Crooked Beat Records

Crooked Beat Records and the affiliated store are owned and operated by Bill Daly. Daly previously operated a record label called Crisis Discs in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the 1990s. Daly is also a member of the band Insurgence DC, previously known as Insurgence. Insurgence DC has recorded for both Crisis Discs and Crooked Beat Records.

The first releases from Crooked Beat Records were issued in 2014, and included seven-inch records by Insurgence DC and Möbius Strip. Three additional seven-inch records were released for Record Store Day 2015.{{cite web|url=http://dcmusicdownload.com/2015/04/16/do-local-labels-benefit-from-record-store-day/|title=Do Local Labels Benefit From Record Store Day?|last=Small |first=Katie |date=April 16, 2015|publisher=D.C. Music Download|accessdate=2018-02-22|quote= Crooked Beat will be putting out three more seven-inches }} Crooked Beat Records produced single LPs in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020; and a double LP in 2018.

The first LP released by Crooked Beat Records, "A Bang on the Ear," included music by Insurgence DC, Möbius Strip, and Don Zientara. The record was released for Record Store Day 2016.{{cite web |url=http://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/8612|title=Various Artists-Crooked Beat Records Presents: A Bang On The Ear|website=Record Store Day |access-date=February 22, 2018}}

In 2017, Crooked Beat Records issued "Recutting the Crap, Volume One," released for Record Store Day 2017.{{cite web |url=http://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/9586|title=Various Artists-Recutting The Crap|website=Record Store Day |access-date=February 22, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/apr/20/crooked-beat-brings-its-record-collection-old-town/|title=Crooked Beat Brings Its Record Collection to Old Town Alexandria|website=Connection Newspapers|first=Hope|last=Nelson|date=April 20, 2017|accessdate=2018-03-09}} "Recutting the Crap, Volume One," is a tribute to The Clash, with various US artists performing songs from the Clash album "Cut the Crap," as well as two songs from the B-side of the single This Is England. The record features bands from the DC metropolitan area, and from around the U.S.{{cite web |url=https://www.drernieward.com/blog/2017/4/23/my-bands-first-recording-in-25-years|title=My Band's First Recording in 25 Years!|last=Ward |first=Ernie |date=April 23, 2017|website=Dr. Ernie Ward |access-date=February 25, 2018}} The Violets, a band from Athens, Georgia, reformed after 25 years of inactivity to record a song for "Recutting the Crap, Volume One." The Violets had been active from 1988 to 1992, and had previously recorded "I Hate The Grateful Dead" for Bill Daly's first label, Crisis Discs.{{Google books|fOq-CQAAQBAJ|Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads|page=PT181|plainurl=}}{{cite web |url=http://www.deaddisc.com/disc/I_Hate_The_Grateful_Dead.htm|title=I Hate The Grateful Dead|website=The Grateful Dead Family Discography |access-date=April 28, 2018}} Other artists contributing to "Recutting the Crap, Volume One" included Don Zientara; Too Much Joy, Insurgence DC, Geisha Hit Squad, and The Scotch Bonnets.{{cite web |url=http://www.thescotchbonnets.com/about|title=The Scotch Bonnets: About|website=The Scotch Bonnets|access-date=February 25, 2018|quote= They also had a song released on Recutting The Crap, a Crooked Beat Records' LP that reinterprets The Clash's swan song, Cut The Crap. }}

For Record Store Day 2018, Crooked Beat Records issued "Recutting the Crap, Volume Two."{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/10064|title=Various Artists-Recutting The Crap Vol 2|website=Record Store Day |access-date=April 2, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://soundcloud.com/user-729290279/sets/recutting-the-crap-a-tribute-to-the-clash-vol-2-sampler|title=Recutting The Crap: A Tribute To The Clash, Vol. 2 (SAMPLER)|website=Soundcloud |access-date=April 2, 2018}} "Recutting the Crap, Volume Two," like Volume One, features various U.S. artists performing newly recorded versions of songs from The Clash's "Cut The Crap" sessions. Crooked Beat Records also included a bonus record entitled "The Future Was Unwritten," with various artists covering Joe Strummer/Mick Jones compositions written after The Clash broke up.

