{{Short description|American musician and producer (1965–2019)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Ed Ackerson | honorific_suffix = | image = Ed Ackerson.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | alias = | birth_name = Edwin C. Ackerson<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/881879488 |title=ALMOST TRANSPARENT |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=November 20, 2024}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1965|07|18}} | birth_place = Stillwater, Minnesota<ref name="CityPagesObit191007">{{cite news |first=Erik |last=Thompson |title=RIP Ed Ackerson, who changed the Twin Cities music scene forever |url=http://citypages.com/music/rip-ed-ackerson-who-changed-the-twin-cities-music-scene-forever/562378271 |work=City Pages |location=Minneapolis |date=October 7, 2019 |accessdate=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007154302/http://www.citypages.com/music/rip-ed-ackerson-who-changed-the-twin-cities-music-scene-forever/562378271 |url-status=live }}</ref> | origin = | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|10|4|1965|07|18}}<ref name="StarTribuneObit191005">{{cite news |last1=Riemenschneider |first1=Chris |title=Minneapolis 'musical wizard' and Polara frontman Ed Ackerson dies at 54 |url=http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-music-wizard-ed-ackerson-54-loses-cancer-battle/562281532/ |accessdate=October 26, 2019 |work=Star Tribune |date=October 5, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106065148/http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-music-wizard-ed-ackerson-54-loses-cancer-battle/562281532/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | death_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota | genre = Indie rock, alternative rock | occupation = Singer, songwriter, producer, engineer | instrument = Guitar, drums | years_active = 1989–2019 | label = Susstones, Interscope, Clean, Twin/Tone | past_member_of = Polara, The 27 Various, BNLX, Antenna | website = {{Official website|http://www.edackerson.com/}} | module = | module2 = | module3 = }} '''Edwin C. Ackerson''' (July 18, 1965 – October 4, 2019)<ref name="CurrentObit191005">{{cite news |first=Jay |last=Gabler |title=Ed Ackerson, pillar of the Minnesota music scene, dies of cancer |url=https://blog.thecurrent.org/2019/10/ed-ackerson-pillar-of-the-minnesota-music-scene-dies-of-cancer/ |work=The Current Blog |date=October 5, 2019 |accessdate=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006025719/https://blog.thecurrent.org/2019/10/ed-ackerson-pillar-of-the-minnesota-music-scene-dies-of-cancer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> was an American musician and producer from Minneapolis.<ref name="StarTribuneObit191005"/> He produced or engineered dozens of records including works by prominent artists such as The Jayhawks, The Replacements, Motion City Soundtrack, Soul Asylum, Golden Smog, Dave Davies of The Kinks, Wesley Stace, Mason Jennings, Mark Mallman, John Strohm, Brian Setzer, Lizzo, Pete Yorn, The Wallflowers, Rhett Miller of The Old 97s, Jeremy Messersmith, and Juliana Hatfield.<ref name="CityPagesFlowers2013">{{cite news |first=Dave |last=Hoenak |title=Ed Ackerson on Flowers Studio: We let stuff come to us |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/ed-ackerson-on-flowers-studio-we-let-stuff-come-to-us-6635619 |work=City Pages |location=Minneapolis |date=February 6, 2013 |accessdate=October 16, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108054229/http://www.citypages.com/music/ed-ackerson-on-flowers-studio-we-let-stuff-come-to-us-6635619 |url-status=live }}</ref> He owned a recording studio in Minneapolis, Flowers,<ref name="CityPagesObit191007" /> and co-founded the Susstones record label.<ref name="NYObserver2015">{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Kurson |title=Twin Cities Mod Godfather Ed Ackerson Brings BNLX to Town |url=https://observer.com/2015/05/twin-cities-mod-godfather-ed-ackerson-brings-bnlx-to-town/ |work=New York Observer |date=May 8, 2015 |accessdate=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051857/https://observer.com/2015/05/twin-cities-mod-godfather-ed-ackerson-brings-bnlx-to-town/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ackerson led several notable Twin Cities pop/rock bands including Polara and The 27 Various, and released several solo records under his own name. He was also a prolific producer of albums by Twin Cities bands, and was regarded as one of the linchpins of the Minnesota music scene.<ref name="CurrentObit191005" />
==Early life== Ackerson was born in Stillwater, Minnesota<ref name="CityPagesObit191007" /> and was valedictorian of his high school class.<ref name="LATimes1995">{{cite news |last=Ali |first=Lorraine |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-19-ca-36872-story.html |title=Post-Punk Player Is Finding Success Through Surrender |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 19, 1995 |accessdate=October 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021141041/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-19-ca-36872-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1985, he turned down a scholarship to Yale to pursue a career in music in Minneapolis.<ref name="RollingStone1995Hendrickson">{{cite magazine |title=Reviews |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 29, 1995 |last=Hendrickson |first=Matt |issue=711 |page=23}}</ref>
==Career== ===As musician=== ====The Dig==== Ackerson's early band The Dig, formed in the mid-1980s, was influenced by The Jam and 1960s English mod rock like The Who. Though the Dig earned critical praise for the single "Problem With Mary,"<ref name="NYObserver2015" /> Ackerson told an interviewer in 1997 that he felt the band had been too "angry,"<ref name="Billboard1997Ackerson">{{cite magazine| first = Craig | last = Rosen| title =The Early Years: Tracing Ackerson's Musical Growth| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83| magazine = Billboard| date = April 5, 1997| page = 83}}</ref> and determined to take a more positive tack with his next project.
