Smart Studios smashed

Smart Studios, the recording home of the band Garbage, had a little unexpected remodeling done this morning when a backhoe crashed into the building.
The accident happened at about 7:30 a.m. when the driver of the backhoe, traveling on East Washington Avenue, ran a red light at Baldwin Street and rammed a van, said Lt. Pat Malloy of the Madison Police Department.
The backhoe careened off the van and rammed the studio, located at 1254 E. Washington Ave.
Smart Studios manager Mike Zirkel said no one was in the building at the time of the crash.
Some guitar amps and microphones were destroyed, but the crane missed a piano that was in the same studio, Zirkel said.
“The biggest concern is the acoustical structure on the inside. Apparently the building’s structure is sound,” he added.
Smart Studios is owned by Butch Vig and Steve Marker, two members of Garbage. The band primarily uses the upstairs portion of the building, which was not damaged, but other bands use the downstairs studio.
Zirkel said the accident will definitely affect the recording schedule for the studio, including for Garbage, which is in the midst of recording its fourth album.
(source: Madison.com)