Holiday Gift Guide 2021

Yes, that time of the year is soon upon us dear readers! The holidays. Gifts. Anxiety? If you want to show anyone in your life some appreciation at year’s end look no further than this concise and affordable guide…

Subscription Boxes are available for every type of item from music to food to books to almost anything you can name. I love records. There is a terrific seasonal subscription from rockerzine that delivers a box of music related ephemera for $24.95.

Your first box will be delivered to you immediately upon ordering. Subsequent boxes will ship on March 1st 2021, June 1st 2021, and September 1st 2021. We will send out email reminders in the month leading up to our next ship date and you are welcome to cancel your subscription at any time. Check out http://www.rockerzine.com for more information.

http://www.Toynk.com has a variety of items stretching across home & garden, clothing, and collectibles; pop franchises like Star Wars, Friends, Harry Potter, and Doctor Who can be found on their site. Prices vary but many subscription boxes fall within $24—$40 for 4 boxes in a year containing mugs, keychains, t-shirts, stickers, pins, and trading cards for pop culture themes.

http://www.Cratejoy.com has a DC comics box featuring boxes themed after Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

**Doctor Who boxes are loaded with t-shirts, prop replicas, and even a Tardis!**

Puzzle Boxes

A wide array of wooden puzzle boxes that contain secret compartments that are only revealed when you figure out the right combination of moves are a great item to gift. Challenging and charming as well as affordable. Beginner’s boxes are $14. Much more advanced boxes can cost as much as $50. Many are designed to hold money, jewelry or small keepsakes. When not in use they make wonderful display objects. http://www.Brilliantpuzzles.com is a great site to find them.

$14
The Enigma
Object of Art

The Metal Head Box

One of the most popular music subscription services is based in Canada—pins, tees, stickers, cds or vinyl plus an autographed item this monthly box delivers to your favorite metalhead everything they love about this genre of music.

YouTube is loaded with unboxing videos too. Check any of them out to see what it’s all about! The November box is sold out.

Mini Boxes for $19/month; 2 LP + Pin Box every month for $30/month.

https://www.themetalheadbox.com/subscribe.html for subscription options,

Black Metal Werewolf is my favorite heavy metal fan youtuber. He reviews every Metal Head Box! For beginners and old fans alike!

We Know It’s Only Rock N Roll…

We live in amazing times. Every rock group has an online presence. You have 24 hour access to some of the best merch too. One of the absolute best is even a brick and morter boutique located on Carnaby Street, London at No 9. That’s the address of the flagship Rolling Stones store! Every price point. Tommy Hillfiger has added to the growing line of denim in the collection.

**Hillfiger sweatshirt with the iconic lips and tongue logo.**

At 57 Carnaby Street until January 22, 2022 is Queen The Greatest, a pop-up store celebrating 50 years of the iconic British Rock Group! Play the Game with a Queen Rubik’s Cube for $28 or browse the new line from Champion! You will go GaGa over the selection. There is even a Queen pinball machine!

David Bowie Pop-Up Store In London & Manhattan

For a very limited window previewing October 25, 2021, 75 days before the anniversary, through late January 2022, the Bowie 75 locations will be up and running at 14 Heddon Street — the London location where the cover of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was shot and 150 Wooster Street — steps away from Bowie’s long-time downtown New York City neighbourhood.

The pop-ups will offer visitors a unique and immersive career-spanning deep dive into the sound and vision of David Bowie, with features including:

• Immersive audio and HD video screening rooms in partnership with 360 Reality Audio, an immersive music experience using Sony’s spatial sound technologies. With music in 360 Reality Audio, fans will be able to hear and see Bowie content available for the first time in immersive audio, exclusively in the Bowie 75 locations.

Hours of video content including previously unseen behind-the-scenes material, rare footage from the Heathen and Reality eras, and more.

• Opportunities to purchase limited edition releases of exclusive Bowie apparel and collectibles, as well as limited run LPs and CDs from both the Warner/Parlophone Records and Sony catalogues.

• Exclusive fine art photography including gallery installations documenting Bowie’s many iconic eras, personae, and Ch-changes.

• Intimate special guest events to be announced.

• Fans can place themselves in iconic costumes and set pieces to create fun and shareable social media moments.

• And more— For store hours, events calendars and other announcements and information, sign up and stay tuned to www.bowie75.com

Celebrating David Bowie’s 75th Birthday the store is an interactive experience as well as a chance to find exclusive Bowie items.

