Toxic Shock Records was an American independent record label based first in

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Pol ...

, then in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The label was spawned from the record store of the same name, by its founders Bill Sassenberger and Julianna Towns in 1983, when they released the first of the ''Noise from Nowhere'' series of 7" EP compilations. For the next decade they released singles, compilations and albums by many notable and influential bands of the

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

and post-hardcore scenes.

History

Bill Sassenberger opened his first Toxic Shock record store in

Pomona, CA Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polytech ...

in 1980. He specialized in

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

records from independent labels. He expanded to mail-order soon after by advertising in music magazines. In 1983, he and wife Julianna Towns released ''Noise from Nowhere'', a 7", 33rpm EP featuring four local underground punk bands: Kent State, Modern Industry, Manson Youth and their own band Moslem Birth (whose name was a parody of

Christian Death Christian Death is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles County, California, in 1979 by Rozz Williams. With major line-up changes over the years, Christian Death has retained "a relentlessly confrontational stand against organized religi ...

). ''Noise from Nowhere'' featured cover art by

Pushead Brian Schroeder, better known as Pushead, is an American graphic artist. He is best known for his album covers and other merchandise for bands in the hardcore punk and heavy metal genres. Career Originally from Boise, Idaho, Schoeder formed t ...

. With this release, Toxic Shock Records was born. Singles from Modern Industry, Peace Corpse (the renamed Moslem Birth), and Seattle's

Skin Yard Skin Yard was an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1985 to 1992. The group never gained a mainstream audience, but were an influence on several of their grunge contemporaries, including Soundgarden, Screaming ...

followed, as well as albums by Italian punkers

Raw Power ''Raw Power'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two ...

Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (also known as COC) is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 1982. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with guitarist Woody Weatherman as the sole const ...

, and the

Dayglo Abortions The Dayglo Abortions (sometimes abbreviated to DGA) are a Canadian hardcore punk and metal band from Victoria, British Columbia. Their lyrics reflect a genre-typical disregard for societal norms. The band was formed in 1979 and released their first ...

. In 1988 Bill and Julianna moved the label and the store to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. From Tucson, they released albums by Hickoids, Th' Inbred, Hullabaloo, House of Large Sizes,

Sloppy Seconds Sloppy Seconds is an American, Ramones-influenced punk band sometimes referred to as a ''junk rock band'' from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, that started in 1984. They gained notoriety in the underground punk scene with gritty and con ...

and

Treepeople TreePeople is an educational and training environmental advocacy organization based in Los Angeles, California. The TreePeople organization advocates and works to support a sustainable urban ecosystems in the Greater Los Angeles area through e ...

. They also re-established the ''Noise from Nowhere'' 7" EP as a series. ''Noise from Nowhere Vol. 2'', released in 1989, featured cover songs performed by label bands Hullabaloo (" Highway Star"), Hickoids (theme from " Green Acres"), House of Large Sizes ("

Half-Breed Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white. Use by governments United States I ...

") and Sloppy Seconds (" Candy Man"). Eight more ''Noise from Nowhere'' volumes would follow, featuring label bands as well as one-off recordings by other up-and-coming bands, including a rare single by Green Magnet School. ''Noise from Nowhere Vol. 10'' was the last record released under the Toxic Shock imprint featuring, appropriately, four underground Tucson bands. They released a few more CDs under a new name—Westworld—including the ''Decade of Disaster'' compilation chronicling the Toxic Shock years, but soon reverted to a record store specializing in obscure, underground music, now renamed Toxic Ranch Records.

''Noise from Nowhere'' series

Roster

* Decry * Datura Seeds * Hickoids * House of Large Sizes * Hullabaloo * Jesus Chrysler * Th' Inbred * Mad Parade * Major Accident *Massacre Guys *Modern Industry *Peace Corpse *

*Red Tide *

The Stupids The Stupids are a fictional family which appear in a series of children's books written by Harry Allard and James Marshall. The Stupids draw their humor from the fact that they are incompetent to the point of confusing the most simple concep ...

* Zero Boys

References

External links

Official Site
* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1983 American independent record labels Alternative rock record labels Hardcore record labels