Smash Records Moving Downstairs

Soon to be home to thousands of records, tapes and CDs

DC institution Smash Records, is making a move. But not too far. Smash is moving downstairs in its current building, 2314 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan. Smash first opened in Georgetown way back in 1984. But, that location closed in 2006 and the store reopened a year later in Adams Morgan. The closing of Salon De Couture created an opportunity for Smash to move to the more visible downstairs space and they went for it (you can still see the salon's logo on the floor in this photo).

The second floor space has been good to Smash which sells classic and new punk and indie records (actually multiple genres), used CDs, even some tapes and DVDs. Plus, they have a well deserved reputation for keeping a stellar clothing collection. Of course there are band t-shirts, but in addition there are vintage and locally designed clothes. And, yes, there are clothes for the dudes. If you ever see me in the Vanderbilt blue utility jacket, yep, I got it from Smash about two years ago. Actually, you could get a whole outfit there; they have a huge selection of shoes and boots + other accessories like sunglasses, armbands, buttons etc.

But, the primary focus is music. The new space was being painted when I stopped by this week. The color scheme is inspired by the cover art for the punk classic Never Mind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols. Pretty cool! The space is approximately the same size as the space upstairs, maybe sliiiiighlty smaller and obviously sans balcony. All of the current product will be moved downstairs an they'll include a dressing room, too. The layout isn't quite finalized at this point. 

Look for the new Smash by December 1 at the latest! Good luck guys!

Smash Celebrates One Year in AM

Smash Records has proven that retail can survive in Adams Morgan. Only weeks after Miss Pixie's took up stakes and moved to newly retail-friendly 14th and U, Smash triumphantly celebrated its 1 year anniversary in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The Washington landmark music store had previously been located in Georgetown.

They took the opportunity to celebrate on the most recent First Tuesday, an event held each month by AM businesses. Participating businesses offer discounts and deals, as Smash did on Tuesday. I got four CDs (yea, i still buy them... and you can't find these on itunes!) for about $20. These were hard to find; some obscure 90s bands from the Bay Area and a rare Bright Eyes release. There was even a birthday cake that said 'punk rock,' but obviously I got there a little late.

Smash is one of a handful of music stores on the 42 bus line. We are so lucky to have establishments like this! Support the locals, please! As you can see in the photos, Smash carries vintage clothing and local labels as well. Each of the two owners are truly experts in music and vintage wares. The selection for each is top notch. Actually, for all the dudes.... they have clothes for us too! Most of the time vintage places don't carry many clothes for men, but this place does. Shoes, indie-label tees, vintage button ups and jackets too. Smash is located at 2314 18th Street NW, upstairs. Open Daily

Why the 42 Bus is Music to Your Ears

Consider yourself lucky if you live on the 42 bus route and love music. In an era which CD sales are slumping and many CD and record stores are closing in favor of digital downloads, there are more than a handful of music retail options for residents of Mt Pleasant, Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle. I set out to visit five CD and record shops on the 42 bus route and pick up a few CDs along the way. There are others in the city, but I'm focusing on these five; Ritmo Latino, Red Onion, Crooked Beat, CD/Game Exchange, and Melody. I covered Smash! a few weeks ago after the last Adams Morgan First Tuesdays event.

First Stop, Ritmo Latino. Ritmo Latino is a chain music store with a DC location at 1775 Columbia Rd NW. Hop off the 42 bus at Ontario Rd. There are over 50 locations of Ritmo Latino nationwide, including more than 30 in California alone. They carry CDs and have a surprisingly large selection of DVDs. Nearly all of the products they offer are Spanish language. They also offer blank media, a very large selection of books, MP3 an CD players and some clothing and accessories. I was actually looking for a particular CD on this outing. The Grosse Point Blank soundtrack introduced me to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, a genre-hopping Argentinian rock band. Ritmo Latino was very busy, but the staff was nice enough to point me in the right direction (I have to admit I was a little lost as far as how they organized the music on the shelves). I picked up the 1997 release Fabulosos Calavera. I must say, a good choice!

Inspired by the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack once again, I made my way down to Melody Record Shop in search of The Specials self titled album. Melody is located in Dupont at 1623 Connecticut Ave NW. Get off of the 42 bus at Q St. The place screams independent record store and I hope it sticks around for the long run and doesn't go the way of DCCD. Melody is primarily a general purpose record store with a little bit of everything really. Every genre is covered including a world section whose CDs are divided by nation. Thorough, thorough. So, of course they had the Specials disc I was in search of, but I balked a little at the $17 price tag. Its not a rare CD, so I figured I'd come back another day, or try one of the other stores on my little tour.


