As a music supervisor on movies, one learns many lessons from exploring the rich worlds of popular music. (Lessons, too, are learned from listening to unpopular music!) And because I find joy in giving what I would like to get—and music can be the greatest gift of all—I prefer to give a musical present. So happy holidays, AIR MAIL friends.
Why not commission a portrait of your favorite band or musical artist? Four of my go-to painters: Isabella di Sclafani, Christy Powers, Dan Melchior, and Ashley Bressler. Or you can book a table for a night out on the town with a loved one. On Monday nights at Birdland, in New York City, you can catch Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the swingiest band in the land.
If you’re looking to get down in a big way, you can hire AIR MAIL–approved D.J. Stretch Armstrong for your next party. And if you’re feeling righteous, you can make a donation to the Arhoolie Foundation, which is dedicated to documenting and celebrating blues, Cajun, zydeco, gospel, jazz, Tejano/norteño, old-time, and other tradition-based styles of music. Help preserve our musical legacy!
If you’re seeking more plug-and-play options, look no further:
- Buy an all-in-one turntable so you can have friends over for dinner and spin LPs and 45s—there are plenty of entry-level models available as well as a number of more expensive ones. If you’re looking for a more complete hi-fi experience, Turntable Lab, which used to have a store in the East Village, sells turntable packages that include a record player, speakers, and a phono preamp.
- Find the closest indie record store and buy all the staff picks. If you can’t make it to a store, independent labels and distributors like Numero Group, Mississippi Records, Merge, Secretly, and RVNG are good places to start.
- Buy someone 15 or younger a boom box. If they’re old-fashioned, one with a CD player is the way to go. (CDs are still readily available, and easier to store than vinyl.) If they’re less interested in starting a collection and just want a Bluetooth speaker with radio capabilities, you can’t go wrong with Roberts or Tivoli. If they’re not so interested in radio, the Bang & Olufsen portable speaker is practically a work of art. And if, on second thought, you want them to keep their music to themselves, get them a good pair of headphones.
- Buy an instrument! Baritone guitars, timbales, and mandolins are all fun places to start. And nothing’s more fun than a cocktail drum kit.
- Purchase a copy of Peter Guralnick’s Sweet Soul Music.
- Order in dinner from your favorite spot and watch American Graffiti. Look for the girl in the Thunderbird.
Randall Poster is the Music Supervisor at AIR MAIL
