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Shoot the Pier announces a new album of ten tunes entitled Chill - written and recorded over the past year and a half during the lock down. Writing this record was our therapy during a time the world was seriously hurting. The album is important to us too, because it will be the last Shoot the Pier record for some time. Ellie gets married in two weeks on June 12th, and shortly after that heads back to the University of Edinburgh to begin her studies for a PhD in Creative Writing. In January of 2012, Ellie and I gave an interview with Cousin Mary on KFJC just after our second record was released. Mary asked Ellie what she hoped to be when she grew up. Ellie was 15, (and already a pretty good bassist and keyboardist I might add), and she told Mary she loved writing and hoped to one day be a novelist. She has always been determined to be good at whatever she does once she sets her mind.
We decided to call the album Chill because we could only write more surfchill-ish tunes during the dark period we were all experiencing. And we thought, as we all get through this, maybe everybody will just want to take a breath and chill. Some of the sections we liked in a few tunes we purposely left redundant. We were playing and really liked a section and said, "just play it again''... and we left it all in. As always, we only did a couple takes on each instrument, trying to capture what we believe to be the "early soul" (and mistakes) for all to hear. Two of our favorite tunes on the record, Swimming Naked with Amphitrite and The Ghost of Edinburgh, we just let them take us to what we think are still pretty cool places. The last tune on the record, My Spanish Lady, is a simple Spanish classical guitar piece that just came to me one night. We recorded it in about an hour, and Ellie said she wanted it to be our father/daughter dance at her wedding in two weeks. One other thing, my Spanish wife Maria played the castanets on that tune, because not even the devil himself can play the castanets without that gene.
The record is now available digitally everywhere. We didn't print CDs, because very few seem to want them anymore. We do recommend the album from our bandcamp site, if you don't have a preference. Because, I seem to constantly play with the mix and master and am able to upload the latest versions on bandcamp. But, all sites are good.
Thanks everyone for your support over the past almost twelve years. It's been a blast. We will see what the future brings. Stay safe, and much love.
Bill & Ellie Sims
Shoot the Pier
We've been busy here at Double Crown HQ, with THREE new releases over the last month - a brand new issue of the Continental Magazine, an anthology CD release by Frankie & The Pool Boys, and the third full-length release by Dutch instrumental combo The Surfaders - all available now at www.doublecrownrecords.com
The Continental Magazine - Issue #30 w/CD
Issue #30 is our latest issue - once again it features a spectacular full-color cover designed by the ever-amazing Scott of Hidden Volume Records (he did the CD art too!). In this issue we include an conversation between Ferenc Dobronyi of Pollo Del Mar (and Frankie & The Pool Boys) and Mark Klebeck of King of Hawaii, plus an exclusive interview with Mort of The Mono Men / Game For Vultures, Mel Bergman with a look on the Fender Showman, and Johnny Bartlett of The Phantom Surfers in our 20 Questions feature. PLUS there's tons of music, zine and DVD reviews. 52 pages in all - another HUGE issue! You also get a FREE 27-song CD filled with lots of great surf, instro and garage rock tunes - INCLUDING BRAND NEW SONGS BY THE PHANTOM SURFERS, POLLO DEL MAR & SECRET AGENT!!!
The Continental Magazine - Issue #30 - CT030 - $7.95 (Order From Double Crown Records)
The Continental Magazine - Three-Issue Subscription Starting With Issue #30 - CONTSUB (Order From Double Crown Records)
Frankie & The Pool Boys - The Wet Season CD (Double Crown)
With the complete selling out of the Frankie and the Pool Boys catalogue, Double Crown Records presents an anthology of songs from their first three albums. Packed with 79+ minutes and 27 songs in total, it also features four new cuts. The track list was chosen largely based on how well the songs were received in a live setting, so the selection really was decided by fans of the band.
All of the Pool Boys’ three albums (the 2008 eponymous first album, 2013’s The Adventures of Cap’n Coconuts, and the Pipeline Magazine Album of the Year for 2018, Spin The Bottle) are well represented. Of course, “Ewa on the Beach” (voted the #3 Surf Revival song by listeners of North Sea Surf Radio) is included, as are the band’s most familiar songs, “The Wet Season,”“Skinny Dippin’,”“Teke Teke Teke” and “Tan Line Fever.”
As the Pool Boys take this moment to look back at thirteen years of recording and touring, they also look forward to new music and touring. A new album is currently being rehearsed with plans for recording and release in early 2022.
Tracks: Moorea Mon Amour - Ewa On The Beach - Skinny Dippin' - Tan Line Fever - Amber Waves - The Wet Season - The Golden State - Magyara - Spin The Bottle - Dreams (Live) - Raise Hell - Tic Toc - The Raven - Prayer Wheel - The Whammy - Summer Cold - Cat Fight - A Man Called Dirt - Seafoam Angels - Organic Matters - Magic River - Finito Bandito - El Valenciano - Teke, Teke, Teke - Poser - Game Of Thrones - No Surf Today
Frankie & The Pool Boys - The Wet Season CD - DCCD89 - $12.75 (Order From Double Crown Records)
The Surfaders - Shaken And Disturbed CD (Double Crown)
The Surfaders are a Dutch surf/instrumental rock combo that yearns to create the soundtracks of B-movies yet to be made, with a cinematic sound they call "Surf-Noir". After winning over fans worldwide with their first two albums, 2021 brings the release of their finest collection of songs yet - Shaken & Disturbed. Twelve dazzling instrumental classics that conjure up images of danger, intrigue and...well shaken cocktails! Guitar fanatics will swoon over the melodies and sounds heard on this disc - a highlight is "Moscow Mule", which the band describes as "So fiery and limey fresh that you may well mistake it for a soda. If you do, expect this cross-bred liquid quadruped to kick you in the head as hard as the Siberian winter is cold. We call it Breznjev’s brain-freeze."
Tracks: Moscow Mule - Death In The Afternoon - Full Moon - Tequila Matador - Henrietta - Sex On The Beach - Alien Secretion - Strawberry Daiquiri - Follow That Black Rabbit - Zombie - Stargazer - Dark & Stormy
The Surfaders - Shaken And Disturbed CD - DCCD88 - $12.75 (Order From Double Crown Records)
SRW142 The Surf Hermits - Hang Zen available on CD and download here - https://thesurfhermits.bandcamp.com/album/hang-zen
This is the way.
The Surf Hermits are part old west gunslinger, part wandering samurai, and part pipeline-shredding surfstravaganza. Featuring twangy guitar driven instrumentals, The Surf Hermits’ debut album, Hang Zen is distinctly original and yet somehow familiar to fans of surf, spaghetti westerns, and 60s garage sounds.
