Canadian musicians who worked with Steve Albini share their admiration.
Albini's seemingly prolific career included work on some 2,000 albums, including landmark alt-rock records by Nirvana, Pixies and PJ Harvey. A wide range of notable Canadian artists worked with Albini and were quick to respond with tributes to the Chicago-based studio wizard.
Toronto drummer, composer and writer Don Pyle has collaborated with Albini as a member of the acclaimed Toronto music groups Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and Phono-Comb. Albini was a fan of the Shadowy Men, even sending them a fan letter that helped the band recruit him for sessions that led to the trio's second album, 1993. Sport Fishin': The Lure of the Bait, The Luck of the Hook.
Albini would later collaborate with Dallas Good and The Sadies on the Sadies album in 2001 Huge Efforts and after the 2006 live album, The Sadies In Concert, Vol. 1, recorded at Lee's Palace in Toronto (Pyle also assisted on the record). Along with fellow Shadowy Men members Reid Diamond, Beverly Breckenridge and Good (later of Sadies fame), Pyle was also in the lineup of Phono-Comb, a Toronto band that recruited Albini to work on their album 1996. Fresh gasoline.
In an interview with Billboard Canada, Pyle confirms that his late friend Dallas “definitely had a warm relationship with Steve. The Sadies recorded with him on two occasions. I know Steve certainly enjoyed the experience of coming here and doing the Sadies live album. Making the Phono-Comb album allowed for more social time and friendship with them. Steve certainly respected what Dallas became.”
Guelph's acclaimed post-rock band King Cobb Steelie worked on material with Albini before releasing their second album in 1994 Project Twinkle, which would later be credited to Bill Laswell as producer.
“He stayed at my house for a week and was a very generous and kind guest,” says the group's frontman Kevan Byrne. Billboard Canada. “I think we were one of the first sessions he created after that In the womb. Steve raved about Dave Grohl's drums and insisted that our drummer buy new white-coated Ambassador heads. He then used a heat gun to break them.”
Toronto hardcore favorites Fucked Up offered a succinct and touching tribute to X: “Rip Steve… you hated our band and made fun of us while we were recording in your studio, but you stood for something honest and fair in music and tried to make it a better place. position in everything you did and there will never be another like you.”
Head to Billboard Canada for more Albini memories and chatter from KEN Mode, Joel Plaskett, Metz and more.
Feist, Allison Russell, Mustafa have been selected for the 2024 Prism Prize
The Canadian Academy has announced the 10 best Canadian music videos of the year. The videos, selected from a panel of 300 by a jury of music and video production professionals, were shortlisted for the Prism Prize 2024. The award comes with a $20,000 prize.
Singer-songwriter Feist, pop-rock group The Beaches, Grammy-winning roots artist Allison Russell, musician and poet Mustafa, and hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids (who took home the award last year, for “Damn Right”) are all among the shortlisted candidates.
Since its introduction in 2013, the Prism Prize has celebrated outstanding work in Canadian music video production. The shortlist is determined by a jury of over 120 leading figures in Canadian music, film and media arts. In evaluating the music videos, the jury considers elements such as originality, style, creativity, innovation and execution.
Each of the top 10 finalists is also eligible for the fan-voted Audience Award, which comes with a $2,500 CAD prize for the winner.
A Class of 2024 celebration will be held in July, with a screening of the top 10 videos and the announcement of the winners.
The Prism Prize 2024 Top 10 (in alphabetical order):
Blame Brett – Artist: The Beaches | Directed by: Ievy Stamatov
Borrow Trouble – Artist: Feist | Directors: Mary Rozzi, Colby Richardson, Heather Goodchild & Leslie Feist
Demons – Artist: Allison Russell | Directed by: Ethan Tobman
wild canadian scaredy cat – Artist: young friend | Directed by: Sterling Larose & Zachary Vague
I'm Good – Artist: Snotty Nose Rez Kids | Directed by: Sterling Larose
I Wanna Be Your Right Hand – Artist: Nemahsis | Directors: Norman Wong & Amy Gardner
My Mind At Ease – Artist: Dominique Fils-Aimé | Directed by Adrian Villagomez
Name of God – Artist & Director: Mustafa
Of Woods And Seas – Artist: Alaskan Tapes | Directed by: Andrew De Zen
Revenge of the Orchestra (feat. Magugu) – Artist: Apashe | Directed by Adrian Villagomez
