ARCHIVES

NAMM 2007 PIX POSTED!
Visit the NAMM page in the Gallery - we've uploaded a whole bunch of pix from the recent NAMM Show in Anaheim, California that we think you'll really enjoy, and be sure to read all about our adventures there! And, thanks to our dear friend and talented photographer Wayne Dennon, we have some amazing photos to share with you from one of the Mark Wood Rock Orchestra performances! In addition to our traditional annual performance, we were asked to CLOSE THE SHOW on the last day in the last hour and we played to a packed house! CLICK HERE to see the pix on Wayne's website (and while you're there, check out some of his other pix as well!).

TSO TOUR 2006 WRAP-UP!
Another extraordinary TSO tour wrapped up on December 30 – between the East and West coast groups, they played to over 750,000 people and sold out every single arena in every single city!! Brilliant musicianship combined with lights, lasers, explosions, and fireworks – this show has it ALL and we’ve got the photos to prove it! CLICK HERE!!

ONE-HOUR RADIO INTERVIEW WITH MARK WOOD AND LAURA KAYE!
Saturday, December 23 - 8:00 pm (Eastern)
Be sure to tune in to 98.5 KRZ.com for an extensive 1-hour radio interview hosted by renowned DJ Shadoe Steele featuring Laura Kaye and Mark Wood as part of the "Inside Profiles" series. Shadoe will play cuts from Mark's "Favorite Things" CD as well as Laura's "Shake Off the Gravity" CD.
And GET THIS! The interview will ALSO air nationwide on Sirius Starz - Channel 102 - (date and time TBA).
Don't miss this in-depth interview!!

VIPER on THE PRICE IS RIGHT!
Congratulations to Richard Perry of Hayward, CA for winning a new Viper Violin on CBS' "The Price Is Right"! Click here to see a video excerpt!

"SWIMMING IN SAND" WINS BEST WORLD MUSIC SONG!
The Just Plain Folks Music Awards has just awarded Mark Wood's "Swimming in Sand" from the Sanctuary CD the BEST WORLD MUSIC SONG! The Just Plain Folks Music Awards has grown to become the largest Music Awards program in the world - this is an incredible honor!

AVAILABLE NOW – MARK WOOD “LORD OF THE STRINGS” TEES!!
Designed by 15-year old artist Kimberly Brown who was a student of Mark’s during one of his “Electrify Your Strings” programs, this incredible tee is something you’ll want to have for your very own!  Available in THREE STYLES – cap-sleeve, ringer tee, and baseball jersey – these high-quality 100% cotton pre-shrunk shirts are the perfect combination of comfy and cool!! CLICK HERE to visit our online store!

DEE SNIDER'S VAN HELSING'S CURSE IN LAS VEGAS - PHOTOS AND REVIEW!
So VHC haunted Vegas in style and the group was a HUGE HIT!! For those of you who were lucky enough to be there, I'm sure you agree - and let's all keep our fingers crossed that they do more dates next year in more locations....
As a special added treat, Dee & Suzette Snider renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony following the show on Saturday night - the Master of Ceremonies was none other than Penn Gillette from Penn & Teller!! Our good friend KayLee Mendonca flew all the way out from Ohio and took some amazingly spectacular photos!!
CLICK HERE to see for yourself!!
And the reviews are already pouring in.... CLICK HERE to read a truly great one!! (It's a pdf file so you'll need Adobe Acrobat to view)...
VHC will most definitely be returning to the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas some time next year - as soon as we have dates, we'll share 'em with you!

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA GEARING UP FOR THE BIGGEST AND BEST TOUR EVER!
Get ready everybody! You think LAST year's show was amazing? Just wait 'til you see THIS YEAR'S SHOW! Mark just called in from Florida, where both groups (TSO East and TSO West) are rehearsing on huge soundstages in preparation for this year's tour. CLICK HERE for the complete tour schedule and don't miss your chance to see TSO when they come to your town! Mark is in the East Coast TSO but if you're on the west coast, that version features the brilliant talents of Al Pitrelli and Jane Mangini!!

MARK WOOD now available on iTunes!
Numerous Mark Wood albums are now available on iTunes!
CLICK HERE to find them, and more, in our online store.

MARK WOOD on CBS EVENING NEWS!
April 29 - CBS-TV just aired a feature story on Mark Wood, that was broadcast NATIONALLY on CBS Evening News!!
CLICK HERE to see the segment on our brand-new media page!