For Record Store Day 2019, Crooked Beat Records issued "Broken In The Theater of the Absurd," the first full length album by Insurgence DC in 20  years.{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/10945|title=Broken In The Theater of the Absurd|website=Record Store Day |access-date=April 12, 2019}} "Broken In The Theater of the Absurd" includes new 2018 mixes of "Poison Profits" and "Dishonor," originally issued in 2015 on Crooked Beat CB014, and "True To Life," originally issued in 2014 on Crooked Beat CB011.{{cite AV media notes|title=Broken In The Theater of the Absurd|year=2019|publisher=Crooked Beat Records |location=Alexandria, VA}}

For the third 2020 Record Store Day Drop on October 24, 2020, Crooked Beat Records issued "Athens, GA 1988-1992," a collection of songs by The Violets.{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/12186|title=Athens, GA 1988-1992|website=Record Store Day |access-date=October 7, 2020}} This release includes "I Hate The Grateful Dead," previously released by Crisis Discs. The Violets also previously contributed to the prior Crooked Beat releases "Recutting the Crap," Volumes One and Two.

For the second 2021 Record Store Day Drop on July 17, 2021, Crooked Beat Records released "Songs from The Astral Plane, Volume One: A Tribute to Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers."{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/13466|title=Songs from The Astral Plane, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers|website=Record Store Day |access-date=July 18, 2021}} The album included contributions from The Violets, The Scotch Bonnets, Wonderlick, and the North Carolina band Finger.{{cite web|url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/finger/|title=Finger|website=Trouser Press |access-date=July 18, 2021}} The track from Finger was the band's first new recording in over twenty-five years.

Tim Hinely of Blurt Online praised Crooked Beat's first release, "True To Life / Man in Black" by Insurgence DC, citing its "rabble-rousing anthemism."{{cite web |url=http://blurtonline.com/2014/06/tim-hinely-singles-scene-viii/ |title=The Singles Scene VIII|last=Hinely|first=Tim|author-link=Dagger zine|date=June 5, 2014|website=Blurt Online|access-date=February 25, 2018}} The music website "Divide And Conquer" described Indiobravo's debut release for Crooked Beat, "Breakdown / Crawl Back," as sounding "live, raw and unprocessed."{{cite web|url=http://www.divideandconquermusic.com/indie-music-album-reviews/indiobravo-breakdown-crawl-back |title=Indiobravo-Breakdown / Crawl Back|last=Rogen|first=Ted|website=Divide And Conquer|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=April 26, 2018}}

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described "Recutting The Crap, Volume One" as "a collector's delight of various artists' versions of songs from The Clash."{{cite web |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2017/04/20/Record-Store-Day-Pittsburgh-April-22-Attic-Dave-s-Music-Mine-Juke-Prince-Bowie-Leonard-Cohen-Sting/stories/201704200017|title=Record Store Day turns 10 on Saturday!|last=Mervis|first=Scott|date=April 20, 2017|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=February 25, 2018}} Steve Shafer of "Duff Guide to Ska" favorably reviewed "Recutting The Crap, Volume One," saying that "The Scotch Bonnets' terrific, stripped-down reggae take on...'Are You Red...Y' alone is worth the cost of this LP."{{cite web|url=http://duffguidetoska.blogspot.com/search?q=recutting+the+crap|title=The Duff Guide to Ska Year in Ska Reviews 2017, Part 1!|website=Duff Guide to Ska|last=Shafer |first=Steve |date=December 21, 2017|accessdate=2018-02-25}} In a subsequent review, Shafer described "Recutting The Crap, Volume Two," as "largely succeed[ing] in redeeming Strummer's Clash II legacy." Shafer described Insurgence DC's version of "This Is England" as "a truly great Clash song made even better here."

On June 29, 2019, Crooked Beat Records participated in a "D.C. Music Preservation Pop-Up" held as part of the 2019 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Crooked Beat was one of a number of independent record labels from the Washington, D.C. area to appear at a Smithsonian-sponsored Local Record Market.{{cite web |title=D.C. Music Preservation Pop-Up |url=http://events.si.edu/132601238/DCMusicPreservationPop-Up |access-date=July 7, 2019 |website=Smithsonian}}

On July 31, 2021, the Jonathan Richman tribute album "Songs from The Astral Plane, Vol. 1" entered the Billboard Compilation Album charts at #23.{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4492919047398554&set=a.137852316238604&type=3&theater |title=Songs from The Astral Plane enters Billboard Chart |website=Facebook |access-date=July 31, 2019}}

On Record Store Day, April 22, 2023, Crooked Beat released the LP "Displacement" by El Quatro.{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/15765 |title=Displacement |website=Record Store Day |access-date=April 29, 2025}} A month later El Quatro played an in-store show at the Crooked Beat Record's store before they moved to their latest location.

