Blake Russell

Audio Engineer, Producer, Musician

[blakerussellmusic]

Love these shots! Happy place. Likely playing with Girl Hazel around 2019.

[blakerussellmusic]

I contributed some percussion and foley work to this gorgeous song from my friends in the LA indie group Girl Hazel. Hear the drones, cymbal effects, etc. It was a weird and wonderful session of noise-making.

[blakerussellmusic]

Tracking drums for the forthcoming Girl Hazel album in Highland Park, CA.

[blakerussellmusic]

A vocal session for what would become Sweet Niece's "Fables" record.

[blakerussellmusic]

The 2018 album "Fanfiction" by Free Parking! began as a jam session amongst friends, and ended up being a Postal Service-esq. Long-distance project. Raw garagey pop punk energy all over this thing. Emphasis on the garage.

[blakerussellmusic]

Tracking basics live in the ol' garage for what would become the 2018 album "Fanfiction" by Free Parking! 4 guys in a garage tracking pop punk? Sessions don't get more fun than that. These tracks were later dolled up and made much more lush with the addition of tracks from producer Jesse Nebling (BASH Explode), who contributed to the project remotely.

[blakerussellmusic]

First decent drum kit, and I'm still tracking tunes on this beast to this day! This is a 1976 Ludwig kit in the classic Bonham dimensions. This still manages to be the best "studio" kit I have used, and typically beats any other kits we compare to when preparing to track a song.

[blakerussellmusic]

The self-titled album by my highschool folk rock band "Dead Ball Era". The first project I ever produced in a professional setting. Still holds up decently well, and luckily I am still privileged to be making music with friends from this group to this day. Its a sweet and nostalgic memory.

[blakerussellmusic]

Performing with Girl Hazel at Sofar Sounds Orange County, around January of 2020.

[blakerussellmusic]

Writing session with my lifelong friend, producer Alex Strahle, in his oh-so-red studio, circa 2018. I can't recall what song this was for, but it sure was red!

[blakerussellmusic]

Tracking acoustics for a song on what would become the oblio "Plague Days" EPs. Sometime around 2018. Listen to the EPs here: https://open.spotify.com/album/573NVyKLYN200rzgCGsZ4Q?si=UK1i7SrQRJq0YkUiRfqHJg

[blakerussellmusic]

This was a unique drums tracking session with engineer Sam Smiley for the band Girl Hazel. This was around 2019, at a lovely home studio in Highland Park, CA. In the end we actually scrapped the core drums and did a lot of sampling of the kit, as well as some avant-garde cymbal noise effects, much of which can be heard droning throughout their lovely track "Ohio".

Check the track out here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2iPTqNGRof9EiqsUU6vc64?si=5bff25a8777a4656

[blakerussellmusic]

This was a tracking session for the LA based pop punk group "Superhero Complex" in my first studio space, which (in the great tradition of young engineers) was just my parent's garage. Hahah! This session came out great though. A fun learning experience.

Give a listen to the track, here: https://open.spotify.com/track/5RPfvrKPAc5G3flMKWFvSj?si=195254f7f16e446a

[blakerussellmusic]

Fun lil drumming throwback to a gig with oblio in Los Angeles, around 2017 or so.