The Smart Studios Story (2016)

From the outside Smart Studios looked like just another Midwestern factory or warehouse left behind by the economic decline of the 1980s. No one viewing its depleted exterior could have guessed what was going on inside - and how it would soon change the sound of music forever. If you've ever been touched by the music of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, L7, Death Cab For Cutie (among many, many others), you've been touched by the music created at Smart Studios, the legendary recording facility founded by Butch Vig and Steve Marker. Drawing on in-depth-interviews with musicians and producers, never-before-seen archival footage and a powerful soundtrack, The Smart Studios Story tells the story of the pivotal Midwest link to the global rise of Alternative Rock in the 1990's and the unassuming Madison, Wisconsin recording studio at its center. The post-70's explosion of independent music in America has many traceable roots, each with a compelling story. This is one of the most significant stories that has never been told until now.