====The 27 Various==== His next band, the 27 Various, blended Ackerson's mod influences with Syd Barrett-style psychedelia, both of which would continue to be touchstones throughout his career. The group's first two albums, 1987's ''Hi'' and 1989's ''Yes, Indeed,'' self-described by Ackerson as "whimsical,"<ref name="Billboard1997Ackerson" /> were limited releases on Ackerson's own Susstones label. The third, 1990's ''Approximately,'' moved to the larger label Clean (Twin/Tone), but despite the band's increased profile, the album suffered when Twin/Tone's distributor, Rough Trade, went out of business. ''Trouser Press'' writer Ira Robbins praised ''Approximately'' as a turning point "for Ackerson, who was on his way to becoming an assured and able multi-faceted rocker."<ref name=trouserpress>{{cite web|url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=27_various|title=27 Various, Polara, Sideways, Ed Ackerson|last=Robbins|first=Ira|work=trouserpress|publisher=Trouser Press LLC|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023233356/http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=27_various|url-status=live}}</ref> The band put out two more records in 1992, the power-pop set ''Up'' and the more dreamlike ''Fine'', before breaking up that year. Robbins called ''Up'' "another excellent showcase for Ackerson's thoughtfully modulated guitar playing and genre-jumping songwriting," praising his ability to work in many styles, and noted that the heavy distortion effects on ''Fine'' were a sign of the sound Ackerson would pursue in his next project, Polara. Bryan Carroll of Allmusic called ''Fine'''s blend of shoegazer and Brit-pop "near-perfect" and lamented that "probably due to promotion/distribution, the record never received the praise or audience it deserved."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fine-mw0000619211|website=Allmusic.com|title=27 Various: ''Fine'' Review|first=Bryan|last=Carroll|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051925/https://www.allmusic.com/album/fine-mw0000619211|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Polara==== {{Main|Polara (band)}} [[File:Polara - First Avenue Star.jpg|thumb|Polara's star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue]] After a short stint as second guitarist in Blake Babies singer John Strohm's band Antenna,<ref name="Graff1996">{{cite book|author=Gary Graff|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NjOldjR5J4C|year=1996|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=978-0-7876-1037-1|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423180645/https://books.google.com/books?id=1NjOldjR5J4C|url-status=live}}</ref> Ackerson formed Polara with guitarist Jennifer Jurgens, bassist Jason Orris, and Trip Shakespeare's Matt Wilson on drums, continuing his interest in 1960s psychedelic pop but adding a heavy element of Krautrock-inspired electronics and keyboards.<ref name="allmusic_polara_bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/polara-mn0000358311/biography |website=Allmusic.com |title=Polara: Biography |first=Jason |last=Ankeny |accessdate=October 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051902/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/polara-mn0000358311/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> Polara was Ackerson's first band to gain significant national attention. The group released a self-titled debut in 1995, which ''Allmusic'' writer Rick Anderson called "weird but lovable" and "as fresh and bracing as a bucket of ice water in the face."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/polara-mw0000124052|website=Allmusic.com|title=Polara: ''Polara'' Review|first=Rick|last=Anderson|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051857/https://www.allmusic.com/album/polara-mw0000124052|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Billboard'' writer Chris Morris called it "the first truly great album (I have) heard in 1995."