Buttholes' Court Case

Publication: SonicNet.com

Chicago indie label Touch and Go was recently forced by a court's ruling to cease production and distribution of seven catalog albums by the Texas psychedelic rockers Butthole Surfers. The ruling came after a two- year-long court battle with the band, which was on the label's roster from 1985 until 1990. Touch and Go has announced plans to appeal the ruling, a process that could take up to a year. Capitol Records, the band's current label, could possibly pick up the rights to manufacture and distribute the Surfers' back catalog, pending the appeal decision. Capitol spokesperson Maria Malta had no comment on the ruling. Touch and Go, however, issued a press release in which it was stated that the 1996 suit "came as a shock to Touch and Go as the relationship with the band had been friendly and supportive even after the Butthole Surfers left the label in 1990 and eventually signed to Capitol Records in 1992." A spokesperson for Touch and Go said the label has no further comment at this time. Meanwhile, the Buttholes' third album for Capitol, After the Astronaut, originally scheduled for May 19, has been delayed and is currently without a street date, according to Malta.