Steve Fisk is an American,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

-based audio engineer, record producer and musician. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band

Pigeonhed Pigeonhed is an American electronic band from Seattle that combines elements of funk, soul, trip hop, and lo-fi. The band is a collaboration of Shawn Smith and Steve Fisk, that released three albums during the period from 1993 to 1997. They ...

. He has long been associated with the Pacific Northwest music scenes, including grunge and the Sub Pop indie record label.

Career

Fisk made his solo debut in 1980 with contributions to the compilations ''

Let Them Eat Jellybeans! ''Let Them Eat Jellybeans!'', subtitled "17 Extracts From America's Darker Side", is a compilation album released by Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles in 1981. It was one of the earliest compilations of underground music in the United States ...

'', ''Sub Pop 5'' and ''Life Elsewhere''. In 1982 Fisk joined the Portland-based instrumental band Pell Mell, which issued records on SST. After a move to San Francisco, the group disbanded in 1985 and a few odd turns landed him in

Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...

where he produced the

Screaming Trees Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time ...

' '' Other Worlds''. In 1986, the group released ''

Clairvoyance Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

''. Soon his credits appeared regularly on releases from the Sub Pop and K labels including early releases from Beat Happening and

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...

. In 1990 Fisk moved to Seattle, where he produced

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.' ...

's ''

Blew "''Blew''" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the first song on the band's debut album ''Bleach'', released in June 1989 by Sub Pop. The song was re-released by the Tupelo record la ...

'' sessions, followed by work with

Some Velvet Sidewalk Some Velvet Sidewalk was an experimental lo-fi rock band from Olympia, WA on the independent label K Records. History Some Velvet Sidewalk was formed in Eugene, Oregon in 1987 by Al Larsen (vocals/guitar) and Robert Christie (drums). Their fir ...

Treepeople TreePeople is an educational and training environmental advocacy organization based in Los Angeles, California. The TreePeople organization advocates and works to support a sustainable urban ecosystems in the Greater Los Angeles area through e ...

The Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...

Love Battery Love Battery was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. History Love Battery was formed in 1989 by former rock band Room Nine leader Ron Nine (b. Ron Rudzitis), guitarist Kevin Whitworth (ex-Crisis Party), bassist Tommy "Bonehead" S ...

, Girl Trouble,

Mary Lou Lord Mary Lou Lord (born March 1, 1965) is an indie folk musician who started performing as a busker in Boston. Life and career Mary Lou Lord first gained attention playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston's subway stations, particu ...

The Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Cu ...

Unwound Unwound is an American post-hardcore band. The band was formed in 1988 in Tumwater and Olympia, Washington by vocalist/guitartist Justin Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Brandt Sandeno, and was largely based in Olympia throughout the 1 ...

, Seaweed, Steven "Jesse" Bernstein, Beat Happening, The Screaming Trees and remixes for Soundgarden. In 1993 he teamed up with vocalist Shawn Smith in the ambient soul duo

, issuing a self-titled LP on Sub Pop. He shifted to major label production in 1994, helming projects for Imij (for Liberty records),

The Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of The Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, ...

(for Island records), Schtum (SonyUK) and The 360's (RCA). A year later a reunited Pell Mell issued ''

Interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

'' on DGC, and for the same label Fisk produced

The Posies The Posies were an American power pop group. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are ...

Three Mile Pilot Three Mile Pilot (often shortened to 3MP) is an American indie rock band from San Diego, California, formed by Armistead Burwell Smith IV (a.k.a. Zach Smith) from Pinback, Systems Officer, Neighborhood Watch on bass and vocals, Pall Jenkins ( ...

and Boss Hog. In 1994, Pigeonhed recorded its second Sub Pop LP, ''

The Full Sentence ''The Full Sentence'' is the second and final studio album by Pigeonhed, released on January 28, 1997 through Sub Pop. Track listing Personnel ;Pigeonhed *Steve Fisk – piano, keyboards, synthesizer, Hammond organ, loops, vibraphone ...

'', yielding the oft licensed Battle Flag remix by the

Lo Fidelity Allstars Lo Fidelity Allstars are an English electronic music group who have recorded since the late 1990s. Career Their members originate from various cities in Northern England. They were formed in Leeds before relocating first to London, where they c ...

. It can be heard in '' ER'', '' Smallville'', ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'', '' Queer as Folk'', '' Forces of Nature'', ''

Dancing at The Blue Iguana ''Dancing at the Blue Iguana'' is a 2000 American erotic drama film, released September 14, 2000, directed by Michael Radford about the lives of strippers at a gentlemen's club. The film was based on an improvisational workshop involving the lea ...

'', '' Coyote Ugly'', ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'' as well as many Hollywood trailers. The original Pigeonhed version is featured in ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'', ''

Very Bad Things ''Very Bad Things'' is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by Peter Berg in his feature film directorial debut and starring Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, Christian Slater, Leland Orser, Kobe Tai and J ...

'' and '' The Horse Whisperer''. In 1996, Pell Mell were dropped. "Nothing Lies Still Long" was used in weekly episodes of '' Six Feet Under''. Other tracks from their last album ''Starcity'' were featured in ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...