<ref name="Billboard1995Morris">{{cite magazine| first = Chris | last = Morris| title =Declarations of Independents: Big Plans Afoot For Indie Sector At NARM; Also, Polara Turns Into More Than a One-Man Show| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83| magazine = Billboard| date = April 5, 1997| page = 83}}</ref> Strohm also contributed to the debut album. Critical acclaim for the album led to a bidding war by several major labels; Polara eventually signed to Interscope for its second album, ''C'est La Vie'', in 1997,<ref name="Billboard1997Ackerson" /> with Peter Anderson replacing Wilson on drums.<ref name=trouserpress /> ''Billboard'' writer Deborah Russell called Ackerson and Polara the front of "the emergence of a new local (Twin Cities) scene" more interested in pop music and postpunk than the punk rock of bands like Hüsker Dü and the Replacements.<ref name="Billboard1995Polara">{{cite magazine| author = Deborah Russell| title = Polara Defines New Scene: Restless Set Mixes '80s Pop, Synth| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4gsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Ed+ackerson%22&pg=PA5| magazine = Billboard| date = February 25, 1995| page = 5| access-date = April 23, 2023| archive-date = April 23, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230423180650/https://books.google.com/books?id=4gsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Ed+ackerson%22&pg=PA5| url-status = live}}</ref> Matt Hendrickson of ''Rolling Stone'' called him "the kingpin of a resurgent Minneapolis music scene."<ref name="RollingStone1995Hendrickson" /> Though Ackerson produced most of ''C'est la Vie'' himself, the band also worked with prominent producers Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins), Sean Slade, and Paul Q. Kolderie on several tracks. Ackerson took a holistic approach to making music, viewing composition, performance, recording and post-production all as steps in a single process of creating a song. He told an interviewer in ''Guitar Player'' magazine, "It's all part of the same thing—amps, guitars, effects. You're playing it all." Ackerson believed that constant experimentation with new sounds was at the heart of his songwriting approach with Polara, which he stated "would never make the same record twice." In contrast to ''Polara'', his intention on ''C'est la Vie'' was to play more straightforward rock. "The first album had no lead (guitar parts), and that was very deliberate. I was kind of politicized about it. But when we started to get this record together I realized that I am a rock guitar player, and we felt like making a record more related to rock."<ref name="GuitarPlayer1997Kenneally">{{cite journal |title=Electro-Harmonizing Polara's Stompbox Serenades |journal=Guitar Player |date=July 1997 |last1=Kenneally |first1=Tim |last2=Jennings |first2= Steve |volume=31 |issue=7|page=47 }}</ref> A third album, ''Formless/Functional'', followed in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/formless-functional-mw0000597599|website=Allmusic.com|title=Polara: ''Formless/Functional'' Review|first=Jason|last=Anderson|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051900/https://www.allmusic.com/album/formless-functional-mw0000597599|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite a generally warm reception by critics (''Trouser Press''' Ira Robbins called it "stylish and sophisticated"<ref name=trouserpress />), the album received little support from its record label. Corporate mergers involving Interscope soon led the label to drop many bands, including Polara. Ackerson put Polara on hold in favor of other projects, but Jurgens and new bassist Dan Boen rejoined Ackerson for 2002's ''Jetpack Blues'', released on Susstones.<ref name="allmusic_polara_bio" /> Greg Winter of ''CMJ'' called ''Jetpack Blues'' "exquisite," with "short but sweet guitar solos and beautiful vocal harmonies."<ref name="CMJPolaraJetpackBlues2002">{{cite magazine| author = Greg Winter| title = Reviews: Polara, Jetpack Blues| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=owfk8Hq7lkwC&dq=%22Ed+ackerson%22&pg=PA5| magazine = CMJ New Music Report| location = New York City| publisher = CMJ Network| date = June 10, 2002| volume = 71| issue = 766| page = 15| access-date = April 23, 2023| archive-date = April 23, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230423180653/https://books.google.com/books?id=owfk8Hq7lkwC&dq=%22Ed+ackerson%22&pg=PA5| url-status = live}}</ref> A final album, ''Beekeeping'', came out in 2008.