Here's how this all came about.... Mark was contacted by CBS producer Guy Campanile who wanted to put together a feature story on Mark, with the focus on his music education programs and his company Wood Violins - and of course his 7-string fretted Viper electric violin!

CBS started production by filming a "typical" day in Mark's life. Well, they could not have picked a better day for their first shoot! First, Mark (accompanied by Laura Kaye) performed at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York. Then, the crew followed us back to our studio and filmed our band (with Jeff Plate, Jon Bivona, Sean Meagher, and Paul Ranieri) rehearsing for our various upcoming performances. THEN, they met up with Mark at our Wood Violins workshop to watch him put finishing touches on a double quartet of instruments for Cinnaminson High School. Several days later, they tagged along and filmed as Mark worked with the students at Cinnaminson with their new instruments! WOW! They also followed us to Eastchester Middle School in New York to film some additional performance footage.
We're sure they had a very hard job editing the massive amount of footage they shot but we have to say that the end product was amazing!!

In conjunction with the piece, CBS News anchorwoman Mika Brzezinski conducted a wonderfully enlightening interview with Mark and had a total blast trying on his 7-string fretted Viper!

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra - “An Evening with Mark Wood”
As part of their “Pops Series,” The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Jacksonville, Florida welcomed The Mark Wood Band (featuring Laura Kaye and members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra) for a weekend of powerful performances at Jacoby Symphony Hall on February 24 and 25!

Bellefontaine, Ohio Rocked Out With Mark Wood and The Mark Wood Band!
Mark Wood returned to Bellefontaine, Ohio for the FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW on March 4, 2006 – this time, with The Mark Wood Band (featuring Laura Kaye & members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra)!
Until the new gallery is up and we can post photos, here's a link to some AMAZING shots taken by KayLee Mendonca! CLICK HERE!

Photos from The Mark Wood Rock Orchestra at NAMM 2006!
Until we get around to posting the kazillion photos we have on our own website, we've been lucky enough to have some wonderful photographers sharing their photos with us.
For the 2nd year in a row, The Mark Wood Rock Orchestra tore the roof off the AMM Show in Anaheim, California. Mark was joined onstage by his entire band, as well as a whole bunch of the most amazing Viper players around!
Click here to see some GREAT PHOTOS by Raymond Britt, Nantucket Tull Media.

Photos from Van Helsing's Curse at the Paul Reed Smith Guitars Private Party in Anaheim!
Again, we're bailed out by some awesome photographers sharing their pix with us (and you)! Paul Reed Smith Guitars hosted an amazing party event at The Grove in Anaheim last month featuring special guests Dee Snider's "Van Helsing's Curse." For those of you who've seen this unreal show, our Mark Wood is front and center!
Click here to see Wayne Dennon's amazing photos of VHC!!!
Click here to see some GREAT PHOTOS by Raymond Britt, Nantucket Tull Media!!!.

Mark Wood Stars in National PEPSI commercial!
BREAKING NEWS… Mark is co-starring in the brand-new television ad campaign for Pepsi. The music track is a Kanye West produced hip hop version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (featuring the rapper Nas) and guess who Mark plays? Mark recorded all his tracks at the prestigious Sony Music Studios in NYC and the video portion was directed by one of the leading commercial directors in the business. This is one of those rare events where you will not only be seeing Mark on camera playing his crazy rock electric Viper violin but you’ll be hearing him as well. Mark co-stars with the wonderful up and coming hip hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari. The spot is slated to air some time in 2006 so watch out for it! Click here to read Mark's diary and see some pix from his experiences!

Mark Wood's ELECTRIFY YOUR STRINGS series of music ed programs!
As many of you know, Mark spends a good deal of his time traveling all over the country teaching and working with orchestra directors (and their lucky students!) to create exciting, fun and cool music programs at their schools. Many of these visits also include concerts featuring The Mark Wood Band! We are proud to announce our brand-new website devoted to the "Electrify Your Strings!" experience so get "ELECTRIFIED!" Click here to visit the site!

Laura Kaye's new CD available now!
"Shake Off the Gravity" is Laura Kaye's latest and is produced by Mark Wood (whose violins are screaming all over every track!). The CD features lots of original material and some truly slammin' covers of Aerosmith's "Nobody's Fault," Humble Pie's "Hot 'n Nasty," and Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog." Click here to visit Laura Kaye's new website and to order a copy for yourself!

