Retrocrush - Retro Culture From The 70's - 90's

Retrocrush has long been one of my favorite websites, covering retro culture from the 70's - 90's with humor, yet always with a sense of fondness, rather than the snarkiness you find with other similar websites. They also have a fun podcast, now numbering around 130 episodes. If you were born in the 60's or 70's I highly recommend checking it out. In any case, the latest site update added a piece about poor/gimmicky toys of the past, appropriate at this time of year when many people, especially with kids, have loads of toys floating around the house. Santa gave me a Magic 8-Ball this year, something I always wanted as a kid, but never got until this year. This is among 20 or so toys covered in the article - they've even linked to YouTube clips of some retro commercials.

Sandy Nelson - Live In Las Vegas Download

The blogsite 45's to MP3's has Sandy Nelson's Live! In Las Vegas LP available for download - this recording features Gerry McGee of The Ventures!

Hondells "Sea Cruise" Scopitone Vid For Free Download

Okay, I've been blogging like crazy today - this will be the last one, but it was too good not to post. One of my favorite blog sites, Bedazzled, has this vintage Hondells Scopitone available for download.

Crazy Christmas Light Display Synchronized To 80's Videogame Music

Funny We Are Scientists Holiday Clip

Richard Hawley - Silent Night + Seattle Concert - Free Download

Richard Hawley has been one of my favorite non-surf/garage/rockabilly artists of 2007 - this ex-Pulp guitarist/singer has a great sound that mixes a little bit of Elvis, Roy Orbison and Morrissey. I highly recommend his latest CD, Lady's Bridge, but if you've already spent all you can this holiday season, definitely get his take on the holiday classic, "Silent Night", from his mySpace page. I had tickets for his recent Seattle show at the now-defunct Crocodile Cafe, but had to give them up since I already had tickets to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings here in Bellingham. Luckily, someone captured a soundboard recording, complete with artwork, which you can download here.

New Monorail Arrives At Disneyland

My kids have been obsessed with monorails ever since they were about 3 years old. We're lucky enough to have one in nearby Seattle, but haven't made it to Disneyland quite yet (although my kids have a motorized toy Disneyland monorail system). The real Disneyland monorail hasn't been in operation for about 20 years, but it's back now! This photo is from the 60's, but the article linked here has photos of the new monorail being lowered onto the track.

The Star Wars Christmas Special In 5 Minutes!

Original Frosty The Snowman Cartoon

Hooray For Santy Claus - Free Download

One movie I have to see each year is Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (which you can download for free by clicking here, although I prefer the Santa Claus Conquers The Martians). The theme song gets stuck in my head for days - I have the original ripped from the DVD at home, but here is a nicely done remake, along with an instrumental version, recorded by Señor Tonto and available for free download!

Possibly The Dumbest Website Ever - Is It Christmas?

Just stumbled across this website, just in time for the holidays!

Mr. Rogers Plays Donkey Kong

Photoshop Celebrity Star Wars

This site has all sorts of funny Photoshop contests - one of the recent contests was celebs mashed up with Star Wars characters. This one's Gary Coleman as Yoda - "What'cha talkin' bout, Skywalker"?

Bryan Adams - Reggae Christmas

Disneyland's House Of The Future

Absurd British Double Decker Bus Race

The Year Christmas Almost Wasn't

Brian Wilson - Smart Girls Rap

Oh my brain hurts after listening to this. I guess if you're a Beach Boys completest you've got to have this, but may, it's pretty horrible.

WFMU's Beware Of The Blog - Country Fuzz Spectacular (MP3s)

Okay, so we all know about how Davie Allan is the "King of the Fuzz Guitar", with his trademark sound appearing on virtually every track he's ever recorded. Well, who knew there was a genre of music called "country-fuzz"? WFMU has a whole bunch of downloads, from country stars of the 60's and 70's like Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson and the Willis Brothers - amazing stuff!

The Violents - Alpens Ros (1961)

Just In Time For The Holidays - Seasonal Favorites Volume 2!!!

Seasonal Favorites - Volume 2 (Double Crown Records)

Just in time for the holidays - we are proud to announce the sequel to one of our most popular releases. This time we have gathered 20 songs from bands located all over the globe - sending their best wishes for the holiday season straight to your hi-fi!