Polara has been honored with a star on the outside mural of famed Twin Cities club First Avenue.<ref name="CurrentObit191005" /><ref name="FirstAveStars">{{cite web |url=http://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |title=The Stars |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=First Avenue & 7th Street Entry |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418135117/https://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ackerson himself was a sound engineer at the club in the 1990s.<ref name="StarTribuneObit191005" /> The stars recognize performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.<ref name="StarTribune2019">{{cite news |last=Bream |first=Jon |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-things-you-ll-learn-about-first-avenue-in-new-minnesota-history-center-show/509374312/ |title=10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=May 3, 2019 |accessdate=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308123225/https://www.startribune.com/10-things-you-ll-learn-about-first-avenue-in-new-minnesota-history-center-show/509374312/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.<ref name="MSPMag2019">{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Steve |url=https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/first-avenue-star-wall/ |title=First Avenue's Star Wall |work=Mpls.St.Paul Magazine |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=May 13, 2019 |accessdate=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224033810/https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/first-avenue-star-wall/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Polara composed an original score for the silent film ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', which they performed live at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre as part of the 2002 Los Angeles Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.insidefilm.com/lafilmfestannounced.html|title=Inside Film Online - Los Angeles Film Festival Line-Up Announced|website=Insidefilm.com|access-date=September 19, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051902/http://www.insidefilm.com/lafilmfestannounced.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Polara's song "Scorched Youth Policy" appears on the soundtrack to the 1996 Jackie Chan film ''Supercop''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/supercop-mw0000072482/#review |website=Allmusic.com |title=Supercop: Original Soundtrack |first=Adam |last=Greenberg |accessdate=October 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020053220/https://www.allmusic.com/album/supercop-mw0000072482/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== BNLX ==== In 2010, Ackerson started a new group, BNLX (named after the abbreviation for Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg)<ref name="NYObserver2015"/> with his wife Ashley Ackerson. A blend of punk rock and Britpop, BNLX released about a dozen EPs and two albums on Susstones. The first four BNLX EPs, which were thematically connected and released consecutively over the course of 2010, were named No. 6 in a list of the top 10 Minnesota records of 2010 in the Star Tribune's annual survey of Twin Cities music critics.<ref name="Strib2010-12-31">{{cite news |last= Riemenschneider |first=Chris |date=2010-12-31 |title= Digging 'Graveyard'; Jeremy Messersmith went 6 feet under and rose to the top spot in our annual poll to pick the year's best local CD |url= |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis–Saint Paul |page=E1 |access-date=}}</ref> The 2015 BNLX album ''Good Light'' tied for 15th place in that year's edition of the same poll.<ref name="StribBestOf2015">{{cite news |last= Riemenschneider |first=Chris |date= January 1, 2016 |title= Twin Cities Critics Tally: Best in Local Music: 'Ones' is No. 1 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/250727728 |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis–Saint Paul |page=E1, E3-4 |access-date=May 27, 2024}}</ref>
Ackerson also released two solo albums, ''Ed Ackerson'' and ''Ackerson2'', in 2007 and 2008, as well as a 2002 instrumental album, ''Oblivion And Points Beyond'', under the name Sideways.
