Part 2 Of Our Christmas Gift Suggestions
You still haven't found that Christmas gift you've been searching for?
Here’s the second of our two-part Santamental ideas collection.
By Nick Krewen
You still haven't found that Christmas gift you've been searching for?
Here’s the second of our two-part Santamental ideas collection.
FYIMusicNews put out the call and the responses were...interesting. Some were contemporary...some delved into the past. Some shamelessly self-promoted - and who is going to be the Grinch who is going to deny them that privilege?
Others were altruistic and the rest simply chose favourites that they simply think others will enjoy.
An editor's note: some comments were edited for brevity - and when it comes to TV show suggestions, remember that they're available either as a DVD/Blu-ray set, or, if they're on a streaming service, as a subscription.
Hawskley Workman - indie rock artist
Music:
Any Art Tatum vinyl.
Book:
Shogun - James Clavell - "The last time I read it, I was preparing to go to Japan for the first time. Japan is the most fascinating place I've ever been - and that was 13 years ago. I thought I'd be back six times since, but I haven't, so I'm re-reading it to feel that Japan energy again, you know?"
Kevin Breit - guitarist extraordinaire, Sisters Euclid
Music:
Come Go With Me - The Staple Singers
Anything by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Books:
Just Kids - Patti Smith
Caste - The Origins Of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson
Madison Olds x Nearly York - Canadian pop artists
Music:
100 Bad Days - AJR
Book:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
TV Show:
Selling Sunsets
Haley K Turner - Indie pop folkie
Music:
The next Jill Barber record.
Just When the Light - David Beckingham
Books:
If I Knew Then - Jann Arden, "A wonderfully encouraging and therapeutic guide to showing up in the world as yourself."
The Ashes - Jesse Thistle
Film:
I’m Dreaming Of A Jewish Christmas - Larry Weinstein
Gift:
Soy Candle - Canvas Candle Company.
Léonie Gray - Montreal singer and songwriter
Music:
Skin - Joy Crookes
Book:
Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult
Film:
Cadillac Records
TV Show:
Entre Deux Draps
Paige Williams, Soft Sound Press
Book:
Fangirls: Scenes from Modern Music Culture - Hannah Ewens
Michael Raine, Canadian Musician Magazine & Podcast
Gift:
A T-shirt or hoodie from SupportCanadianMusic.com - "50% of the sale goes to a Canadian music charity, which you choose from their list of partners. I chose the Unison Fund, and the other options are MusiCounts, Music Heals, Regent Park School of Music, and the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.
Howard Druckman, Editor, SOCAN Words and Music
Book:
Massey Hall - David McPherson - “It provides a thorough, engaging look at the history, context, and spirit of the venue, from its inception way back in 1894 to its three-year renovation, completed about a week ago. Even as a lifelong concertgoer who's seen dozens of performances there, the book deepened my awareness of the venue's position and place in Toronto, Canada, and the world, and re-awakened my enduring love for its intimacy, acoustics, and sightlines."
Stuart Derdeyn, Entertainment Reporter, Postmedia
App:
The Animoog Z app - "It's endless fun."
Siobamm- Synthy alt-rock artist from Toronto
Music:
Odyssey Vol. 1 - Crown Lands
Book:
Sellout - Dan Ozzi. "A deep dive into the major label debuts of 11 punk bands, including Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and The Distillers. I love the way it explores the relationship between art and commerce post Nirvana."
Film:
Dune - director, Denis Villeneuve - “I was a fan of the Lynch one, which is a very strange version. The new Dune is more cinematic. The visuals and Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack work together beautifully. And I’m excited it’s split into two parts, because the book is like 900 pages."
TV Show:
Succession - " The writing is incredible (especially the insults), and it’s a poignant look at how the wealthiest people in America are very messed up."
Myles Goodwyn- founder and lead singer, songwriter, April Wine
Music:
Raising The Roof - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. - "Great songs, inspired vocals and a stellar production by T-Bone Burnett."
Book:
Rockbound - Frank Parker Day (1928). "I love the book. I recently bought a copy in a used bookstore in PEI when I was doing a few shows there with my acoustic trio. I gave the book to original April Wine member and close friend since 1963, Jim Henman. Jim is also in my trio along with bassist, Bruce Dixon."
Film:
The Power of The Dog - "It's compelling, dramatic and disturbing. Highly recommended."
