News | Touch and Go / Quarterstick Records

Remembering Steve Albini

Tuesday night, one of my dearest friends, Steve Albini, unexpectedly passed away.

He was supernaturally talented (in far more disciplines than you or I could ever hope to be), kindhearted, generous of spirit, and generous with his time. He had the warmest, most genuine smile and he always greeted you with it.

He was a member of more bands on Touch and Go than any other musician. He played on more Touch and Go releases than anyone else. He recorded more bands on Touch and Go than any other engineer. He was a cherished friend of mine and a champion of my record label for 40 years.

When I met him, in 1984, we immediately bonded over music, barbeque, and fireworks. I had booked a show for Big Black in Detroit. We stayed up most of the night barbequing, laughing, and talking about musical influences, small explosives, and food. By morning, I felt like we'd been friends all my life.

On many 4th of July's, our shared inner pyromaniac tendencies emerged and we indulged our mutual love of fireworks. Surrounded by members of various bands, and other brave friends, we'd spend the day blowing up thrift store finds, fruits & vegetables, and gas-soaked bags of flour with small explosives. Once darkness fell, the bottle rocket wars would begin. An immaturely good time was had by all… especially Steve and I.

Our lives intertwined over the following decades. Steve made music, and we released it. We signed new bands, and Steve recorded some of them. Once Steve's dream studio, Electrical, was completed, our bands started recording there.

For a few years, Steve (and Bob and Todd) deemed me Shellac's soundman and took me all over the world with them (despite my obvious hearing loss which resulted in excessively loud concerts). The adventures we shared on the road will always be some of my fondest memories.

Shellac finished their new album last year. It's incomprehensible that Steve will not be here when it is released next week.

My life, and the lives of everyone close to Steve, will be forever altered from this moment forward. There's no replacing a big-hearted friend and kindred spirit like Steve. I love him and will miss him for the rest of my life.

-Corey Rusk

Shellac Announce New Album, To All Trains, Out May 17, 2024

DATA
This is Shellac's sixth studio LP. Recording & mixing took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago over a bunch of long weekends in November 2017; October 2019; September 2021; and March 2022. The record was mastered by Bob & Steve at Chicago Mastering Studio.

THE PACKAGING
LP and CD packaging and artwork are identical (the CD is just smaller). Bob took all the photos; some with a fancy camera and some with a telephone.

QC
Audio quality is paramount, as always, with Shellac. The LPs are being manufactured by Green Vinyl Records using an injection molding process. This new process uses 100% recyclable PET (like soda bottles) and is environmentally friendly, containing no PVC or Phthalates. The process also uses 79% less CO2 than conventional hydraulic PVC vinyl presses. The records weigh 180 grams.

PRE-ORDER your copy of To All Trains on 180 gram LP or CD HERE

Strictly Dynamite: The Best of Didjits To Be Released On Record Store Day - April 20, 2024

On April 20, 2024, Touch and Go Records will release Strictly Dynamite: The Best of Didjits. Pressed on 180-gram opaque green vinyl, this double LP represents an archival legacy of the band from early beginnings in rural Illinois to their dissolution over a decade later. The tracks selected for side A/B compile 17 fan favorites from Didjits' Touch and Go discography on a single LP. The bonus LP, entitled Bring Me the Head of Jaco Pastorius, includes the unreleased four-track recordings from UXB as well as early unreleased (pre-Fizzjob) Didjits' recordings. In addition, the full-color gatefold LP jacket and printed inner sleeves reveal unseen photos and memorabilia from the band's history. Strictly Dynamite: The Best of Didjits on double green vinyl is limited to 1500 copies and will be available in conjunction with Record Store Day in the US as well as at independent retailers outside of the US.

This release is dedicated to the memory of Doug Evans.

Exclusive Unreleased Tracks from Brainiac To Be Released in January 2023

LIMITED EDITION SILVER VINYL
3000 COPIES WORLDWIDE
PREORDER HERE

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the incomparable 90's band known as Brainiac. This is in part due to a 2019 full feature documentary about the band (Transmissions After Zero) plus the reemergence of surviving band members to celebrate their music in the last several years. In addition, a substantial pair of archival releases (Attic Tapes 2xLP, From Dayton Ohio 2xLP) were unearthed for release on Record Store Day 2021 by Touch and Go Records.

Now, in 2023, comes the latest missive of the archive, harkening back to the band's latter era - and their most prolific and confident period. The Predator Nominate EP is a celebration of what was to come before the tragic exit of ringleader/singer Timmy Taylor. Listen to these realized demos and imagine what only could have been the confident seed of what the group might be capable of in this future century versus the last one. The world will never truly know.