Few figures exerted greater influence over the contemporary Pacific Northwest indie music scene than
Steve Fisk -- while a veteran of bands including
Pell Mell and
Pigeonhed, he earned his greatest renown as a producer, helming sessions for acts including
Nirvana,
the Screaming Trees,
Soundgarden and
Beat Happening. Already a veteran of countless short-lived bands by the time he made his solo debut in 1980 with contributions to the compilations Sub Pop 5 and Life Elsewhere, in 1985
Fisk resurfaced as a member of the instrumental outfit
Pell Mell, which issued a series of well-received efforts on SST. That same year he made his producing debut with the Screaming Trees'
Other Worlds, followed in 1986 by the group's
Clairvoyance; soon his credit appeared regularly on releases from the Sub Pop and K labels, including key early releases from the likes of
Beat Happening (the brilliant
Jamboree) and Soundgarden (
Fopp).
In 1990
Fisk produced Nirvana's Blew EP, followed by sessions with
Some Velvet Sidewalk, Treepeople,
Unwound and the late Steven Jesse Bernstein; in 1993, he teamed with vocalist
Shawn Smith in the electronic duo
Pigeonhed, issuing a self-titled LP on Sub Pop. That same year, K also released
Over and Thru the Night, a compilation of Fisk's solo studio experiments. He made the leap to the majors in 1994, helming projects for Island (the Wedding Present's
Watusi) and RCA (the 360's Strawberry Stone); a year later a reunited
Pell Mell issued
Interstate on DGC, and for the same label
Fisk produced the Geraldine Fibbers' acclaimed Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home, the Posies'
Amazing Disgrace and Boss Hog's self-titled album. Subsequent projects include sessions with
Low,
Soul Coughing,
Damien Jurado and
Witchy Poo. His third solo album
999 Levels of Undo, arrived in early 2001 on Sub Pop. ~ Jason Ankeny