Tracks:

Carol Of The Bells - Pollo Del Mar
Drums For Christmas - The Pete Curry Orchestra
Sleigh Ride In Fresno - The Neptunes
Snowman - The Icicles
Leise Rieselt Der Schnee - The Incredible Mr. Smith
Jingle Bell Rock - Surfin' Santa With Meshugga Beach Party
Little Drummer Boy - The Dusty Watson Complex
I Want A Monkey For Christmas - The Barbary Coasters
Saint Nick's AA Fueler - The Surfites
Deck The Halls - Glasgow Tiki Shakers
Silent Night - Big Boy Pete
Rudolph's Secret - Speedball Jr.
O Come All Ye Faithful - The Pyronauts
It's Christmas In The Islands - Full Load Of King
Happy X-Mas (War Is Over) - Frankie & The Poolboys
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Urban Surf Kings
Deck The Halls - Joe's Ocean
Sleigh Ride - Surfin' Santa With Meshugga Beach Party
Christmas Time For Fun - The Daytonas
Auld Lang Syne - Frankie & The Poolboys

(Order Now!) V/A - Seasonal Favorites Volume Two CD - $12.75 (Click To Order)

Join The Double Crown Music Club - Get 4 Consecutive Double Crown CD Releases Starting With Seasonal Favorites Volume Two For $35.00 (Click To Order)

CD's Will Start Shipping On November 13th, 2007

Skaterdater on Youtube!

I have been familiar with this song for years, but haven't seen the video until now - check it out!

Dick Dale - Peel Session Download

The Runout Groove has made available a Dick Dale Peel Session recording from 2002. Grab it here.

The Continental Magazine - Issue #14 w/CD

The Continental Magazine - Issue #14 w/24 song CD - #CT014 - $5.95 (OUT NOW!!!)

The latest issue of The Continental Magazine, featuring interviews with The Ghastly Ones and Wormtone Records, along with a 24 track CD, is now available for only $5.95. Also included in this issue are Satan's Pilgrims, a look at the Scandinavian surf/instro scene, the Double Crown On The Rocks 10th Anniversary Fest and much, much more. 36 pages in all, with a 2 color glossy cover. To order send $5.95 US + shipping ($1.05 to any US/Canadian address, or just $2.05 to any other address) to Double Crown Mail Order. You can also send a Paypal payment to records@dblcrown.com or cash/check/money order or order through the Double Crown website.

If you would like a 3-issue subscription, it's $16.00 if you live in the US, or $20 anywhere else in the world.

TRACKS:
1. Car Hire From Hell: El Ray
2. At The Skyline Drive-In: The Barbwires
3. Das Kosmodrom: Die Kosmonauten
4. Lillian: Eddie Angel
5. Night Boat: The Sidemen
6. Wild Driver: The Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
7. Cal-Tiki: The Pyronauts
8. That’s Why You’re On My Mind: The Barbary Coasters
9. 350 Bumper Car: Glasgow Tiki Shakers
10. Lollypop Queen: The Incredible Mr. Smith
11. Get Bent: Retroactive Gamma Rays
12. Shooting Star: Shig & Buzz
13. Sukiyaki: Cocktail Preachers
14. CheeseCake: Pozor Vlak
15. Shufty: The Special Agents
16. Crystal T: SPF-4
17. Avast Ye!: Retroactive Gamma Rays
18. ChronoSurf: The TomorrowMen
19. She-Wolf Of Lubyanka: The Illuminoids
20. Long Range Desert Group: El Patapsco
21. Dos Diablos: The Nematoads
22. Surfin’ The Cruncher: The Cruncher
23. Attack Of The Sea People: Mister Neutron
24. Shark Pit: Cutback

Seventies Safety / Horror Film

This is a crazy, funny-yet-disturbing film over at archive.org. You can download it, or stream it online. Link

Listen To Your Holiday Music In Style With This Hi-Fi Music Player

This Christmas, listen to your Burl Ives and Bing Crosby on this portable hi-fi music player. Just be careful moving it room to room, you wouldn't want the needle to skip! Technology may have made players smaller and more portable than this one, but I'm willing to be that the sound from this was amazing!

The Buckle Busters - S/T CD Now Available!!!

