Archive for Touch and Go

An All-En-Compass-Ing Conversation With June of 44’s Jeff Mueller

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , , , , on 06/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Enjoy my lengthy conversation with Jeff Mueller, one of the four captains steering iconic Louisville band June of 44. From start to finish, you will learn the history of June of 44 and get a deep understanding of the band’s ethos and spirit. You’ll learn why reuniting was a transcendent experience in which the band members discovered new meaning in and appreciation for songs they had written decades prior. You’ll discover that a group of musicians who appeared stoic and even intimidating in their heyday are empathetic to the core. And you might enjoy a laugh or two — surprising for a band whose concerts were considered to be serious, chuckle-free engagements back in the day.

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Top 20 Touch and Go Bands of All Time

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 09/06/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

(Note: The number of releases and duration of time spent by the bands on the label factored into this ranking. Nor did it take into account bands that issued records through Touch and Go‘s sister label, Quarterstick Records.)

1. Shellac
2. The Jesus Lizard
3. Big Black
4. Slint
5. Scratch Acid
6. Die Kreuzen
7. Don Caballero
8. Girls Against Boys
9. The Black Heart Procession
10. The Delta 72
11. Killdozer
12. Blonde Redhead
13. Didjits
14. Quasi
15. The New Year
16. Silkworm
17. Man or Astro-man?
18. Laughing Hyenas
19. Brick Layer Cake
20. CocoRosie

(PS: Fuck Butthole Surfers)

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Live Review From The Vaults: Shellac Are Not Your Friend

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , on 08/04/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Go to New Noise to read my live review, previously published on MTV News’ now-shuttered website, of Shellac’s caustic concert at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on January 28, 2001.

For the sake of good measure and posterity, here’s an email that largely media-averse Shellac guitarist/vocalist Steve Albini sent me before his deeply sad passing on May 7:

“I’d be happy to talk to you. I’m traveling at the moment but I’ll be back on May 6th. I can do a conversation any morning prior to my normal sessions starting at 10 am (Central) or I can answer questions by email, where I will likely be more eloquent.”

The Bad Penny, named after one of Albini’s creations, already misses him more sorely than words can express.

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Scratch Acid, Big Black, Man … Or Astro-Man? Give Chicago Hope At Touch And Go Bash

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 02/20/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

… And here’s my review of the Touch and Go Records’ three-day anniversary concert from September 2006.

(Go here to read interviews with Steve Albini, David Yow, Rob Crow and other indie-rock immortals ahead of the legendary event.)

CHICAGO — Touch and Go’s three-day anniversary bash wasn’t just a lesson in the history of the seminal record label. It was a Cliff’s Notes-like recap of the last 25 years of indie rock itself.

Underground granddaddies Big Black, Scratch Acid and Killdozer spit forth a lethal dose of abrasive, confrontational brutality, while !!!, Ted Leo and Enon courted the crowd with dance-rock appeal. And therein lied the clear distinction between the challenging approach taken by yesterday’s bands and the sheer accessibility of their successors.

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Looking Back: Steve Albini, David Yow, Rob Crow Chat About Touch and Go’s 25th Anniversary

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on 02/20/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Now here’s a blast from the past. A blast from the past from the past, actually.

Touch and Go Records 4 eva.

(Go here to read my review of the Touch and Go’s legendary, three-day 25th anniversary bash in Chicago in 2006.)

Before Fall Out Boy, before the Academy Is … — hell, even before the Smashing Pumpkins — there was Touch and Go Records. Like those bands, the trailblazing record label’s reach has extended far beyond its Chicago base of operations, but come September, it’ll be enshrining its 25 years of influence with a massive anniversary gala designed to dazzle indie rock’s shrewdest scholars.

Scratch Acid, Big Black, Man … or Astro-man?, Killdozer — while they’re not exactly household names, the underground goons that shattered eardrums and tore punk rock a new one decades ago will be wreaking havoc once again in commemoration of the label that sustained them. Think of it as “A Mighty Wind” for the indie-rock masses.

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