On Record Store Day, April 12, 2025, Crooked Beat Records released two titles: "Ripe For The Trade-Off (30th Anniversary)" by Insurgence DC{{cite web |url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/18471 |title=Ripe For The Trade-Off |website=Record Store Day |access-date=April 29, 2025}} and "Songs from The Astral Plane, Volume Two: A Tribute to Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers."{{cite web |url=https://crookedbeat.com/collections/crooked-beat-record-label |title=Songs from The Astral Plane, Volume Two |website=Crooked Beat Records |access-date=April 29, 2025}} The Insurgence DC double LP was an official Record Store Release and featured new mixes from David Barbe. "Songs from the Astral Plane Volume Two" was the follow-up to 2021 Volume One release. Several artists featured on the Jonathan Richmond Tribute played a pre-release show at the Crooked Beat Records store on March 29, 2025.{{cite web |url=https://crookedbeat.com/pages/in-store-show-3-29-25 |title=Pre-Release |website=Crooked Beat Records |access-date=April 29, 2025}}

Daly founded a record store called Crooked Beat Records in 1997 in Raleigh, N.C. In 2004, Crooked Beat Records moved to 18th Street in the Adams Morgan section of Washington, D.C. From 2004 until 2006, the Adams Morgan store was operated by Bill Daly and Neal Becton as a shared retail space. In 2006, Becton left and opened Som Records, a competing record store still operating in Washington D.C.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/06/AR2006070601578.html|title=Som Records|last=Richards|first=Chris|date=July 9, 2006|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=April 23, 2018}} Crooked Beat Records remained in Washington for twelve years, until moving to Alexandria, Virginia, in 2016. Before moving to Alexandria, Crooked Beat Records was named one of the best record stores in the Washington, D.C., area in 2015.{{cite web |url=http://washington.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-record-stores-in-washington-dc/|title=Best Record Stores in Washington, D.C. |last=Porter |first=Kevin Don |date=April 13, 2015 |website=CBS DC |access-date=February 22, 2018}} Since moving to Alexandria, the business organization Visit Alexandria{{cite web |url=https://www.visitalexandriava.com/about-us/|title=About Us |website=Visit Alexandria |access-date=April 2, 2018}} named Crooked Beat Records in a list of "11 Shops That Are Worth The Trip In Old Town Alexandria."{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/06/11/11-shops-worth-the-trip-in-old-town-alexandria/|title=11 Shops Worth The Trip In Old Town Alexandria |website=Washingtonian |access-date=April 29, 2025}}

In 2023, Crooked Beat Records moved to the Del Ray section of Alexandria after their previous location was scheduled to be demolished and repurposed.{{cite web |url=https://www.alxnow.com/2022/11/17/crooked-beats-records-moving-to-basement-beneath-cheesetique-in-del-ray/|title=Crooked Beat Records moving to basement beneath Cheesetique in Del Ray |last=Cullum|first=James|date=November 17, 2022 |website=ALXNow |access-date=April 29, 2025}}

In 1997, when Crooked Beat Records opened in Raleigh, N.C., approximately 30% of sales came from vinyl records. By 2011, vinyl records accounted for "99 percent of total sales," according to Daly. In 2011, Crooked Beat Records ceased sales of CDs, except for albums by local artists.{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/13075721/crooked-beat-records-is-done-selling-cds|title=Crooked Beat Records Is Done Selling CDs|last=Kuntz|first=Mike|date=June 2, 2011 |website=Washington City Paper|access-date=April 23, 2018}} Crooked Beat Records specializes in sales of both new and used vinyl.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.discogs.com/label/679597-Crooked-Beat-Records Crooked Beat Records] at Discogs.com
• [https://www.discogs.com/label/196569-Crisis-Discs Crisis Discs] at Discogs.com

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Category:Record labels established in 2014

Category:American independent record labels

Category:Punk record labels

Category:Companies based in Alexandria, Virginia

Category:2014 establishments in Virginia