Although Double Crown is primarily a surf/instro label, occasionally we like to branch out a bit into other kinds of music. The latest release on Double Crown is by a local (Bellingham, WA) group called The Buckle Busters, who are currently one of the most popular bands in town. The eight track CD features 7 vocal cuts by legends like Johnny Cash, Merle Travis, Hank Snow and others, along with one original instro tune called "The Buckle Buster". The disc mixes rockabilly with country and swing.

You can get more info, and order online, here: http://www.dblcrown.com/dccd27.html

or visit our MySpace page to hear the first track:
http://www.myspace.com/doublecrownrecords

Note: Since this is a mostly vocal release, it will not be sent as a Double Crown Music Club release.

Old Movie Posters Updated "Grindhouse" Style

Something Awful has a big set of old movie posters updated "Grindhouse" style. They're all well done and some of them are particularly clever. Check out the full gallery here.

Space Needle Design Drawings / Sasquatch Playing Drums On Space Needle

This may only be of interest if you live in the Northwest, but I stumbled across a website that has a bunch of cool conceptual drawings of the Space Needle in Seattle, then found a YouTube clip of Sasquatch playing the drums on top of the Space Needle!

The Surfites - Big Pounder CD

The Surfites are a gang of landlocked gremmies playing instrumental surf music in the old school style. They formed in 2003 by the two Fjellgren brothers of now defunct Swedish surf band The Daytonas. They're mainly a studio group with buddies Folke Bergkvist (bass), Henry Karlsson (piano/organ) and Gunnar Lindholm (drums) dropping by for the recording sessions. Phil Dirt/Reverb Central says "Vintage surf with a real sense of the period, but all original songs". Order now and get a free bonus track, "Drag-U-La Beat".

Tracks: Bump Day - Spinning Boards - Tail Slide - Cleopatra - Surf Encounter - Tortuga - Thou Shalt Drag - Surfville - Dana Point - Jack-The-Bear - Ding In My Board - Tube Steak - Fleabag - Pioneer Trail Surf - Big Pounder - Single Seater.

The Surfites - Big Pounder CD - #DCCD26 - $12.75

Click here to: (Buy Now From Double Crown Records / CCNow)

Here's what a few people have said about the Surfites:

"I got it a couple of days ago, and enjoyed it in the few times I have listened to it. I like the packaging and the sound is great. When Klas said that they recorded straight from preamp to the recording medium, I remembered that we did some scratch tracks with DIs in my old band, and they sounded very good. Also, I agree that tape gives something, but the machines and the tape is expensive, and today there are good digital options. This CD certainly proves that you can get a very authentic sound using "modern" methods. Good job on that.
The songs I like the most so far are the ones that were on the myspace page and the website (Surfville, Tube Steak that changed to "For Surfers Only", Fleabag, etc), but I think that's becasue I have listened to them many times before. Time will tell. Anyway - for anyone that haven't heard any samples yet, they style is very trad, some of the songs can be thought of as The Astronauts "Movin'" meets electric piano. There are some other styles, with some songs being more melodic than others, some are mid tempo, some faster. IIRC, no slow songs, adds to the fun factor.
Be aware that the drums are low in the mix, in accordance to the 1st wave recordings. Works perfectly for this album. The electric piano adds a lot, it has a mellow sound that's really different than the Farfisa/Hammond organs that's popular in Garage/Surf combos.
I'd defintely reccomend the album. " - Ran from The Sand Devils / The Astroglides

"Oh yes I recieved my copy today Monday April 9th, and man the lead guitar in every song is insanely drippy now that's what I'm talking about hell yeah! the drip reminds me of Frank Blandino's drippy guitar so if your a fan of The Fathoms hell you'll dig this disc! " - Kyle from The Verbtones"

Dick Dale Gives (Surprisingly Good) Music Business Advice

Although I'm not sure of his math skills, Dick Dale offers some surprisingly good advice to bands trying to "make it" in the music biz.

Beachwear For 2007 - Keep Your Booze In Your Sandals!

With summer just around the corner, here's a convenient (and sneaky) way to bring your favorite beverage to the beach or concert. There's a flask inside the heel of the sandal, which you open with the included church key. Unfortunately, there's no room in the sandal for the ice or glass shown in the photo...

Click here to buy from Amazon.com.

Download.Com - An Untapped Source Of Free Surf Music?

