“I have as many opinions as Steve Albini,” says Brad Wood. “I just don’t get asked.” Wood, proprietor of the Wicker Park production company Idful Music, is slowly getting some attention after his wowser work with Liz Phair and Red Red Meat, but comparisons between acerbic, hardline underground producer Albini and the genial and pop-steeped Wood seem a bit strained. Wood likes and respects Albini, and he does have some strong opinions, but they tend to be delivered graciously, and it’s almost impossible to get him to say anything remotely controversial. Try as he might to claim otherwise, Wood’s only similarity to Albini is that both have a devoted following of bands grateful for the care and attention given them.
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“Brad was totally cool,” reports Red Red Meat’s Glenn Girard. “If he really likes your music and really likes what you’re doing he’ll go all out for you. If he hears a certain something, or if you have an idea and don’t know how to get at it, he can totally bring it out.” The band, which first began working with Wood in its Friends of Betty days, is now using him on their debut work for Seattle’s Sub Pop.
Like Albini, Wood doesn’t like his profession’s terminology. “When we talked to Brad about producing our record,” Girard recalls, “he was uncomfortable with that word. ‘You’re producing your record,’ he said. ‘I’m recording it.’”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photos/Yael Routtenberg.
