Welcome to the All-New Russell Mark Website
Formerly going by the Hi Wheel Entertainment moniker for my productions, studio, and compositions, I’ve decided to leave that behind and start fresh. Thank you for being here.
Every day I’m working with talented, creative, unique musicians here in the Pasadena/LA area, and all over the world, to help bring their visions to life; or working with non-musicians who are in need of music or songs for their projects, businesses, and media.
As a producer, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, co-writer, mixer, composer, educator, and collaborator, I’ve worked in studio and on stage with platinum artists, up-and-comers, first-time recording artists, film directors, educational institutions, and more.
You’ll find a sampling of my work below, as well as some stories and things I’ve learned along the way. Please reach out to discuss your musical needs with me, I’d love to hear what you’re up to.
So what exactly does a producer do?
FROM DEMO TO MASTER
No two recording situations are exactly alike, and no two artists work exactly the same way when it comes to creating initial demos for their songs. Here’s a before-and-after look at songs from four artist I’ve worked with. First you’ll hear a clip of the original demo exactly as I heard it for the first time… and then the final master recording.
Eating Club - Swan for Forage
Alex Bortnichak did all his demos at home on Garageband with drum machines, direct guitars, and an inexpensive mic, and then handed them off to me to record real drums courtesy Danny Thompson, real bass and additional guitars that I played, and mix the final result - after he rerecorded much of his demo vocals and had Danny and myself do harmonies and BG’s.
JC Gafford - Step Inside
While many demos have rough instrumentation, some don’t have any at all - especially when you’re working with a singer-songwriter who isn’t a player. Blues artist JC Gafford wrote memorable lyrics, melodies, and hooks - but was counting on me when it came to turning them into records. This demo is just 2 layers of JC singing and vocalizing… and then check out the fully realized result, with me on guitars, bass, and keys, and Michael Leasure on drums, with Peggi Blu on BG vocals.
Planning the Moment - Joey Dean Skelton
Sometimes an artist will bring me a demo cut with another producer that didn’t live up to their vision, and ask me to produce it more to their liking. Here is a perfect example of that - Joey Dean Skelton wrote a beautiful melody and lyric about marriage proposal, but the production is stagnant - dated electronic loops and sounds that don’t react to the melody at all. I helped turn this into the folk-rock love song Joey wanted it to be, with rich guitars, drums and hand percussion, big harmonies - and actual chord changes!
Change of Heart - Helen Huff
Before contacting me about production help Chicago-based artist Helen Huff had gone into a local studio and cut this track with the drummer and guitarist from her band, with Helen on grand piano and vocals. Given that this was a live performance it was a great little demo but unfortunately there was a huge amount of bleed between instruments, making it very difficult to mix and experiment with. Using advanced sonic tools I was able to achieve greater separation and shaping of the instruments. The piano track had little enough vocal bleed that I had Helen recut her vocal. I added bass and solo guitar, and suggested she add her sax player jamming opposite my guitar riffs. The result is a huge jump in production value - all without working in person at all - just long-distance.
PROJECTS: FAVORITES AND RECENT WORKS
Eating Club: Lose This Parade
Full Length Album
Co-Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Backing Vocals
New York musician/songwriter Alex Bortnichak asked me to play bass, guitar, and keys on his record sight-unseen through the suggestion of drummer Danny Thompson (Alan Parsons, Scott Weiland), who Alex hired for the record. That led to me mixing, and then co-producing the record.
Helen Huff: Change of Heart
Single
Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Percussion
I met Chicago-based artist Helen Huff at a summer camp where I was an artist in residence. Her music was so unique and she was so talented we exchanged information, and she reached out after tracking some songs with her band when she realized she needed a producer to guide the release.
Mario L.G.: Eat From the Top
Full Length Album
Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Guitar, Bass, Programming, Orchestration, BG Vocals
Mario was my very first production client, a Craigslist connection - and we still collab to this day. He has recorded so much music over the years and finally decided to make a full-length record of his unique “popera” stylings. I’m very proud of him for seeing this through. Many beautiful songs.
The Nextdoors: Linda Vista
Full Length Album
Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Percussion, Orchestration, Vocals, Songwriting
The Nextdoors is my own band with my wife, cellist Mika Larson. We made the record at my home studio over COVID, and have since garnered radio play nationwide including a #1 single; and a video with over 70,000 plays. The album spans Americana, folk, rock, and pop, and focuses on lush string arrangements and catchy melody lines.