===As producer=== {{See also|Flowers Studio}} A self-described "gear freak,"<ref name="Billboard1995Polara" /> Ackerson's abiding interest in recording technology and studio experimentation led to a successful career as a producer. In 1999, Ackerson opened a recording studio in Minneapolis, Flowers, so named because the space had formerly been a greenhouse.<ref name="CityPagesFlowers2013" /> There, he produced or engineered records by nationally prominent artists and dozens of Twin Cities bands. With his friend John Kass, Ackerson also started a record label, Susstones, on which he would release much of his own music as well as that of many other Minneapolis bands.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schultz |first=Blaine |url=https://shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/minneapolis-musicianproducer-ed-ackerson-had-milwaukee-ties/ |title=Minneapolis Musician/Producer Ed Ackerson Had Milwaukee Ties |work=Shepherd Express |location=Milwaukee |date=October 3, 2019 |accessdate=October 16, 2019 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008115526/https://shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/minneapolis-musicianproducer-ed-ackerson-had-milwaukee-ties/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ackerson was known for being collaborative and inventive in his work, and was described by many who worked with him, including the Jayhawks' Gary Louris<ref name="PioneerPressObit191005" /> and Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Pierre, as an extremely knowledgeable and experimental producer who was also humble and egalitarian.<ref name="CityPagesObit191007" /><ref name="StarTribuneObit191005" />
The Jayhawks made three albums with Ackerson, including 2000's ''Smile'' and 2003's ''Rainy Day Music'', one of the band's most commercially successful discs.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/71510/godsmack-takes-faceless-straight-to-no-1 |title=Godsmack Takes 'Faceless' Straight To No. 1 |magazine=Billboard |date=April 16, 2003 |accessdate=June 15, 2011 |last=Martens |first=Todd |archive-date=February 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223224452/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/71510/godsmack-takes-faceless-straight-to-no-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> 2018's ''Back Roads and Abandoned Motels'' was recorded in two sessions at Flowers, with Ackerson co-producing.<ref name="PioneerPress20180712">{{cite news |last=Raihala |first=Ross |url=https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/12/the-jayhawks-are-back-with-a-new-album-full-of-old-gary-louris-songs/ |title=The Jayhawks are back with a new album full of old Gary Louris songs |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |date=July 12, 2018 |accessdate=October 17, 2019 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713193942/https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/12/the-jayhawks-are-back-with-a-new-album-full-of-old-gary-louris-songs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ackerson also worked several times with the Jayhawks-associated supergroup Golden Smog,<ref name="SWJournal2018">{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Bruch |title=Inside Flowers Studio, a landmark hiding in the heart of Uptown |url=https://www.southwestjournal.com/focus/neighborhood-spotlight/2018/05/inside-flowers-studio-a-landmark-hiding-in-the-heart-of-uptown/ |work=Southwest Journal |location=Minneapolis |date=May 18, 2018 |accessdate=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051926/https://www.southwestjournal.com/focus/neighborhood-spotlight/2018/05/inside-flowers-studio-a-landmark-hiding-in-the-heart-of-uptown/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which also included members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, and Wilco, on their 2006 and 2007 albums ''Another Fine Day'' and ''Blood On The Slacks''.
In 2006, Ackerson was asked by the Replacements to produce two songs for the Rhino Records retrospective set ''Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?'', the tracks "Message To the Boys" and "Pool & Dive." He worked with the group again for the 2013 five-song EP ''Songs for Slim'', a benefit for the critically ill Slim Dunlap.<ref name="PioneerPressObit191005">{{cite news |first=Ross |last=Raihala |title=Minneapolis musical mentor and 'mad scientist' Ed Ackerson dies at 54 |url=https://www.twincities.com/2019/10/05/minneapolis-musical-mentor-and-mad-scientist-ed-ackerson-dies-at-54/ |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |date=October 5, 2019 |accessdate=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006093849/https://www.twincities.com/2019/10/05/minneapolis-musical-mentor-and-mad-scientist-ed-ackerson-dies-at-54/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ackerson also worked frequently with Pierre, recording two of his bands at Flowers, Motion City Soundtrack's 2012 album ''Go''<ref>{{cite AV media notes | title=Go | year=2012 | others=Motion City Soundtrack | type=liner notes | publisher=Epitaph | location=US | id=87202-1}}</ref> and ''¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!'' by Farewell Continental.
