Jack Endino
Encyclopedia
Jack Endino is a producer and musician
based in Seattle. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop
and the grunge
movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden
, and Nirvana
. Endino has maintained a down-to-earth and humorous website since 1997, and currently manages a studio in Seattle called Soundhouse Recording.
started the influential grunge band Skin Yard
. Though originally a drummer, Endino played guitar and Matt Cameron
played drums until he left for Soundgarden
. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to C/Z Records'
legendary grunge compilation Deep Six
. In July 1986, Endino left his basement recording studio to found Reciprocal Recording
with Chris Hanzsek
, the Deep Six sound engineer, where he used his self-taught recording skills to produce, engineer, and mix Skin Yard's 1987 debut album Skin Yard
. His skill and low fees meant that he was soon an engineer of choice for up-and-coming Seattle grunge bands, and in 1988, he recorded Nirvana's debut album Bleach
in a mere 30 hours for $606.17, using a rather primitive reel-to-reel
8-track
machine. The album did well in the underground, and after the success of 1991's Nevermind it went platinum. After Reciprocal Recording closed in July 1991, Endino continued as a freelance producer and engineer, producing several albums including Bruce Dickinson
's Skunkworks
. He appeared in the 1996 grunge documentary Hype!
, where he's humorously referred to as "the godfather of grunge." Endino was also interviewed at length for the 2009 book, 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music' http://www.ecwpress.com/book/grunge-dead.
Endino is known for his stripped down recording practices and his dislike of 'over-producing' music with effects and remastering
. Largely because of the success of albums like Soundgarden's Screaming Life
and Nirvana's Bleach in the mainstream, the resulting raw, unpolished sound is still seen as a defining characteristic of the grunge movement.
In the Pacific Northwest, he's done work for underground legends like Green River
, Screaming Trees
, L7
, The Gits
, Hole
, 7 Year Bitch
, The Fartz
, Idiot Culture, Supersuckers, TAD
, the thrashcore
band The Accüsed
, Willard
and ZEKE
. He continues to work with influential underground bands, and in 2007 he recorded an album with the proto-grunge band Flipper
. Other projects have included the bands High on Fire
, Hot Hot Heat
, Toxic Holocaust
, Lucid Nation
, and Valient Thorr
. Internationally, Endino is well known for his work with the Brazilian super-band Titãs
, who he’s recorded since 1993. He also produced three albums by the Mexican grunge-like band Guillotina, two albums by the British rockers Winnebago Deal
, and worked with Irish band Therapy?
, French punk
rockers Burning Heads
, and the Australian band Spiderbait
.
snowboarding pro Jamie Lynn
. He also plays bass in Seattle band Slippage.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
based in Seattle. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
and the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, and Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
. Endino has maintained a down-to-earth and humorous website since 1997, and currently manages a studio in Seattle called Soundhouse Recording.
Early career
In 1985, Endino and Daniel HouseDaniel House
Daniel House is a business owner/entrepreneur and musician best known for his contribution to the Seattle “grunge” music movement of the 1980s and ‘90s...
started the influential grunge band Skin Yard
Skin Yard
Skin Yard was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1985 to 1992. The group never gained a mainstream audience, but were an influence on their contemporaries – most notably Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, The Melvins, and Green River – alongside whom they are considered...
. Though originally a drummer, Endino played guitar and Matt Cameron
Matt Cameron
Matthew David "Matt" Cameron is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden...
played drums until he left for Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to C/Z Records'
C/Z Records
C/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge...
legendary grunge compilation Deep Six
Deep Six (album)
The Deep Six compilation was released March 1986 . It was the very first release by C/Z Records, a few months before the release of Sub Pop 100 from Sub Pop Records. It was also arguably the second record to influence the later "Seattle sound" that would be known worldwide as grunge...
. In July 1986, Endino left his basement recording studio to found Reciprocal Recording
Reciprocal Recording
Reciprocal Recording was the name of a recording studio in Seattle, Washington, USA, that was founded in 1984 and officially closed in July 1991.-History:Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale opened Reciprocal Recording in Seattle in 1984...
with Chris Hanzsek
Chris Hanzsek
Chris Hanzsek is an American musical engineer and record producer currently living in Snohomish, Washington. He was co-founder, with then partner Tina Casale, of C/Z Records and their recording studio, Reciprocal Recording, in 1984...
