Jack Grisham, lead singer of legendary Long Beach punk band T.S.O.L., recently visited Amoeba Hollywood and shared some of his favorite records with us in this "What's In My Bag?" episode. The lyricist and author had much to say about what the albums meant to him, including The Beatles' Revolver, which he often listens to while making his own music. "When I put on a great song, it makes me want to strive to write a great song," he tells us. "It's just the feeling of thinking, god, something this cool was created."

T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) was founded in 1978 in Long Beach, CA. Original members Jack Grisham (vocals), Ron Emory (guitar), and Mike Roche (bass) are still with the band. The band's self-titled debut EP was released in spring 1981. Their first full-length, Dance with Me, landed later that same year. The band signed to Alternative Tentacles in 1982, the same year Greg Kuehn (piano, synths) joined the group. He departed a year later and returned in 2005. Drummer Chip Hanna joined in 2016.

What happens when Tim Heidecker and Foxygen's Jonathan Rado buy records for each other? Turns out they get a lot of the same stuff. Like Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town. The only difference? Rado opted for the cheaper, used copy with "some wear" on it, while Heidecker picked out a brand new copy for his partner.

Actor, writer, director, and musician Tim Heidecker is probably best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric. Alongside his musical partner Davin Wood, he has written lyrics and sang on songs featured on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The two teamed up as the '70s soft rock inspired duo Heidecker and Wood, releasing the albums Starting From Nowhere (2011) and Some Things Never Stay the Same (2013). Heidecker and his band The Yellow River Boys also released the album Urinal St. Station on Drag City Records in 2013. In 2016, Heidecker announced his latest album, In Glendale (out May 20) would be released through Jonathan Rado's Jagjaguwar imprint, Rado Records.

Amoeba is always a great place to find a gift for that person who’s hard to shop for, whether they’re a film buff, music nerd, toy collector or book fan. But if you’re feeling creative, you can make your own gift set from stuff we sell at Amoeba. Allow us to give you a few ideas on how to make your gift from Amoeba extra special.

Star Wars Gift Set

Right now, we’ve got a Star Wars pop-up shop happening at Amoeba Hollywood, where we’ve collected all the T-shirts, toys, posters, movies and more that we sell, in celebration of the upcoming release of The Force Awakens. Snag a T-shirt, Funko figuring of Boba Fett and Force Awakens soundtrack (out Dec. 18) for a killer gift pack.

Cat LPs

Not one, but two recently released LPs are designed for the cat lover. First, there’s Lil Bub’s Science & Magic: A Soundtrack to the Universe, a trippy set of cosmic synth adventures inspired by Instagram cat celebrity Lil Bub. And for that elusive hip hop fan who’s also into felines, there’s Meow the Jewels, a version of Run the Jewels’ critically acclaimed Run the Jewels 2 album made entirely from cat noises. They’re both perfect for any hipster cat fan with a healthy sense of irony.

Fans of all ages came out to watch Charleston, South Carolina-based husband-and-wife duo Shovels & Rope play a passionate set of songs on the Amoeba Hollywood stage to celebrate the release of Swimmin' Time. Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent brought down the house with their alternative country rock. Everyone was so excited for the new album, even Elvis Costello got in on the action. He showed his support by picking up a copy on vinyl before the in-store and then posed for a quick pic. 

Shovels & Rope's latest album, Swimmin' Time, is the follow-up to their acclaimed 2012 album O' Be Joyful. "Birmingham" (the number one song on American Songwriter's year-end list) and the rest of O' Be Joyful put Shovels & Rope on a larger stage, leading to an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman, an acclaimed set on PBS' Austin City Limits and festival slots at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza and ACL. Mojo noted that  "their thrilling music rooted in old country with touches of blues and gospel can't help but remind you of Jack and Meg and Johnny and June." You can catch the band as they criss-cross the country playing summer tour dates.