Ackerson was named Producer of the Year at the 2005 Minnesota Music Awards.<ref name="ProSoundNews2006">{{cite journal |title=Flowers Blooming All Year 'Round |journal=Pro Sound News |date= June 1, 2006 |last1=Brown |first1=Janice |page=38 }}</ref>
Flowers Studio remains open, now run by Ackerson's family; before his death, Ackerson chose Kris Johnson, guitarist in Minneapolis band Two Harbors, to be Flowers’ head engineer and studio manager.<ref name="CityPages2020">{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Erik |date=February 12, 2020 |title=Ed Ackerson: The life and legacy of an essential Minneapolis musician |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/ed-ackerson-the-life-and-legacy-of-an-essential-minneapolis-musician/567774521 |work=City Pages |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul |access-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-date=July 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707035419/http://www.citypages.com/music/ed-ackerson-the-life-and-legacy-of-an-essential-minneapolis-musician/567774521 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Selected discography== ===As musician=== {{Columns-list|colwidth=26em| *The Dig, "Mr. Nobody"/"Send It Through The Post" and "Problem With Mary"/"Trains" 7-inch singles (1985, Susstones); compiled on ''Complete Studio Recordings 1985-86'' (2002, Susstones) *The 27 Various, ''Hi'' (1987, Susstones) *The 27 Various, ''Yes, Indeed'' (1989, Susstones) *The 27 Various, ''Approximately'' (1990, Clean/Twin/Tone) *The 27 Various, ''Up'' (1992, Clean/Twin/Tone) *The 27 Various, ''Fine'' (1992, Clean/Twin/Tone) * Antenna, ''Hideout'' (Mammoth, 1993) * Polara, ''Polara'' (1995, Clean/Restless) * Polara, ''Pantomime'' EP (1996, Interscope) * Polara, ''C'est La Vie'' (1997, Interscope) * Polara, ''Formless/Functional'' (1998, Interscope) * Polara, ''Jetpack Blues'' (2002, Susstones) * Sideways, ''Oblivion And Points Beyond'' (2002, Susstones) * Polara, ''Green Shoes'' EP (2006, Susstones) * Ed Ackerson, ''Ed Ackerson'' (2007, Susstones) * Polara, ''Beekeeping'' (2008, Susstones) * Ed Ackerson, ''Ackerson2'' (2008, Susstones) * BNLX, ''EPs #1-4'' (2010, Susstones) * BNLX, ''LP'' (2012, Susstones) * BNLX, ''Produit Collecté (Collected Product)'' (2013, Susstones) * BNLX, ''Good Light'' (2015, Susstones) *Polara, "Closer To Heaven" single (Susstones, 2020)<ref>{{cite web|title=The Dig|publisher=Discogs.com|accessdate=October 14, 2019|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/3960594-The-Dig-4|archive-date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218165140/https://www.discogs.com/artist/3960594-The-Dig-4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/twenty-seven-various-mn0001577532/discography/all |website=Allmusic.com |title=27 Various: Discography |accessdate=October 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020051903/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/twenty-seven-various-mn0001577532/discography/all |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="allmusic_ackerson_discography">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-ackerson-mn0000146358|website=Allmusic.com|title=Ed Ackerson: Discography|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=August 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812162959/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-ackerson-mn0000146358|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/polara-mn0000358311/discography/all|website=Allmusic.com|title=Polara: Discography|accessdate=October 14, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020053221/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/polara-mn0000358311/discography/all|url-status=live}}</ref> }}
===As producer=== {{Columns-list|colwidth=26em| *The Blue Up?, ''Now'' EP (Still Sane Records, 1988) *The Hang Ups, ''Comin' Through'' (Clean Records, 1993) *The Hang Ups, ''He's After Me'' (Clean Records, 1993) *John P. Strohm, ''Vestavia'' (Flat Earth Records, 1999) *Mason Jennings, ''Birds Flying Away'' (2000) *Mark Mallman, ''The Red Bedroom'' (Guilt Ridden Pop, 2002) *Kraig Jarret Johnson, ''Kraig Jarret Johnson'' (2004) *Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, ''Exploration'' (New West Records, 2005) *Tim Easton, ''Ammunition'' (2006) *Golden Smog, ''Another Fine Day'' (Lost Highway, 2006) *The Replacements, ''Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?'' (songs "Message To the Boys" and "Pool & Dive," 2006) *Golden Smog, ''Blood On The Slacks'' (Lost Highway, 2007) *Motion City Soundtrack, ''My Dinosaur Life'' (song "History Lesson," 2010) *Farewell Continental, ''¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!'' (2011) *I Was Totally Destroying It, ''Vexations'' (2012) *Motion City Soundtrack, ''Go'' (Epitaph, 2012) *Soul Asylum, ''Delayed Reaction'' (2012) *A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, ''You're Always On My Mind'' (2013) *The Replacements, ''Songs for Slim'' (2013) *The Jayhawks, ''Back Roads and Abandoned Motels'' (Legacy, 2018) <ref name="allmusic_ackerson_discography" /> }}
