Pachyderm Studio hosted many artists who helped shape the sound of modern rock music in the 1990s. Legendary albums like Nirvana’s In Utero, Soul Asylum’s Grave Dancers Union, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, and Live’s Throwing Copper were all recorded there, to name just a few. But shortly after the start of the 21st century, the intimate studio nestled within the woods of Cannon Falls fell eerily silent. By the time Twin Cities recording studio visionary John Kuker bought Pachyderm Studio out of foreclosure in 2011 the celebrated studio was in a sorry state of disrepair.

Nick Tveitbakk was just 20 years old when he began working for Kuker. Their creative partnership dates back to Kuker’s Seedy Underbelly studio days in Minneapolis. (It was there that Semisonic recorded Feeling Strangely Fine.) They also worked together in Kuker’s studios in Los Angeles and New York. When Kuker bought Pachyderm, Tveitbakk became the studio manager/engineer and helped him oversee the property’s countless renovations.

It took three years to get the studio up and running and the stylish, mid-century modern house back to livable condition. And just when the sweet noise of music started to finally emanate from within Pachyderm’s hallowed walls once again, John Kuker died of a heart attack in 2015. He was only 40 years old. (This 2015 story shows the freshly renovated Pachyderm.)

“Right when the studio was fully opening, like literally a month into getting things going again, John passed away,” Tveitbakk says. “We had done some projects before that. Motion City Soundtrack recorded here, Trampled By Turtles did a record, I did a record for a blues artist, Jeffrey Foucault. So there were some bigger things going on, but we weren’t really advertising. We ended up switching the console during that time, as well. But when John finally decided, ‘OK, here we go,’ and the studio was dialed in and everything was great, he passed away.”

Kuker’s family operates the studio with his creative vision always in mind, with Tveitbakk continuing as studio manager/engineer. Following the sales of the Seedy Underbelly studios in Los Angeles and New York, most of that vintage equipment was brought back to Pachyderm. “That’s part of why we have such a large and deep equipment collection,” Tveitbakk says. In the ensuing years, projects at the studio have included Trampled by Turtles’ Wild Animals, Hippo Campus’ Landmark, HALEY’s Impossible Dream, Gully Boys’ Not So Brave, Bully’s Sugaregg, the Jayhawks’ XOXO, and more.

Pachyderm had its best year yet in 2021, he says, and there’s more planned for 2022. Recent sessions have featured Jeremy Messersmith, Hot Freaks, Night Moves, Charlie Parr, Vicious Vicious, Rucksack Revolution, among others.

But like many businesses, Pachyderm really struggled at the start of the pandemic. They had to pause operations just as their recording schedule had finally started to fill up.

“That's also another bittersweet moment for the studio, because things were really taking off right before the pandemic,” Tveitbakk recalls. “I was out in California doing a bunch of stuff that January and talking to a bunch of people. And then March hits and, you know, everything changed for everybody.”

One aspect that kept Pachyderm Studio so artist-friendly after the pandemic began is the large, five-bedroom home just a short walk from the studio. Bands would fly into MSP Airport, they could immediately get a test, and isolate in the house. When tests came back negative, then they could proceed with work. “Once we figured out what protocols to set up, things got sort of back to normal,” Tveitbakk says.

One of the most high-profile bookings was Beach House. Live drums on the band’s latest album, Once Twice Melody, were recorded at Pachyderm over the course of three weeks in August of 2020. The new songs were all pretty fleshed out before their arrival, but they chose Pachyderm’s studio in part because it’s well-known for getting quality percussion tones. (The album’s entire recording process spread over three years, and also took place in Baltimore and Los Angeles.)

“They are such magical musicians with crazy artistic energy,” Tveitbakk says. “And they are very meticulous about how they create things.”

The band all drove themselves to Minnesota, rather than risk taking a flight during the frightening early stages of the pandemic. “Travel, as you know, became impossible,” Beach House’s guitarist Alex Scally tells The Current. “We were looking for a studio that both our drummer James Barone, who lives in Denver, and the two of us living in Baltimore could reach. It was a good middle point, and we could stay on premises. And it's just a wonderful, wonderful studio, I would encourage anyone listening to go there and do some work. It's just a great place. For us, it was a lot of relaxing in the beautiful kind of summer nights.”

“The history of the studio, the preservation of it and all the care, it is a beautiful story,” says Beach House singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand. “The place where you can stay is really amazing. There's something really special there. You know, we never went in the swimming pool. I don't know why.”

During their three-week stay in Cannon Falls, Legrand ventured into the city on a few occasions, while the band also explored the Cannon Valley Trail on bicycles loaned to them from neighbors. “It was a great time of the year, too,” Tveitbakk recalls. “We had a really mild August. We had a badminton net set up in the yard, and we took breaks and played when we needed to get away from the studio. We had someone local here cooking for us. It was an amazing time.”

While Tveitbakk served as engineer during the recording sessions at Pachyderm, Beach House produced Once Twice Melody themselves. And then he kept the project a secret until the album’s first chapter emerged in 2021.

Looking ahead, Tveitbakk says he can’t disclose some of the national bands he’s got on the books – either because of contractual stipulations or his own superstition. “2022 is already looking like it is going to be bigger than last year.” The work extends to updating the property’s artist quarters by partnering with Minnesota-based Danish Teak Design and Faribault Woolen Mills for new bedding. “We’re just trying to fill the house with products from local companies: local coffee companies and soap companies, any sort of little amenities I can think of that people make locally and finding local artisans who make stuff like that.”

Perhaps the most exciting development at Pachyderm Studio in 2022 is the newly constructed producer suite that is scheduled to be finished by spring. Tveitbakk thinks this will be yet another draw for producers coming from as far away as New York, L.A., Nashville, or Austin. 

“You’ll be able to work in there, but it’s more of a separate apartment for the producer or the leader of the band to stay in,” he says. “It will also have a workspace, a console, and all this stuff in there -- more of a mix-and-edit suite. The house itself is huge, but often the rooms get filled easily. Someone can separate from the band they are working with, just to stretch out and recharge. It sits right on a bluff overlooking the creek, so it’s a really beautiful spot down there.”

While the updates have made Pachyderm more modern and user-friendly, the creative vision of John Kuker still shines brightly through.

“One thing that we’re really fortunate to have at Pachyderm is such an amazing, inspiring space,” Tveitbakk says. “Having these large windows looking out into the woods, being near the creek. When you immerse yourself in that environment, you’re able to get so much more work done, and creatively your brain just opens up a lot more. And on top of all that, you have John Kuker putting his creative vision and his personal aesthetic on this place. It really creates a good environment for people to come down and make records.”