Where He Left Off /Nov. 7, 1997

I decided early on what I'm gonna be when I get old. I'm gonna be one of those creepy old-timers that rides the bus, wears tweed suits and hates with little green feathers, carries a cane with a duck's head handle, and has harmless flirtations with teenage girls. That's a lock, but up until now I've been confused how I'm gonna spend my middle age. Dave Crimmen is now my role model for my forties; I mean, what could be better than crankin' out hot, black-leather rockabilly, sweatin' so hard my pompadour falls in my face, yanking screaming bends out of my hollowbody and gulping Budweiser by the case?  Beats the hell out of being Sammy Hagar, that's for sure.

-Wendell Scott

Just Call It Rock and Roll/April 5, 1996

This decidedly retro musical offering opens and closes with the sound of a phonograph needle scratching the vinyl. Pretty clever! But while Dave Crimmen's press kit describes his influences as being Elvis, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, his music on this CD reminded me more of early '80s power-pop a la Tommy Tutone, Greg Kihn, the Rubinoos, etc. That is, beat beats, big guitar hooks, and big pop backing vocals create that Friday night "shut up and dance" club vibe. Especially pleasing is the ballsy, rough 'n ready strut of "Where the Sun Don't Shine." 

Most of Crimmen's tunes get in and get out quickly, as evidenced by the rockabilly rave-up "Gotta Get Out," which comes to a screeching halt at just under two minutes! His music conjures up visions of ponytailed girls doing the bop; in fact, this stuff would work in a Back to the Beach movie soundtrack. Makes me feel like I wanna hop in my Chevy convertible to meet Arthur Fonzirelli at Arnold's! But I'm digressing here, this is a solid effort from a rootsy Peninsula artist. Next time out I'd like to hear more rockabilly material; the stuff that's here would make Brian Setzer proud.

-Bill Griffith

Newsreels, Xtended Visit/Nov. 30, 1990

Bay Area keyboardist Harry Mello and guitarist Dave Crimmen (known back home as Xtender) recently yanked the flowers from their hair and headed south to the evil city of LA where they proceeded to make the A&R rounds with their new demo. Crimmen's songwriting expertise has attracted the attention of Carl "Blue Suede Shoes" Perkins, who turned Jerry Lee Lewis on to a copy of the tape. The Killer, in turn, then passed one on to Fats Domino, making it a well-traveled piece o' plastic.

The pair are quite the odd couple. Mello's shaved head and stocky frame coupled with Crimmen's lanky rockabilly bod topped with a pompadour, make for quite an entrance at any record label office. Despite the smog, the Bay boys sound the land of Sodom, Gomorrah, and mini-malls to be a very positive experience during their week's stay. Before hopping on their flight home, Dave scored an original American Showster guitar at the Guitar Center. Fashioned from the turquoise fin of a '57 Chevy Bel Aire, the axe will certainly drive their musical point home during the next Xtender gig. Look for another visit from these no-nonsense rock 'n' rollers; they'll be booking local clubs soon.

-Cindy Lamb