Fort Collins’ music studio quietly racks up another accolade

By David Young

Most people think of Los Angeles, New York City or Nashville when it comes to Grammy Award-winning recording studios. However, there is one such studio tucked away in an inauspicious building in Fort Collins. Just a couple miles from Old Town sits a small recording studio called The Blasting Room that is making a big name for itself.

The Blasting Room was started by members of the punk bands Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag to record their albums. But soon the word got out, and bands from all around the world started coming to Fort Collins to record.

Famed bands including NOFX, Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, The Lemonheads, A Day to Remember, Less than Jake, Rise Against, and many more have been through the halls of The Blasting Room.

Adding to the already sterling resume, recently Blasting Room co-owner and producer Jason Livermore won a Latin Grammy for his work on the Best Rock Album “Sólo D’Lira” by Mexico City band Molotov.

“The Blasting Room was started by musicians for musicians. Everyone here is either in a band or has played in bands,” said Livermore, a former drummer. “We understand the band dynamics and what people are looking for.”

Livermore and Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson launched The Blasting Room in 1994, which started as a one-room studio. Today it has grown to three full working rooms, a full mastering suite, and editing suites. The studio employs six engineers and a full-time technician.

The Blasting Room is a one-stop-shop for bands looking to record, as the studio has all the equipment a band needs including 10 drum sets, 20 guitar amps, and multiple guitars and basses. Bands can even stay at the studio when recording.

While Livermore has been working with top-tier bands for years, this is the first Grammy he has won, and it is garnering more business for the Colorado studio. The award was handed out in Seville, Spain, in November and while he was unable to attend the ceremony in person, Livermore watched online and was thrilled to see the album he helped bring to life win the prestigious award.

Livermore started playing drums at an early age. However, after going into the studio for the first time to record a demo, he fell in love with the recording process. He worked his way up from recording with a 4-track to an 8-track and eventually, he quit his day job as a beer salesman to start at The Blasting Room. His time behind the boards and working with Stevenson paid off with a Grammy.

“I have learned the world about music and recording from him. He is one of, if not the best punk rock drummer of all time, so it is always amazing getting to work on one of his projects,” Livermore said.

Livermore recently wrapped up working on an EP for the ska-punk band Less Than Jake, and he has several other projects on the horizon.

David Young is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins who specializes in beer, whiskey and outdoor writing. David has been published in SKI Magazine, GearJunkie, 5280 Magazine, USA Today, and The Denver Post.

This story is in our May-June print issue. Click here to read the full magazine.