February 2005 issue of "STRINGS" magazine...
Features a great article entitled "Groove Thang" in which Mark Wood discusses rock violin and improvisation. AND there's a link to an audio excerpt from the bonus CD that will accompany his upcoming string method book to be published by Cherry Lane Music this year!! Click here to read!

Back from the NAMM Show!
We're back from four days of being in the most intense environment for musicians ever imagined! Go check out the latest pix and stories... Visit the Gallery or just CLICK HERE!

Photos from Mark's latest tour with Trans-Siberian Orchestra!
Just added a whole bunch of pix to the TSO page in our Gallery - click on the Gallery link in the menu bar below or click here!
Click here to visit the brand-new TSO website for all the latest info! And the new TSO CD "The Lost Christmas Eve" is IN STORES NOW! This tour was bigger, better, and even more incredible than ever!

TSO's Daryl Pediford Passes Away..
It is with heavy heart that we share the awful news with you that TSO vocalist Daryl Pediford passed away on October 30. Anyone who's ever had the privilege of attending a TSO show on the east coast knows what a tremendous gift it was to be bathed in the sounds of Daryl's glorious voice. When he sang "Prince of Peace" you couldn't help but get chills from the sheer power and energy he exuded onstage. Daryl was a truly beautiful person who made you feel incredibly special when you were around him - he absolutely radiated love. He will be extraordinarily missed... Guitarist Tristan Avakian, who was with TSO last year, e-mailed us with his sentiments. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I posted an excerpt here - it is just so eloquently stated: "Every single night, I watched in awe as he wrapped an entire arena, and in fact, the whole world, in the warm, compassionate wonder that was his voice. The people loved him, and rightly so. They will be devastated." We most certainly are..

"Van Helsing's Curse"
Check out the VHC page in our Gallery section - we just posted lots of pix from the October 15 world premiere performance! Although there's a brief summary of our impressions of the show on the Gallery page (definitely take a minute to read it if you can), here are some more details. First of all, Dee Snider narrates the "storyline" of the show which is the battle between good and evil - with the "good" being represented by the Vipers and the "evil" being represented by the rest of the band. Mark is clearly cast as the "good vampire" and his presence in the show is an integral part of the entire experience. He is truly a focal point and solos as much if not moreso than the guitarists! And the Viper section kicks royal ass. The whole show truly ROCKS!!! This year's mini-tour is just a taste but if all goes well, next October should see a solid month of dates and hopefully a LOT more folks will get to see it. As you can tell, we are all still buzzing around here from the excitement and energy of last night's performance!

Young Violinists Feel the Beat of Aerosmith's Roadrunner!
Cick here for a phenomenal review of Mark's visit with some lucky students in Dartmouth, MA! This story was brought to our attention by a wonderful post on the Aerosmith message board - THANK YOU! And for an extra treat, click here to hear a 2-minute mp3 clip of Mark Wood performing "Roadrunner!"

Photos from Cleveland tour!!
Photos from Mark's concert adventures in Cleveland - February 2004! Click here for Lakewood concert pix. Click here for Odeon Concert Club.

TSO 2003 Pix Posted!
Click here or on the Gallery link in the menu bar to see some great pix from the latest tour!

Read a great review of "Sanctuary!"
Visit www.melodic.net to read some glowing words about this CD! An interview with Mark is expected shortly - stay tuned for updates.

Concert photos posted!
FINALLY - we got around to posting some incredible performance shots of The Mark Wood Band featuring vocalist Laura Kaye and members of the TSO. These great photos were taken by photographer Gary Gershoff. Click here!!

Read a great interview with Mark on guitar.com!
Click here!

More great pix just sent to us by our newest Viper owner!
Click here to read her post on the Wood Violins message board and find the link to the pix!

Check this out - a TSO Media Player!
Just in time to coincide with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's current tour, a company called Buzztone has created a really cool media player that allows you to stream TSO audio and video tracks. It also contains a sweepstakes for a trip to Florida to see the group, although unfortunately Mark Wood is with the East Coast version of the TSO and doesn't get to go to sunny Florida. Poor Mark! Let's hope one of you gets to go, eh? Click here to see (and hear) for yourself!

Mark Composes Music for ESPN Olympic Show
Mark is hard at work composing music for the ESPN network for a show they are producing about the upcoming Olympics. This dramatic and orchestral score should be quite something to hear once it's done! We'll keep you posted when we get more info as to air date.