Step off the 42 bus at T St NW (near Buca di Beppo), walk over to 1901 18th St and you'll run into one of DC's newest record stores, Red Onion Records and Books. This place is the latest addition to the stretch of 18th St which bridges Dupont and Adams Morgan. Red Onion carries pre-owned CDs and records as well as books. Much of the vinyl collection is to die for and includes all of those records you wished you had bought back in the day (or like me, you did buy, and somehow lost, sold or gave away over the years). The true bonus though, is the book selection. I always find myself flipping through pages even though I originally came to thumb through the CDs. And speaking of, Red Onion has a book reading and discussion event coming up on Tuesday November 13. Anne Elizabeth Moore, author of Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity will be at the store from 7:00 until 8:30PM speaking on the new release.

Closer to Adams Morgan proper is Crooked Beat Records, at 2318 18th St NW. Crooked Beat features an impressive collection of vinyl and like the other 18th St stores Smash and Red Onion, they also offer a quality collection of CDs as well. Crooked Beat's CD selection is heavy on independent and punk with a more than cursory set aside for local artists. The vinyl section is kept up to date with the quality of new releases rivaling that of the classic. If you don't want to leave the house check out Crooked Beat's eBay action site. They also carry music DVDs and a small selections of magazines. They'll special order anything not in stock as well. I didn't have to special order, I bought I Just Can't Stop It by The (English) Beat. On a little ska kick I, guess. Crooked beat hosts in-store performances on occasion. This month catch up with locals The Carribean on November 15th and Georgie James on the 17th. Performances start at 7-7:30ish.

CD/Game Exchange won't pass as a true record store to the vinyl enthusiast or purist, but its on the this list because its a good place to find brand new, really old, popular, independent and local stuff all under one roof. And its uniformly inexpensive. Forget Best Buy and Target. Between the two CD/Game Exchange locations in DC (ours at 2475 18th St NW and one in Tenleytown) you should be able to find almost any new major label release, but pre-owned. You want Blackout by Britney, or anything by Justin Guarini (whhhhhyyyyyy!?!?!?!!) but don't want anyone to know, or can't bear paying full retail price? Just go to CD/Game. They're likely have the new chart-topper like Blackout for sale as a pre-owned anywhere from a week or so on out after its official release. Amazing how soon original owners get rid of those "gems" so early. And for older stuff, like Gaurini's you at least have a chance to find it at CD/Game. There is no guarantee that they'll have any particular CD, but they are very good at culling the other local CD/Game stores for you. A big draw for CD/Game Exchange are video games as the name implies. They offer pre-owned games for multiple formats, including PS3, XBox360 and Wii. Occasionally you'll come across hardware like MP3 players, game consoles and stereos. For a treat, walk to the back and check out the black labeled CDs that are 25 cents and the choice few winners that are 10 for a dollar. Again, no guarantees, but at 10 for a dollar you can just image what you might walk away with... (yes, paging Dr. Gaurini, you're needed in room 10 stat)

Count your lucky stars people, and then go spend you disposable income at one of these fine establishments. Not every city has it this good. Amazon.com and iTunes are boring! Go outside and walk, be instantly gratified! You'll love me for it later, I swear. And if you come across that Specials CD, let me know.

First Tuesdays in Adams Morgan: Smash! Records

Little Known Fact: Adams Morgan businesses offer discounts and sales every first Tuesday of each month. The Adams Morgan First Tuesdays is organized by the Mainstreet for the neighborhood. Business and civic leaders are in a constant battle to re-brand the 18th street strip as a lively 24 hour neighborhood that's not just good for late-night debauchery. There are a growing number of quality, independent shops on the strip, like Meeps, Hoopla, Pixies, Crooked Beat and Smash! Records which offer shopping during the daytime and nighttime hours. During the First Tuesdays event restaurants offer food and drink for two for $25 and participating retailers offer 10-30% off sales.

I visited Smash! Records on October's First Tuesday. Smash! was an M Street institution for years in Georgetown, before closing and being reincarnated within the last year at 2314 18th St (2nd floor). The record store mostly stocks new and used punk, indie, metal, and rock CDs and records. They also have a truly, truly under-rated selection of independent and local clothing labels, vintage clothing and shoes. True to the promotion, they were offering 15% off most every item in the store. I picked up a first pressing of a 1990s hardcore album, Side by Side's You're Only Young Once... and a t-shirt by an independent designer from Philadelphia. The owners had some snack foods for visitors and by the time I left quite a few people had stopped by and many had made purchases. A few photos for you are below. Next First Tuesday, I think I'll try one of Adams Morgan's great eateries... Can't wait!