If you’re still wondering what to wrap up inside a box this holiday season, maybe your list could use a bit of outside the box thinking. We can help with that! Here’s a list of our favorite bizarre musical gifts for the loved ones in your life who deserve something a bit special this year! (If you need additional ideas, check out our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide while you’re at it!)
Mistaken Lyrics Coasters
This wonderful series by Bright Beam Goods makes use of one of America’s favorite musical pastime, singing incorrect lyrics to our favorite jams! The above bundle features hits from the ’90s, but they also sell bundles featuring mistaken lyrics from the ’80s, classic rock hits, and particularly inappropriate misheard lyrics.
Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies Card Game
This is an oldie, but a goodie! Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created this deck of prompt cards to help artists and musicians break out of their normal habits and expand their creative thinking. You can cop new editions relatively easily from Eno’s online shop, and for not a ton of money, but if you’re interested in sourcing one of the first edition, hand-signed sets from 1975, of which there are only 500, it’s gonna cost a pretty penny!
£30 at Enoshop.co.uk or $2,499 at eBay
The Keep x Ad-Rock Ramos Sneakers
These vegan kicks were designed by Beastie Boy Adam Horozitz (a.k.a. Ad-Rock) and all net sales proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood. The Ramos Ad-Rock is a classic style midtop, done up with a bit of winter-ready innovation. These sneakers are the perfect cocktail of collaboration from the company who previously brought us shoes designed by Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. Here’s Ad-Rock keepin’ it real on the streets of NYC.
Dark Matter Coffee
This is coffee made by and for music lovers. Dark Matter creates unique coffee blends inspired by our favorite albums of all time, from Coltrane’s A Love Supreme to Mastodon’s Crack the Skye.
$15 and up at Dark Matter Coffee
Leafcutter John’s Homemade Piezo Contact Mics
Start recording the microsounds around you with London-based experimental musician Leafcutter John’s homemade piezo contact mics. They come in a range of customizable styles, surfaces, and jacks so you can use them however you want! Oh, and if you do end up capturing some amazing samples, let Andrew Huang teach you how to concoct entire songs from simple recordings in our new course Making Music from Everyday Items.
Email Leafcutter John for purchase details.
… And, Jez Riley French’s Homemade Hydrophones
Yet another British sound artist with a line of their very own piezo mics. However, these ones go under water, because they are hydrophones! Jez Riley French is a world-renowned field recordist, so if you’re in the market for some very nice underwater microphones, he’s your man. Special thanks to Janek Schaefer for the recommendation.
Guitar Pick Punch
Turn unwanted credit cards into guitar picks! This pick punch would make a great gift for the touring musician in your life who’s always misplacing picks. Make your own guitar picks instantly out of hotel room key cards, loyalty cards, IDs, or from guitar pick-specific sheets of celluloid.
Rock and Roll Song Street Map
A street map about songs about streets! (What does this idea remind you of? Hmmmm…). Dorothy’s latest art-music print comes with a link to a Spotify playlist featuring every song listen on this map, so treat it kind of like a musical Where’s Waldo and see if you can find each and every one!
Lionel Richie Cheese Board
What says “I love you” more than a hunk of cheese romantically beckoning you with the seductive words of Lionel Richie? There’s a whole series of “is it brie you’re looking for” products on Etsy. Choose which cheese board best reflects your relationship, and give your partner something they can’t say “Goodbye” to!
Books on Music
If you’re looking for new and recently published books relating to music and music history, check out our rundown of the best books from 2015-16 here!
Electric Sexy Drum Pants
Okay we lied, these aren’t for sale. This “wearable music project” was designed by Kaoring Machine, and we’ll all be in line to pick up a pair if he does end up making them available for purchase. But for now, the idea is on the table, in case you want to get creative with MIDI drum controllers and Ableton Live and make it yourself!
DJ Leggings
… Or, for those interested in making a musical statement with your pants, but without the risk of random strangers tapping your junk to see if they make a sound, this might be a safer option!
Wiener Dog Earbuds
Yeah, we kinda have a thing for wiener dogs around here. But I mean, come on… These little pups just want to crawl in and out of your ears when it gets too loud outside, how cute!
The Ultimate Guitar Doorbell — The GuitDoorbell!
Because if you can’t customize the chord that your door plays when somebody walks into your room, you can’t really call yourself a bedroom producer can you? The GuitDoorbell is also the perfect opportunity to test out some new alternate guitar tunings!
Personalized Amp Doormat
There is, of course, another way you can really show the world how much you love guitar from the comfort of your own doorway. Personalize this amplifier doormat with your name to show who’s the real Boss around here!
Timbrephone Acoustic Phone Amplifier
Playing music from your iPhone’s speakers is awful… But it doesn’t have to be! Check out this beautiful Timbrephone acoustic sound amplifier made from Baltic birch, with it’s sexy curves and alluring sound.
ICE Portable Wireless Floating Bluetooth Speaker
Whether it looks like a Pokéball or the Death Star to you, this little floating bluetooth orb will impress all your friends, and entertain them with music, too!
Looking for a Gift for a Gearhead?
Looking to go the more traditional route and give the musician in your life a piece of gear you know they’re going to love? Check out our guide to the must-have guitar pedals of 2016 for 12 pedals you can’t go wrong gifting.
Give the Gift of Learning
Rounding out our list with a little shameless self promotion — you can’t go wrong giving a more experiential gift to the music lover in your life. We’ve got five Soundfly Mainstage courses, currently on sale for $50 off using the code “HULLABALOO”. Mainstage courses are one-month intensive courses, featuring expert mentor support to help guide you through the learning process. The next session starts January 18th, with new sessions running every month or two after that. Help your friends meet their new year’s resolutions with:
- Orchestration for Strings
- Crowdfunding for Musicians
- Introduction to the Composer’s Craft
- The New Songwriter’s Workshop
- Learning New Music for Singing Actors
Still searching for ideas? All of the items on last year’s Holiday Gift Guide are still available and would make great stocking stuffers!
