Smart Studios was a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

located in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. It was set up in 1983 by

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...

and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer,

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...

, L7, Tad, and

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

. After initial production and remix successes, the building became the focus of operations for Vig and Marker's own band,

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...

, who released their debut album in 1995. The studio survived various mishaps, including flooding, and in 2003, a

backhoe A backhoe—also called rear actor or back actor—is a type of excavating equipment, or digger, consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. It is typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader, the latt ...

crashing through the walls of the downstairs studio. On May 1, 2010, the studio closed its doors because of financial difficulties, although in September 2013, producer and musician Brian Liston re-opened the former Smart Studios facility as Clutch Sound. Madison filmmaker Wendy Schneider made a documentary on Smart Studios, '' The Smart Studios Story'' (2016), in which she interviewed artists, record producers, and engineers who worked in the facility. In 2012, the Wisconsin Historical Museum assembled an exhibit on the studio, ''Smart Sounds, Alt Music, Mad Scenes''.

Selected list of albums recorded/mixed at Smart Studios

* Gary Sohmers' Windjammer: ''Dinosaur Rock'' - 1983 * Killdozer: ''

Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite #REDIRECT Intellectuals Are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite {{R from other capitalisation ...

'' -1984 *

The Mess The Mess was a French girl group who took part in season 5 of French reality television series ''Popstars'' in 2013 on D8, winning the final on 2 July 2013 against eventual runner-ups, the duo Oslo, which consists of Eugénie and Vincent. The ...

: "It's All Wyrd"-1984 * Killdozer: ''Snake Boy'' - 1985 *

: "Untitled"-1985 *

The Crucifucks The Crucifucks were an American punk band, punk band formed in 1981 in Lansing, Michigan, Lansing, Michigan. They were noted for their political agitation, provocative lyrics, and unusually shrill vocals by band leader Doc Corbin Dart. Dead Kenn ...

: ''

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

'' - 1986 * The Rousers: '' In Without Knocking '' - 1986 * Snowcake: ''Strangled/SceneZine EP'' - 1987 * Killdozer: ''Little Baby Buntin - 1988 *

Tar Babies Tar Babies was an American band from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, that released several albums on SST Records. Critic Steve Huey of Allmusic describes them as a minor player on SST, with an intriguing sound rooted in hardcore punk but touch ...

: ''Honey Bubble'' - 1988-1989 *

Laughing Hyenas Laughing Hyenas was an American post-hardcore band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, that existed from 1985 to 1995, fronted by Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon. According to AllMusic, "At first, the band specialized in dirges overlaid with the t ...

: ''You Can't Pray a Lie'' - 1989 *

Die Kreuzen Die Kreuzen (/ˈdiːˈkɹɔɪtsn̩/) is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin formed in 1981. The name, which was taken from a German Bible, is grammatically incorrect German for "the crosses."Larkin, Colin (1995) "Die Kreuzen", in ''T ...

: ''Gone Away EP'' - 1989 * Killdozer: ''Twelve Point Buck'' - 1989 *

: ''

Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, ''Neve ...

'' – 1990 ("

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (name), Molly (a diminutive of Mary (name), Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina (given name), Polina, Polona (given name), Polona, Paula (g ...

") *

King Snake Roost King Snake Roost (also known as KSR) were one of a number of Australian and International guitar-based bands who emerged from within the punk rock and post-punk scene of the mid-1980s that came to be defined as noise rock. King Snake Roost fo ...

: ''Ground Into the Dirt'' - 1990 *

: ''Life of Crime'' - 1990 * Rebel Waltz: ‘’The Last One To Die Is a Rotten Egg’’ - 1990 *

: ''

Gish ''Gish'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released in May 1991 through Caroline Records. Frontman Billy Corgan has variously described ''Gish'' as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spir ...

'' – 1990-1991 * TAD: ''

8-Way Santa ''8-Way Santa'' is the second album by the Seattle grunge band Tad. It was released on February 15, 1991, through Sub Pop. Tad ran into legal trouble after the man and woman featured on the album cover saw the record and sued the band. The cov ...

'' - 1991 *

The Young Fresh Fellows The Young Fresh Fellows are an American alternative rock group, that was formed in 1981 in Seattle, Washington, United States, by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll. Tad Hutchison, Chuck Carroll's first cousin, joined for the recording of the grou ...

