Many people drive by the nondescript two-story brick building on the corner of East Washington Avenue and South Baldwin Street without realizing they’re passing by a piece of rock music history.
Smart Studios was a recording studio that was ground zero for the ‘90s alternative rock movement. Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and studio founders Butch Vig and Steve Marker’s own band Garbage recorded music there.
Filmmaker Wendy Schneider captured the grungy, influential history of the studio at 1254 E. Washington Ave. in her documentary “The Smart Studios Story.” The film will play July 9 at Atwood Music Hall, with Schneider and Vig doing a post-show Q&A. On the City Cast Madison podcast, Schneider talked to host Bianca Martin about her experiences making the documentary.
‘Let’s Get Smart!’
As musicians on the 1980s Madison rock scene, Vig and Marker would often hang out at the Plaza Tavern. When it was last call, they’d declare “Let’s get smart!” and go record music until sunrise.
After several frustrating experiences trying to book time to record at other people’s studios, the duo decided to start their own.
The original Smart Studios actually originally opened across the street, in what was then the Gisholt Machine Tool warehouse. They invited any and all Madison bands to come record there.
Grunge bands from the Midwest heard the music coming out of Smart Studios and wanted to come to Madison and record there too. As their notoriety grew, Vig and Marker bought the two-story building in 1987 to accommodate all the demand.
Butch Vig of Garbage co-founded Smart Studios with Steve Marker. (Coney Island Studios)
Hitting the Big Time
When Nirvana came to Smart Studios in 1990 to record eight songs—one of which, “Polly,” appeared on their “Nevermind” album—Smart Studios was known nationwide as a place to come and record. But Vig and Marker made a point to make sure lesser-known local bands could still book time to record there too.
As Garbage began using the studio more and more to record their own music, that left less time for outside bands to make music there. And as the ‘90s grunge movement faded in the ‘00s and Garbage took more and more of Vig and Marker’s time, the studio’s importance began to fade. The studio closed its doors in 2010.
A Remastered Landmark
Neka Allen bought the property in 2021 and planned to turn it into a combination private residence and short-term rental. But when city rules made it too onerous to convert the downstairs into an AirBnB, she made the entire two-story space her home.
While updated and modernized, the decor of the residence pays homage to Smart Studios musical roots. Walls are covered with framed posters of bands who recorded there, along with pages of the studio’s recording schedules, and other memorabilia that reminds guests of its indie rock legacy.
