Shellac was an American noise rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1992 by Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer. Their lineup remained consistent until Albini's death in May 2024.
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded first as a solo project by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band became a trio with an initial lineup that included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985, Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley, who played on Big Black's two full-length studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987).
Mclusky, originally known as Best, are a British post-hardcore band formed in Cardiff in 1996. The group originally consisted of Andrew Falkous, originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, Geraint Bevan (bass) and Matthew Harding (drums); the latter two were replaced by Jonathan Chapple and Jack Egglestone in 1997 and late 2003 respectively. The band released three studio albums before splitting in 2004, reconvening in 2014 – without Chapple – under the monikers 'mclusky' and mclusky*, before ultimately dropping the asterisk.
Steven Frank Albini was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (1992–2024), and engineered acclaimed albums like the Pixies' Surfer Rosa (1988), PJ Harvey's Rid of Me and Nirvana's In Utero.
Silkworm was an American indie rock band active from 1987 to 2005 whose core members were Tim Midyett, Andy Cohen, and Michael Dahlquist.
David Michael Riley was an American musician who was the bassist in the punk rock band Big Black from 1985 until the band's dissolution in 1987. Riley moved to Chicago in 1982 from Detroit, where he had worked as a recording engineer. He played on Big Black's two studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987), as well as their Headache EP (1987), several singles, and two live albums. After Big Black, Riley recorded tracks with several other artists before being incapacitated by a stroke in 1993, losing the ability to walk. He became a blogger, and published a book in 2006 titled Blurry and Disconnected: Tales of Sink-or-Swim Nihilism. He died in late 2019 from squamous cell carcinoma.
Robert William "Robbie" Fulks is an American alternative country singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and long-time resident of Chicago, Illinois. He has released 15 albums over a career spanning more than 30 years. His 2016 record Upland Stories was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and the song "Alabama at Night" was nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song.
Nina Maria Nastasia is an American folk singer-songwriter. A native of Los Angeles, she first came to prominence in New York City in 2000 after Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel began giving her debut album, Dogs, airplay. The album earned Nastasia a cult following, and was re-released in 2004. Her fifth studio album release, You Follow Me (2007), was a collaboration with Australian drummer Jim White of Dirty Three.
Peter Yanowitz, also known as Pedro Yanowitz, is an American musician, songwriter, and visual artist. Yanowitz was the original drummer of The Wallflowers, and for Natalie Merchant on her first three solo records Tigerlily, Ophelia, and Live in Concert. He also played drums for Money Mark, the Black Sabbath tribute band Hand of Doom with Melissa Auf der Maur, and with Nina Nastasia, on her album Dogs. Other artists Yanowitz has played drums with include: Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg, and Wilco. Yanowitz was also the bass player, songwriter, and producer for the band Morningwood. Currently, Yanowitz is the drummer of Exclamation Pony with Ryan Jarman. Peter also performed as 'Schlatko', the drummer of The Angry Inch in the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall, John Cameron Mitchell, Darren Criss, and Taye Diggs.
Dogs is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was originally released in 2000 by the New York City-based independent label Socialist Records, and re-released in 2004 by Touch and Go Records. Engineered and produced by Steve Albini, the album gained notoriety after BBC radio disc jockey John Peel championed it, giving it frequent airplay on Radio 1.
The Blackened Air is the second album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released in 2002 by Touch and Go Records. The album was recorded almost completely live, with the band set up in a semi-circle in one corner of the studio, over a six-day period in 2001 at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. The final track, "That's All There Is", was held over from sessions for her debut, Dogs.
Run to Ruin is the third album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Black Box studio in Noyant-la-Gravoyère, France and at Looking Glass studio in New York. Released in 2003 by Touch and Go Records, it received universal critical acclaim according to Metacritic with a composite rating of 85, ranking 29th among the best albums of 2003.
On Leaving is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released on September 11, 2006, on Fat Cat Records. It was recorded by Steve Albini and produced by Nastasia, Kennan Gudjonsson, and Albini. The album received generally favorable reviews; Allmusic considered the album a "deeply poetic record." Stylus Magazine commented the album was "full bodied and masterful, overshadowing many big-footed leading ladies’ recent folk releases." Pitchfork Media found it "difficult to hear Nastasia pull back to a songwriter-with-guitar style."
You Follow Me is a collaborative studio album between American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia and Australian drummer Jim White. The album was released in Europe and Australia on 28 May 2007, and in the United States and Canada on 14 August 2007 and was the second Nastasia album released by independent British label FatCat Records. This is Nastasia's fifth studio release overall.
"What She Doesn't Know" is a 7-inch single by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia, released on February 25, 2008 by Fat Cat Records. The vinyl was limited to 500 copies worldwide.
Libertine is the third full-length studio album by indie rock band Silkworm. It was released in 1994 on El Recordo. It was their last recorded release before guitarist/vocalist Joel RL Phelps left the band.
In the West is the second full-length album by indie rock band Silkworm, released in 1994. It was the band's first full-length album to be produced by their long-time friend Steve Albini; the first official recording that the band recorded with him was the His Absence Is A Blessing EP.
Alison Chesley, known also by her stage name Helen Money, is a Chicago-based cellist and composer.
Outlaster is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released by FatCat Records internationally on June 7, 2010, and in the United States on June 22. The album was recorded in four days at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. Los Angeles–based arranger Paul Bryan conducted score for a small orchestra, with Nastasia and her manager Kennan Gudjonsson assembling string and woodwind quartets. The record also features contributions from drummer Jay Bellerose and guitarist Jeff Parker.
Riderless Horse is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released by Temporary Residence Limited digitally and on CD on July 22, 2022, with the vinyl version following on November 4.
