Lifestyle/Art

Published on March 18th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz

0

20 Assorted Gift Suggestions For March 2021 & Holidays To Come

With Spring 2021 just around the corner, we are now looking towards Easter and Passover. In addition to holidays like that, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions keep coming and coming. In turn, here are 20 quick ideas — of varying price-points and interests — for gifts you can order online.

Creedence Clearwater Revival remastered vinyl

Earlier this year Craft Recordings continued its salute to the enduring musical legacy of Creedence Clearwater Revival with the release of half-speed mastered editions of the band’s 2 final albums: Pendulum and Mardi Gras. As pressed onto 180-gram vinyl, both records were mastered by the award-winning engineer Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. These audiophile-quality LPs come housed in beautifully crafted jackets — tip-on gatefold for Pendulum and embossed for Mardi Gras — replicating the albums’ original packaging.

Pendulum, which marked CCR’s second release of 1970, was a unique title in the band’s catalog for several reasons. It was the group’s sole LP to feature all original material. It also found the guitar-heavy group expanding its sonic palate—experimenting with new sounds — including the use of saxophones, vocal choirs and keyboards — and even venturing into psychedelia. 1972’s Mardi Gras followed the departure of founding member (and rhythm guitarist) Tom Fogerty, and found the remaining trio of musicians taking a more collaborative approach to songwriting. Bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford not only penned many of the tracks but also sang on them. Its poignant “Someday Never Comes” would be the group’s final single.

SideTrak Portable Monitor For Laptop

I personally work full-time in a remote position, but inevitably, work-related travel will be coming up in the near-future. The work I do is generally best done when I am working off of 2 monitors, yet traveling with a second computer monitor is not very convenient when you are aiming to travel light.

Thanks to SideTrak’s attachable and portable laptop monitors, it looks like I can now travel for work with a 2-monitor setup. The 12.5″ FHD IPS portable monitor attached via USB-A or USB-C adapter and is fine for Mac and PC laptops alike. SideTrak currently sells this particular portable monitor for $299.99 via Amazon and its own online store.

Green Philosophy

Speaking of home-based work existences… Among first order of business to set up one’s perfect WFH setup is making sure that home office setup is both comfortable and cozy. For springtime, you can switch out your regular pillows for these succulent and plant styles from Green Philosophy, as embedded and shown below. Livening up indoor spaces aside, Green Philosophy also helps make the world a better place via its partnership with Trees For The Future, supporting the great outdoors.

UB40’s Signing Off on remastered vinyl

40 years after its landmark release in 1980, the vinyl reissue of UK pop/reggae band UB40’s debut album Signing Off was released on March 14, 2021 via Universal Music. An instant critical success, Signing Off debuted at #2 on the UK album charts and was later certified Platinum by the BPI, with singles “Food For Thought” and “I Think it’s Going To Rain Today” reaching the top 10 of the UK’s singles charts. This 2LP offering — pressed onto red 180-gram vinyl — features all 10 of the album’s original tracks, as well as 3bonus tracks (“Madam Medusa”, “Strange Fruit” and “Reefer Madness”). Of course the impressive-looking cover artwork memorably duplicated the UK’s equivalent of an unemployment benefit card (a “UB40”), with the title Signing Off rubber-stamped in red.

NME notably called this album “a courageous debut,” later placing it at #13 on their “Albums Of The Year” list. BBC Music stated that the album “is still believed by many to be the group’s greatest album, and it remains the clearest window into what the band were all about.” Meanwhile, Q Magazine would also rank it at #83 on its “100 Greatest British Albums” list. So there you have it, one of the essential pop-reggae albums of all-time, now in all its remastered vinyl glory.

Trial Of The Chicago 7 soundtrack by Daniel Pemberton on vinyl

Varèse Sarabande has released the LP version of the soundtrack for the 5-time Golden Globe-nominated Netflix film The Trial Of The Chicago 7, as written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Aaron Sorkin. The vinyl tracklist is comprised of 10 original score selections by 4-time Golden Globe-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton and 2 original songs performed by breakthrough Polydor recording artist Celeste. Pemberton and Celeste co-wrote the film’s focus track “Hear My Voice,” which earned a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Original Song.”

