing what they do best, as well as classic-era shots. It is also loaded with articles, interviews, and photos covering both the current and classic incarnations of “The Hottest Band In The Land.”
If that’s not enough KISS for you, Greg Prato’s Take It Off: KISS Truly Unmasked — which hits stores on November 19 — appears to be the first ever book focused on the “non-makeup” era of KISS. It includes interviews with both KISS fans (e.g. Anthrax’s Charlie Benante, Dream Theater’s Derek Sherinian) and insiders (e.g. former guitarist Bruce Kulick, producer Ron Nevison). Take It Off also includes a foreword by Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho and an afterword by producer Andreas Carlsson.
Mary Wilson and Mark Bego – Supreme Glamour
Author Mark Bego is regarded as one of the top celebrity biographers of today, having written close to 70 books. In addition to his titles about some of the top personalities in show business — including Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Madonna — he has co-written memoirs with The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, Three Dog Night’s Jimmy Greenspoon, and Debbie Gibson.
Sumptuously illustrated, engaging, and insightful, Mary Wilson’s book — written with Bego — charts the glittering story of The Supremes, as it showcases their glamorous and iconic ensembles. As Motown’s leading act in the 1960s, The Supremes became synonymous with glamorous, elegant, coordinated ensembles. Supreme Glamour presents founding member Mary Wilson’s unparalleled collection, showcasing 32 of the group’s most eye-catching gowns, meticulously-reassembled and photographed on the Grammy Museum stage. Detailed captions accompany each photograph, providing information about the design, fabric, and embellishments of each ensemble, as well as the occasion on which each was first worn. The high-charting book is also packed with anecdotes and insights, as Mary Wilson tells the complete story of The Supremes, both on and off-stage.
Allison Moorer – Blood: A Memoir
Allison Moorer is a GRAMMY-nominated and Academy Award-nominated singer and songwriter. However, to say the least, Moorer did not come from the easiest or most peaceful of backgrounds. Blood: A Memoir delves into Moorer’s rough upbringing and how it would ultimately lead to her carving out a safe and successful place in this world against all odds. Blood notably features a foreword by Moorer’s sister (and recurring collaborator), GRAMMY-winning artist Shelby Lynne.
Pete Townshend – The Age Of Anxiety: A Novel
No stranger to conceptual, character-driven original works — Tommy and Quadrophenia especially of note — Pete Townshend, primary songwriter and co-founder of The Who, has written a “rock novel” with The Age Of Anxiety. The novel captures the craziness of the music business and displays Townshend’s sly sense of humour and sharp ear for dialogue. Initially conceived as an opera, The Age Of Anxiety deals with mythic and operatic themes including a maze, divine madness and long-lost children. Hallucinations and soundscapes haunt this novel, which on one level is an extended meditation on manic genius and the dark art of creativity. Ultimately, not just for fans of The Who.
Al Jourgensen – Ministry: Prescripture
Without Ministry ringleader Al Jourgensen, there would probably be no such thing as industrial music. Without that industrial genre, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails probably would not have existed, nor probably would have White Zombie or Rammstein. Beyond Ministry, Jourgensen has also been prolific with other bands and studio projects, including The Revolting Cocks, Lard, and Surgical Meth Machine. And beyond the music, Jourgensen is generally considered — by rock fans and critics alike — to be one of the most original, intelligent and forward-thinking individuals to ever take a stage.
This limited-edition visual history book includes 248 pages of anecdotes from Ministry’s music contemporaries, plus rare and unseen photos, artwork and other ephemera that spans Ministry’s entire career. Its deluxe edition includes a 7” including the studio version “(Every Day Is) Halloween (Acoustic),” which features Jane’s Addiction guitarist (and Above Ground co-founder) Dave Navarro.
Chris Bianchi and William J. Metzger – The Music Agenda
The danger of being taken advantage of is overwhelming if you are not familiar with how the music industry works. To protect independent musicians, artist manager Chris Bianchi and entertainment attorney William J. Metzger have joined forces to create the ultimate game plan for a successful music career, which comes in the form of the new book The Music Agenda. Throughout the book, you will learn the necessary skills and knowledge needed to operate in today’s fast-paced music business.
As per the accolades of the authors of The Music Agenda… the Cleveland-based Chris Bianchi is President & CEO of CB Entertainment and LEGEND Recordings, which is partnered with Ingrooves/Universal. His clients have been nominated for GRAMMY Awards and have sold over 25 million albums worldwide. William J. Metzger, Esq. is an entertainment attorney and President & CEO of Brick Row Entertainment Group. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Metzer holds a certificate of recording arts from Musicians Institute, a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of North Texas, and a Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University.
