His live performances are equally epic, unfolding on street corners and in concert halls and performance spaces throughout Los Angeles, New York, Mexico and Europe, Dorian is often accompanied by several-to-all members of the Los Angeles-based avant-garde orchestra, Killsonic (of which he is also a vocalist, composer and accordionist). He has curated several multi-media events: ORGANIKA I and II at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California, Killsonic Presents, a monthly series presenting debuted works by those within (and without) the Killsonic collective, and the recent collaborative fundraiser, REPULSIONS: Celebrating 55 Years of Cinema.
Born in Echo Park, California, Dorian began his musical education at a very early age, continuing his studies at Conservatorio de Castella in Costa Rica, and eventually returning to Los Angeles. Dorian perfected his style in southern California with two short-lived but critically-acclaimed projects: the space-rock band The Dorian Wood Guilt Trip, and the experimental gospel choir The Northern Embers. He continues to collaborate with eclectic musicians in his individual performances, including the Killsonic Women’s Choir And Amplified Percussion Ensemble.
Dorian's latest release, Black Pig Suite, is a 4-song download-only EP released in 2009 featuring 17 musicians and a Christmas lawn ornament. He is currently working on his follow-up to BOLKA, entitled Rattle Rattle, which will be released in its entirety in 2010.
Dorian lives in Los Angeles.
PRESS
"The androgynous emotionality of Wood’s singing voice lends itself to the demanding theatricality of [his] lyrics, arrangements and production. The nakedness of a lover’s need and the wide-eyed madness that ensues when that need is not met twine around one another." - LA WEEKLY
"Wood unleashes gospel-infused wails and testimony that bring the audience…to a frenzy.” – THE ADVOCATE
"Dorian Wood is an instigator extraordinaire. A shape-shifter. A subtle court jester posing as a harmless house pet. An inspiring addition to the freakish world we now live in...a true artist in the purest sense of the word." - CITIZEN LA
"Lording over the keys, the living ghost of deep delta bluesmen, Wood's rapturous songs marry the fevered spirituality of Southern gospel to the virtuosity of golden era Tin Pan Alley composers. Stories swirling in apocalyptic imagery waltz through the looking glass, confronting Alice's hallucinatory wonderland. It's the blood and gore of Brothers Grimm undercut with Bertolt Brecht's savage social criticisms, tightly wound and careening around the corners without losing control." - VINGT PARIS
"Moving...heartbreaking." - GO MAG (Spain)
"Passionate and affecting, even frightening at times." - AMERICANA UK
"[Dorian Wood's] BOLKA is a tour-de-force of eclectic, hypnotic folk-rock. Jaw-dropping beauty." (20 Top Albums of 2008) - OUT IN THE CITY (UK)
"Wry, wistful and deliciously eerie, BOLKA's a valentine to the brokenhearted." - INSTINCT MAG
"Dorian Wood's songs takes listeners on an emotional, baroque rollercoaster ride." - GROUPEE.COM