Touch and Go began in 1979 as a self-printed
fanzine in
East Lansing, Michigan written and published by
Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson. It wasn't until 1981 that it grew into an
independent record label. Vee (later front man of
The Meatmen) was bored with the punk sounds of the day, and captivated by the emerging
hardcore movement in America. Inspired, he put out records by the
Necros,
The Fix, The Meatmen, and
Negative Approach. In 1981,
Necros bassist
Corey Rusk joined with Tesco to run the label. In 1983, Tesco handed Touch and Go over to Rusk and his wife Lisa when he left
Michigan for
Washington, D.C. With the label under their ownership, the Rusks hired
Terry Tolkin who signed the Butthole Surfers and Virgin Prunes to the label, and also produced the
Gods Favorite Dog compilation. Soon the Rusks relocated the label to
Chicago, and Touch and Go released material in the mid-'80s to mid-'90s by bands such as the
Butthole Surfers,
Big Black,
the Jesus Lizard,
Scratch Acid,
the Didjits,
Slint,
Girls Against Boys and
Killdozer, and continued into the new
millennium with artists on its roster including
Shellac,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs,
TV on the Radio,
Arcwelder,
CocoRosie,
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and
the Black Heart Procession. Lisa Rusk left the label after she and Corey divorced. Corey Rusk continues to run the label. 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 by
handshake 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. 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 like
Jade Tree,
Kill Rock Stars, and
Merge Records. 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 of
Slint's
Spiderland, but has also released new material, like
Shellac's
To All Trains. ==Roster==