Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, best known as the guitarist for

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.

Early and personal life

Kurt Ballou started playing

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

in elementary school. He performed in jazz band, concert band and orchestra, dabbling between

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

. Ballou was accepted to join the Hartford School of Music, but he opted to study

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

instead. His father used to have a guitar that Ballou played occasionally, but it did not interest him until a school friend gave him

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

tapes around the age of sixteen. He is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

and follows a

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

lifestyle.

Career

Since 1990, Kurt Ballou has played in the

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band Converge. From 1996 to 2000 Ballou played in the

band The Huguenots. From 1996 to 1999 Ballou and

Stephen Brodsky Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Genius. History Stephe ...

played in the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Kid Kilowatt Kid Kilowatt was an American rock supergroup formed in 1996 and dissolved in 1997, including members of Cave In, Converge and Piebald. They wrote only one album, '' Guitar Method'', first released by Second Nature Recordings in 2003. Stephen Bro ...

. In 1998 Ballou established GodCity Studio. From 1999 to 2002 Ballou and

Ben Koller Ben Koller (born July 29, 1980) is an American drummer who has played with Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14. Musical career Early bands (1997–1999) Koller played i ...

played in the hardcore punk band Blue/Green Heart.

God City Studio

In the late 1990s, Kurt Ballou was working as a

biomedical engineer Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

when his then-project got cancelled. Instead of selecting a different position within the same company that he had worked with for six years, Ballou opted to receive a

severance package A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwillfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following: * Any additional payment base ...

which he used to build his own recording studio. His experiences and knowledge in engineering carry over to his recording work. In regards to Ballou's technical precision as a producer,

Jacob Bannon Jacob Bannon (born October 15, 1976) is an American musician who is the vocalist, lyricist and graphic artist for the metalcore band Converge. He is the co-founder and owner of the record label Deathwish Inc. and the author of many visual works ...

(of Converge) has stated, "Nothing gets by him—it is inspiring to watch him work." Established in 1998, God City Studio is located in Ballou's home state of Massachusetts. One of the earliest recordings from the studio was

Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of ''Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalcore ...

's ''

Until Your Heart Stops ''Until Your Heart Stops'' is the debut album by metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1999 on Hydra Head Records. ''Until Your Heart Stops'' has been regarded as a landmark release in the metallic hardcore genre.J. Bennett, "Who's That Gi ...

''. Ballou handled all production, engineering, and mastering for the record. Ballou has stated that collaborating on ''

Jane Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

'' with co-producer Matthew Ellard was a huge learning experience for him as an engineer and producer. Ellard jokingly stated Ballou "watched him like a hawk" during the engineering and producing process. In 2005 Ballou remixed and

remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

Converge's

Petitioning the Empty Sky ''Petitioning the Empty Sky'' is the second studio album by American metalcore band Converge. However, contrary to many sources, the band considers this a compilation album, being a collection of songs recorded at different times. While tracklist ...

and

When Forever Comes Crashing ''When Forever Comes Crashing'' is the third studio album by American metalcore band Converge, on April 14, 1998 through Equal Vision Records. Recording The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 January 1998. Steve A ...

. Ballou has stated that because of the quality of onverge'srecordings has improved so much that the original recordings were "becoming distracting". Ballou has also produced and co-produced several Converge albums, including 2001's ''

'', 2004's ''

You Fail Me ''You Fail Me'' is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 21, 2004 by Epitaph Records. The band's first release for the label, it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou, with the artwork cre ...

'' and 2006's ''

No Heroes ''No Heroes'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 24, 2006 by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon. ''No Heroes'' reac ...

''. He has also produced a number of independent

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

and

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 ...

bands, including Genghis Tron's ''

Board Up the House ''Board Up the House'' is the second full-length album by the experimental metal band Genghis Tron. The album was recorded and mixed at Godcity Studio from August 29 to September 21, 2007, in Salem, Massachusetts, by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballo ...

'', Torche's ''

Meanderthal ''Meanderthal'' is the second full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Torche. It was released on April 8, 2008. Reception In the January 2009 issue of ''Decibel Magazine'', ''Meanderthal'' was ranked number 1 atop the list of the ...

