Steve Albini dies from apparent heart attack
Steve Albini dies from apparent heart attack
Chicago musician, engineer and indie-rock icon Steve Albini died Wednesday from an apparent heart attack. He was 61.
The big picture: Albini has recorded thousands of bands, including national acts like Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ Harvey.
What they’re saying: “He was one of the nicest, kindest, most generous and giving people we’ve ever known,” Sue Miller, former owner of Lounge Ax, tells Axios.
- “It’s just so hard to believe, and we will miss Steve forever.”
Context: With all his success, Albini became a crusader for fairness and equity in the music industry, pushing back against major labels and corporations.
What he said: “The music industry is a parasite,” Albini wrote in a keynote speech for a music conference in 2015.
- “When I came of age as a conscious musician in the late ’70s, early ’80s, I wanted to be independent of the existing power structures in the music scene,” Albini told WBEZ in 2012. “The whole of my personality was formed in punk rock, which was an abject rejection of capitalism that wasn’t based on cooperation and collaboration.”
Zoom out: Albini also was a really good poker player, hosting card games at his studio for years.
- He was also active in politics and helped produce the charity event “Letters To Santa: The 24 Hour Comedy and Music Marathon” at various venues around Christmas.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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