Tiina LeMay and Gar Reid of Toronto band Eclecticus
Music:
Barn - Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Vinyl Edition)
Book:
Massey Hall - An Enduring Legacy - David McPherson
Film:
Val - "A documentary about the incredible life and career of actor Val Kilmer."
TV Show:
Get Back - “For those who love The Beatles, we highly recommend the three-part docuseries. As musicians and songwriters in a band, this series was so relatable in terms of the creative process, the banter, the issues, the fun and the magic that comes from being in a band."
Paula Danylevich, Hype Music, publicist
Merch:
Elton John keychain
Robbie Williams Official 2022 Calendar.
Book:
Let That Sh*t Go - A Journal for Leaving Your Bulls*t Behind and Creating A Happy Life For Yourself - Monica Sweeney
Laurent Bourque - Toronto dance pop act
Music:
La Gabacha - BAJA
Book:
Dune - Frank Herbert
Film Gift:
A Revue Cinema membership (Toronto.)
TV Show:
Gilmore Girls.
Bex - Indigenous singer-songwriter
Music:
Red (Taylor's version) - Taylor Swift
Startrails - Bex
Book:
Stillness Speaks - Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
Films:
Ghostbusters (Afterlife)
Free Guy
TV shows:
Carnival Row
The Boys
Sammi Morelli - Vancouver-based pop artist
Music Gift:
Christmas! Sound Sentiments Cards: "Scratchable QR codes for the recipient enables them to download festive tunes sung by up-and-coming indie artists!"
Book:
You Were Born for This - Chani Nicholas - "If you haven't lived through the pandemic without picking up (or deepening) your interest in Astrology then what are you even doing?"
Film:
Fantastic Fungi (Netflix)
TV show
Ted Lasso
Andrew Shaver - Country music singer, songwriter and producer
Music:
Red Rocks - Nathaniel Rateliff (Vinyl Edition)
Book:
He Used Thought as A Wife - Tim Key
Autogramm - Vancouver power-pop trio
Music:
Light Years - James Sullivan (Bandcamp)
Only The End - Ashley Shadow
The Sting - Zache Davis
Film:
The Criterion Channel - (Subscription)
John Finley
Music:
I Smile - Kirk Franklin
Snowflakes Are Dancing - Tomita
Snarky Puppy
Bettye LaVette
Gabriels
Hezekiah Walker & LFC
Jazzmeia Horn
Authors:
Robert J. Sawyer
Alistair Reynolds
James S.A. Corey
Arthur C. Clarke
Films:
Knives Out
Death At A Funeral
Ad Astra
The Fall
The Help
Totoro
TV Shows:
Yellowstone
Star Trek: Discovery
Westworld
Downton Abbey
Kerry Doole, FYI Music News, freelance journalist
Book:
Domenic Troiano - His Life and Music - Mark Doble, Frank Troiano
Buffy MacNeil - Cape Breton singer-songwriter
Academic Well-Being of Racialized Students - Dr. Benita Bunjun, Editor.
Music:
Raise The Roof - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
Film:
Respect
TV Show:
Yellowstone
Ewan Currie (Sheepdogs, BROS)
Music:
Christmas Dreams: Yuletide Country (1960-1972) - Various Artists (Vinyl Edition.) "I love listening to Bing & Mariah sing the Christmas classics as much as anyone, but I'm always on the hunt for outside the box additions to my Holiday playlist. This compilation is full of good, old-time country feeling and rippin' pedal steel. I ordered it on vinyl, and they sent MP3s to tide me over until Santa can deliver it."
Eamon McGrath, Edmonton-born, Toronto-based singer and songwriter
Music:
Cure for Pain - Morphine - “The second title on Light in The Attic's new Modern Classics imprint is an album as moody, atmospheric, brooding and evocative as the band's history is tragic and emotional. Bandleader Mark Sandman heartbreakingly died onstage in Italy with Morphine in 1999, and he is survived by the immortal music of Boston's most exciting three-piece band, featuring his unorthodox bass playing (often with as few as two strings), his melancholic baritone vocals, Billy Conway's lyrical and spacious drumming, and of course the trademark saxophone howl of Dana Colley. Cure for Pain bridges a gap between punk rock, blues, indie, free jazz, shoegaze and slowcore."
Book:
Stranger Than Kindness - Nick Cave. "It's an addicting and extensive look into the finest details of one of music's most powerful and enduring songwriters. Decades of relics, news clippings, show posters, lyric sheets, setlists, and artifacts fill page after page in this immaculately put together and curated archive of Nick Cave's career."
