The late Steve Albini has been honored with a Chicago street in his name.
Earlier this month, an ordinance passed by Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa officially declared the 2600-2700 block of West Belmont Avenue in Avondale between North Rockwell Avenue and North California Avenue will now be known as “Steve Albini Way.”
Not coincidentally, this stretch of land is where Albini’s legendary recording studio, Electrical Audio, is located. Founded in 1997, its owner and staff helped build the two-studio complex brick-by-brick.
Albini died on May 8th, 2024 of a heart attack at 61 years old. Though he was born in Pasadena, California, and raised in Missoula, Montana, Albini established strong ties to the Chicago music scene after moving there to attend Northwestern University in 1980.
Besides helming classic albums such as Nirvana’s In Utero, Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, Albini fronted rock bands including Shellac and Big Black. Shellac’s latest album, All Trains, was posthumously released just one week after his passing.
For more on Albini, read how he shaped rock in 13 albums.
