KEEN Jerry Garcia Items

KEEN, the renowned makers of hip and durable footwear and other items, have outdone themselves with a few limited edition items crafted especially for fans of Jerry Garcia, the late guitarist and singer for the Grateful Dead. Many of Garcia's fans know that he was also an artist, and these new items sport artwork from two of his paintings. First up are the Newport H2 x Garcia Hybrid Sandals, a version of KEEN's popular Newport line that is a classic water shoe that combines the airiness of a sandal with the toe protection of a shoe. These and all the other items in the Garcia line can be had with either Jerry's "New York at Night" pattern or his "Banyan Tree" artwork. Similarly a version of KEEN's UNEEK sneaker sandal is also available. Fans will want to be sure they keep the shoe box their footwear comes in because it is decorated with some of Jerry's drawings. The box also includes a postcard-sized reproduction of the chosen artwork, and even the paper that the shoes come wrapped in feature Garcia's "four and a half fingers" handprint in small logos. Both items of footwear are available in a wide range of sizes for men and women. Other items in KEEN's Garcia line include face masks that come in two-packs and a selection of bags: backpack, hip bag and shoulder bag. Like all KEEN products, these are high quality items that are built to last. Find more information here.

"Ready Steady Go!: The Weekend Starts Here" by Andy Neil

Take a trip back to London during the Swinging Sixties with this coffee table book that offers an in-depth look at the vaunted British music television show "Ready, Steady, Go!" Running from 1963-66 and often drawing an audience of 14 million, RSG! hosted all of the big names of the day; the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Kinks and the Who among them. And many of the stars offer remembrances here; author Neil got Mick Jagger, Eric Burdon, Donovan, Lulu, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies among others to pen essays about their interactions with the show. Basically every hot pop and rock act of the era performed on RSG!, including barely-known at the time performers like Marc Bolan, Rod Stewart and David Bowie. Toward the end of the show's run, musical trends turned from the pop of "mods and rockers" days to harder rock, easing the way for acts like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience to appear. Much of the insightful commentary here comes from the team that put the show together every week, and while these are not household names in the States, RSG! staff members like Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Vicki Wickham and Cathy McGowan are important figures in the history of popular music. Neil does an excellent job of tying everything together with his commentary, and the expertise on display here from all involved is impressive. Putting this fantastic retrospective over the top is the inclusion of hundreds of photos, most of which have never been published before. This very attractive book will be dearly treasured by the music fan on your list. Purchase the book here.

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