House of God to House of Music

By Rue Chagoll

Ever since childhood, Will Russell has been infected with a fascination for recording.  That, coupled with a passion for music, led to his creation and development of a thriving local recording studio.  Electric Wilburland – situated in a historic former church overlooking Newfield’s landmark covered bridge – is the preferred studio for many area musicians, and even a few from as far away as the West Coast.

“This is all I’ve ever been interested in,” Russell says.  “In my early teens I spent most of my time listening to music and messing around with devices.

“I got myself a little reel to reel tape recorder…I used to go out and record things and cut the tape apart and move things around. I tortured my sister by taping her talking on the phone with her friends and then rearranging the conversation,” he said.

Following a stint in computer repair, Russell founded Electric Wilburland in 1989, thinking it would be a “fun evening pastime” and fully expected needing a supplementary job to earn a living.  Instead, the business happened upon a middle-of-the-road market niche, devoid of competition.

“I was accidentally way more successful than I had ever imagined, and ended up spending all day and all evening, seven days a week, doing this,” he said.  “The doors opened and everybody wanted to be here.”

The business relocated from its original West End facility when Fulton Street became southbound Hwy. 13.   Following an interim stop in Lansing, Matt Saccuccimorano – Russell’s past employee, discovered the Newfield site.  Initially nervous over the increased expense, Russell was nonetheless smitten with the circa-1918 wood-frame building.

Recalling his initial impressions of the church: “It has a beautiful (1400 sq. ft.) acoustic space. I walked in and it sounded amazing.  The perfect balance of wideness, but controlled.  It had a beautiful vibe.  It felt comfortable. It was absolutely perfect.  It felt like home – immediately.”  A former House of God thus became a house of music.

A walk into what was once the main church congregation hall at  Electric Wilburland is a study in contrasts.  A myriad of state of the art microphones, acoustic panels and labyrinth of wires stand upon a polished oak floor, backgrounded by stained glass windows.  In addition to the fine acoustics, it’s easy to imagine how the warm and comfortable atmosphere might serve to inspire artists.  The control booth sits in an adjacent enclosure, probably once the church library and offices.  A high tech master console sits where once a pastor likely sat and penned Sunday sermons.

Besides their state-of-the art facility and superior creative expertise, Russell believes artists are attracted by his and Saccuccimorano’s empathy and ability to establish a close working rapport.  “People who come here leave pretty darned happy about their experience.  That’s been my best advertising,” he says.

Local a cappella group Sons of Pitches has recorded each of their three albums to date at Electric Wilburland.  Founder and lead singer Ryan James was quick to offer a testimonial: “To me, especially as young artists not really knowing what we were doing, you need an atmosphere that’s comfortable and conducive to artistic freedom and things like that.  You want to walk into an environment with the least amount of obstacles, and we found that with Will and Matt,” he said.

Russell summarizes with, “I get to do what I love all day and people pay me money for it.  Most studios come and go in less than a year and I’m a lucky dog who goes to work smiling every day.  I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”