Steve Hood & the Ornaments

Steve Hood and the Ornaments are making music you can really sink your teeth into. And Hood really does know a lot about teeth. After all, he is a Harvard-trained dentist, who now practices high-technology, family, cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry in Loveland, Colorado. Dr. Hood met the original Ornaments, Fred Koslov, Jon Hilton, Fernando “Pup” Martinez and Alex Martinez, when he lived in Upstate New York, through a mutual friend who heard Hood’s demo tape. “I searched for seven years to find a group of compatible musicians with their level of talent,” says Hood.

Indeed, Hood began his search for musicians many years ago, when he began writing music. After graduating from dental school in the early 90’s, the good doctor was commissioned as a Dental Officer with the Indian Health Service in Reno, Nevada. The daily hour-long commute was spent listening to the radio. “I hadn’t listened to radio for ten years. I completely missed the 80’s, because I was in school studying!” Steve was disappointed by much of the “new” music. As a result, he was inspired to write his own brand of music, which blends some familiar influences with Hood’s distinctive rock style.

Coming from a musical family, Steve was well aquainted with the basics of making music. His mother played piano and sang for their church, and it was from her that he obtained his passion for music and theater. Steve’s mother had even acted with James Dean in her high school plays in her hometown of Fairmount, Indiana. As a youth, Steve had training in both the piano and violin. However, he eventually gave up his pursuit of music as a profession, as he knew too many “starving” artists. But you can never escape your passions!

In February 2000, Steve’s love of music and his persistence started to pay off. “Steve Hood and the Ornaments” recorded two of Hood’s songs at Todd Hobin Studios, in Syracuse, New York. Kodi Carter expertly engineered this session, and their first song, “I Can Wait” was released to rave reviews of the local press and radio. The title song of Hood’s ongoing CD project, “Bloom”, was subsequently released, and received “Honorable Mention” in the 2001 John Lennon Song Writing Contest.

Appropriately, Hood’s project has evolved into a collaborative effort of many talented musicians. In the summer of 2001, Steve recorded two more songs at the renowned Pyramid Sound Studios of Ithaca, New York, utilizing the skills of Syracuse rock musicians, Joe Precourt, Dave Huyck and Rick Basha. Assisting Hood with his production efforts during this session was Alex Perialas, owner of Pyramid Sound Studios, who previously had gained national attention for engineering and producing such acts as Anthrax, Genuwine, Testament, and guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamossa. The resulting tunes, “One More Beer” and “Big Red Lips”, have drawn the attention of a number of music industry executives, including a MTV vice-president.

Currently, Hood is promoting his material to film, television and advertising firms for commercial use. Oddly enough, Dr. Hood may be the only dentist around who can make you feel better by opening his mouth!