Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and record producer based in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, best known as the guitarist for

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

band

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) app ...

and for his recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.

Early and personal life

Kurt Ballou started playing

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

in elementary school. He performed in jazz band, concert band and orchestra, dabbling between

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

. Ballou was accepted to join the Hartford School of Music, but he opted to study

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

instead. His father used to have a guitar that Ballou played occasionally, but it did not interest him until a school friend gave him

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

tapes around the age of sixteen. He is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

and follows a

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated as sXe or signified by XXX or simply X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs in reaction to the punk subculture's excesses. Some ...

lifestyle.

Career

Since 1990, Kurt Ballou has played in the

band Converge. From 1996 to 2000 Ballou played in the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band The Huguenots. From 1996 to 1999 Ballou and

Stephen Brodsky Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician, best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge (band), Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Geni ...

played in the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Kid Kilowatt Kid Kilowatt was an American rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in 1996 and dissolved in 1997, including members of Cave In, Converge (band), Converge and Piebald (band), Piebald. They wrote only one album, ''Guitar Method'', first releas ...

. In 1998 Ballou established GodCity Studio. From 1999 to 2002 Ballou and

Ben Koller Ben Koller (born July 29, 1980) is an American drummer who has played with Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14. Career Early bands (1997–1999) Koller played in th ...

played in the hardcore punk band Blue/Green Heart.

God City Studio

In the late 1990s, Kurt Ballou was working as a

biomedical engineer Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

when his then-project got cancelled. Instead of selecting a different position within the same company that he had worked with for six years, Ballou opted to receive a

severance package A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwilfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following: * Any additional payment based ...

which he used to build his own recording studio. His experiences and knowledge in engineering carry over to his recording work. In regards to Ballou's technical precision as a producer,

Jacob Bannon Jacob Bannon (born October 15, 1976) is an American musician who is the vocalist, lyricist and graphic artist for the metalcore band Converge (band), Converge. He is the co-founder and owner of the record label Deathwish Inc. and the author of ...

(of Converge) has stated, "Nothing gets by him—it is inspiring to watch him work." Established in 1998, God City Studio is located in Ballou's home state of Massachusetts. One of the earliest recordings from the studio was

Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of '' Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalco ...

's ''

Until Your Heart Stops ''Until Your Heart Stops'' is the debut album by metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records. ''Until Your Heart Stops'' has been regarded as a landmark release in the metallic hardcore genre.J. Bennett, "Who's That Gi ...

''. Ballou handled all production, engineering, and mastering for the record. Ballou has stated that collaborating on ''

Jane Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the British, Canadian, and American legal systems, when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law ...

'' with co-producer Matthew Ellard was a huge learning experience for him as an engineer and producer. Ellard jokingly stated Ballou "watched him like a hawk" during the engineering and producing process. In 2005 Ballou remixed and

remastered A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

Converge's

Petitioning the Empty Sky ''Petitioning the Empty Sky'' is the second studio album by American metalcore band Converge. However, contrary to many sources, the band considers this a compilation album, being a collection of songs recorded at different times. While tracklists ...

and

When Forever Comes Crashing ''When Forever Comes Crashing'' is the third studio album by American metalcore band Converge, on April 14, 1998, through Equal Vision Records. Background and recording The album was recorded at God City Studio from 22 December through 3 Janua ...

. Ballou has stated that because of the quality of onverge'srecordings has improved so much that the original recordings were "becoming distracting". Ballou has also produced and co-produced several Converge albums, including 2001's ''

'', 2004's ''

You Fail Me ''You Fail Me'' is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 20, 2004 by Epitaph Records. The band's first release for the label, it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou, with the artwork cr ...

'' and 2006's ''

No Heroes ''No Heroes'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 23, 2006 by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou, and the artwork was created by vocalist Jacob Bannon. ''No Heroes'' re ...

''. He has also produced a number of independent

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

and

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

bands, including Genghis Tron's ''

Board Up the House ''Board Up the House'' is the second full-length album by the experimental metal band Genghis Tron. The album was recorded and mixed at Godcity Studio from August 29 to September 21, 2007, in Salem, Massachusetts, by Converge guitarist Kurt Bal ...

'', Torche's ''

Meanderthal ''Meanderthal'' is the second full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Torche. It was released on April 8, 2008. Reception In the January 2009 issue of ''Decibel Magazine'', ''Meanderthal'' was ranked number 1 atop the list of the ...

'', Disfear's ''

Live the Storm ''Live the Storm'' is the sixth album by Swedish hardcore punk/D-beat band Disfear. It was released in January 2008 under Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It ...