I don't go to Download.com very often, but after reading a post on the Cowabunga mailing list about free surf tunes there I decided to check it out. There are actually quite a few free surf tunes available there, with streaming previews so you can listen to songs before downloading them. Many of the bands there are fairly obscure, but there are tunes by the likes of Laika & The Cosmonauts, The Verbtones and The Surfonics.

Click here to see what they've got.

Soupy Sales TV Show Pranked

Comedian/personality Soupy Sales had a TV show in the 50's and 60's. At the end of each show there would be a mystery celebrity behind a door on the set (behind his head in the photo shown here). Dean Martin did this on his show as well (probably stole the idea from Soupy, since his show started in the mid 60's). Anyway, one show the crew pranked Soupy by having a topless stripper behind the door. The show that was actually broadcast used the video from a second camera, which only showed the balloon that the stripper was holding. Another camera caught this unreleased video (NSFW). Click here for the video.

New Surfites Video - "Surfville"

Here is the second video from the Surfites upcoming CD, "Big Pounder", available on Double Crown Records March 27th, 2007.

Awesome Retro Flashback

Now this is more like it - cracks me up every time!

Painful Retro Flashback

I had forgotten about this, until another blog site reminded me about this. Watch, if you must, this clip from Adventures In Babysitting.

A Hard Day's Night Of The Living Dead Trailer

I kinda enjoyed this mash-up of The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and "Night Of The Living Dead", with the Fab Four being chased around by zombies.

Acapella / Human Beatbox Group On Paris Metro

I've traveled over in Europe a few times, riding on subways to get around in the larger cities. I've seen a lot of street musicians ride them and play between stops for tips. Officially they are not allowed to do this, so usually they can only play half a song before they run off to another train to avoid getting caught. Some of 'em are pretty good, but not as good as this group (although I'm no Phil Collins fan)...

The Reagan's "Just Say Yes" To Drugs

The Reagan's "Just Say Yes" To Drugs




Apparently this is pretty old, which makes it all the more impressive, since whoever did this was able to throw this together without computers and digital editing software.

The Penetrators - 50 Bucks a Midget Video

The Penetrators - 50 Bucks a Midget Video



The Penetrators - Locked & Loaded CD - Order From Double Crown Records
The Penetrators - Locked & Loaded CD - Order From iTunes

Flash Games For Tiki Fans

This site has links to a few simple, but fun-for-a-few-minutes Flash games that you can play online with little tiki/Moai heads.

The Surfites - Big Pounder CD With Pre-Release Bonus Track

We are excited to announce the upcoming release of the debut full-length CD by The Surfites, called Big Pounder. The disc is packed solid with great, original surf instrumentals.

The Surfites are a gang of landlocked gremmies playing instrumental surf music in the old school style. Formed in 2003 by the two Fjellgren brothers of now defunct Swedish surf band the Daytonas. The Surfites are mainly a studio group with buddies Folke Bergkvist (bass), Henry Karlsson (piano/organ) and Gunnar Lindholm (drums) dropping by for the recording sessions. Klas and Jack Fjellgren play all the guitar parts and write the songs, as well as arranging and producing the recordings. The guys have just completed recording material for a debut album in their basement studio and the finished CD will be released on Double Crown Records on March 27th 2007. One of their songs, "Surfville", will appear on the upcoming Sazanami Records compilation Wild Sazanami Beat #4. Also, be sure to check out the Surfites on MySpace. Cowabunga!

The Surfites - Big Pounder CD is now available for order with credit card and Paypal. If you order before the release date of March 27th you will receive a free bonus track called "Drag-U-La Beat" immediately. The CD will then be shipped to you on it's release date. If you are a subscriber to the Double Crown Music Club you can also get this free bonus track - just drop us a line for details (records@dblcrown.com).

To order, click on this link THE SURFITES - BIG POUNDER CD

Double Crown On The Rocks - Podcast #17

Double Crown On The Rocks - Podcast #17

Sorry there hasn't been a podcast since Halloween - kind of a combination of being super busy and just kinda forgetting to do a new one. However, a few people over the last week have asked when I'm going to do a new show, so here it is! I saw Satan's Pilgrims/Ghastly Ones in Seattle last Saturday, so I decided to dedicate this show to them. It's all Satan's Pilgrims and Ghastly Ones!!! If you have any requests/comments, please send an e-mail to: records@dblcrown.com or use the handy comment form below.

