Visit our website at http://www.crimsoncrowbar.com/ for more information
Premier Los Angeles acoustic duo,
Crimson Crowbar began in 1993 when
David Shelton phoned his long time friend Frank Simes to do some
"unplugged" shows. The duo began performing at nightclubs in Pasadena to
standing-room-only audiences, then moved on to play in Hollywood at concert
venues, such as The House of Blues, Opium Den, The Viper Room, and Billboard
Live (now Key Club). Their reputation steadily grew as they continually
amazed audiences with their abilities, passion and sound. In early 2005,
Charlotte Church asked them to open the show for her at the Aladdin Hotel in
Las Vegas to a sold out crowd of 7000.
Their original tunes combine memorable melodies,
unique harmonies and jagged guitar riffs, with satirical lyrics full of
irony, black humor, and slapstick. Frank and Dave have written and produced
three albums, entitled "Gag," "Angry Inch," and "Dopalicious"
on their own label, Doink Records and are currently working on their fourth
(as yet untitled) record due out in 2006.
Their live performances are a mix of unbridled,
youthful enthusiasm strewn with wicked wit and whimsy. Along with their
originals, Crimson Crowbar plays seemingly impossible renditions of "Whole
Lotta Love," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Space Oddity," "Light My Fire,"
and "I Am The Walrus," continually stretching the musical boundaries of what
four sets of well-oiled fingers and two acoustic guitars can do. The two of
them can transform their acoustic guitars into orchestras, bongos, cellos,
sitars, mandolins, and drum sets.
Crimson Crowbar's sound, energy, versatility, humor,
and infectious attitude will rock you like no other acoustic duo in the
known universe.
David Shelton
Since receiving his first guitar from Blue
Chip Stamps at the age of 7 and playing professionally from the age of 14,
David Shelton has played virtually every club in Los Angeles. His very
prominent Pasadena punk band “The Gas Moguls” sold out The Ice House a week
in advance on several occasions. His songs “Boys & Girls” (produced by Dusty
Street of KROQ radio) and “Honkey in a Babylon” (produced by John Nelson of
the Eddie Money Band) were both played in rotation at KROQ radio in Los
Angeles. He then toured
 England with his band Pla:haus. They wrote and
recorded 2 albums (some songs produced by Steve Ferris of Mister Mister).
He appeared on three records for country
artists Cosgrove/Rushing as bass guitarist and appeared live and recorded 2
records with Francesca Gregorini (daughter of Barbara Bach - stepdaughter of
Ringo Starr).
David also has had moderate success in
composing music for film and television. His music has been heard on shows
like “The Rikki Lake Show”, “Ripley‘s Believe It or Not“, “The Tony Danza
show”, also “Motorcycle Mavericks” and “Garage Takeover” for the Discovery
Channel. His latest accomplishment: a featured song that he and Frank
co-wrote for “Major League Baseball 2006” for the Sony Playstation 2.
Frank Simes has recorded, toured, and
co-written songs with such artists as Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey, Don
Henley, Stevie Nicks, and David Lee Roth. Raised in Japan, Frank started
early at age 14 when his band, “Sunrise,” released a record on RCA Victor.
Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles and his band, “The Whizz Kidds,” were
signed by Highland/A&M Records, and Frank’s song, “Sweet Honey,” the debut
single, received national airplay. Since then, Simes has performed with
numerous legendary musicians, including
 Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Stevie
Wonder, Roger Waters, Charlotte Church, Sting, Billy Joel, Jackson Browne,
and Bonnie Raitt. In 2000, Frank was a double Grammy nominee with Don
Henley.
Simes has composed over 1,200 musical pieces
for over 300 TV series, and continues to contribute his compositions to TV
music libraries, including Paramount TV and Los Angeles Post Music. Frank
has recorded and produced several albums on major labels, including an album
with his own band, "Surreal McCoys," on Sony. He also composes original
classical guitar pieces in the Baroque and Romantic styles, some of which
were recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Frank's most recent
credits include producing the last three albums for Ann Lewis on Sony
Records, recording with Rod Stewart on his album entitled "As Time Goes By,
the Great American Songbook, Volume II," and performing on Roger Daltrey’s
“Moonlighting” anthology CD and live DVD.
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