In an interview for Wendy Schneider's 2016 documentary, "The Smart Studios Story," Butch Vig said, "1254 E. Washington was one damn ugly looking building. It was a two-story, red brick pile of junk, and it looked like a crack house."
Studio A, on the first floor of Smart Studios, was photographed in November 2010, shortly the studio closed for good. It was set up in 1987, by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio became famous for producing artists such as The Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. The version of the Nirvana song, "Polly" that appears on their album "Nevermind" was recorded at Smart Studios in 1990. The Smashing Pumpkins' debut album "Gish" was also recorded at Smart Studios. After the initial production and remix successes, the building became the focus of operations for Vig and Marker's own group Garbage who released their debut album in 1995. The band, fronted by Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson, have recorded most of their albums at Smart Studios.
The outside of the building hasn't changed much in decades, but the interior is getting a whole new look and feel thanks to 36-year-old Kenosha native, Neka Allen. Allen, a director of analytics for a consumer goods company and student of interior design purchased the building for under $500,000 in September 2021 after it spent nearly two years on the market.
According to Allen, the building was in rough shape and in need of some love. She got right to work; turning the space into both her home and a future Airbnb, while paying homage to the building's history as Smart Studios.
A sign reading “Let’s get smart” is displayed on the wall of Studio A. In an interview for “The Smart Studios Story” documentary, co-founder of the Smart Studios Butch Vig told the story of how the studio got its name. He and co-founder Steve Marker would go to a bar on State Street in Madison, drink pitchers of beer then say, “Let’s get smart,” which meant going back to Marker’s State Street apartment to play music until dawn.
The space that formerly hosted musicians and their instruments, Studio A of Smart Studios, now serves as a guest living room.
The original sticker letters spelling out “artists only” remains on the door of Studio A in the former Smart Studios building. Neka Allen, an interior design student and director of analytics for a consumer goods company purchased the building in 2021 for $495,000 after it was on the market for nearly 2 years.
Neka Allen flips through the book, “This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake” by Madison band Garbage inside of a former sound engineering space at Smart Studios.
Neka Allen points to a photograph of a Smart Studios recording session in the book, “This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake” by Garbage.
Pages of the original Smart Studios recording schedule from 1996 and 1997 are displayed in the guest living room (formerly Studio A). Artists who recorded at Smart Studios include Alanis Morissette, Rascal Flatts, Fall Out Boy, L7 and Cheap Trick. A full list of artists can be found on the website for the film: https://thesmartstudiosstory.com/the-bands
The space where recording artists would perform and record, Studio A of Smart Studios, now serves as a living room in the first-floor guest quarters of the building. The decor pays homage to the history of the studio, with posters from some of the bands that recorded had once there and original memorabilia from the studio itself.
The lower level studio space of the former Smart Studios building now serves as a guest dining and seating area. Allen kept the acoustic paneling and soundproof windows as they were when the space was a recording studio.
A sheet of handwritten lyrics for an unknown song, by an unknown musician are displayed on the wall of the space that was formerly Studio A. Allen found the written lyrics while renovating the space.
The Smashing Pumpkins debut album “Gish,” which was recorded at Smart Studios in late 1990 and early 1991, is in the CD player in former Studio A. Building owner, Neka Allen has a goal of acquiring many of the albums recorded at Smart Studios.
Before Neka Allen closed on the purchase of the building, she purchased this Nirvana concert poster. It served as inspiration for the Nirvana-themed guest room on the first floor.
The "Nirvana room" will eventually become part of an AirBnb rental unit once Neka Allen finalizes requirements with the City of Madison.
Neka Allen laughs about being “on brand” with her collection of Nirvana shirts as she gives a tour of the former Studio B space of Smart Studios, which is now her bedroom.
A Smart Studios newspaper ad reads, “Top Ten Reasons Smart Studios Still Sucks” and lists “Two bathrooms not enough to handle all the coffee, pop & beer,” and “Cardboard cut-out of Butch Vig no longer available for photo shoots” as 2 of the 10 reasons. The memorabilia, which was damaged in a 1996 flood, now hangs on the wall of Studio A.
A promotional poster for Wendy Schneider’s documentary “The Smart Studios Story” is autographed by Shirley Manson and Butch Vig of Madison-founded band, Garbage. Garbage was born out of Smart Studios, with Butch Vig on drums, Steve Marker on guitar, Duke Erickson on bass and Shirley Manson on vocals.
Neka Allen’s cat Garfunkel sits in a sunny window in the first floor guest kitchen of the former Smart Studios building.
A promotional flyer for Madison band Killdozer is displayed on a coffee table in Studio. In an interview for “The Smart Studios Story” documentary, co-founder the studio Butch Vig said "Killdozer was the sound of Smart Studios and the sound of the Midwest."
The second floor of the former Smart Studios building now serves as Neka Allen’s living space. She plans to eventually turn the former sound engineering room pictured here into a guest room.
The second floor kitchen is mostly unchanged since the Smart Studios days, with the exception of a removed cabinet and a new refrigerator. Neka Allen initially chose to leave the kitchen this way for budgetary reasons, but “then it grew on me as I used it everyday,” said Allen. “The fridge was my splurge, and I love the way the mint green goes with the purple. An intern at Smart in the 2000s said in a Tone Madison article that he had ‘big emotions seeing that kitchen,’ so changing it felt like I’d be erasing some of the history and memories.”
Neka Allen now owns the pages of the original Smart Studios recording schedule from 1996 and 2002. The calendar pictured on the September 2001 page includes Limp Bizkit, Smokin’ with Superman, Moon Gypsies, Clatter, Lyndsy Stone and Briggs County, Anubis Field, Cordy and production dates for HBO television series “Reverb.”
Original microphone and headphone jacks from Smart Studios are still part of the studio spaces in the building now owned by Neka Allen.
A sunny nook on the second floor of the former Smart Studios building now serves as Neka Allen’s office, where she works from home as a director of analytics for a consumer goods company and attends online classes for interior design.
Behind the door to the basement are stickers, which were affixed during the building’s time as a recording studio. Current building owner Neka Allen said, “I will never change this door.”
An original Smart Studios sticker is among those stuck to the back of the basement door.
Neka Allen’s cat Garfunkel walks along a narrow bench, past the book, “This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake” by the Madison band Garbage.
Smart Studios newspaper ads hang on the wall of Studio A.
While renovating the former Smart Studios building, Neka Allen found this black guitar pick, which to her has no known owner or story. She framed it and used it as decor in the first floor bathroom.
This second floor space used to serve as a lounge area for Smart Studios, and it is now Neka Allen’s personal living room.
Neka Allen is collecting and hanging posters of the bands that once recorded in the building she now owns. Pictured are posters for the Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage and Death Cab for Cutie. Allen said one of the bands she has been enjoying most since exploring the music of Smart Studios is Death Cab for Cutie. She picked up the poster at a recent concert at The Sylvee.
Neka Allen opens the door to the second floor deck on the back of the former Smart Studios building. When asked by the Cap Times if she knows any of the stories about the deck from the Smart Studios days, she said she asked, but “they said they don’t remember.”
Neka Allen’s cat Garfunkel reaches a paw out as Allen walks downstairs. Allen said, “I like to think he gives me high-fives as I leave.”