Sally Shaar, singer and songwriter, Toronto-based MonoWhales.
Music:
Tell Me How You Really Feel - Courtney Barnett
Assume Form - James Blake
Butterfly 3000 - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Book:
Wendy - Walter Scott (Graphic Novel)
Film:
King Richard
TV show:
Fantastic Fungi
Sean McCann, solo artist, ex-Great Big Sea
Music:
Shantyman - Sean McCann. "Features inspired performances from my good friends Hawksley Workman, Gordie (Big Sugar) Johnson, Jeremy Fisher, @ J.P. Cormier. It is a bracing breath of salty sea air and perhaps the best Great Big Sea record you've never heard."
Book:
One Good Reason - Sean McCann and Andrea Aragon. "Written with my "higher power" (and beautiful wife) Andrea Aragon, this is our own story of Recovery + Music + Love. "
Film:
Get Back - "Alan (Doyle) and I were certainly no "Paul and John" but having lived through the bitter end of a successful band, I just couldn't look away from the inevitable train wreck that was The Beatles' Get Back. While I miss the songs, I can still learn from their lyrics and remain reassured in the belief that Money Can't Buy Me Love."
TV Show:
The Walking Dead - "The pandemic left me with time to start watching The Walking Dead. Hard to beat a fictional zombie apocalypse while living through your own ... Merry Christmas everyone!"
Karen Bliss, Billboard, founder, Samaritan Magazine
Book:
Renegades: Born in The U.S.A. - Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen
Merch:
Fisher-Price Little People Collector figures: The Rolling Stones
Miranda Mulholland, Roaring Girl Records
Music:
Novo Amor - Novo Amor: "I just discovered this talented Welsh artist. Evocative and sweeping but also vulnerable and intimate. Start with the song Anchor."
Book:
The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman. "This is a sequel to the Thursday Murder Club. I love a good mystery with twists and turns and I love a grand British caper with salty, well drawn characters and a healthy dose of whimsy and charm. These books have it all in spades. "
Film:
My Darling Vivian - "A revealing and moving documentary about Johnny Cash's first wife, Vivian Liberto. It's fascinating how we as humans feel the need to erase some people's narratives in order to mythologize the stories of others."
TV show:
The Hookup Plan - "It's a romantic comedy TV series set in Paris which makes for some good eye candy and delightfully awkward scenarios."
Eric Alper - yeah, that one.... publicist
Music:
Chaise Longue - Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers
Wet Leg - Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers
Book:
Music is History - Questlove - "Focuses on the years 1971 to the present, not only the country's most complex and rewarding half-century when it comes to the ways that pop culture and culturally diverse history intersect and interact, but also the years that overlap with Questlove's own life."
Film:
Get Back - "Watching the greatest band in history create their songs, right in front of us, was a lesson in creativity, and they should have just been allowed to take a break from it all."
TV show:
Succession
Raine Hamilton - Prairie Songstress
Music:
Raffi's Christmas Album - Raffi - "This one is a timeless classic."
Book:
The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree - “Nina and Nutley are two squirrel siblings living in a vast and verdant wonderland. Concerned that Santa won't be able to distinguish their evergreen abode amidst the conifer forest, they team up with family members to decorate their home/tree in an intergenerational Christmas collaboration for the ages."
Film:
Elf - " My geographically dispersed family has watched it every Christmas for years, and this was before the streaming synchronization of Netflix Party was a thing."
TV Show:
Superstore - “I recommend Superstore for their blend of everyday over-the-top character-driven whimsy."
Caroline Brooks - Good Lovelies
Music:
Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman - "A band that features Anais Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats) and Josh Kauffman (The National), their eponymous first record is lush and beautiful."
Book:
Hail Mary - Andy Weir (Audiobook). - "The narration is brilliant and funny."
Film:
My Neighbour Totoro - Miyazaki (animated)
TV Show:
Ted Lasso. - "it’s perfect for the holidays. Touching, uplifting, joyful, and just what we need right now."
Adrian Sutherland - singer, all-Cree rock band Midnight Shine
Book:
Orr: My Story - Bobby Orr.
Tania Joy - Activist songwriter
Music:
Outside Child - Alison Russell - "A stunning masterpiece delving into the darkest corners of personal tragedy and emerging with unwavering resilience."