Toys R US At Macy’s

The Robo Rage is going to be $30 from $70 on Black Friday! Tye-dye sets, and Play-Doh sets are also on sale for the big annual sales day. Go to the Macy’s website for details.

This is just a sampling of the infinite. Today’s world of E-commerce has created a space that like our universe just keeps expanding. I hope this Gift Guide will help you narrow the focus….Happy Holidays!

New Records

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As we approach these last weeks of 2021 I wanted to let my readers know about some of the best albums released this past year; the albums to be released here at year’s end! Misfits have a healthy selection of records to choose from long running classic groups like Cheap Trick and Iron Maiden to more recent offerings from Mastadon and Dark Throne.

Music has been such a wonderful way to relieve the daily worries concerning the ongoing Corona virus pandemic. Despite the worldwide shortages contributing to changing release timelines for records things have been getting better.

Life here in New York City has been much more back to normal with the re-opening of Broadway shows and Movies. Concert venues also came back to life; proof of vaccinations required.

Best of 2021

Here is a list of some of the best rock/metal albums released in 2021….not definitive in any form…just my opinion alone. This year has 8 weeks to go. ABBA just released its first new studio album in 40 years! Here are my faves so far:

Alice Cooper’s Detroit Stories marks the veteran rocker’s 21st solo release. Proudly made in Detroit this collection features classic hard rock from the motor city where this genre of music was birthed. This recording hails the long awaited reunion the surviving members of The Alice Cooper Band! A solid heavy rock record from old black eyes.

Iron Maiden’s Senjutsu is another double album from the British heavy metal legends continuing their journey into progressive territory. Single “The Writing On The Wall” has a southern flavor never heard before on any previous Maiden record. The music video for this track and second single “Stratego” are both animated in the style of the 1981 cult film, Heavy Metal, and are both amazing visually, musically, and sound like nothing else in this expanding catalog of now 17 releases! The last 3 songs on this extremely satisfying platter are all written by bassist/founder Steve Harris–“The Parchment”, “The Death of the Celts”, and “Hell On Earth” all run 10 plus minutes. Maiden are the most epic band in all of Heavy Metal. In my opinion this record is probably the band’s best to date. Incredible for a band whose current line-up reunited back in 2000 and is proving to be its best.

Cheap Trick’s In Another World was ready for 2020 but delayed until now. It was worth the wait. The power pop legends’ 20th album is their best to date. Hard rocking like 1977 in 2021 is no cheap trick but a delightful treat to listen to track after amazing track. “Light Up The Fire” is a scorcher; “Another World” envisions how bright the future could be in that ballsy balladry Robin Zander still delivers like he is only 20, in this world he is in his 70’s! Their cover of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” closes out the set. Strongly recommended.

AC/DC’s PWR UP gave us all hope upon its release. Dedicated to the late Malcolm Young who co-wrote every track and whose rhythm playing gave the band’s sound its backbone is all over this great album. For decades they have been rock’s diehard battery. This remains true here. Featuring the smash single “A Shot In The Dark” it never lets up. You will feel energized until the final notes are played. Arguably the band’s best promo videos have been created for this album. “Demon Driver”, “Witch’s Spell”, and “Mists of Time” are for my money the best trifecta in their glorious history. Let there be rock!

Helloween’s eponymous release that features the reunited German power metaller’s best work of the past decade will get you of of any doldrums transporting you into heavy metal revelry. From the opener “Out For The Glory” to “Indestructible” you will be amazed.

Mastadon’s Hushed and Grim is just another solid outing from these metallers from Georgia. Their blend of brooding dark themes and strong melody flows well here. “Pain With An Anchor” sets the tone followed by “The Crux” which just pulses away giving the proceedings a vitality it never loses. Following a concept record about Moby Dick and their prog breakthrough “Crack The Skye” this is their epic Tool inspired masterpiece.

Greta Van Fleet’s The Battle At Garden’s Gate is a great prog rock album. “My Way Soon”, “Heat Above”, “Age Of Machine” and “Broken Bells” are epic tracks. Recorded in Nashville this sophmore effort suffers no jinx. Great follow-up to their debut.

Weezer’s Van Weezer brings the world River Cuomo’s long gestating metal record with a strong tribute to late great Edward Van Halen!

