JULY 30, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Alex Newport: At the Drive In, Mars Volta, Melvins, more...
Alex Newport first made a name for himself in the late eighties with the heavy, sludgy sound of Fudge Tunnel, an English band that was around from 1989 to 1995. He moved to the states in the early nineties, starting the side-project Nailbomb, becoming a producer and later an engineer. He's well known for helming guitar-heavy productions for artists like The Locust, Mars Volta, At the Drive In, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Polysics, Melvins, The Icarus Line and many others. I met up with Alex in Los Angeles at his studio, Hot Head Recording, which is tucked into a loft in The Brewery (the largest artist complex in the world and where Pabst Blue Ribbon used to be made). He works here often, with modest equipment and a smallish room, but also travels around the country and world to work in other studios. Alex is a soft- spoken, thoughtful person, and a joy to spend time with — interviewing him was like hanging out with an old friend — we had a great time.