NEKROMANTIX – 3 Decades Of Darkle
NEKROMANTIX were formed in 1989 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Kim Nekroman after he left the Danish Navy, in which he had been a submarine radio operator for eight years. Deciding to launch a new career in music, he initially played drums in a rockabilly band prior to the foundation of NEKROMANTIX. Learning to play the double bass and to sing, Nekroman set about forming a horror-themed psychobilly band with himself as the frontman. Three decades, multiple lineup changes and nine studio albums later, Kim continues to carry the NEKROMANTIX flag which still embodies his original vision of monster and horror themes, as well as his signature “Coffinbass,” a self-built double bass with a body in the shape of a coffin and a headstock the shape of a cross.
Beyond a live show recorded in 2019 at the Observatory Theater in Santa Ana, California, the new limited-edition 30th anniversary release titled 3 Decades Of Darkle includes exclusive interviews with the band members and rare photos that will be packaged in a gorgeous eight-panel Digipak with a standard definition DVD and Audio CD companion as an added bonus.
The Ramones – It’s Alive: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Taking its name from a 1974 horror film, It’s Alive was the last album to feature all four original Ramones band members: Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone and Tommy Ramone. All four U.K. concerts included in this new Deluxe Edition capture the band in peak form as they storm through dozens of songs from the group’s early (and very influential) catalog.
Produced in a limited and numbered edition of 8,000 copies, the 4CD/2LP 180-gram vinyl set comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book. It is also accompanied by new liner notes written by legendary record producer and musician Steve Albini and Ed Stasium, who produced and engineered It’s Alive and remastered all of the music included in this collection beyond other Ramones classics.
Whitesnake – Slip Of The Tongue 30th Anniversary Edition
Whitesnake scored the band’s third consecutive platinum record with its eighth studio album, Slip Of The Tongue. Originally released in November 1989, it peaked at number 10 on the U.K. and U.S. album charts thanks largely to its two Top 40 hits: “Fool For Your Loving” and “The Deeper The Love.” The fan-favorite turned 30 this year and Rhino Records is celebrating this with multiple editions of Slip
Slip Of The Tongue 30th Anniversary Edition features unreleased versions of every album track, as well as monitor mixes for the album recorded in 1989. In addition, the collection includes nearly two dozen previously unreleased tracks taken from the session tapes which highlight working versions of album tracks and more. The set also includes the CD debut of Slip Of The Tongue: The Wagging Tongue Edition, which features frontman David Coverdale being interviewed about each track followed by the song. It finishes big with Whitesnake’s 1990 headlining performance at the Monsters Of Rock Festival at Castle Donington, while its DVD also includes three (resorted and remixed) music videos, a new promo video for the track “Sweet Lady Luck,” a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album, and a newly-recorded interview with Coverdale and former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg.
Humble Pie – The Life & Times Of Steve Marriott
The Life & Times Of Steve Marriott is a compelling documentary about one of rock’s most dynamic, exciting, and — sadly — unsung heroes of rock and roll: Humble Pie’s Steve Marriott. Showcasing revelatory interviews with Humble Pie members Peter Frampton, Jerry Shirley and Greg Ridley, The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Cheap Trick members Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos, John Waite, Bad Company/Free drummer Simon Kirke, Quiet Riot’s Kevin Dubrow, former Blackhearts guitarist Ricky Byrd and Marriott historian John Heller, the documentary vividly tells the tale of Steve’s tragically short life via the use of previously unseen photos, memorabilia, and home movies. It also includes rare fiery performance footage of Marriott with The Small Faces and Humble Pie.
The same company also has Come On Feel The Noize: The Story Of How Rock Became Metal and Melody Makers on the market. Come On Feel The Noize: The Story Of How Rock Became Metal features exclusive, long-lost live material from rock’s most iconic bands and artists, as well as all-new original interviews with the living legends themselves. Melody Makers includes never-before-seen photographs of rock giants like Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Davies, and Frank Zappa. Cleopatra Entertainment is helping to keep classic rock alive, to say the very least.
For 25 years, as the frontman of The Offspring, Dexter Holland has been one of the most successful punk rock musicians out there. In fact, as this piece is being written, The Offspring is in the midst of a sold-out South American tour. But that is not all that Holland has going on at this very moment…
Holland, who has a Ph.D. degree in molecular biology from the University of Southern California, also has a popular hot sauce brand named Gringo Bandito. Gringo Bandito was launched in 2006 and is now headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. Its hot sauces can be found in over 6,000 U.S. supermarkets. And as an added bonus, they are Kobayashi-approved.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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