: ''Electric Bird Digest'' - 1991 * Sky Pilot: ''Mike DeFoy'' - 1992 * The Wizenhiemers: '' We Play For Beer'' - 1992 * L7: '' Bricks Are Heavy'' - 1991-1992 * The Rockin' Bones '' Second Chance To Dance'' - 1991-1992 *

Walt Mink Walt Mink were an American alternative rock power trio formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota in 1989 by guitarist/singer/songwriter John Kimbrough, drummer Joey Waronker and bassist Candice Belanoff. The band released four studio a ...

: ''

Miss Happiness ''Miss Happiness'' is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Walt Mink, released in 1992. It contains a cover of Nick Drake's "Pink Moon". The band supported the album with a North American tour. Critical reception ''USA To ...

'' - 1992 *

Chainsaw Kittens The Chainsaw Kittens were a part of the American alternative rock scene, drawing from pop, glam rock, punk, new wave and British Invasion music. Their lyrics tackled such varied topics as religion, the Stonewall riots, Federico Fellini, Okl ...

: ''

Flipped Out in Singapore ''Flipped Out in Singapore'' is the second album by the band Chainsaw Kittens, released in 1992. Recording Flipped Out in Singapore was produced by Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wis. in 1992. Tyson Meade said: Track listing All tr ...

'' - 1992 *

Paw A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, ...

: ''

Dragline A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. Draglines fall into two broad categories: those that are based on standard, lifting cranes, and the heavy units which have to be built on-site. Mo ...

'' – 1992 *Nirvana: ''

Incesticide is a compilation album by the American rock band Nirvana. It consists of their 1990 non-album single "Sliver", B-sides, demos, outtakes, cover versions, and radio broadcast recordings, and as such is not the official follow-up to the band's br ...

'' − 1992 ("Dive") *

Freedy Johnston Freedy Johnston (born Frederic John Fatzer in 1961) is a New York City–based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas. Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation, and disappointm ...

: ''This Perfect World'' - 1994 * ''Everclear'': ''

Sparkle and Fade ''Sparkle and Fade'' is the second album by Everclear, released in 1995. It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, '' World of Noise'', was re-released on Capitol after its introduction thro ...

'' - 1994 *

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...

: ''

Let Your Dim Light Shine ''Let Your Dim Light Shine'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Soul Asylum, released June 6, 1995 on Columbia Records. Critically, it suffered in comparison to its predecessor, '' Grave Dancers Union'', the band's breakout release ...

'' - 1994-1995 *

: ''

'' - 1994-1995 * Sexepil: '' Sugar for the Soul'' - 1995 *

Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was release ...

: '' All the Nations Airports'' - 1996 *

: ''

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...

'' - 1996 *

: '' Version 2.0'' - 1997-98 *

Scott Fields Scott Fields (born September 30, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for blending music that is composed with music that is written and for his modular pieces (see ''48 Motives'', ''96 Gestures'' ...

: '' Five Frozen Eggs'' - 1997 *

Rainer Maria Rainer Maria is an American emo band from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York. The band was originally active from 1995 to 2006 and reunited in 2014. History Caithlin De Marrais, Kaia Fischer and William Kuehn formed the b ...

: '' Look Now Look Again'' - 1998 *

The Promise Ring The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: '' 30° Everywhere'' ...

: '' Boys + Girls EP'' - 1998 *

Citizen King Citizen King was an American music group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose style was a mix of hip-hop, soul, and punk. They are best known for their top 40 hit "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)", which peaked at on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

: ''

Mobile Estates ''Mobile Estates'' is the second album by Citizen King, released in 1999. It was the band's first album for a major label. Production The album was produced by Dave Cooley, Matt Sims, and Eric Valentine. Critical reception ''The Washington Pos ...

'' - 1999 *

: '' A Better Version of Me'' - 1999 *

: ''

Beautiful Garbage ''Beautiful Garbage'' (stylized as ''beautifulgarbage'') is the third studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released on October 1, 2001, on Mushroom Records worldwide, with the North American release on Interscope Records the follow ...

'' - 2000-2001 *

: '' Ears Ring EP'' - 2002 *

: '' Long Knives Drawn'' - 2003 *

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

: ''

Take This to Your Grave ''Take This to Your Grave'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on May 6, 2003, by Fueled by Ramen. When the band was signed to Island Records, the label employed an unusual strategy that allowed them to sign with ...