===As engineer=== {{Columns-list|colwidth=26em| * John P. Strohm, ''Caledonia'' (1996) *The Jayhawks, ''Smile'' (American Recordings, 2000) *The Jayhawks, ''Rainy Day Music'' (American Recordings, 2003) *Mark Mallman, ''Mr. Serious'' (2004) * Clay Aiken, ''A Thousand Different Ways'' (2006) * Metro Station, ''Metro Station'' (2007) * John P. Strohm, ''Everyday Life'' (2007) * Sing It Loud, ''Come Around'' (2008) * Joseph Arthur, ''The Graduation Ceremony'' (2011) * Joseph Arthur, ''The Ballad of Boogie Christ'' (2013) * Dave Davies, ''I Will Be Me'' (2013) * Wesley Stace, ''Wesley Stace's John Wesley Harding'' (2017) <ref name="allmusic_ackerson_discography" /> }}
===Tribute album=== *Various artists, ''Closer To Heaven: A Tribute To Ed Ackerson'' (Susstones, 2020)
==Personal life== Ackerson was married to his BNLX bandmate, Ashley Ackerson. The couple have a daughter.<ref name="StarTribuneObit191005" />
==Death== Ackerson was diagnosed in 2018 with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He kept his illness private and continued working, but revealed the diagnosis publicly after Pete Townshend of The Who wished him good health and a speedy recovery onstage during a St. Paul concert in September 2019.<ref name="CurrentObit191005" /><ref name="StarTribuneObit191005" /> Ackerson died less than a month later, on October 4, 2019. Friends and former bandmates set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his family's medical expenses.<ref name="StarTribuneObit191005" /> A concert celebrating Ackerson's life was held at First Avenue February 15, 2020, which was also the 25th anniversary of Polara’s debut. Ackerson's bands played, as well as the Jayhawks, the Kraig Johnson Experience, Mark Mallman, and Two Harbors.<ref name="CityPages2020"/>
==Tribute album== On October 5, 2020, the first anniversary of Ackerson's death, the Susstones label released a 30-song tribute album via Bandcamp, ''Closer To Heaven: A Tribute To Ed Ackerson'', featuring 30 bands reinterpreting Ackerson songs. Artists included The Jayhawks, Motion City Soundtrack, Tanya Donelly, Dandy Warhols, and The Ocean Blue. The title was taken from Polara's last single, which had been released as a digital-only track in 2009 and was nearly forgotten until its rediscovery during work on the tribute album; Susstones re-released it also on the same day as the tribute album's release. Profits from ''Closer To Heaven'' went to an education fund for Ackerson's daughter.<ref name=Strib20201005>{{cite news |last=Riemenschneider |first=Chris |date=October 5, 2020 |title=Tribute album for Minneapolis rock guru Ed Ackerson surprise-released |url=https://www.startribune.com/tribute-album-for-minneapolis-rock-guru-ed-ackerson-surprise-released/572638392/ |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul |access-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-date=October 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010164747/https://www.startribune.com/tribute-album-for-minneapolis-rock-guru-ed-ackerson-surprise-released/572638392/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Current20201005>{{cite news |last=Gabler |first=Jay |date=October 5, 2020 |title=Listen: Motion City Soundtrack, Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and more on surprise Ed Ackerson tribute album |url=https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2020/10/05/ed-ackerson-tribute-album |work=KCMP |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul |access-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011052007/https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2020/10/05/ed-ackerson-tribute-album |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=CityPages20201005>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Keith |date=October 5, 2020 |title=Susstones releases mammoth Ed Ackerson tribute album |url=http://www.citypages.com/music/susstones-releases-mammoth-ed-ackerson-tribute-album/572641291 |work=City Pages |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul |access-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008165108/http://www.citypages.com/music/susstones-releases-mammoth-ed-ackerson-tribute-album/572641291 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.edackerson.com/ Ackerson's website]
{{Polara|state=uncollapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackerson, Ed}} Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:American rock songwriters Category:American rock singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:Singer-songwriters from Minnesota Category:Record producers from Minnesota Category:Guitarists from Minnesota Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:21st-century American guitarists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:21st-century American male musicians Category:2019 deaths Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Minnesota Category:People from Stillwater, Minnesota Category:1965 births