Who we are
Crossbar Records was conceived during the pandemic by two long-time friends, Matt Knopp and Ray Guins. In the 1980s/early 1990s we were part of the punk/hardcore scenes in Miami and Tampa, Florida. Ray did the fanzines Street Rebel (with Sean Raymond), Welcome to the Real World (UK/US partnership), and Carry No Banners (with Perry Hardy, and a kid from NYC named Justin). We eventually moved on to different worlds. Matt worked for Victory Records in Chicago and Smash Records in DC before launching Tattoo Paradise in the Washington DC area. Ray moved to Leeds in 1994 to follow Leeds United as well as pursue graduate studies at the University of Leeds. While our lives experienced the usual ebbs and flows of adulthood across our 30s and 40s we never abandoned our love of record collecting and musical styles like punk, hardcore, oi!, and mod. The sheer boredom of the pandemic found us wanting to reconnect with our years gone by in a way that exceeded celebrating forgotten records and spending way too many hours - and money - on eBay and Discogs.com! We wanted to give back to the scene and music that shaped us profoundly in our teens. Crossbar Records is our means of supporting the old and new generation of punks, skins, mods, and hardcore kids who keep on keeping on in spirit and style. It’s a record label for people who love records. That’s Right!
Lastly, we buy record collections! Please get in contact with us at crossbar.records@gmail.com if you are interested in selling your records.
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Ray Guins
Co-Founder, Crossbar Records