'' - 2003 * The Lovehammers: ''Murder on My Mind'' - 2003 * Split Habit: ''Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'' - 2003 *

: ''

Bleed Like Me ''Bleed Like Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released worldwide on April 11, 2005, through Warner Music imprint A&E Records, with a North American release on Geffen Records the following day. For this album ...

'' - 2003-2004 *

As Tall as Lions As Tall As Lions were an indie rock band from Long Island, New York. History High school friends Dan Nigro (lead vocals & guitars), Saen Fitzgerald (guitar, keyboards, & percussion), Brian Fortune (guitars & keyboards) and Cliff Sarcona (drums ...

: ''

Lafcadio As Tall As Lions were an indie rock band from Long Island, New York. History High school friends Dan Nigro (lead vocals & guitars), Saen Fitzgerald (guitar, keyboards, & percussion), Brian Fortune (guitars & keyboards) and Cliff Sarcona (drums ...

'' - 2004 *

Hawthorne Heights Hawthorne Heights, formerly A Day in the Life, is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon (l ...

: '' The Silence in Black and White'' - 2004 *

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...

: ''

Plans A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. ...

'' - 2005 * Various Artists: '' Under the Radar Vol. 1'' - 2006 *

Sparklehorse Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous. Sparklehorse was active from 1995 until Linkous' 2010 death. Prior to forming Sparklehorse, Linkous fronted local bands ...

: ''

Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain ''Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain'' is the fourth and final album by Sparklehorse before Mark Linkous' death in 2010. It was released on September 25, 2006 by Astralwerks Records. Recording After the release of 2001's ''It's a ...

'' - 2006 *

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...

: ''

Chase This Light ''Chase This Light'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. The band began working on the follow-up to ''Futures'' (2004) by late 2005, and had made demos by early 2006. They started recording their next album with engin ...

'' - 2006-2007 *

Tegan and Sara Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumental ...

: '' The Con'' - 2007 *

Hotel Lights Hotel Lights is an American indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Darren Jessee, the drummer for Ben Folds Five. History The band self-released the album '' Hotel Lights'' in 2004. It featured Archers of Loaf drummer Mark Price and Sparkleho ...

: ''Firecracker People'' - 2007 * The Leftovers: ''On the Move'' - 2007 * Charlemange: ''We Can Build An Island'' - 2007 *

: ''

Narrow Stairs ''Narrow Stairs'' is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on May 12, 2008 in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States, on Atlantic and Barsuk Records. Four singles were released for the album ...

'' - 2007 * The Other Kids: ''Living in the Mirror'' (1985), ''Happy Home'' (1986), ''Grin'' (1990) *Festive Skeletons: World of Difference (1997) *

Spitalfield Spitalfield was an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois signed to Victory Records. Formed in 1998, Spitalfield caught the attention of Victory Records with their 2002 release ''The Cloak And Dagger Club EP'' and a year later released their ...

Better than Knowing Where You Are ''Better than Knowing Where You Are'' is the fourth and final studio album from American pop-punk band Spitalfield. It was released on October 3, 2006, through Victory Records Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony ...

- 2006

Producers and engineers associated with Smart Studios

(founder, producer and engineer) * Steve Marker (founder, producer and engineer) * Mike Zirkel (studio manager, producer, engineer) *

Chris Walla Christopher Ryan Walla (born November 2, 1975) is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie. Musical career Early bands While at Bot ...

(producer, engineer) *

Sean O'Keefe Sean Charles O'Keefe (born January 27, 1956) is a university professor at Syracuse University Maxwell School, former chairman of Airbus Group, Inc., former Secretary of the Navy, former Administrator of NASA, and former chancellor of Louisiana S ...

(producer, engineer) *Brandon Mason (producer, engineer) * Al Weatherhead (producer, engineer) *

Beau Sorenson Beau Sorenson (born 1980) is an American record producer and engineer. He has worked with Death Cab For Cutie, Bob Mould, Superchunk, Sparklehorse, Jars of Clay, Yellow Ostrich, The Lonely Forest, Field Report, Someone Still Loves You Boris Ye ...

(producer, engineer) *Justin Perkins (producer, engineer) *

Duke Erikson Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson (born January 15, 1951) is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Garbage has sold more than 1 ...

(producer and engineer) *

Doug Olson Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) whic ...

(producer, engineer)

References

External links

''The Smart Studios Story'' documentary websiteClutch Sound website
{{Authority control Companies based in Madison, Wisconsin Music of Wisconsin 1983 establishments in Wisconsin 2010 disestablishments in Wisconsin Recording studios in the United States