TV Show:
Ted Lasso
Catherine MacLellan, East Coast indie-folk singer-songwriter
Music:
My name is Suzie Ungerleider - Suzie Ungerleider - “Many would know her as Oh Susanna, but Suzie Ungerleider's journey has restarted under her own name and the new album is beautiful. The songs are tender and perfect, the production by Jim Bryson is intimate and engaging."
Book:
The Healing Power of Singing: Raise Your Voice, Change Your Life (What Touring With David Bowie, Single Parenting and Ditching The Music Business Taught Me in 25 Easy Steps)” - Emm Gryner - "It is the most satisfying and empowering read I've had in a while. This book is great for anyone who wants to read stories from the road, learn some great vocal skills or just up your game in being clear on what you want in life."
Zach Kleisinger- Vancouver singer-songwriter
Music:
Highs In the Minuses - Charlotte Cornfield
Book:
The Art of Loving - Erich Fromm
Film:
Fantastic Fungi
Andrea Ramolo - Toronto-based singer-songwriter
Music:
You Were Chosen To Be Here - Isaac Murdoch
Quarantine Dream - Andrea Ramolo
Book:
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths And Stories of The Wild Woman Archetype - Clarissa Pinkola Estés. "A great gift for any woman in your life breaking down walls and barriers and for anyone else who needs a reminder of our power."
TV Show:
Reservation Dogs. "A wonderful series featuring all Indigenous writers and directors and a mostly Indigenous cast Funny and clever and imaginative."
Jaymz Bee - singer, songwriter, radio host, entrepreneur
Music:
Music For Secret Agents - Jaymz Bee
A Very Untraditional Christmas - Jaymz Bee
Books:
Coming Through The '60s - William M. King
I Thought He Was Dead - Ralph Benmergui
Kolour Me Krazy - Jamyz Bee with Charles Hackbarth, Illustrator
Film:
Dune (IMAX)
TV Show:
Barnaby Jones - YouTube
Jane Tattersall, Social Media, TJX
Book:
Music is History - Questlove
Ralph Alfonso - BBAM Gallery owner, manager, The Damn Truth
Book:
Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock - Nik Cohn - "Originally published in 1969 and still in print, possibly the best ever book about rock, irreverent and over the top, it is an incredible read and influenced a generation of rock writers who followed."
John Cody, singer-songwriter
Book:
Spike - Spike Lee
Steve Waxman, podcast host, The Creationists, Career guidance consultant, I. M. Steve Waxman
Podcast:
The Creationists - Steve Waxman
Michael Wrycraft, Juno Award-winning graphic designer
Music:
Outside Girl - Allison Russell - "It is amazing 15 different ways."
Book:
How Music Works - David Byrne
Rob Braide, Broadcaster, Musicologist
Music Retail Gift Certificate:
Recordland, Calgary, AB.
National Music Centre, Calgary:
Legacy Vinyl record dedication at NMC (Sponsorship.)
David McPherson, author
Music:
Outside Child - Allison Russell
Books:
M Train - Patti Smith
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev - Dawnie Walton
TV Show:
Better Call Saul
Paul Wootton - Lowdown Dirty Mojos
Music:
Stone Cold Groovers - Lowdown Dirty Mojos
Terry Draper - Solo artist, ex-Klaatu
Music:
The Other Side - Terry Draper
Danny Marks, guitarist, Blues radio host, Jazz-FM 91.1
Book:
King Of The Blues - The Rise and Reign of B.B. King - Daniel De Wise - “Highly recommended. a revelation on every page."
Raymond Ramsay - Ex-BMG Music Canada promo rep
Book:
Promo Monkey - Monkey See, Monkey Two - Personas & Prima Donnas - RayMan Ramsay
Buffy Sainte-Marie, Polaris Music Prize winner, pioneer
Book:
Hey Little Rockabye - A Lullaby for Pet Adoption - Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ben Hodson (illustrator)
Nick Krewen, Freelance Journalist
Music:
Heavy Sun - Daniel Lanois
Sign O' The Times (Super Deluxe Edition) - Prince
The Humors Of...Lewis Furey
Books:
Talk - Vol 1-3 - William M. King
Lightfoot! - Nicholas Jennings
Massey Hall - David McPherson
Imajica - Clive Barker
Films:
Avengers - Infinity War
Avengers - Endgame
Grandma's Boy