We're up on iTunes now, so if you're looking for an easy way to subscribe/download this podcast, just go to the iTunes music store and search for the "Double Crown On The Rocks" podcast.

You can download this week's show here:

Double Crown On The Rocks - Podcast #17 18.7 MB MP3 02/28/07

Purchase CD's By This Week's Bands At The Following Websites:

Double Crown Records - www.dblcrown.com
Estrus Records - www.estrus.com
Amazon.com - www.amazon.com

If you like the show and would like to see it improve in the future (longer and/or more frequent shows), feel free to make a Paypal donation for any amount by clicking the button below. Thanks go out to those of you who have sent in a donation - your money will go towards web hosting for future podcasts.

Photoshop Britney Contest At Stereogum

Over at Stereogum they had a "Photoshop Britney" contest. This one was my personal favorite (it reminded me of how much I miss Arrested Development), but you have 19 others that you can vote for.

Neko Case In Bellingham - Western Washington University PAC + Concert Download

Neko Case - Live In Bellingham at Western Washington University PAC

All I can say is wow! It was quite a night up at Western Washington University for a rare Bellingham show by Neko Case, with Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers opening. Neko has quite a history in Bellingham, with relatives in the county and a short stint here working at the 3-B Tavern back in the early 90's. I didn't really follow her much when she moved to Vancouver and started a punk band called Maow, but I did catch her first couple of shows playing at the 3-B Tavern around the release of her debut solo album, The Virginian. Her first show there is probably in my top 5 favorite concerts of all time. The bar was fairly full, but not completely sold out, so there was room to move, converse with friends and enjoy a drink or three. Opening the show was The Sadies, who have played live and recorded with her quite a bit over the years. It was my first Sadies show and it was absolutely spellbinding - their echoey, twangy sound reverberated throughout the club. After a fairly lengthy set (for an opening band) they just stayed up there and welcomed Neko Case to the stage. She only had one album out, and she played just about every song off it, along with a few covers. While I think all of her albums are great, I am thankful for being able to see her so early in her career because she definitely had a different sound back then, perhaps more fun and energetic. It was a transitional period for her, going from a punk band to a (alt) country solo artist. She was very unprofessional back then, with lots of banter between her and the crowd (which thankfully she's continued to do to this day), drinks onstage, and a set of unpolished songs that, when mistakes were made, she'd just shrugg off and continue on.

The next time I saw her she had a different backing band that features Scott and Joel, who were in the Boss Martians back then. They were great musicians, and worked okay for this period in her career, but didn't give her music the same atmosphere as the Sadies did (or her current backing band, for that matter). It was another excellent show, the club was sold out, and I even got to meet her briefly before the show. Joel, Scott, Neko and I talked a bit about their tour...it was a long time ago and having had a few drinks that night, I can't remember any of the details of our conversation. It was easy to tell though that she was having a great time making a living playing music and playing shows all over the country.

The third time I saw her wasn't fun at all. It was a dream bill - The Sadies were opening for her and acting as her backing band again, but this time it was at a large club in Seattle called Nuemos. The room was packed for the Sadies set - they put on a good show, playing for about an hour and featuring songs off their Favourite Colours CD and others. I am fairly tall, just shy of 6 feet, so I could see the stage fairly well from the back (the front was already packed), but my wife couldn't see a thing and wasn't having a good time. After their set we got a drink and a breath of fresh air outside. When we came back in the entire room was absolutely packed - there was no way another person could get into the main room without pushing or shoving their way in. It just didn't seem worth the effort for me, and my wife wasn't going to go through that kinda effort just to be squished and still not be able to see anything. So we tried to listen to the show from a hallway to the side of the stage (next to the restrooms and the smell that one would associate with restrooms). We could kinda see the stage from there, but it just wasn't fun. After about 6 or 7 songs we left. The next day I e-mailed the club and told them how bad I thought it was and asked if they had oversold the show. They apologized, but didn't really answer my question. They did give me free tickets to see the Ocean Blue the following week. I went to that show and had a great time (the club was only about half full).

When I heard that Neko was going to play in Bellingham, my wife (and I) immediately remembered our horrible experience in Seattle. She wasn't that into it, but then I mentioned that it was at the university at their performing arts center. That changed everything. The only thing we'd ever seen their was Western's symphony, so hearing Neko in a venue with seats and perfect acoustics seemed like an amazing prospect. I picked up tickets right away, which was good because it sold out quickly. The place holds about 700 people, but it could have been in a larger venue and still have sold out.

