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by StephenB
I've really appreciated reading these posts today and yesterday. I sat down to try to process this loss and wrote this:.
There are two people who have had the most monumental influence on the course of my life and my identity as a musician. The first is my good friend Mike who taught me how to play the guitar and introduced me to an entire world of independent music. The second was a stranger and later, fond acquaintance, Steve Albini. Back in the mid 90s, Mike was touring in a band Ritual Device, who had recently recorded at Albini’s home studio. Mike gave me a cassette with Shellac’s At Action Park on one side and a comp of Scratch Acid on the other. I played that tape in my car a million times. What I heard in Albini’s music was vital. There was an integrity to the sound, nothing added, nothing subtracted. I then came to discover Albini was a common force behind so many of the albums that were, and remain, so important to me. It was an immensely formative time that opened my eyes to a world of musicians who did things completely on their own terms; pushing boundaries, while creating a kind of communal subculture of venues, record stores, and DIY recording sessions
Steve might balk at this, but I think integrity was the super power he had as an engineer. He was uncompromising in his ethics and committed to making excellent recordings that will survive as entries into history. Those principles, in a kind of inverse way, do leave a sonic imprint. I’ve heard people say regarding bands they love, “The album they did with Albini was their best one.” I think they’re hearing is the ingenious way Steve stepped out of the way to let the greatness of the band take the spotlight. It’s the negation of ego, that opening of a space for musicians and instruments to breathe, that I hear as both an integrity of sound and integrity of a person.
In 2012 I recorded my album All the Ghosts with Steve at Electrical. It’s not often that your inspirations live up to your expectations. Steve was an exception. Steve was so incredibly good at his job. We made a 12 song album in 3 days and mixed it all on a 4th. This was how Steve was used to working. The fact that a “famous producer” was willing to work that hard and fast on a random, unknown band is again a testament to Steve’s integrity. In the studio, Steve was both sharp and disarming. He told us some great stories and plenty of jokes. It was one of the most important experiences of my life. I can’t believe he’s gone. I have had so many vivid dreams of making another album with him.
Steve’s legacy will be speaking to us for years to come. I’ll derive some comfort in the fact that I will continue to discover music that Steve helped document and fix into the culture. I’m sure there are many “acquaintances” and strangers like me who probably have a similar story about what an impact Steve had on their creativity, career, and life.
Thank you again Steve, for leaving an indelible mark on me and on a culture I hold dear. And thank you for helping me live out the dream of making an album with you. I know that since it’s on analog tape, I will have it always, and my kids and their kids’ kids will also someday be able to hear it. You know what I mean…
In deepest gratitude, with condolences to all your loved ones,
Steve B.