Check out the August/September 2003 issue of "Strings" magazine...
There's LOTS of Mark Wood in the August/September issue of Strings magazine. First, there's a blurb recognizing Mark for his Third Emmy nomination and First Emmy Award for CBS-TV's coverage of the 2002 Tour de France. Then there's Wood Violins' latest half-page color ad on page 76 - we're very proud of this one! Most impressive, though, is a full article entitled "The Electric Company." This article covers the creation of the Juilliard School's Music Technology Center and the wonderful part Mark Wood has played in composing for ("Nest of Vipers") and outfitting the Electric Ensemble @ Juilliard with Viper Violins and the brand-new Viper Cello. The concert held at the Clark Studio Theater in April was an obvious success, as witnessed by this article in one of the leading periodicals for violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists. Click here to read the article.

Mark Wood receives EMMY AWARD!
We are very proud and excited to announce that Mark won an Emmy award for music he composed for CBS-TV's coverage of the Tour de France bicycle race. This was Mark's third nomination so we figure third time was a charm! The presenter was none other than Donald Trump! Watch for the release of Mark Wood's latest CD - "Music from the Tour de France" - which should be available later this year. Be sure to visit Mark Wood Music Productions to find out more about Mark's music for t.v. and film.

Concerto for Viper and Orchestra - Mark’s latest commission
The Greenwood Music Camp in Cummington, Mass. commissioned Mark to compose a piece of music for their final concert that was held on Sunday, August 3. Mark’s powerful and groundbreaking 15-minute concerto is entitled “Innocence to Enlighenment” and was performed by Mark and the entire Greenwood Music Camp orchestra, comprised of highly gifted young musicians from throughout the country. Photos from the concert will be coming soon. For more info about Mark’s involvement with Greenwood, click here.

Look what our friend Val Vigoda from GrooveLily has been up to..
Believe it or not, electric violinist and Wood Violins client Val Vigoda from the band GrooveLily used to be a lieutenant in the US Army National Guard. The Department of Defense has launched its brand new ad campaign (print, web and television), featuring people who have had military experience and are now doing something totally different with their lives (such as playing electric violin and singing in a band, for example). The idea is, "The Qualities You Acquire In The Military Stay With You Forever." Each of the 5 people featured in the print campaign has an associated quality: Val's is "PERSEVERANCE." Look for special pull-out ad sections in Time, People and Sports Illustrated, featuring Valerie (pictured with Brendan and Gene onstage), and the other 4 veterans, AND not one but TWO Viper violins made by our company Wood Violins!!
Click here to see the ad!

Mark Wood receives EMMY AWARD!
We are very proud and excited to announce that Mark won an Emmy award for music he composed for CBS-TV's coverage of the 2002 Tour de France bicycle race. This was Mark's third nomination so we figure third time was a charm! The awards show was held on April 21 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City and the presenter was none other than Donald Trump. CBS-TV's coverage of this exciting event has been absolutely spectacular due in large part to the talents of producer Victor Frank who is responsible for incorporating Mark's music so brilliantly throughout each broadcast (we would like to congratulate Victor as well since he also won an Emmy that night for the Tour de France!). Watch for the release of Mark Wood's latest CD - "Music from the Tour de France" - which should be available later this year. Click here for photos from the event and be sure to visit Mark Wood Music Productions to find out more about Mark's music for t.v. and film.

The Music and Film Network Interviews Mark Wood
Click here to read a wonderful interview with Mark that was conducted by The Music and Film Network as a result of the Juilliard "Nest of Vipers" performance.

Photos and Video of Juilliard School of Music and "Nest of Vipers"
The prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York City enlisted Mark's help in outfitting their electric string quartet with Vipers from Wood Violins! He also composed a special piece tailored for these instruments entitled "Nest of Vipers" which had its world premiere at Lincoln Center. We just posted some photos and video clips from the sold-out performance in the Gallery or you can just click here!