, the Deep Six sound engineer, where he used his self-taught recording skills to produce, engineer, and mix Skin Yard's 1987 debut album Skin Yard
Skin Yard (album)
Skin Yard was the first album released by the band Skin Yard in January, 1987. 1400 vinyl copies were released on translucent skin-tone vinyl.-Track listing:#"Skins in my Closet" #"Reptile"...
. His skill and low fees meant that he was soon an engineer of choice for up-and-coming Seattle grunge bands, and in 1988, he recorded Nirvana's debut album Bleach
Bleach (album)
Bleach is the debut album by the American rock band Nirvana, released in June 1989 through the independent record label Sub Pop. The main recording sessions took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989...
in a mere 30 hours for $606.17, using a rather primitive reel-to-reel
Reel-to-reel audio tape recording
Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette....
8-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
machine. The album did well in the underground, and after the success of 1991's Nevermind it went platinum. After Reciprocal Recording closed in July 1991, Endino continued as a freelance producer and engineer, producing several albums including Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
's Skunkworks
Skunkworks (album)
Skunkworks is a hard rock album released in 1996 by Bruce Dickinson.Originally, Bruce intended for Skunkworks to be the debut album of a band by the same name. However, the label would not publish the record under any other name than Bruce Dickinson. Consequently the album sounds quite different...
. He appeared in the 1996 grunge documentary Hype!
Hype!
Hype! is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture...
, where he's humorously referred to as "the godfather of grunge." Endino was also interviewed at length for the 2009 book, 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music' http://www.ecwpress.com/book/grunge-dead.
Recording and production work
- See Jack Endino discography for a chronological list of Endino's recording and production work
Endino is known for his stripped down recording practices and his dislike of 'over-producing' music with effects and remastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
. Largely because of the success of albums like Soundgarden's Screaming Life
Screaming Life
-Outtakes:The song "Toy Box" was recorded during the sessions for Screaming Life. It was later featured on the "Flower" single. The instrumental track "The Telephantasm" was recorded mostly during these sessions and was released as a separate single in late 2010 and as an iTunes bonus track on...
and Nirvana's Bleach in the mainstream, the resulting raw, unpolished sound is still seen as a defining characteristic of the grunge movement.
In the Pacific Northwest, he's done work for underground legends like Green River
Green River (band)
Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the...
, Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
, L7
L7 (band)
L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
, The Gits
The Gits
The Gits were an American punk rock band, formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1986. Known for their part in the burgeoning Seattle music scene of the early 1990s, their distinct punk rock sound gained a reputation for its bluesy street punk aesthetic...
, Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, 7 Year Bitch
7 Year Bitch
7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active for 7 years, between 1990 and 1997. Their career yielded three albums, and was impacted by the deaths of their guitarist Stefanie Sargent and close-friend Mia Zapata of fellow Seattle punks The Gits.-Career:7 Year...
, The Fartz
The Fartz
The Fartz were originally formed in 1981 and were one of the first well-known hardcore bands from Seattle, Washington. They were signed to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles Record label...
, Idiot Culture, Supersuckers, TAD
Tad (band)
Tad was an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington led by Tad Doyle. Among the first of the many bands which came out of Seattle in the grunge era, Tad was notable for the fact that its music had a noticeable 1970s metal influence, rather than the punk which influenced most other grunge bands...
, the thrashcore
Thrashcore
Thrashcore is a fast tempo subgenre of hardcore punk that emerged in the early 1980s. Thrashcore is essentially sped-up hardcore punk, with bands often using blast beats. Songs can be very brief, and thrashcore is in many ways a less dissonant, less metallic forerunner of grindcore...
band The Accüsed
The Accüsed
The Accüsed is a crossover thrash band from Seattle, WA, founded in 1981. They are considered to be an important progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; as well as an influential band in the...