We started off the evening with drinks and dinner, then headed up for the show (the university is situated on a hill overlooking Bellingham Bay). Up front in the "VIP" row was Neko's family, Aaron of the 3-B Tavern/Mono Men, Dan of the Footstompin' Trio/Bucklebusters, and a few restaurateurs that my wife recognized. Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers opened the show with a half hour solo set on acoustic guitar and harmonica. He had a nice, mellow sound that fit the room nicely. I especially liked the songs he sang in Spanish - they suited his voice well.

After a short break Neko took the stage along with her band featuring the incredible Jon Rauhouse on guitars and pedal steel and Rachel Flotard of Visqueen on backing vocals. She played a long set, about 1 hr 45 min, including songs from all of her releases except The Virginian (she seems to have disowned that album for some reason). It was amazing to hear her in a room with such perfect sound - you could hear all of the instruments clearly, the buzzing of guitar strings, the sound of the brushes beating against the drums, and the picking of up to four guitars at a time. It was dead quiet between songs, other than banter from the stage and an occasional "whoop", "yeah", or "I love you Neko" from the crowd. The star of the show was obviously Neko, but I was floored by how well her voice blended with Flotard's voice. I haven't heard Visqueen's music yet, but I'll have to give it a try soon. Neko said she was kinda making up the setlist as they went on, which became apparent when they did a song that required Flotard's backing vocals and she was off-stage taking a break. However, she made it back on just in time for the chorus. The set included songs like "Favorite", "Set Out Running", "I Wish I Was the Moon", "The Tigers Have Spoken", "Maybe Sparrow", "Margaret Vs. Pauline", "Buckets of Rain", "Deep Red Bells", "Hold On, Hold On", "Furnace Room Lullaby", along with a bunch of others. She gave shout-outs to the 3-B Tavern and Carl Cozier Elementary school. I didn't think she lived here when she was that young, but it was cool that she still felt a connection with our small little town. She got two standing ovations at the end, after the end of her set and after the encore, and with that the show was over. It was a great, great show that might just nudge itself into my personal top 5 - I don't know if I can bump her first show here at the 3-B from that list though...

I almost forgot, you can download a full Neko Case concert from the NPR website here.

Funny Japanese Flash Mob Video

Amazing Easter Island Photo Archive

One of my goals in life is to visit Easter Island. I guess part of it is just being into Tiki culture, but it's more just an overall fascination with the place. An island isolated by hundreds of miles of water, covered with tall idols made of stone. This website has an amazing collection of photos from Easter Island, mostly black & white. There's also an interesting article in a recent issue of Conde Nast Traveller.

Cool Mini-Movie Made With Hot Wheels Cars

Check out this amazing movie made with Hot Wheels cars. It's funny, I buy them for my kids all the time when we go grocery shopping. They're only a buck a piece and durable as hell (they have some cars in their box that were mine when I was a kid, like 30 years old!). Well, they were picking out cars the other day and I found a cool one that they didn't want, but I just had to have. When we got it home they changed their mind and agreed, it was pretty cool. It was called Torpedo Jones. We don't really buy any of the plasticey sets - they usually don't work and fall apart within an hour or so. But the cars are very cool - if I had the space I'd have a mini-collection of my own.

El Ray - Scandinavian Surf: Free Downloadable Songs & Videos

El Ray has been one of my favorite surf/instro bands of the last few years. Their music is great and they have delivered a series of outstanding releases that feature cool cover art and excellent songwriting. Their website, at http://www.elray.dk, has a few songs and videos available for free download, giving you a preview of what this great band is capable of!

If any of you out there know of any surf/instro websites, for bands, record labels, or otherwise, that have free downloads please leave a comment with the link. I'll check 'em all out (if there are any) and will post up full write-ups here.

Creepy Telly Savalas Video For "If"

The only thing that comes to mind with this is - WTF?

Mary Poppins & When Harry Met Sally Made Into Horror Films

Mary Poppins & When Harry Met Sally Made Into Horror Films





Two seemingly harmless movies, with the help of some creative editing and creepy music, made into horror movie trailers. Pretty funny stuff!

