WE SPECIALIZE IN HARD TO FIND New and Used CD/Lps of INDEPENDENT LABEL MUSIC & OBSCURE MAJOR LABEL RELEASES EXISTING OUTSIDE THE RADAR OF THE MAINSTREAM.

Crooked Beat Records was opened in 1997 in Raleigh, North Carolina by Bill and Helen Daly. It opened to fill a niche for a store in the Raleigh/Chapel Hill region that was to specialize, focus and expose hard to find Punk/Indie/Import CDs and LPs as well as Hard to Find Collectibles. During its entire 5 year existence in Raleigh, Crooked Beat proved to be a conversation piece and an educational tool for a lot of the people in the triangle cities of North Carolina who had never been exposed to any other music except the pedestrian sounds of the mainstream. It immediately became a favorite shopping stopover for bands and music collectors touring or stopping in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. However, as the years went on, walk-in traffic and support remained limited to a small group of loyal customers while mailorder and internet sales from all over the world continued to grow. When internet sales began to overlap walk in business on most days, Bill and Helen decided a relocation to another city was necessary. They closed their storefront in Raleigh in 2003 and started making preparations to expand their web presence and to relocate to a larger metropolitan area.

In April 2003, they moved to the Washington DC metro area and in September 2004 they opened Crooked Beat at 2318 18th St NW. The store is the same address where the original Madams Organ space was. For those unfamilar witht Madams Organ it is the place where the Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Henry Rollins with SOA and many others got their start 25 years ago. The store is located in the basement of that building.

A new website is coming soon!!!!!

Please come see us if in DC.

202 483-BEAT (2328)

Just some of the punk bands we carry:
Angelic Upstarts * Sex Pistols * Blatz * Bad Brains * Dag Nasty * Minor Threat * Drive Like Jehu * Clash * Dropkick Murphys * EX * His Hero Is Gone * Moss Icon * Misfits * Fugazi * Stiff Little Fingers * Ramones * Insurgence * Refused * Oi Polloi * Los Crudos * Black Flag * Mission Of Burma Q Not U * Naked Raygun * Agent Orange * Rancid * Husker Du * NOFX

Some of the labels we carry include:
Dischord * Touch & Go * Quarterstick * Thrill Jockey * Up * Jade Tree * BYO * Burning Heart * Beggar's Banquet * 4AD * Epitaph * Caroline * No Idea * Norton * Ebullition * Fueled by Ramen * Hepcat * Fat Wreck Chords * GMM * Hellcat * Nuclear Blast * Century Media * Relapse * Collectables * K * Creation * Kill Rock Stars * Gravity * Moon * Prank * Roir * Subpop * Estrus * Mo Wax * Ubiquity * Shanachie * Grand Royal * Matador * Get Hip * Slow Dime * Step-1 * Helen of Oi * Tribal War * Mute * Rhino * Polyvinyl * Merge * Crisis Discs * Sympathy for the Record Industry

By Classic Alternative we mean bands like:
Replacements * Cure * Smiths * New Order * Devo * Pixies * Cocteau Twins * Church * Nick Lowe * Elvis Costello * Pogues * Jonathan Richman * Talking Heads * Uncle Tupelo * Waterboys * David Bowie * Brian Eno * Police * Midnight Oil * REM * Specials * Wire

By Modern Alternative we mean bands like:
Built to Spill * Rainer Maria * Superchunk * Promise Ring * Tortoise * Wedding Present * Burning Airlines * Jawbreaker * Flaming Lips * Low * Magnetic Fields * Boy Sets Fire * Bjork * Sea and Cake * Belle and Sebastian * Interpol * International Noise Conspiracy * Low