If you have a local music lover to buy for this holiday season, there are plenty of options. From tickets to a show to a greeting from a local artist to books and new albums, we have some suggestions that will hit all the right notes this year.
For Willie Nelson fans, the new Willie Nelson on Willie Nelson: Interviews and Encounters presents 31 conversations with the icon in story form, beginning with the start of his career. There are at least two other relatively recent books about Willie Nelson that have recently hit bookstores. Energy Follows the Thought includes the stories behind 160 of Nelson’s favorite songs and an assortment of never-before-seen photos. Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship tells the story of Nelson’s relationship with longtime drummer Paul English. (We included an excerpt in our January 2023 issue.)
Also check out: Someday All the Adults Will Die!, Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music, East Nashville Skyline: The Songwriting Legacy of Todd Snider, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean, and Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas.
At least a dozen artists with ties to North Texas will—for a fee—send a video greeting to your favorite music lover. On a 20-minute sweep of the celebrity video message app Cameo, we found Lisa Loeb, Randy Rogers, Hayes Carll, Old 97s bassist Murry Hammond, LeAnn Rimes, The Reverend Horton Heat, Lecrae, Bowling for Soup’s Jaret Reddick, Kid ‘N Play’s Christopher Reid, Butthole Surfers bassist JD Pinkus, Vanilla Ice, Spinderella, and Slim Thug. A few more—including Butthole Surfers lead singer Gibby Haynes—occasionally take video requests.
Is your prospective giftee someone who wants to improve their craft? North Texas’s own St. Vincent is an instructor at MasterClass, as is Reba McEntire.
Name the genre, and there is likely new music to buy for the music lover in your life. Willie Nelson just released Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, full of Merle Haggard covers. In September, new music from the late Charley Pride was released—his Brook Bennett tribute album was recorded entirely at his North Dallas studio and features a bumper crop of North Texas session musicians. Two members of the Old 97’s released solo work—bassist Murry Hammond’s Trail Songs of the Deep was released in July, while frontman Rhett Miller’s A lifetime of riding by night was released in October. Other new music out this year includes J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed (Americana Radio), Charley Crockett (Dollar a Day), Midlake (A Bridge to Far), Joshua Ray Walker (Stuff and Tropicana), Vandoliers (Life Behind Bars), BigXthaPlug (I Hope You’re Happy), and Slow Joy (A Joy So Slow at Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming).
And for that country music lover, the entire collection of artists who have recorded live sets at Billy Bob’s Texas can be found on the honky tonk’s website—everyone from the late Charlie Robison to Willie Nelson to Tanya Tucker. Want more local music? State Fair Records’ artists are from North Texas, and you can purchase their albums on vinyl, CD, and cassette tape.
After 2023’s successful Texas Wild album, a deluxe edition was released this year. Benefitting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the album features songs written by or sung by Texas artists and performed by other Texas artists, including Ryan Bingham, The Toadies, Sarah Jaffe, and more. The album is available here.
Want to let your music-loving friend pick their own music? Pick up a gift card from Josey Records, Good Records, Half Price Books, Spinster Records, and Top Ten Records.
You could always surprise your music fan with concert tickets. With hundreds of venues across North Texas, there are excellent odds that you can find one of their favorite artists in town at some point in the next year. Everyone from the Toadies and Turnpike Troubadours to Mavis Staples and Lady Gaga will be in town, and you can find plenty of additional options on our updated concert guide.
You can also let your bestie pick their own show—Live Nation, StubHub, Ticketmaster, AT&T Performing Arts Center, and Vivid Seats all offer gift cards.
Perhaps you’re shopping for a classical or Broadway musical kind of fan. That’s actually an easy shop, too. The Dallas Opera’s season is in swing, but you still have plenty of shows to choose from, including The Little Prince and Don Carlo, as well as the family opera productions: The Little Prince and The Three Little Pigs. Check out tickets here, along with several more options through the spring. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Broadway Dallas, and Broadway at the Bass offer a variety of subscription and ticket packages.
Let your friend or loved one make their own sweet music with some new gear. Head to 2018 Best of Big D winner Tone Shop Guitars for a new Fender, Gibson, or Martin. (Or snag a gift card.) Or support other small artisans like Odin Leatherworks (where you can pick up a leather guitar strap) or local artisan Joel Favor, who uses recycled materials to make gorgeous, one-of-a-kind instruments for his Wastella Instruments. (He also makes more traditional wares, too).
What do you buy the music lover who has everything? A trip back in time. You can head to eBay to find all kinds of memorabilia, including this copy of Van Halen’s Live in Dallas 1991 and a concert poster from U2’s appearance at Reunion Arena. Have more to spend? How about a true piece of nostalgia: a vintage Gibson ES-150, the company’s first electric guitar. It was also the guitar of choice for jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, who was born in Bonham.
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A Dallas Gift Guide for the Music Lover in Your Life – D Magazine