'' and Darkest Hour's '' Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora''. One reason that motivated Ballou to get in to the studio side of music was to have "maximum control over Converge's music." He further stated, "When we were starting out, no one wanted to help us anyway, so if we didn't take control, nothing was going to get done." Ballou has claimed to admire producers such as

Ken Andrews Ken Andrews (born Kenneth Andrew Doty; June 18, 1967) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter. He was born in Seattle and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record deal from Slash Records. Ca ...

Martin Bisi Martin Bisi (born 1961) is an American producer and songwriter. He is known for recording records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, The Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of L ...

Fred Drake Frederick Charles Drake II (January 28, 1958 – June 20, 2002) was an American musician best known as a founding member of earthlings?. Drake is also renowned for having been co-owner (along with Dave Catching) of Rancho De La Luna, the setti ...

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

, and

Don Zientara Don Zientara ( ) is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and variou ...

Equipment

*Guitars commonly used: GodCity Instruments guitars, Wild Customs The Savage One w/ EMG P85 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Sheena Guitar w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup, Warmoth Custom Jazzmaster W/ EMG 89 bridge pickup, First Act Custom Offset-Horns Double-Cutaway, Rickenbacker 650A w/ EMG 81 bridge pickup. *Amps commonly used: Orange OR50 head, Sparrows Sons overdrive std (aka Sparrow amp), Bad Cat Black Cat head, Bad Cat Lynx head, Marshall 1987x Plexi Reissue, 1978 Marshall 50-watt JMP 2204, Ampeg V-4 head, Guild Thunderbass. *Speaker Enclosures commonly used: Emperor 6x12 cabinet (2), Marshall customized 4x12 cabinet w/ four "Eminence vintage 30 clone" 12-inch speakers, Marshall 8x10 cabinet w/ stock 15-watt Celestions. *Effects commonly used: Providence Stampede Distortion, Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer, Akai Headrush, Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run, Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter/Delay, Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, TC Electronic Polytune, Boss Noise Suppressor, TC Electronic Mimiq.

Discography

Production work

With Converge

* '' Halo in a Haystack'' (1994) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

Axe to Fall ''Axe to Fall'' is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on October 19, 2009, by Epitaph Records. It is the band's most collaborative album, featuring a number of guest musicians, including members of Cave In and ...

'' (2009) * ''

All We Love We Leave Behind ''All We Love We Leave Behind'' is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Converge (band), Converge. It was released on October 8, 2012, via Epitaph Records. The album did not feature any guest collaborators, unlike the band's previous ...

'' (2012) * ''

The Dusk in Us ''The Dusk in Us'' is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on November 3, 2017, via Epitaph Records and Deathwish Inc, and is the band's first studio album in five years since 2012's ''All We Love We Leav ...

'' (2017) *'' Bloodmoon: I'' (2021) ** ** **

With The Huguenots

* ''The Huguenots'' (1998) (EP) * ''The Huguenots / Sevenpercentsolution'' (2000) (split with Sevenpercentsolution) * ''Discography'' (2007)

With Blue/Green Heart

* '' Self Esteem Through Modern Science'' (2001) (EP)

With Kid Kilowatt

* ''

Guitar Method ''Guitar Method'' (subtitled ''1996–1999'') is the only album by indie supergroup Kid Kilowatt, initially released by Second Nature Recordings on vinyl in 2003, and later on CD by Hydra Head Records in 2004. It consists of material recorded over ...

'' (2004)

As an additional/guest musician

Awards and nominations

Heavy Music Awards The Heavy Music Awards (HMAs) are awards presented by The Heavy Group to recognize outstanding achievements in heavy music. It operates as both an annual awards ceremony and a live event. The first ceremony was held on 24 August 2017. Whilst ...

!Ref. , - , 2018 , Himself , Best Producer , , rowspan=1,

References

General * Specific

External links

Airbornmag.com Interview
December 2007 Interview with UK-based music/sports website Airbornmag.com
Kurt Ballou interviewFirst Act website
includes a page on his custom "Sheena" guitar
AMP magazine website
''

AMP Amp or AMP may refer to: * Ampere, a unit of electric current, often shortened to amp * Amplifier, a device that increases the amplitude of a signal Arts and entertainment Music * After Midnight Project, Los Angeles alternative rock band * A ...

'' (Kurt contributes an article to this page, entitled "Tech Talk")
Kurt's Rickenbacker 650A review
(Harmony Central)
KURT BALLOU EXPLAINS HOW HE PLAYS SO GODDAMN LOUD
(Noisey) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballou, Kurt Living people 1974 births 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American audio engineers American heavy metal guitarists American multi-instrumentalists American punk rock guitarists Audio production engineers American biomedical engineers Converge (band) members Guitarists from Massachusetts Hardcore punk musicians Record producers from Massachusetts