'', Disfear's ''

Live the Storm ''Live the Storm'' is the sixth album by Swedish hardcore punk/D-beat band Disfear. It was released in January 2008 under Relapse Records. Track listing Personnel ;Disfear *Tomas Lindberg Tomas Lindberg (born 16 October 1972), also known a ...

'' and Darkest Hour's ''

Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora ''Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora'' is the ninth studio album by American metal band Darkest Hour. It was released worldwide on March 10, 2017 through Southern Lord Records. The album features guest guitarist Kris Norris who previously pla ...

''. One reason that motivated Ballou to get in to the studio side of music was to have "maximum control over Converge's music." He further stated, "When we were starting out, no one wanted to help us anyway, so if we didn't take control, nothing was going to get done." Ballou has claimed to admire producers such as

Ken Andrews Ken Andrews (born Kenneth Andrew Doty; June 18, 1967) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Andrews was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record dea ...

Martin Bisi Martin Bisi (born 1961) is an American producer and songwriter. He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, The Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Ang ...

, Fred Drake,

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

, and

Don Zientara Don Zientara ( ) is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and various ...

Equipment

*Guitars commonly used: GodCity Instruments guitars, Wild Customs The Savage One w/ EMG P85 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Sheena Guitar w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup, Warmoth Custom Jazzmaster W/ EMG 89 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Offset-Horns Double-Cutaway, Rickenbacker 650A w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup. *Amps commonly used: Orange OR50 head, Sparrows Sons overdrive std (aka Sparrow amp), Bad Cat Black Cat head, Bad Cat Lynx head, Marshall 1987x Plexi Reissue, 1978 Marshall 50-watt JMP 2204, Ampeg V-4 head, Guild Thunderbass. *Speaker Enclosures commonly used: Emperor 6x12 cabinet (2), Marshall customized 4x12 cabinet w/ four "Eminence vintage 30 clone" 12-inch speakers, Marshall 8x10 cabinet w/ stock 15-watt Celestions. *Effects commonly used: Providence Stampede Distortion, Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer, Akai Headrush, Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run, Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter/Delay, Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, TC Electronic Polytune, Boss Noise Suppressor, TC Electronic Mimiq.

Discography

With Converge

* ''

Halo in a Haystack ''Halo in a Haystack'' is the debut album by American metalcore band Converge, released in 1994 through Earthmaker Records. Overview To fund the making of the record, vocalist Jacob Bannon saved up money from working at a nursing home. The reco ...

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

Axe to Fall ''Axe to Fall'' is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 20, 2009, by Epitaph Records. It is the band's most collaborative album, featuring a number of guest musicians, including members of Cave In and G ...

'' (2009) * ''

All We Love We Leave Behind ''All We Love We Leave Behind'' is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Converge (band), Converge. It was released on October 9, 2012, via Epitaph Records. The album did not feature any guest collaborators, unlike the band's previous a ...

'' (2012) * ''

The Dusk in Us ''The Dusk in Us'' is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Converge (band), Converge. It was released on November 3, 2017, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc., Deathwish Inc, and is the band's first studio album in five years sin ...

'' (2017) *'' Bloodmoon: I'' (2021) ** ** **

With The Huguenots

* ''The Huguenots'' (1998) (EP) * ''The Huguenots / Sevenpercentsolution'' (2000) (split with Sevenpercentsolution) * ''Discography'' (2007)

With Blue/Green Heart

* '' Self Esteem Through Modern Science'' (2001) (EP)

With Kid Kilowatt

* ''

Guitar Method ''Guitar Method'' (subtitled ''1996–1999'') is the only album by indie supergroup Kid Kilowatt, initially released by Second Nature Recordings on vinyl in 2003, and later on CD by Hydra Head Records in 2004. It consists of material recorded over ...

'' (2004)

As an additional/guest musician

Awards and nominations

Heavy Music Awards

!Ref. , - , 2018 , Himself , Best Producer , , rowspan=1,

References

General * Specific

External links

Airbornmag.com Interview
December 2007 Interview with UK-based music/sports website Airbornmag.com
Kurt Ballou interviewFirst Act website
includes a page on his custom "Sheena" guitar
AMP magazine website
''

AMP #REDIRECT Amp #REDIRECT Amp {{Redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

{{Redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...