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Alex Newport

image: Alex Newport

Alex had already been producing bands while still with Fudge Tunnel, working largely with bands who were friends (Scum Pups, Skink, Tubesurfer), but also notably with the Melvins, on their 1996 album, Stag. When FT split, he took up recording and producing full time. Having lived in the US since 1992, he eventually re-located to San Francisco, where he became a house engineer at Tiny Telephone studios. During his time in San Francisco, Alex built a solid reputation as a producer, working with At the Drive-In, the Mars Volta, the Icarus Line and many, many more.

Alex later moved to LA and opened his own studio, Hot Head Recording, where he continued to produce acts ranging from The Locust to Two Gallants. More recently he moved again, this time to New York, where he opened Future Shock Studio. Concentrating more recently on mixing projects, he has continued to produce and record acts.

Musically, post-Fudge Tunnel, and leaving aside Nailbomb because I think everyone knows about that, Alex was briefly involved with Son of Crackpipe, a very Big Black-ish sounding duo consisting of himself and Tom Reardon of Hillbilly Devilspeak. They released the full length album The Benevolence of Dogs and Other Evolutionary Accidents, and the 10" EP Mary Poppins, on BGR Records, I think in about 1996 or thereabouts.

It wasn't until 1999 that Alex returned to making music. Joining forces with Ches Smith and Ian Billet, he formed Theory of Ruin and released a 7" on Elastic Records. Calling to mind the more angular, raw noise-rock of Big Black or the Jesus Lizard, it was nothing like Fudge Tunnel. Ian Billet left due to poor health and musical differences, and was replaced with David Link, and in 2002 Theory of Ruin released their full length album through Escape Artist records. Counter Cultre Nosebleed was more polished than it's predecessor, but was still very much in the same mould, but they had turned the guitar up. The EP Front Line Poster Child followed, before the band basically ceased to be. Alex realised he could only concentrate on one thing at a time, and that was either going to be music or producing. The latter won out.

In 2008 the Death Cab for Cutie album, Narrow Stairs, which was mixed by Alex, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Music album category.

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Alex Newport

Future Shock Studio