Presto Records to Reissue Entire Recording Catalog

Boston based Presto Records is opening up its archives for a complete digital re-issue of its entire music catalog. Active from 1989 to 1994, Presto Records put out 11 albums from 8 different Boston bands including Miranda Warning, Classic Ruins, Miles Dethmuffen, and The Trojan Ponies. Starting May 5, 2021 the albums and singles will be re-released on YouTube and Spotify over the course of 8 weeks. Other platforms may be added at a later time and all releases will eventually be made available for licensing.

Starting in 1985, college radio DJ and student Chris Porter managed Boston rock band Classic Ruins. The band was a staple of the local music scene having had releases on prominent local labels as well as performing at clubs all over the Boston area. Despite a lot of great press, radio and notable shows throughout the northeast region, by 1988 Classic Ruins found themselves without a label as the company they had been working with folded. At that time, the band had a number of recordings ready to be packaged and Porter set out to entice labels throughout the country to sign the band to a contract. Unfortunately, after almost a year of phone calls, mailings, and knocking on labels' doors, no opportunity presented itself. Throughout that time, Porter was having a growing interest in starting a label himself. It felt like it could be a good time for such an endeavor under the circumstances.

After raising some funds and doing a lot of research, in 1989 Porter took the plunge into record label ownership and started Presto Records. The name of the label paid homage to his grandfather's long running restaurant called the Presto - located in Lowell for a number of decades in the mid-1900's.

The first release for Presto was Classic Ruins' second full length album entitled "Ruins Café". Soon after the release of this record, more bands were signed to the label. Most of the catalog focused on Boston based acts like Miranda Warning (another band that Porter managed at the time), Miles Dethmuffen, The Visigoths, Evol Twin, and The Trojan Ponies. However, one Cleveland band that made a great impression on Porter in his college radio days was also added to the roster - The Terrible Parade.

Overall Presto Records produced 11 releases from 8 different bands over a 5 year period. By 1994, Porter was very immersed in talent buying and promoting club level shows at the Middle East Club in Cambridge. Between that work and his continued focus on artist management, there was not enough time and energy to spend on the label. So it was decided to suspend Presto Records operations at that point in Chris' career. Twenty seven years later, the label is being revived for the digital releases of its entire catalog. Original pressings of some of this product will be made available later in 2021.

"The Presto catalog is a time capsule for the Boston music scene in the early 90s," said Chris Porter, founder of Presto Records. "Night after night, this is some of the music you would be hearing at venues like the Middle East, The Rat, Chet's Last Call, and TT's. I'm very happy to have this material available and accessible to the public again."

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