Accept’s Too Mean Too Die was released back in January and remains one of the year’s crowning metal achievements. Featuring the track and video “The Undertaker” brings back all the reasons we still love Accept.

The records on this list are among the best of 2021. In the New Year records are coming from Scorpions, Saxon, JohnSix & The Creatures, and Ghost. 2022 will hopefully be the return of concerts/tours.

Thank you my dear readers for visiting Evan’s Gate!

Julien’s Auctions

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Julien’s Auctions is the world record-breaking auction house to the stars. Collaborating with the famous and the exclusive, Julien’s Auctions produces high profile auctions in the film, music, sports and art markets.

Julien’s Auctions has received international recognition for its unique and innovative auction events, which attract thousands of collectors, investors, fans and enthusiasts from around the world.

Julien’s Auctions specializes in sales of iconic artifacts and notable collections including Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Banksy, Cher, Michael Jackson, U2, Barbra Streisand, Les Paul, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Hugh Hefner and many more.

Julien’s Auctions has announced the marquee headliners of ICONS & IDOLS TRILOGY: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, the world-record breaking auction house to the stars’ annual music extravaganza on Tuesday, December 1st and Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020 live in Beverly Hills and online at www.juliensauctions.com.

Nearly 900 items join the previously announced all-star lineup of artifacts and memorabilia owned and used by some of the world’s greatest music artists of all-time including Eddie Van Halen, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Aerosmith and more.

How much would you pay to own a piece of rock n roll history?

A Hammond B-3 organ from the mid-1960s played by Gregg Allman estimated value of $80,000—$100,000; John Denver’s circa 1982 “White Lady” Greven six-string acoustic guitar estimated at $20,000—$40,000.

Here is a list of more highlights:

Handwritten lyrics by Freddie Mercury to an unpublished song with lines such as, “It’s a world of give and take/ a calculated risk reason/ Love inside a prison/ Destiny at stake/ Trapped by your own admission … When you can’t handle the strain/ The tug of war of being in love/ The challenge and the pace human race” (estimate: $15,000 – $20,000);

Jimmy Page’s 1979 burgundy Fender Stratocaster that he played while performing with rock band Public Eye in 1991 (estimate: $30,000 – $50,000);

a single sheet original manuscript of John Lennon’s handwritten poem and lullaby titled “Bernice’s Sheep” that was published in A Spaniard in the Works on June 24th, 1965 (estimate: $30,000 – $50,000);

Michael Jackson’s custom black jacket with rhinestone accents worn to the MTV Video Music Awards in Tokyo on May 27, 2006 where Jackson won the Legend Award that year (estimate: $40,000 – $60,000);

Pete Townsend’s first guitar that he owned and played, a 1936 Radiotone cello guitar (estimate: $10,000 – $15,000);

An original Beatles Ltd merchandising booklet signed inside by John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney and obtained at Palais des Sports in Paris, France, on June 20th, 1965 (estimate: $15,000 – $20,000);
Stevie Nicks’ red double row tambourine signed, “Much Love Stevie Nicks,” and her inscriptions of written album titles throughout the tambourine including, Time Space, Street Angel, Bella Donna, and more (estimate: $800-$1,200) (photo right);

A 14K white gold love symbol pendant on a 14K white gold chain, worn by Prince on multiple occasions (estimate: $8,000 – $10,000);

A DX7 Synthesizer stage used and signed by Nine Inch Nails band members during the 1994-1995 Self Destruct Tour (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000); a life-size prosthetic bust of Dave Grohl from the 2006 film Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (estimate: $1,500 – $2,500); plus, instruments, memorabilia and ephemera from The Beatles, The Clash, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and more.

Julien’s Auctions’ year-end Icons and Idols extravaganza will offer some of the most sought-after music artifacts in the world,” said Darren Julien, President/Chief Executive Officer of Julien’s Auctions.

“From the first guitar ever to be offered at auction that was owned and played by Bob Marley to Albert King’s main and most important guitar to a stunning collection of Little Richard’s most iconic wardrobe, this event offers an exciting opportunity for buyers and collectors to own these incredible pieces of music history from the pioneers of rock and roll.”

Connect with Julien’s Auctions at
https://www.facebook.com/JuliensAuctions
or www.twitter.com/JuliensAuctions
or www.instagram.com/juliens_auctions.