Perishable Records

Perishable Records is an independent record label associated with Chicago's alternative and experimental music communities. It was founded in 1993 by Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili, who were then members of the Chicago band Red Red Meat. The label's first release was Red Red Meat's single "Hot Nikkity Truck Monkey." The band was soon signed by Sub Pop, temporarily shifting the founders' recording activity away from their own imprint. After Red Red Meat dissolved in 1997, Massarella and Rutili revived the Perishable Records name and resumed releasing music independently. The label's first post-Sub Pop release was an album by Loftus in 1998. Its catalogue subsequently included work by artists and groups such as Califone, HiM, Joan of Arc, oRSo, Sin Ropas, The Fire Show, Fruit Bats, Red Red Meat, and Loftus. The label's roster connected it to a broad strand of Chicago-rooted indie rock, experimental music, and genre-blurring recording projects rather than to a narrowly defined commercial format. Perishable Records also functioned as a small-scale recording operation. Its early studio was established in a renovated first-floor Chicago apartment, where musicians recorded to two-inch analog tape before incorporating digital editing and processing through Digidesign's Pro Tools workstation. In 1999, the label's offices were located in a South Chicago truck wash that also housed Massarella's separate BJ Transportation Service. These unusual premises reflected the label's modest, self-directed infrastructure and its close relationship with the founders' working lives. The label faced uncertainty in the early 2000s. The Fire Show broke up, while Fruit Bats signed with Sub Pop, removing two important acts from the Perishable orbit. In 2002, Massarella and Rutili publicly discussed the possibility of winding down the operation. By 2003, however, Perishable Records was still functioning from a former elementary school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The site also contained a studio called Clava, built in a converted garage beside the school. Massarella financed the facility, while Brian Deck, another Red Red Meat associate, operated it. The available reference material does not establish a current corporate owner, a continuing release schedule, a formal legal status, or whether the label remains active. Perishable Records is therefore best documented as a historically significant independent Chicago imprint whose identity was shaped by musician-led releases, unconventional studio spaces, and relationships among members of the city's alternative music scene.

Perishable Records emerged from the Chicago music scene in 1993, when Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili founded the imprint while both were members of Red Red Meat. The label's inaugural release was the band's single "Hot Nikkity Truck Monkey." Red Red Meat was shortly thereafter signed to Sub Pop, meaning that Perishable Records did not immediately develop as the band's principal long-term outlet. Following Red Red Meat's breakup in 1997, Massarella and Rutili brought the Perishable name back into use. The first release from this renewed phase was an album by Loftus in 1998. The label then issued or was associated with recordings by a varied group of artists, including Califone, HiM, Joan of Arc, oRSo, Sin Ropas, The Fire Show, Fruit Bats, Red Red Meat, and Loftus. This catalogue placed the imprint within Chicago's independent music network while also reflecting an interest in experimental and stylistically flexible projects. Recording was central to the label's identity. Perishable initially operated a studio in a renovated first-floor apartment in Chicago. Sessions were recorded on two-inch analog tape, with later processing and editing carried out using Pro Tools. The label's physical offices were similarly informal: in 1999 they were located in a South Chicago truck wash that also served as the office of Massarella's side business, BJ Transportation Service. The imprint encountered a difficult period around 2002. The Fire Show had broken up, and Fruit Bats had moved to Sub Pop. With important acts no longer available to the label, Massarella and Rutili discussed whether Perishable Records should be wound down. The operation nevertheless continued into at least 2003. By then, the label was based in a former elementary school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. A converted garage adjoining the school was equipped as a recording studio named Clava. Massarella financed Clava, and Brian Deck, who had also been connected with Red Red Meat, operated it. The available material does not document later releases, a current management structure, a present-day owner, or a confirmed closure. Accordingly, the label's current status remains unclear. Its documented history is that of a small, artist-led Chicago imprint that combined record releases with hands-on recording infrastructure and maintained close ties to the city's alternative music community.

• 2003

  Clava studio operates in Pilsen

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Perishable Records operates from a former elementary school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, with the Clava studio located in a converted adjacent garage.

• 2002

  Label considers winding down

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Following The Fire Show's breakup and Fruit Bats' move to Sub Pop, the founders discuss the possibility of ending the operation.

• 1999

  Offices operate from a South Chicago truck wash

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label's offices share space with Ben Massarella's BJ Transportation Service in a truck wash.

• 1998

  Post-Sub Pop operations resume

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Loftus releases the first album on Perishable Records after the end of the label's initial period associated with Red Red Meat and Sub Pop.

• 1997

  Red Red Meat breaks up

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  After Red Red Meat dissolves, the founders revive Perishable Records as an outlet for new material.

• 1993

  Perishable Records is founded

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili establish the independent label while performing together in Red Red Meat.

• 1993

  First release

  [1]Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label releases Red Red Meat's single "Hot Nikkity Truck Monkey," its first documented recording.

A musician-founded independent label focused on Chicago-associated alternative, experimental, and genre-blurring music.

• Singles and albums · 1993

  Red Red Meat recordings

  Red Red Meat was central to Perishable Records' origins. The label's first documented release was the band's "Hot Nikkity Truck Monkey" single. The group later became associated with Sub Pop, while its members continued to shape the Perishable network.

• Albums · 1998

  Loftus releases

  Loftus provided the first documented album released by Perishable Records after the founders revived the imprint following Red Red Meat's breakup and the end of the label's initial period.

• Music recordings

  Independent artist catalogue

  The label's documented associated artists include Califone, HiM, Joan of Arc, oRSo, Sin Ropas, The Fire Show, Fruit Bats, Red Red Meat, and Loftus. The catalogue reflects an independent Chicago context and a mix of alternative and experimental music.

• 2002

  Consideration of winding down the labelStrategy

  Background

  The Fire Show had broken up and Fruit Bats had signed with Sub Pop, reducing the label's documented roster of prominent acts.

  Action taken

  Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili openly considered whether to end Perishable Records' operations.

  Aftermath

  The label was still operating in 2003 from a former school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, although the available material does not establish its later status.

  Source

1. 1Perishable Recordsen.wikipedia.org