Pemberton was recently awarded “Film Composer Of The Year” at the 2020 International Film Critics Association Awards, where he received a total of five nominations—including “Best Original Score for a Drama Film” for The Trial Of The Chicago 7. The LP is available for purchase via VareseSarabande.com. In addition, an exclusive sky blue-colored vinyl is available only at Target.com. The soundtrack to The Trial of the Chicago 7 is also available on digital platforms and CD.

Coalatree’s Baseline Midlayer

Coalatree designs eco-minded gear and apparel for the adventurer in everyone, from athletes and photographers to your average city folks and weekend warriors. It is reportedly the company’s passion to bring elements of the outdoors and the city life together. So whether you are summiting the tallest peaks or lounging around town with friends, Coalatree’s products are practical, stylish, and functional.

Previously I have covered the brand’s Men’s Trailhead Shorts, which are simultaneously tear-resistant, anti-microbial, easy to pack and adventure-ready. The latest Coalatree offering I have tried out is its Baseline Midlayer, the newest offering from the brand’s coffee collection made from recycled coffee grounds, as part of a recent successful Kickstarter campaign. For this one, spent coffee grounds are mixed and melted down with recycled plastic bottles to create the fibers for the Baseline Midlayer. The result is a midlayer packed with features and perfect for all outdoor adventures. Unlike other fleece garments, the Baseline does not shed microplastics when washed. It features 2 zippered pockets and 1 chest pocket, keeping your valuables secure while you are on the go, while its tnterior honeycomb texture offers great insulation and breathability. Now available in 4 colors: copper, charcoal, gold and green.

DEVIL-DOG Dungarees

Traditional blue jeans will always be a staple in your closet, and DEVIL-DOG Dungarees has excellent-quality jeans at affordable prices. The brand’s athletic, straight, slim, slim-straight and boot-cut offerings are known to be popular. Whether they are a part of your everyday work uniform or a casual date night, all DEVIL-DOG styles feature performance-enhancing materials carefully selected for each fit. Styles come in at an affordable price of $79.00 and are available via devil-dog.com and nordstrom.com.

Midrash Manicures’ 2021 Passover-related offerings

Back in December 2019, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rabbi Yael Buechler for another publication. While Buechler is notably the lower-school rabbi at The Leffell School — formerly Schechter Westchester — in White Plains, New York, she has established quite a following around the world through Midrash Manicures.

Recently Buechler designed a matzah cover in collaboration with Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, a cartoonist from The New Yorker, which reads “Next year, in person.” She also created a Matza Playhouse to keep families engaged leading up to and during the seders. This reusable sticker set features items for the seder table as well as hand sanitizer. The storyboard includes matza masks hanging by the front door. Midrash Manicures is still selling dreidel-themed dresses and leggings, should your Judaism-related holiday needs go beyond Passover.

Sportsman Industries’ Pocket Chainsaw

Sportsman Industries’ Pocket Chainsaw currently has 4.4 star rating based on 2,400+ Amazon ratings. In turn, this item is likely to be last camping saw you will ever own. Able to outperform a hatchet, and lighter and more compact than a saw, this Pocket Chainsaw is an indispensable outdoors companion. The 36-inch-long chain features bi-directional and self-cleaning teeth, so it cuts with every pull, ripping through everything from branches to full 5” or 6” trunks in seconds.

A drop of WD40 is all it needs before its first use, and its teeth can be sharpened just as you would with a powered chainsaw. The 4.8-ounce Pocket Chainsaw comes with its own rugged pouch and a free magnesium fire-starter.

Vertiball Wall-Mounted Massager

With the COVID-19 pandemic still keeping many indoor gyms closed, home fitness has moved from stop-gap answer to a regular lifestyle habit. But when you are done with your SoulCycle or Mirror session, don’t forget the post-workout with Vertiball, reportedly the first wall-mounted massager that speeds up muscle recovery. With 360-degree ball movement and the freedom to be able to quickly secure it wherever you want, you can target trigger points and muscle knots with pinpoint accuracy, improving circulation, improving flexibility and relieving pain.

