Rushmore Records
Encyclopedia
Rushmore Records was formerly a subsidiary of Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records, established in 1996, was a California-based record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. It has produced various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound....
. As of September, 2006, Rushmore became an Imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
label due to the project being largely unsuccessful.
History
In 2002, two years before the label's official establishment, Rushmore was supposed to be formed as a "new" Drive-Thru RecordsDrive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records, established in 1996, was a California-based record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. It has produced various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound....
. The intention was to start the label up during Drive-Thru's distribution agreement with Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
— restricting co-owners Richard and Stefanie Reines from full control over the roster, which is why they were reluctant to sign new talent — and eventually move all of Drive-Thru's bands over to Rushmore. This was meant to be a tactic to avoid Geffen taking over more of the label's roster.http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=4432751
During this time, the first signed artists to be announced were Self Against City
Self Against City
Self Against City is a pop rock band from Sacramento, California best known for their single "The Process." They formed in 2004 and were the first band to sign to Rushmore Records...
and Houston Calls
Houston Calls
Houston Calls was an American power pop/punk band, based in Rockaway, New Jersey. They formed in 2003 and were signed to Drive-Thru Records. On June 9, 2009 they announced their official breakup.-Formation :...
, shortly followed by Day at the Fair
Day at the Fair
Day at the Fair were a pop punk band from Jefferson, New Jersey. They were signed to Rushmore Records.-History:Emerging from the remnants of the two now defunct bands Lanemeyer and Humble Beginnings, Day at the Fair started as a half-electric, half-acoustic recording project...
and The Track Record
The Track Record
The Track Record was a pop punk band from Annapolis, Maryland that was formerly signed to Rushmore Records. They are significant because they are a popular band in Maryland and surrounding areas, and are an established band that tours nationally...
a week later. In early 2005, two bands were announced to join the existing four, Madison
Madison (band)
Madison was an American rock band from New Jersey during 2001-2006. After releasing their debut EP 'For The First Time in Years... I'm Finally Leaving You' under Fidelity Records, the band signed with Rushmore Records/Drive-Thru Records in 2005...
, and The Cover.
On May 1, 2006, Day at the Fair announced their breakup.
In September 2006, The Track Record
The Track Record
The Track Record was a pop punk band from Annapolis, Maryland that was formerly signed to Rushmore Records. They are significant because they are a popular band in Maryland and surrounding areas, and are an established band that tours nationally...
parted ways with Rushmore based on the direction of the band. An announcement states: "As of September 1st, we are no longer affiliated with Drive-Thru / Rushmore Records. The split is due to disagreements regarding the direction of the band. While we maintain good terms with the label, there is no more progress to be made in the relationship."
Due to issues with the label's management, Madison decided to break up in September 2006. According to a press release written by the band, the main reason behind why they split was a lack of professionalism and laziness on part of the label. The band claimed, that a month passed before submitted demos were listened to and when questioned about this, the owners responded in an often vulgar and rude manner.http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=167878 In the wake of this, Richard Reines wrote a lengthy response criticising Madison's announcement, mentioning that they took nine months to record said demos, then – at a time when the label had other priorities – impatiently called every couple of days asking if the material had yet been listened to, and ultimately threatened with their breakup if they weren't allowed to start recording an album within two weeks.http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=168872 This came after Madison's original material was rejected as it was produced by Jesse Cannon
Jesse Cannon
Jesse Cannon is a music producer/engineer/mixer and founder of currently based in Union City, New Jersey.- Records produced :#Aim Of Conrad/Transistor Transistor?...
. Reines stated that he wanted to hear new material because he didn't trust Cannon's ability to produce a full length record. This was somewhat surprising given the fact that Madison had originally been signed to Rushmore Records after independently producing an EP with Jesse Cannon so all current material which Reine's had heard was produced by the same person. The end result was that over 20 songs were recorded, produced, and mixed over an 18 month period which were never released and never received notes from the label heads.
Also in September 2006, the label dropped The Cover (whose signing was never announced). They rarely showed any activity during their brief time signed to the label.
Presently, Self Against City have finished recording their full-length Telling Secrets to Strangers (released January 9, 2007), while Houston Calls are about to release their second full-length, The End of An Error. (October 14, 2008)
Activity
Despite the labels lack of activity, the Rushmore Records logo has been used on various campaigns by owners Richard & Stefanie Reines. This includes a banner advertisement for You, Me, and Everyone We KnowYou, Me, and Everyone We Know
You, Me, and Everyone We Know was a pop rock band from Washington, D.C., fronted by singer-songwriter Ben Liebsch. They released their debut EP Party for the Grown and Sexy in 2006...
's EP, which was distributed by Drive Thru Records.
Former bands
- The Cover
- Day at the FairDay at the FairDay at the Fair were a pop punk band from Jefferson, New Jersey. They were signed to Rushmore Records.-History:Emerging from the remnants of the two now defunct bands Lanemeyer and Humble Beginnings, Day at the Fair started as a half-electric, half-acoustic recording project...
- MadisonMadison (band)Madison was an American rock band from New Jersey during 2001-2006. After releasing their debut EP 'For The First Time in Years... I'm Finally Leaving You' under Fidelity Records, the band signed with Rushmore Records/Drive-Thru Records in 2005...
- The Track RecordThe Track RecordThe Track Record was a pop punk band from Annapolis, Maryland that was formerly signed to Rushmore Records. They are significant because they are a popular band in Maryland and surrounding areas, and are an established band that tours nationally...