History

1993 and 94’ was the dawn of a new musical age in Chicago.  Bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Liz Phair, and Veruca Salt had all exploded on to the scene and re-introduced Chicago to the musical map.  “Some were quick to call us the next Seattle,” states Doug McBride, “but Chicago was far more musically diverse.”  At the time the corner of North, Damen, and Milwaukee was “ground zero” for the scene.  “There was a club on that corner called Jimo’s were a lot of our friends played.  The Double Door, back then, was a country bar, and there was a dirty little punk bar called Dreamerz that played host to a Bleach-Era Nirvana.”  This would become the backdrop to McBride’s new recording facility, Gravity Studios.

“It was a cheap neighborhood to get a practice space, so it made sense to us that it was the best place to build a studio.” McBride states.  Idful, Kingsize, and the newly christened Gravity, were all burning the midnight oil recording Indie records.  “It was a different neighborhood then,” Mc Bride says of the now posh Wicker Park, “it was primarily composed of a bunch of starving musicians hanging out, going to each other’s shows, and influencing each other musically.”  Still a hot spot for Chicago’s scene, Wicker Park has changed significantly since Gravity first opened for business.  “The whole neighborhood had a funky bohemian vibe and, in those days, you thought twice before walking the streets alone at night.”

“Still, this was the place to be.”  McBride quit a good job as an engineer at Chicago Recording Company to be on the front lines of a rising Chicago rock scene.  “I figured that I was a lifer.  I was going to be writing music and recording bands because that was why I was put on this earth.  So, I thought, I might as well dig in” says McBride.  With the excitement and promise of the emerging new musical flashpoint surrounding them, McBride and Gravity had a clear mission.  “We were all working with the intention of documenting the surrounding scene.  We were there to freeze that moment in time and document that high water mark where our musical wave might crest.”  Doug wasn’t afraid to throw in his two cents and add a backwards guitar solo, vintage synth, or verbed-out tambourine part to bring a section out when the opportunity presented itself.

Gravity had, and still maintains, an ultra-laidback vibe and an atmosphere of comfort and creativity.  “We’ve modeled Gravity after places like Sound City in Van Nuys, Fort Apache in Boston, and even Ultrasuede, John Curely’s place, in Cinci,” McBride continues “these were the original rock studios.”  To McBride, it seems, that the studio as an aesthetic device is just as much an impact on the process of making a record as is the gear being used to record it.  “These were laidback studios with a great vibe, cool people, and, most importantly, they were completely comfortable.  Making a record involves giving some love, and it was obvious that the bands that had recorded there left a lot of it in those studios.  It just felt good to be there, to be in those places.  That was exactly what I wanted for Gravity.  Fortunately, creating a similar environment was as much a necessity as a choice.”

That was just the beginning, Gravity has continued to grow and change with the scene.  Through the late 90’s the studio was regularly booked with major label clients.  Nearly every penny made went right back into Gravity, with McBride amassing a collection of the best new and vintage gear, including a vintage Neve 8058 console.  “Sparkledrive, Cupcakes, Frogpond, and Verbow recorded here a great deal” recalls McBride.  “Other bands like Figdish, Loud Lucy, and Red Red Meat would pop in for a song or two.  The Neve, for a time, attracted many great producers and engineers.”  Perhaps the singular testament to the unique vibe at Gravity is its unwillingness to leave your mind.  “It seems to be that if we see someone work in here once, we know they will soon return” says McBride “some of them join the staff, others will work a few weeks or months on a project and return a year later to do another.  We are lucky in that sense.”  A few of the many renowned engineers and producers who have worked at Gravity include; John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom, Chavez), Mitch Easter (Pavement, Game Theory, REM), Jim O’Rourke (Wilco, Sonic Youth, Tortoise), Peter Mokran (Flaming Lips, The Isley Bros), Mike Clink (Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, Motely Crue), Bob Mould (Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Verbow), Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pete Yorn), and Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Rise Against).

As music evolved around the new millennium so did Gravity, implementing ProTools and developing editing chops.  Still, the focus remained on capturing the best performances and using the best vintage analog gear.  “Some of my Gear Nerd friends chastised me for not investing more in ProTools early on,” state McBride “but we decided that old Neve compressors and ITI EQs were the best sound you could get.”  So Gravity waited for ProTools to improve and live up to their exacting specifications, which it finally did with the release of ProTools HD.

2000 would also hold more developments for Gravity.  “I had lived in the front half of the studio for 7 years,” says McBride “but I was finally ready to move out in 2000.”  The added space allowed for the construction of the B room.  “Now we have two studios and it has been great.  First off, it is a great space that is comfortable, quiet and focused.  Secondly, we put two channels of the all the best gear from Studio A in there, and we will grab mics, guitars, and amps as needed.”  Studio B is also less expensive than the A room which has allowed Gravity to work with bands that have smaller budgets.