Steve Albini is a genius recording engineer who produced several Nirvana albums including In Utero, several Pixies albums and the new Foo Fighters album Sonic Highways. He also happens to be from Missoula and, like myself, graduated from Hellgate High School.

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Two things to love about Steve Albini. 1) He simply doesn't give a f**k what you think about him. He doesn't care if you like him or not, he tells it like it is, he is pure punk rock. 2) He prefers to be called a 'recording engineer' rather than a 'record producer' and doesn't like to be credited for his work as he believes the band deserves all of the credit. He insists on one payment for each album and refuses to receive royalties.

In the first episode of "Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways", Steve compares his work to that of a plumber or a carpenter, saying that if your house is still standing 20 years later, the carpenter doesn't get a bonus. He even mentions good 'ol Missoula in the episode.

And he really is a genius engineer and producer. Hearing him explain why the floors don't meet the walls in his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago is incredibly impressive.

If you missed the Chicago episode of Sonic Highways, you can watch it On Demand on HBO. The next episode is this Friday.

Here's the video for "Something From Nothing" that was featured at the end of the first episode of Sonic Highways. It features Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick and was filmed and recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio.

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