Dallas Good Of The Sadies Talks About New & Upcoming Releases

The Edmonton Journal has posted an interesting story/interview with Dallas Good of The Sadies. He talks about their 2 new releases as well as their upcoming studio album.

The Surfites - Big Pounder Video

The Surfites have put together a video for the title track from their upcoming Double Crown CD, Big Pounder! The CD is set to come out March 2007 - we are just putting the finishing touches on the artwork, then it'll be off to the manufacturer...

The Surfites - Big Pounder

Jim Flora Books

To me album artwork is a very important part of an album (or CD, or 7", or 8-track, or cassette ,etc.). There have been many talented artists over the years, but one of my all-time faves is Jim Flora. He also had did the artwork for some children's books - over the years I've actually had better luck finding his books than his albums! Among his great children's books are The Fabulous Firework Family, and Leopold, the See-Through Crumbpicker I would really like to find a copy of The Day The Cow Sneezed - any leads out there? Thankfully, Irwin Chusid has put together 2 beautiful books featuring Jim Flora's artwork. You can get both of them through Amazon.com.

Eklektrik Design - My Wife's New Web Business

My wife has just started an offshoot from Double Crown Records called Eklektrik Design. It's technically part of Double Crown (as far as accounting, taxes and the online shopping cart goes), but the product selection is completely different. She specializes in handmade accessories like cuffs, checkbook covers, wallets, scarves and hand balms. Many of the items are made with retro/hipster themes. Check out the selection at:
http://www.eklektrikdesign.com. She will be adding more items over the coming months.

Double Crown Records Free Shipping Offer Ends January 31st

We've got plenty of surf/instro releases (CD's, 7"s and fanzines) available at Double Crown Records. A bunch of new items have been added to the catalog over the last few weeks. Order before January 31st, use coupon code FREESHIP and receive free shipping anywhere in the world (minimum order $20.00). You can order online with credit card/Paypal at: www.dblcrown.com/catalog.html. You can also send a Paypal (www.paypal.com) payment directly to: records@dblcrown.com


NEW ITEMS - CD's

* (NEW!) The All-Nighters - Dance 'Til Dawn CD - AMR01 - $12.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The All-Nighters - Drink The Night CD - NRM09 - $12.75
* (NEW!) Eddie Angel - Guitar Party + Bonus Tracks CD - SPCD23 - $14.75
* (NEW!) The Aquasonics - Play Songs For The Surfin' Set CD - WT506 - $14.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Arousers - Princes Of Penetration CD - RAU073 - $12.75 (NS)
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Astroglides - Selling Out CD - SHR02 - $14.75 (NS)
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Beat Tornados - Scandinavian Interlude CD - FR009 - $16.75
* (NEW!) Big Boy Pete - London American Boy CD - RAU105 - $12.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Fuzz-Busters - Retro-Sonic Music For The Moderns CD - FB751 - $14.75
* (NEW!) The Ghastly Ones - Target: Draculon CD - GPC02 - $14.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) Goggle-A - Goggle-A In Europe DVD - SZ002 - $16.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Kilaueas - Profesor Volcanova CD - ASM022 - $14.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) Los Mel-Tones - Surf Sensation CD - LCM46 - $14.75
* (NEW!) The Orangu-Tones - Introducing The Simian Sounds CD - WT503 - $14.75
* (NEW!) The Orangu-Tones - Pledge Kappa Epsilon Gamma CD - WT504 - $14.75
* (NEW!) Planet Creep - Self Service CD - PC001 - $16.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Rattlesnakes - Tornado CD - TCY04 - $14.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Razorblades - The Dark Side Of The Beach CD - GS001 - $14.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!!) The Sandblasters - Jupiter Beach CD - RAU111 - $12.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Sidemen - Go Too Far! CD - ZRR01 - $16.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Sin-Tones - Surf-O-Ghetti! CD - FWM26 - $16.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) Surf Cinema - S/T CD - SC4827 - $14.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Surfin' Gorillas - The Return Of... CD - FT017 - $14.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) The Surf Kings - Coming Up For Air CD - IM002 - $13.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Surf Kings - Up From The Depths CD - IM001 - $12.75
* (NEW!) TubeStone - Aligretosurfati CD - TBS01 - $14.75 (NS)
* (BACK IN STOCK!) V/A - Better Than The Average Weekend: Shadowy Men Tribute CD - DE011 - $14.75
* (NEW!) V/A - Big Wave Riders CD - DE020 - $14.75
* (NEW!) V/A - Los Kahunas / The Invisible Surfers - Waves Of Reverb, Sea Of Fuzz #1 CD - NF017 - $14.75 (NS)
* (NEW!) V/A - Reverb Brazil CD - RB001 - $14.75 (NS)
* (BACK IN STOCK!!) V/A - This Is Rockabilly Clash CD - RAU131 - $14.75 (NS)