Vertiball works equally well on your neck, back, core, arms and legs. In turn, it is understandable why it has been endorsed by many professional athletes, in addition to currently holding a 4.2 rating on Amazon out of over 300 reviews.

Bearbottom’s Swim Trunks & Volley Shorts

Most brands care about how their clothes look and many brands care about how their clothes feel for the people wearing them, but very few care about how they wear. Wearability is said to be a foundation of Bearbottom, a direct-to-consumer apparel brand built around comfortable and versatile everyday go-to’s. The brand recently debuted Swim Trunks and Volley Shorts in fun new prints and fresh colors. Both styles are priced at an affordable $45.00 and are available in either 5.5” or 7” inseams. All of these products are zero-chafe, wedge-free, quick-drying, ingenious drawstrings and made from recycled plastic bottle-derived fabric.

Bearbottom’s Trunks have 4-way stretch fabric and a mesh liner you ought to enjoy. Bearbottom’s Volley Shorts are a short-swim hybrid built for summer adventure, and they are garment-dyed in small batches for a comfortable, washed look and feel. As an added bonus, for every Bearbottom item purchased, the brand donates a pair of shorts — or a mask, as a shifted response to COVID-19 — to the local community where it is made; in 2020 alone, the Bearbottom team donated 200K+ masks and 100K+ shorts to those in need in Bangladesh and India.

Primal Kitchen’s products

After achieving new heights of wellness and vitality through real-food eating, Mark Sisson set out to create the world’s best-tasting, real-food pantry staples, starting with a mayonnaise made with avocado oil. Today via Primal Kitchen, Sisson helps deliver on the brand’s promise of uncompromisingly-delicious condiments, dressings/marinades, avocado oils, protein bars, collagen protein powder and bars, and whey protein that focus on fats we crave, as tied in with clean ingredients and uncompromisingly-delicious flavor. In turn, Primal Kitchen’s products are unlike any others that you will find in the grocery store, and its entire collection is free of dairy, gluten, grain, refined sugar and soy.

You can expect Primal Kitchen to be an ally in leading you towards maximum pleasure, joy and contentment from every moment possible by way of excellent health and wellness.

FIFA 21 on Stadia

FIFA 21 launched on March 17, 2021 on the Stadia console, bringing the world’s most popular sport of soccer to players for a discounted price of $24.99. It is the 28th installment in the FIFA series and features a variety of modes beyond standard gameplay, including “Ultimate Team,” “Career Mode” and “VOLTA Football 21.” Also new to Stadia this month is Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age – Definitive Edition and Terraria.

Bluegrass Hive & Honey

This men’s grooming brand is — pardon the pun — “the bee’s knees,” in my eyes. Made from locally-sourced Bluegrass beeswax, this men’s “beauty brand” aims to give men the ability to have the best beards yet. From Beard Balm to Beard Oil, Bluegrass Hive & Honey ought to have you covered when it comes to maintaining your beard. Bluegrass Hive & Honey personally handcrafts its premium beard oils, beard balms and beard waxes and methodically-select ingredients to create products that help hydrate, strengthen, condition and protect your beard and skin. Everything I have tried from the brand so far not only met expectations yet exceeded them.

Lasso socks

Last but definitely not least… Lasso has been billed as the producing the most functional socks you have ever worn. Whether or not that is the case, Lasso’s socks do provide medically-backed ankle support and gradient compression that is intended to improve one’s performance and recovery. Made in America, Lasso’s sock are reportedly the only patented joint support apparel out there. Used by top athletes (for athletic performance) and top physicians (when treating foot and ankle conditions) alike, Lasso is designed to provide grab and go support without sacrificing style or playing time.

Lasso also gives back. It started a “Move With Compassion Campaign” where the brand began donating a pair of socks per order to medical personnel at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has since donated to 200+ hospitals, ultimately winning an award for its campaign from Heap Analytics. Lasso also sponsored the annual James Blake Foundation event that took place to coincide with the 2020 US Open, benefiting Memorial Sloan Kettering. Great people making a great product, to say the least.


Tags: , , , , , , ,


About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."


Comments are closed.

Back to Top ↑