| Taang! Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Curtis Casella |
| Genre | Punk rock, ska |
| Location | San Diego, California, United States |
| Official Website | Taang! Records website |
Taang! Records is an American independent record label founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts which is currently based in San Diego. Taang! specializes mainly in releases by punk rock, indie rock, ska and ska-core artists.
Casella appears in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore,[1] the film Chip on My Shoulder (directed by Ian McFarland), and All That Matters Is Sunday: the Birth of Boston's Hardcore (directed by Lewis Smithingham). Casella is portrayed by an actor in the film Boston Boy.
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Taang! Records is a record label that stretches over 25 years with over 210 releases, from vinyl to DVD, the label's large roster is internationally distributed and has over 100 releases in circulation and 200 releases available digitally. Taang! also incorporates retail outlets direct as well as merchandise, publishing and film.
Curtis Casella (a native Bostonian) started Taang! Records as a singles-only label in 1984 and signed Boston-area punk rock and hardcore punk bands such as Gang Green, Last Rights, Negative FX, Stranglehold, Last Stand and Kilslug. The label's first full-length release was Negative FX's self-titled album, which was recorded in 1982. Taang! also ran a store in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the first of six retail outlets). The current store is in Hillcrest/Downtown, San Diego, California on 5th Ave.[2]
In 1986, Taang! released five vinyl titles: Burning in Water by Moving Targets, Back on the Map by Slapshot, Another Wasted Night by Gang Green, the 7-inch Mine Caroline by The Oysters, and a bonus 7-inch by The Lemonheads. Gang Green's Another Wasted Night spawned three videos which received MTV play, and their non-stop tour propelled their release to upwards of 30,000 units. The label achieved wide airplay on college radio stations with releases from The Lemonheads and Bullet LaVolta. Taang! went on to sign more diverse acts, such as Poison Idea, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Swirlies and Spacemen 3.
In 1992, Casella decided to produce San Diego-based band Battalion of Saints for an archival release, not realizing the band leader's plans to reform the band. By this time, Casella was dividing his time between Los Angeles and Boston. The label operated out of Boston for two more years before Casella moved its headquarters to San Diego. A Taang! store opened in Hollywood. Shortly after moving to San Diego, Taang! released two albums by local ska band Buck-O-Nine and put them on tour with Stiff Little Fingers. In the mid to late 1990s, there were no new signings, and the label focused on archival releases by bands such as Cock Sparrer, The Adicts, The Business and The Exploited, for a total of 15 releases over five years.
While operating out of California, the label continued its focus on Boston-based bands. Bands such as Gang Green, Slapshot and Poison Idea, who previously left Taang! for other labels, had returned. In 2007, the label started to sign more new bands, including Everybody Out! (featuring Rick Barton of Dropkick Murphys) and Southern California's Evacuate (led by Mike Virus of Cheap Sex and The Virus), who released their debut in 2009. In 2010, Taang! released albums by The Newtown Neurotics, Kilsug, The Oysters, Gang Green, D.Y.S. and Attitude Adjustment. The label plans to release was Chip On My Shoulder, a DVD from Slapshot, to coincide with the band's new single 2011. The most recent addition to the label is Negative Approach: The 200th release is titled "friends of No One" (a lost six-song recording from 1984 that was discovered in 2009 in a basement in Detroit). The next release will be Nothing Will Stand In Our Way, a full album by the band that focuses on their earliest recordings.