Quarterstick Records

Quarterstick Records is an American independent record-label imprint associated with Touch and Go Records. It was established in 1990 as a sister label within the Touch and Go organization, whose Chicago operation had become an important center of American underground and alternative music. The imprint belongs to the generation of specialist labels that helped broaden the scope of independent music beyond the hardcore-punk scene that had dominated much of the early 1980s. Quarterstick emerged from the infrastructure and artist network developed by Touch and Go. Touch and Go began in 1979 as a self-published punk fanzine created by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson in East Lansing, Michigan, becoming a record label in 1981. Corey Rusk joined Vee in operating the label and subsequently assumed control when Vee left Michigan. After relocating to Chicago, the organization developed a catalog associated with adventurous noise rock, post-hardcore, indie rock, and other forms of alternative music. Its releases included work by artists such as Big Black, the Butthole Surfers, the Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Slint, Girls Against Boys, Killdozer, Shellac, and other influential acts. Quarterstick functioned as a complementary imprint rather than as a completely separate corporate enterprise. Its creation gave the Touch and Go house a distinct channel for projects and releases that sat within the broader independent-rock ecosystem but did not necessarily fit the central Touch and Go identity. The imprint's importance is therefore best understood through its relationship with Touch and Go: it benefited from the parent label's manufacturing, distribution, promotional knowledge, artist relationships, and reputation for artist-focused practices. The wider Touch and Go organization was known for comparatively informal recording arrangements, sometimes relying on short agreements or handshake deals and sharing profits after production and promotional costs. That approach reflected the trust-based culture of the American independent-label community, although the organization moved toward written memoranda of intent after a 1999 legal dispute involving the Butthole Surfers. Quarterstick operated within this broader label philosophy and independent-network context. In 2009, Corey Rusk announced that Touch and Go would reduce its activities, citing economic conditions and ending manufacturing and distribution services for many outside independent labels. The change affected the wider Touch and Go operation and its associated imprints, including the practical environment in which Quarterstick releases were handled. Touch and Go subsequently concentrated more heavily on selected catalog editions and releases by associated artists while continuing some new releases. Publicly available reference material provides limited standalone corporate information about Quarterstick, including limited detail on its separate staffing, ownership, current release schedule, and present operating status. It is consequently most accurately characterized as a historically significant Touch and Go sister imprint whose identity is tied to independent and alternative music rather than as a fully documented standalone company.

Quarterstick Records was formed in 1990 as a sister label to Touch and Go Records. Its creation followed the development of Touch and Go from a Michigan punk fanzine into a major force in American independent music. Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson began the original publication in East Lansing in 1979. The operation moved into record releases in 1981, initially documenting hardcore and punk acts including the Necros, the Fix, the Meatmen, and Negative Approach. Corey Rusk, who had joined the organization as the bassist of the Necros, became central to the label's management and took over its operation after Vee departed Michigan in 1983. Under Rusk's ownership, and after the label's eventual relocation to Chicago, Touch and Go built a reputation for releasing challenging and influential music. Its catalog came to encompass noise rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock, experimental music, and other underground styles. Artists associated with the label included the Butthole Surfers, Big Black, the Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, the Didjits, Slint, Girls Against Boys, Killdozer, Shellac, and later acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, CocoRosie, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and the Black Heart Procession. This network gave the organization an unusually strong position in the American pre-mainstream alternative scene. Quarterstick was introduced within this environment as a related imprint. It allowed the Touch and Go organization to distinguish another stream of independent releases while retaining access to the parent label's operational and distribution resources. The available reference material does not provide a complete account of Quarterstick's individual release chronology, internal staffing, or separate ownership structure. The imprint is therefore best interpreted as part of the broader Touch and Go label house rather than as an independently documented corporation. Touch and Go's business practices were closely associated with the informal culture of independent music. Some artists worked under brief written agreements or handshake arrangements, with profits divided between artist and label after production and promotional costs. This model helped the company attract musicians who valued flexibility and long-term commitment. Following a 1999 legal dispute with the Butthole Surfers, however, Touch and Go began using short memoranda of intent for its artist relationships. That change illustrates the tension between the label's informal origins and the legal complexity of operating a substantial catalog. The economic downturn of the late 2000s led to another important shift. On February 18, 2009, Corey Rusk announced that Touch and Go would downsize, citing the prevailing economic conditions. The organization stopped manufacturing and distributing releases for a number of independent labels, including Jade Tree, Kill Rock Stars, and Merge. This decision reduced the scale of the infrastructure available to associated imprints such as Quarterstick. In the years that followed, Touch and Go placed greater emphasis on selected catalog editions, anniversary reissues, and releases by established associated artists, while still issuing some new material. Because publicly available sources contain relatively little standalone information about Quarterstick's current activities, its present status cannot be confidently classified from the supplied material. Historically, it remains significant as part of the Touch and Go network and as an example of the specialist imprint model used by influential American independent labels.

• 2009

  Touch and Go downsizes its services

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The parent organization announces that it will stop manufacturing and distributing releases for a number of outside independent labels because of economic conditions.

• 1999

  Touch and Go moves toward written artist memoranda

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Following a legal dispute with the Butthole Surfers, the wider label organization begins requesting short written memoranda of intent from bands instead of relying only on informal arrangements.

• 1990

  Quarterstick Records is established

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Quarterstick Records is formed as a sister label to Touch and Go Records.

• 1983

  Corey Rusk assumes control of Touch and Go

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  After Tesco Vee leaves Michigan, Corey Rusk takes over the label's operation, later helping establish its Chicago-based independent-label network.

• 1981

  Touch and Go becomes a record label

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Touch and Go operation begins releasing records by American punk and hardcore acts.

• 1979

  Touch and Go begins as a fanzine

  [1]Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson launch the self-published Touch and Go fanzine in East Lansing, Michigan, creating the foundation for the later label organization associated with Quarterstick.

A specialist independent-music imprint associated with Touch and Go Records, positioned around adventurous alternative and underground music rather than mainstream commercial releases.

• Independent record releases · 1990

  Quarterstick recorded-music catalog

  Quarterstick's core offering is a catalog of recorded music issued through the Touch and Go-associated independent-label network. The imprint is connected with the broader alternative, indie, underground, and experimental music communities. The supplied reference material does not identify a complete list of individual Quarterstick titles, so no specific release is designated as a flagship product here.

• 2009

  Downsize manufacturing and distribution operationsStrategy

  Background

  The Touch and Go organization cited the economic conditions of the period as the reason for reducing its operational services.

  Action taken

  Touch and Go ended manufacturing and distribution services for a number of independent labels and reduced the scale of its operations.

  Aftermath

  The associated label network moved toward a more selective model centered on catalog editions, limited releases, and selected new recordings.

  Source

• 1990

  Create a sister imprint for additional independent releasesStrategy

  Background

  Touch and Go had developed a broad network of underground and alternative artists, creating a rationale for a related label identity alongside its principal imprint.

  Action taken

  Quarterstick Records was established as a sister label within the Touch and Go organization.

  Aftermath

  Quarterstick became part of the broader Touch and Go label house, although the supplied sources do not document its separate catalog or operating structure in full.

  Source

1. 1Touch and Go Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Touch and Go Records official websitetgrec.com