''. Other 1990's work include recording sessions with Mudhoney,

Geraldine Fibbers The Geraldine Fibbers were an alt-country band founded in 1994 by Carla Bozulich. Initially, band members included Bozulich, Daniel Keenan, Julie Fowells, William Tutton and Kevin Fitzgerald.Strong, Martin C.:"The Great Alternative & Indie Discog ...

, Low,

Soul Coughing Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a d ...

Damien Jurado Damien Jurado is an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, United States. Over the years, he has released albums on Sub Pop, Secretly Canadian, Loose, and is currently on his own label Maraqopa Records. Music career Jurado's solo ...

, Lois, Agents of Good Roots,

Maktub Maktub is a Seattle, Washington-based music group formed in the late 1990s that combines elements of hip-hop, rhythm and blues, soul, and funk, with a sprinkling of jazz and rock. History Maktub was formed in 1996 when Davis Martin called Regg ...

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

The Halo Benders The Halo Benders was a band formed in 1994 as a side project by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built to Spill. They released their first album, '' God Don't Make No Junk'', in 1994. They followed up in 1996 with '' Don't ...

, and

Heather Duby Heather Duby (born July 26, 1974, in Eugene, Oregon) is an American singer-songwriter. History Heather Duby grew up in Portland, Oregon, studied at Evergreen State College, located in Olympia, Washington. She relocated to Seattle in 1994. For s ...

. His third solo album, ''999 Levels of Undo'', arrived in early 2001 on Sub Pop. In the 2000s Fisk produced more records for Heather Duby and Maktub as well as solo work with Reggie Watts. Reunion records for

and

Harvey Danger Harvey Danger was an American alternative rock band that was formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1992 by journalism students at the University of Washington. The band rose to prominence in 1997 with the single " Flagpole Sitta", which was later u ...

. Major label records for

Midnight Movies The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...

and James Jackson Toth. Indy records with

Minus the Bear Minus the Bear was an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound was described as " Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticate ...

Past Lives Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

Shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

Mark Pickerel Mark Pickerel is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist. Biography Originally fro ...

Carrie Akre Carrie Akre (born September 24, 1966) is an American singer best known for her work with Seattle underground bands Hammerbox and Goodness. Since Goodness disbanded in 1998, she has contributed vocals to the project band The Rockfords (which i ...

, Alicia Dara,

Paul Manusos Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

and

Al Larsen AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

. In 2005 Fisk co-wrote and produced the score for the award-winning Kurt Cobain documentary '' About a Son'' with

Ben Gibbard Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a membe ...

. In 2010, Fisk began work with KK and his Weathered Underground, mixing their ''Introducing'' CD, as well as solo records for members

Kyle O'Quin Portugal. The Man is an American rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, currently based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Jason Sechrist, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met ...

and Thomas Hunter. Other mix work included Quasi, Bitch and The Telephantasm remix for Soundgarden. Between 2009 and 2011, Fisk composed two 16 channel ambient audio installations for the Experience Music Project's "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses" and "Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror" exhibits. In 2015 he received the Stranger Genius award in music. In 2018 he led the mixing team for the original score of the documentary ''My Country No More'', about a North Dakota community's resistance to oil infrastructure planned for their area.

Bands produced or engineered

* Low *

Steven Jesse Bernstein Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Woodlief, Mark. "Steve Fisk" ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' 92 (Apr 2001): 71. *

* SEACATS * Special Explosion *

* The 360's *

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...

Housman, Danny. "Pigeonhed" ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' 43 (Mar 1997): 40. *

Moral Crux A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

Negativland Negativland is an American experimental music band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! track, while their record label (Seeland Records) is named after another Neu! track. The co ...

* Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground *

* Beat Happening''All Music Guide to Rock, 3rd Edition.'' San Francisco, CA: Backbeat, 2002. 77. * The Geraldine Fibbers * Boss Hog * The Blaze Brigade * 3 mile pilot *

* Honor Hall * Thomas Hunter & White China Gold * Paul Manousos * The Unibroz * Anonymous * grrRoPoLis * Spittin Images * Future Fridays * The Sexy Accident * Beautiful Lies * The Ghost Ease * Car Seat Headrest * Naked Giants * The Action Suits (featuring HATE comics creator

Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and '' Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduce ...

and Fantagraphics co-publisher Eric Reynolds

Solo discography

* ''Kiss This Day Goodbye'',

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music ...

/A.R.P.H., (1983), cassette * Til the Night Closes in'', K Records/A.R.P.H., (1985), cassette * ''448 Deathless Days'',

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

, (1987) * ''Media Warrior 543-KCMU '',(Erika records), (1988) * ''More Valley'', K Records, (1989), cassette * ''Over and Thru the Night'', K Records, (1993), compilation * ''999 Levels of Undo'', Sub Pop, (2001)

References

External links

*
Radio Feature
The Some Assembly Required Interview with Steve Fisk.
Shawn Smith's Official Website – includes COMPREHENSIVE Pigeonhed discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisk, Steve Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American rock musicians K Records artists Sub Pop artists Musicians from Washington (state) Record producers from Washington (state) Pigeonhed members Evergreen State College alumni