MORE CD'S

NEW ITEMS - 7" & 10" VINYL

* (NEW!) El Ray - Holiday On Ice 10" - HTR203 - $11.75
* (NEW!) The Ghastly Ones - Flying Saucers Over Van Nuys 7" (Green
* (BACK IN STOCK!) Los Kogars - Action Packed 7" EP - SFX008- $4.75
* (NEW!) Monsters From Mars - Surfing Through A Creepy Castle 7" EP - TTT01 - $4.75
* (NEW!) The Orangu-Tones - Santa's Comin' / Don't Believe In Christmas 7" - WT709 - $4.75
* (BACK IN STOCK!) The Panasonics - Introducing The Inscrutable Panasonics/Panther 7" - SP008- $4.00
* (NEW!) The Savage Wrong Notes - Rip Tide / Green Room 7" - VR002 - $4.75
* (NEW!) Thundercrack - Here Comes... 7" EP (French Import) - RY709- $4.75

NEW ITEMS - FANZINES

* (NEW!) Barracuda Magazine - Issue #21 - BM021 - $3.50
* (NEW!) Barracuda Magazine - Issue #22 - BM022 - $3.50
* (NEW!) The Hungover Gormet - Issue #8 - HG008 - $2.00
* (NEW!) New Gandy Dancer - #80 - NGD080 - $8.00
* (NEW!) Pipeline Instrumental Review - #72 - PL072 - $6.75
* (NEW!) Tiki Magazine - - TM006 - $4.95

TV In Japan Website

I just stumbled across this crazy/cool website called "TV In Japan". Basically it's just a big collection of YouTube clips from a variety of TV shows. However, the creator/s of this website have done all of the searching for you, funneling down their selection to a group of interesting/funny/disturbing clips. One of my faves was The Tarako Cupie Girls, who feature in a series of adds for a food product made primarily of spaghetti noodles and cod roe. They have become hugely popular in Japan, and who knows, they might even make it big over here someday!

Free Surf MP3's From Reverb Brasil Website

There's a bunch of free surf tunes available for download from the Reverb Brasil website (Click on the media link once you get to their website). We have the full Reverb Brasil CD available through our mail order catalog.

Man Or Astro-Man? Live At Touch & Go Anniversary Fest

Okay, this may be old news, but most of you probably know that last summer Man Or Astro-Man? got back together, with the original lineup, for the Touch & Go anniversary festival in Chicago (I think they did one other show in Alabama or Georgia too). Anyway, over at Archive.org you can download their Chicago show - just go here. Understandably, it's a little rough at times, but they've obviously still got it. Too bad they can't find a way to make it more of a permanent thing - I'd love to have some new MOA? material in my collection, or a live show or two in the Northwest!

Krazy Kids Items From The 50's/60's/70's On Flickr

Okay, this whole entry could be about this product alone. I'm sure many of you have had "astronaut ice cream". Well, this cereal has that (or some form of it), mixed in with "nutritious cereal". And look at the happy ice cream man! And the product name - Kellogg's Kream Krunch....I hope there isn't too much to read into the fact that the initials are KKK and the happy ice cream man is made of vanilla ice cream! There are many, many more cool products shown here.

Turntable With Stuffed Bird

This artist in the Netherlands is doing some interesting work. My favorite though is this, a turntable and a taxidermied bird, fitted with a needle in it's beak. You can hear a sample of what the audio sounds like at the artist's website.

Fascinating Look At Recording Of Chipmunks Holiday Song

Fascinating Look At Recording Of Chipmunks Holiday Song

Okay, I'm a little late with this, but it's still pretty cool. This site has the original version and a slowed down version, allowing you to hear how the "Chipmunks" sang their parts. They had to harmonize and enunciate carefully, but really, really slow. Check it out here.