, Willard
Willard
- Places in the United States :* Willard, Colorado* Willard, Georgia* Willard, Kansas* Willard, Michigan, a small unincorporated community in Beaver Township, Bay County, Michigan* Willard, Missouri* Willard, New Mexico* Willard, New York...
and ZEKE
Zeke (band)
Zeke is an American hardcore punk band from Seattle, Washington formed in 1993. They are known for their extremely fast, energetic guitar sound. Zeke mixes this with strong influences from hard rock, and occasionally blues-rock, and are often compared to Motörhead.Zeke has released six full-length...
. He continues to work with influential underground bands, and in 2007 he recorded an album with the proto-grunge band Flipper
Flipper (band)
Flipper is a punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,, punk rock and noise rock bands...
. Other projects have included the bands High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
, Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1999 from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.-Career:Dustin Hawthorne and Steve Bays had been in many different bands together since 1995 and met Hawley in 1998. In 1999, Hawley bought a Juno 6 keyboard and asked Bays to try playing it, as no one...
, Toxic Holocaust
Toxic Holocaust
Toxic Holocaust are a thrash metal band from Portland, Oregon, signed to Relapse Records. Influenced by punk rock and heavy metal bands of the 1980s such as Slayer, Exodus, Black Flag, Discharge, Motörhead, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Venom, Possessed, Rigor Mortis and Death. Joel Grind founded Toxic...
, Lucid Nation
Lucid Nation
Lucid Nation is an American Los Angeles-based experimental rock band formed in 1994. The band has morphed and transformed itself over the years, reinventing itself and the sound Lucid Nation produces...
, and Valient Thorr
Valient Thorr
-History:Valient Thorr began playing together in 2000. Their first show was on Easter of 2001. They released two demos, "Raw" and "We Come From The Morning Star"...
. Internationally, Endino is well known for his work with the Brazilian super-band Titãs
Titãs
Titãs are a rock band from São Paulo, Brazil. Their best-known line up is the one in the album Cabeça Dinossauro : Nando Reis , Branco Mello , Marcelo Fromer , Arnaldo Antunes , Tony Bellotto , Paulo Miklos , Charles Gavin and Sérgio Britto...
, who he’s recorded since 1993. He also produced three albums by the Mexican grunge-like band Guillotina, two albums by the British rockers Winnebago Deal
Winnebago Deal
Winnebago Deal are a rock music band from Oxford, United Kingdom. They started life in the late 1990s at Bartholomew School in Eynsham, with Ben Perrier and Ben Thomas writing songs then recruiting a drummer and bass player through an ad...
, and worked with Irish band Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
, French punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
rockers Burning Heads
Burning Heads
Burning Heads is a melodic hardcore punk rock band from Orleans, France. The group formed in the late '80s, and started out releasing records independently before signing with Play It Again Sam in 1994. They became more popular in America with the release of their 1998 record, Be One with the...
, and the Australian band Spiderbait
Spiderbait
Spiderbait are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Finley in 1989 by bass guitarist Janet English, singer-drummer Mark Maher , and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart...
.
As an artist
Endino released his first solo album, Angle of Attack, in 1989. Skin Yard disbanded in 1992, and he released a second solo album, Endino's Earthworm, in 1993. In October 2005 he released his third solo album, Permanent Fatal Error. He is currently second guitarist in the band Kandi Coded, which also features VolcomVolcom
Volcom, Inc. is a designer, marketer and distributor of young men's and young women's clothing, footwear, accessories and related products sold under the Volcom brand name. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, United States...
snowboarding pro Jamie Lynn
Jamie Lynn
Jamie Lynn can refer to:* Jamie-Lynn Sigler , actress on The Sopranos* Jamie Lynn Spears , actress on Zoey 101* Jamie Lynn , Penthouse model...
. He also plays bass in Seattle band Slippage.
External links
- Endino.com personal website
- Full Discography includes notes and album covers
- Myspace page
- [ Jack Endino] at Allmusic.com
- Soundhouse Recording official website
- Jack Endino Interview on RocknRollDating.com