Sal Villanueva

Salvatore Villanueva is an American record producer who began his career in the New York hardcore scene as a musician, playing bass for bands like Demonspeed and Murphy's Law. He currently plays bass for Joe Coffee, a band formed by former Sheer Terror vocalist Paul Bearer. Villanueva’s production career started during the "New York’s Hardest" compilation sessions at Big Blue Meenie Recording Studios. In 1999, Thursday’s lead vocalist Geoff Rickly approached him to produce their debut album *Waiting*, and he went on to produce nearly all of Thursday’s recordings, including *War All the Time* for Island/Def Jam.

Following the success of Thursday’s *Full Collapse*, Victory Records enlisted Villanueva to work with Taking Back Sunday. He produced their breakthrough album *Tell All Your Friends*, which sold over 900,000 copies and became Victory Records’ fastest-selling release. The band also dedicated a song, "The Ballad of Sal Villanueva," to him on their album *Notes from the Past*.

Villanueva’s production credits include work with various bands such as 36 Crazyfists, My American Heart, The Bleeders, Elemno-P, and Christiansen. He has also produced albums for Folly, Skarhead, Splitvalves, Maximum Penalty, and Faction Zero, among others. His contributions span multiple genres within the punk, emo, and hardcore scenes, showcasing his versatility and impact on the music industry.