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Read more about the article The History of Smart Studios

Exterior of Smart Studios at 1254 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, image ID 243309.

The History of Smart Studios

Smart Studios, founded by Butch Vig and Steve Marker, was a recording studio located on Madison’s east side. Over its twenty-seven years of operation, Smart Studios was responsible for producing music for both local acts and world-famous artists in the late twentieth…

Garbage’s Origins in Madison

Out of all the bands and musicians who have roots in Wisconsin’s capitol city, Garbage is perhaps one of the most successful products of the Madison music scene, having sold more than seventeen million albums worldwide over the course of their career.Garbage…

OBJECT HISTORY: “SMART” Banner by Dennis Nechvatal

“SMART” Banner by Dennis Nechvatal, Madison, WI, 1983. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society ID #2011.63.2 Not many people would expect that some of the most legendary music of the late twentieth and early twenty first century was made right here in…