Frank Zappa Tribute at the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland, Ohio
As part of the Jazz@The Met series in conjunction with the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland Ohio, Mark had the great honor to be a guest soloist performing a fresh adaptation of Frank Zappa’s “The Grand Wazoo” and “Waka/Jawaka” along with The Jack Schantz Jazz Unit, with special guest saxophonist Ernie Watts (who played with a latter day version of the Zappa band). The April 9 performance was absolutely amazing - hopefully, we'll have some photos and video to post at some point in the near future!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Performance Photos!
The prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame played host to Mark's latest project on January 24 and it was an absolutely extraordinary experience. The world's first High School Rock Orchestra "The Lakewood Project" commissioned our company Wood Violins to custom-build electric string instruments for them and compose a special piece entitled "Strike the Match" specifically for their world premiere performance at the Rock Hall. Click here for photos or visit the Gallery.

NAMM photos and video clips from the January show in Anaheim, CA!
The annual NAMM show is quite an event and we were fortunate to have lots of "adventures" at the Wood Violins booth! Click here for photos and video clips or visit the Gallery!

Read about Mark's 2002 tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra!
Visit the Gallery for two full pages of photos from the 2002 tour or click here!

The BRAND NEW Viper Cello is here!
Visit Wood Violins to see this amazing new addition to our line of custom-made electric instruments!

Photos from the 2002 Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camps!
Click here!

The Viper on Broadway!
Violinist Paul Woodiel is making history on Broadway by playing his custom-made 7-string Viper electric violin in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of the Rodgers & Hart musical "The Boys From Syracuse." The show, which is right in the heart of Times Square at the brand-new American Airlines Theatre, features such timeless songs as "Falling in Love With Love" and "This Can't Be Love." Paul utilizes the Viper to beef up the cello parts in the string section; instead of keyboard players using synthesized strings, he is using the Viper to put the music back in the hands of violin players and keep it LIVE! The jaw-dropping Viper blends astonishingly well with the rest of the string section and is causing quite a stir with audiences, cast and crew - imagine this futuristic instrument in a 1938 musical! Paul also featured his 7-string Viper in the music for a recent commercial spot for Audi.

Dave Matthews Band - "Just the Riffs for Violin" - written by Mark Wood - Now in Stores!
"Dave Matthews Band - 'Just the Riffs for Violin'"- a songbook Mark put together for Boyd Tinsley, the violinist for The Dave Matthews Band has just been released. It includes transcribed solos and an in-depth analysis of Boyd's violin parts, along with excerpts from a great interview Mark had with him. Check your local music stores - it's published by Hal Leonard Publishing and Cherry Lane Music - if you're a violinist and a fan of Dave Matthews, you won't want to miss it!

Wood Violins t-shirts AVAILABLE NOW!
Wood Violins t-shirts are now available! These are high-quality black t-shirt with the Wood Violins logo on the front and "Finally - it's cool to play the violin" on the back. When we debuted these shirts at the NAMM show in Anaheim this past January, they were a big hit so you won't want to miss them! Click here to order!

Laura Kaye performs at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards with James Brown and Jimmy Fallon!
MWMP recording artist Laura Kaye joined the amazing rock and roll choir "New Voices of Freedom" onstage at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to perform at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards! New Voices of Freedom was featured in the opening segment of the show performing with host Jimmy Fallon (from Saturday Night Live) and the Godfather of Soul James Brown! If you missed the live telecast, don't worry - MTV rebroadcasts it often!
For more information on Laura Kaye, click here.

In Other News . . .
Among the many great t.v. broadcasts Mark has been asked to score, in the last few months he's had the immense pleasure of writing music for the Tyson-Lewis Fight on HBO, the 2002 Tour de France on CBS, and the 2002 US Open on USA Sports. Visit the Mark Wood Music Productions link below for more info.

Visit our Press page (either click on the link below or you can access it from the Gallery) - we've just added lots of video clips of Mark's t.v. appearances, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Entertainment Tonight! Also new in the Gallery - the complete "Monkeybats" video is now in the Voodoo Violince section.

Mark recently received his first platinum record for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's CD "Christmas Eve and Other Stories." He has the great pleasure of touring with this group annually - click here for pix from this past tour and more info.

"Dedication/Portrait of an Artist"

"Sanctuary/A Celebration of Life Concert"

Mark O' Connor Fiddle Camp in Nashville and San Diego - Mark got to work with violin students again this year at both the camp in Nashville, TN and the camp in San Diego, CA - Visit the Gallery (or click on the link) for pix and stories from this year's camps!

"Portrait of an Artist"	"Sanctuary"	"These are a few of my favorite things"

For a full listing of releases, visit the Works page. Coming soon - "Guts, Grace and Glory II" and "Music from the Tour de France."

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