| Touch and Go Records | |
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| Founded | 1981 (1981) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Official website | touchandgorecords |
Touch and Go Records is an Americanindependent record label based inChicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmadefanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980sunderground andalternative rock scenes. Touch and Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurousnoise rock by the likes ofBig Black, theButthole Surfers, andThe Jesus Lizard. Touch and Go helped to spearhead the nationwide network of underground bands that formed the pre-Nirvana indie rock scene,[1] and helped preside over the shift from thehardcore punk that then dominated the American underground scene to the more diverse styles of alternative rock emerging at the time.[2]
Touch and Go began in 1979 as a self-printedfanzine inEast Lansing, Michigan written and published byTesco Vee and Dave Stimson. It wasn't until 1981 that it grew into anindependent record label. Vee (later front man ofThe Meatmen) was bored with the punk sounds of the day, and captivated by the emerginghardcore movement in America. Inspired, he put out records by theNecros,The Fix, The Meatmen, andNegative Approach. In 1981,Necros bassistCorey Rusk joined with Tesco to run the label. In 1983, Tesco handed Touch and Go over to Rusk and his wife Lisa when he leftMichigan forWashington, D.C. With the label under their ownership, the Rusks hiredTerry Tolkin who signed the Butthole Surfers and Virgin Prunes to the label, and also produced theGods Favorite Dog compilation. Soon the Rusks relocated the label toChicago, and Touch and Go released material in the mid-'80s to mid-'90s by bands such as theButthole Surfers,Big Black,the Jesus Lizard,Scratch Acid,the Didjits,Slint,Girls Against Boys andKilldozer, and continued into the newmillennium with artists on its roster includingShellac,Yeah Yeah Yeahs,TV on the Radio,Arcwelder,CocoRosie,Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, andthe Black Heart Procession. Lisa Rusk left the label after she and Corey divorced. Corey Rusk continues to run the label.[3]
Touch and Go's "sister label," Quarterstick Records, was formed in 1990.
Similarly to some other alternative music labels, Touch and Go pursued a relaxed approach to recording contracts, characterized sometimes byhandshake deals providing for a 50–50 split of profits between artist and label after promotion and production costs. In this way, the label built a respected catalog of influential punk and alternative artists, who in turn, appreciated the commitment of Touch and Go.[4] However, following a 1999 legal dispute with the Butthole Surfers, Touch and Go began asking bands to sign a 1-2 page memorandum of intent.
On February 18, 2009, Corey Rusk announced that Touch and Go would downsize itself. He cited the "current state of the economy" as the reason for shutting down manufacturing and distribution services for many independent labels likeJade Tree,Kill Rock Stars, andMerge Records.[5]
Since 2009, Touch and Go has specialized in releasing limited editions of releases from its bands and other associated acts, like the remastered 30th anniversary ofSlint'sSpiderland,[6] but has also released new material, likeShellac'sTo All Trains.[7]
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