Aug 12 2012 02:13 PM
The Wisconsin State Historical Museum is currently featuring an exhibit about Smart Studios and the Madison music scene in the 80s and 90s.
Two albums I worked on made the wall of albums made at the now defunct Smart Studios. One was a CD from the band I was in for years and years done entirely at the studio and the other was an LP (with the angel on the cover) that I co-mixed at Smart with a band I was in for a shorter time.
I'm mostly retired from playing or recording music anymore, but the visit to the museum's exhibit was a nice trip down memory lane. A theater was set up showing grainy live footage of REM and Replacements shows from Madison in the early 80s. It was fun to see all of the various artists that had recorded at the studio including Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Dwarves, Death Cab For Cutie, Freedy Johnston, and Tad along with so many other regional and local bands from years gone by.
More photos here.