Nirvana signed their first major label record deal with Geffen Records on April 30, 1991. They had previously issued several releases through local Seattle indie label Sub Pop, but became disenfranchised with the label’s lack of focus on their projects. After opening several tours for Sonic Youth, Kurt Cobain and company chose to sign with Sonic Youth’s label DGC, which was a division of Geffen. Nirvana had other lucrative offers on the table from labels including Capitol. Mark Kates, former promotions officer for Geffen, recalls signing the band in the book “This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl” by Paul Brannigan, saying:“When we signed Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon very specifically said to me ‘The next thing you should sign is Nirvana.’”