Kurt Ballou | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | February 1, 1974 |
Origin | Massachusetts, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1990–present |
Member of | Converge |
Formerly of |
|
Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and record producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.
Kurt Ballou started playing saxophone in elementary school. [1] He performed in jazz band, concert band and orchestra, dabbling between baritone saxophone, bassoon and bass clarinet. Ballou was accepted to join the Hartford School of Music, but he opted to study aerospace engineering instead. [2] His father used to have a guitar that Ballou played occasionally, but it did not interest him until a school friend gave him Slayer tapes around the age of sixteen. [1] [3]
He is a vegan [4] and follows a straight edge lifestyle. [5]
Since 1990, Kurt Ballou has played in the metalcore band Converge. From 1996 to 2000 Ballou played in the hardcore punk band The Huguenots. From 1996 to 1999 Ballou and Stephen Brodsky played in the rock band Kid Kilowatt. In 1998 Ballou established GodCity Studio. From 1999 to 2002 Ballou and Ben Koller played in the hardcore punk band Blue/Green Heart.
In the late 1990s, Kurt Ballou was working as a biomedical engineer when his then-project got cancelled. Instead of selecting a different position within the same company that he had worked with for six years, Ballou opted to receive a severance package which he used to build his own recording studio. [6] [7] His experiences and knowledge in engineering carry over to his recording work. In regards to Ballou's technical precision as a producer, Jacob Bannon (of Converge) has stated, "Nothing gets by him—it is inspiring to watch him work." [8]
Established in 1998, God City Studio is located in Ballou's home state of Massachusetts. One of the earliest recordings from the studio was Cave In's Until Your Heart Stops . Ballou handled all production, engineering, and mastering for the record.
Ballou has stated that collaborating on Jane Doe with co-producer Matthew Ellard was a huge learning experience for him as an engineer and producer. [9] Ellard jokingly stated Ballou "watched him like a hawk" during the engineering and producing process. [9]
In 2005 Ballou remixed and remastered Converge's Petitioning the Empty Sky and When Forever Comes Crashing. Ballou has stated that because of the quality of [Converge's] recordings has improved so much that the original recordings were "becoming distracting". [10] Ballou has also produced and co-produced several Converge albums, including 2001's Jane Doe , 2004's You Fail Me and 2006's No Heroes . He has also produced a number of independent metal and hardcore bands, including Genghis Tron's Board Up the House , Torche's Meanderthal , Disfear's Live the Storm and Darkest Hour's Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora . [11]
One reason that motivated Ballou to get in to the studio side of music was to have "maximum control over Converge's music." He further stated, "When we were starting out, no one wanted to help us anyway, so if we didn't take control, nothing was going to get done." [12] Ballou has claimed to admire producers such as Ken Andrews, Martin Bisi, Fred Drake, Steve Albini, and Don Zientara. [12]
Year | Artist | Album | Contributions |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Cave In | Until Your Heart Stops | Guitar, percussion, vocals |
2000 | Supermachiner | Rise of the Great Machine | Guitar, saxophone, electronics |
2000 | Garrison | A Mile in Cold Water | Slide guitar |
2002 | Nationale Blue | A Different Kind of Listening | Melodica |
2002 | In Pieces | Learning to Accept Silence | Harmonica, melodica, slide guitar |
2002 | Curl Up and Die | Unfortunately, We're Not Robots | Vocals |
2004 | Old Man Gloom | Christmas | Guitars, drums, drum programing, vocals |
2004 | Last Perfection | Drawing Conclusions | Guitar |
2004 | Suicide Note | Too Sick to Dance Forever | Guitars, vocals |
2005 | Mi Amore | The Lamb | Guitars, solos |
2005 | New Idea Society | You Are Awake or Asleep | Drums |
2006 | Kahoots | Fourteen Ghosts | Saxophone |
2007 | Animosity | Animal | Saxophone |
2007 | Pygmy Lush | Bitter River | Saxophone, melodica, slide guitar |
2007 | Coliseum | No Salvation | Keyboards |
2007 | Trap Them | Sleepwell Deconstructor | Guitars |
2007 | The Casual Lean | Swears | Guitars, vocals |
2007 | The One AM Radio | This Too Will Pass | Drum engineering |
2007 | New Idea Society | World Is Bright and Lonely | Guitars |
2008 | Genghis Tron | Board Up the House | Toy drums |
2008 | Verse | Aggression | Drum engineering |
2008 | Torche | Meanderthal | Guitars |
2008 | Pygmy Lush | Mount Hope | Percussion |
2008 | Trap Them | Seizures in Barren Praise | Bass, guitars, noise |
2008 | Clouds | We Are Above You | Synthesizer, saxophone, guitar, slide guitar |
2009 | Supermachiner | Rust | Guitar, saxophone, electronics |
2009 | Rise and Fall | Our Circle Is Vicious | Additional percussion |
2010 | Trap Them | Filth Rations | Glockenspiel |
2011 | KEN mode | Venerable | Slide guitar |
2011 | Des Ark | Don't Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker | Space bong |
2012 | High on Fire | De Vermis Mysteriis | Guitar |
2013 | Oathbreaker | Eros/Anteros | Guitar |
2014 | Trap Them | Blissfucker | Guitar |
2014 | Old Man Gloom | The Ape of God | Guitar |
2015 | Sweet Cobra | Earth | Guitar |
2015 | The Armed | Untitled | |
2017 | Full of Hell | Trumpeting Ecstasy | Bass |
2017 | Mutoid Man | War Moans | Guitar |
2017 | All Pigs Must Die | Hostage Animal | Guitar |
2017 | Chelsea Wolfe | Hiss Spun | Guitar |
2017 | Wear Your Wounds | WYW | |
2017 | Examination Of The... | The Whitest Of Elephants | Slide guitar |
2018 | Baptists | Beacon of Faith | Vocals, soundscapes |
2019 | Crowhurst | III | Drum programming |
2019 | SECT | Blood Of The Beasts | Guitar |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Himself | Best Producer | Nominated | [16] [17] |
Paul Landers is a German musician, notable as the rhythm guitarist for the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, and the punk rock band Feeling B.
