A Site That Helped Shape Seattle’s Sound
Before Kaye became a place to call home, this corner of Belltown played a part in Seattle's celebrated music story. Studios here welcomed artists, producers, engineers, and musicians through their doors, adding another chapter to a neighborhood already known for creativity and culture.
The Kaye-Smith Years
The Foundation of a Seattle Sound
The story began with Kaye-Smith Studios, part of the media company founded by entertainer Danny Kaye and Seattle businessman Lester Smith. The studio became an important creative destination, welcoming artists whose work helped establish the site’s recording legacy.
Recorded here: Heart’s Little Queen, Bébé le Strange, and Private Audition; The Beach Boys’ M.I.U. Album; and Bette Midler’s self-titled album.
The Bad Animals Era
Seattle’s Music Scene Takes Center Stage
As Seattle’s music scene captured the world’s attention, this Belltown studio became part of the moment. In 1991, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson joined Steve Lawson in transforming Kaye-Smith Studios into Bad Animals, creating a new home for artists shaping the sound of the decade.
Recorded here: Soundgarden’s Superunknown, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy, Mad Season’s Above, Neil Young’s Mirror Ball, Alice in Chains’ self-titled album, and Heart’s Desire Walks On.
Songs That Shaped the Era
Memorable Moments Behind the Music
Some of the era’s most recognizable music passed through the studio in different ways. The rooms supported recording, mixing, live performance, and visual production, making the site part of several memorable moments in modern music.
Studio moments: Nirvana remixed “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies” here, while Soundgarden filmed the music video for “Fell on Black Days” inside the studio.
The Studio X Years
The Legacy Continues
After the Bad Animals chapter, the studio continued as Studio X. The site remained a destination for major artists and ambitious projects, carrying its recording legacy into a new century while expanding into film, media, and live orchestral work.
Recorded here: Pearl Jam’s Yield, Riot Act, and Pearl Jam; Audioslave’s self-titled album; Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism; Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild and Ukulele Songs; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist; and Soundgarden’s King Animal.
Beyond the albums:: Music for Microsoft’s Windows XP was recorded here with a live orchestra in 2001.
A Final Record and a New Beginning
Studio X to Kaye
In 2018, the original Belltown studio completed its final chapter. Alice in Chains’ Rainier Fog became the last album recorded at the original location before Studio X moved to a new home and the site began its transformation into Kaye.
From a place where music was made to a place made for living, Kaye carries this remarkable creative history forward.