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Butch Vig

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Butch Vig

Butch Vig (born Bryan David Vigorson, August 2 1955, Viroqua, Wisconsin) is both a record producer and the drummer for the rock band, Garbage.

Early career

Vig became interested in music and production work when he was a student at the University of Wisconsin main campus in Madison. Vig was studying film, and subsequently became involved in the Madison music scene. During college, he lived with the musician, Laurie Lindeen, who went on to form her own band and eventually married the noted musician Paul Westerberg. [1]

Vig produced several local and regional punk rock bands, such as Killdozer and The Other Kids. [2]

While enrolled in college, Vig met Duke Erikson and Steve Marker. With Erikson, Vig began the band that became Spooner in 1979. Vig and Marker spent hours recording on Marker's four-track tape recorder in his basement. That was the nascent beginning of Smart Studios.

While no offers came to Spooner, the side project Fire Town was signed to Atlantic Records in 1988. They gained critical acclaim and small financial success with their releases "I'll Carry The Torch For You", "Rain On You", and "The Good Life".

Production work

Vig's first high-profile production work was in 1991, when he produced The Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Nirvana's Nevermind.

His production work on Nevermind is widely credited as the reason that Nirvana broke through to the mainstream, going #1 on the U.S. chart (replacing Michael Jackson). Vig incorporated overdubs and vocal doubletracking, whereas Nirvana's previous album, Bleach (produced by Jack Endino) had a more "lo-fi" sound. Kurt Cobain originally refused to double-track his vocals and guitars but Vig reportedly got him to comply by saying "John Lennon double-tracked!". Cobain would later criticize Vig for the album's slickness, although this might be due to Andy Wallace's mixing of the album. {Berkenstadt, J. (1998). Nevermind Nirvana at pg. 96. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-864775-0} Cobain said that "Butch Vig...recorded the album perfectly," in a 1993 MTV interview.

Billy Corgan welcomed Vig's elaborate production on the The Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. The track "Soma," for example, uses over 40 guitar overdubs. This album met with great commercial and critical reception, also breaking another indie band into the mainstream.

Together with Steve Marker (guitar player of Garbage) he also owns Smart Studios, located in Madison, where Vig currently resides. Vig has recorded a number of artists, including Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Sonic Youth, at Smart Studios.

Musician

As a musician, Vig is the drummer for Garbage, who have released five albums:

The band also contributed the theme song for the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.

Upcoming projects

Vig worked with Jimmy Eat World on their sixth album, Chase This Light, released in October 2007. He is also working on soundtracks for two new movies, and producing English indie rock band The Subways' second album. This will be the first time Vig has worked with a UK based band.

Productions

Remixes

Butch Vig has remixed songs for the following artists:

Movie soundtracks

Butch Vig has composed and produced soundtracks for the following movie:

See also

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