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock and Times of Grace, as well as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the melodic death metal supergroup Serpentine Dominion.
Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatures, polymeters, syncopations and tempo changes. Early mathcore lyrics were addressed from a realistic worldview and with a pessimistic, defiant, resentful or sarcastic point of view.
Converge is an American metalcore band formed by vocalist and artist Jacob Bannon and guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990. While recording their landmark fourth album Jane Doe in 2001, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. The members have also been involved in various side-projects and collaborations, including the bands Supermachiner (Bannon), Old Man Gloom (Newton), and Mutoid Man (Koller). With their extremely aggressive and boundary-pushing sound, rooted in hardcore and heavy metal, they are pioneers of metalcore and its subgenre mathcore.
Bane is an American hardcore punk band that began in 1995 as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellorado. Dalbec approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone parted ways to focus on other projects. Dalbec then approached Aaron Bedard about singing for Bane. They went into the studio in December 1995 with a few friends and released a five-song demo. The next year saw the release of their first EP, and many shows throughout central Massachusetts. In early 1997, Bane released Free to Think, Free to Be EP, and in 1998 the band released the Holding This Moment 7" and CD collection, and embarked upon their first US tour. Like many other hardcore bands, Bane are known for their promotion of tolerance and unity within the scene.
Marco Sfogli is an Italian heavy metal and rock guitarist. He has played guitar with James LaBrie, PFM and Icefish.
Nate Newton is an American musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist of the hardcore punk band Converge and the rock band Cave In and is the guitarist and singer in Old Man Gloom and Doomriders. Newton has also been a guitarist and vocalist in Jesuit and bassist in Cavalera Conspiracy.
Ben Koller is an American drummer who has played with Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14.
Thomas Michael Victor is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for heavy metal band Prong, which he founded in New York City in 1986, as well as the guitarist for heavy metal band Danzig intermittently since 1996 and full-time since 2008.
Rob Arnold is an American musician, best known for performing as the lead guitarist of the metal band Chimaira and later the rhythm guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. In an interview with Roadrunner Records, he named Kirk Hammett, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman and Kerry King as being influential to his playing style. Some of his favorite bands include Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Sepultura, and Cannibal Corpse.
Silenoz is a Norwegian guitarist who is a founding member, along with Shagrath and Tjodalv, of the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, of which he is the primary songwriter. He is also guitarist for the death metal supergroup Insidious Disease.
You Fail Me is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 21, 2004 by Epitaph Records. The band's first release for the label, it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou, with the artwork created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.
Jane Doe is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 4, 2001 by Equal Vision Records. The album was produced by Matthew Ellard alongside guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was designed by lead vocalist Jacob Bannon. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, and the last to feature guitarist Aaron Dalbec; Converge's line-up has remained stable since.
Robert Joseph Barrett III is the guitarist for death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He played with the band from 1993 to 1997 and rejoined in 2005. He has cited Gary Moore, Malcolm Young, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Tony Iommi and Steve Vai, among others, as his influences. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida.
The Armed are an anonymous American hardcore punk musical collective, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. Although no official members of the group are known for absolute certain, the collective has been represented in the media by advertising creative and director Tony Wolski – formerly known as Adam Vallely. The project often features guest collaborators on their releases, which have included musicians such as Chris Pennie, Nick Yacyshyn, Ben Koller, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Urian Hackney. Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou has also been involved in the recording and production of most of their releases.
Axe to Fall is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 20, 2009, by Epitaph Records. It is the band's most collaborative album, featuring a number of guest musicians, including members of Cave In and Genghis Tron and Steve Von Till of Neurosis, who performs lead vocals on the slow, Tom Waits-esque track "Cruel Bloom". The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.
"On My Shield" is a single released by American metalcore band Converge. It was originally made available during the band's European tour in July 2010. The single was self-released by the band, though it was distributed by Converge's labels, Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc. The physical release does not contain a label catalog number, however Deathwish lists the single as CONCULT01. The song was recorded and produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou at his own GodCity studio between the band's 2010 US and European tours in support of Axe to Fall.
Jesuit was an American hardcore punk band from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Active in the mid and late 1990s, the group released twelve songs but disbanded before recording a full-length album.
Rise of the Great Machine is the debut and only studio album by the project Supermachiner. It was released on November 28, 2000, through Undecided Records. The album features artwork created by Jacob Bannon.
This is a chronological list of the production discography of American musician and record producer Kurt Ballou, and doubles as a list of recordings made at GodCity Studio.
General
Specific
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)And the nominees are...
The full list of winners