August 15, 2006

Mark Hersey – Sportin’ Woodies in Beverly & Beyond

IndentMySceneLive spent a recent morning….well….sleeping (we need our beauty rest so we can rock the scene at night). But that afternoon we stopped by Beverly Massachusetts’ coolest music store, The Microphone Zone. We ran into Mark Hersey, who runs the place with his sister Sye-Na. The store is small but not cramped, with your typical assortment of guitars and basses covering the walls and some floor space along with some less conventional, harder-to-find items like mandolins and upright bases.
IndentYou can get your typical everyday music supplies here (strings, pics, etc.), but that’s not why we’ve come. This retail space just so happens to be the home of the north shore’s finest homemade speaker cabinets. The company, run exclusively by Mark, is Sportin’ Woodies, and the solid wood cabinets he creates are all made to order, made to turn heads, and – of course – made to rock the live scene.
IndentMark and Sye-Na celebrated the grand opening of the store on June 2 of this year, but Mark’s been making cabinets professionally for 2 years. “Back when I was in college at the University of Maine I built my first cabinet,” he explains. “I was playing in a band called The Highball Blues Band and I needed a new speaker cabinet. I was checking out some cabs at the local music stores and they were far too expensive for me. I had some speakers lying around so I decided to make my own. I built a 2x12 out of some oak planks and the rest is history.”
IndentMySceneLive! has seen these bold-looking beauties in action at various hotspots throughout the north shore. They have a bright, crisp quality to them that allows players to maintain the integrity of their tone even when turning the rock up to 11. They easily handle anything thrown at them, and while they won’t make an amplifier head or guitar go beyond its natural limitations, a Woodies cabinet will NEVER be the weak link in any player’s arsenal.
indentWhile these cabs sound great (especially for the price as compared to similar cabs made by bigger, more established companies), the real selling point, according to Mark, is the signature look he’s been able to create. “People spend huge amounts of money on guitars and basses so they can get the look they want. This is especially true when it comes to natural finishes. Manufacturers of high-end guitars and basses design their products with the beauty of the wood in mind. So why is it when they make an amp or speaker cabinet they cover it in vinyl or tolex? Now, it's just another black box with some speakers in it. My cabinets look good. Every scratch will tell a story and people will notice you. Anybody can make a cabinet but only I can make them look good.”
IndentWe couldn’t agree more, Mark. But don’t take our word for it; check out the pictures we’ve taken and see for yourself. We’ve obviously not been the only ones to notice, either. Sportin’ Woodies is poised for a breakthrough on the national scene. Several acts are Sportin’ Woodies, including Sam Kininger, The Beat Preachers (their whole album was recorded with Woodie cabinets exclusively—check back with MySceneLive.com for more on this band), singer/songwriter Russ Sundberg, and national New Orleans funk band Brotherhood of a Groove, just to name a few.
No matter what size cabinet or what instrument for which it’s being used, look for the signature sight and sound of Sportin’ Woodies to rock a scene near you. You can check them out online at www.sportinwoodies.com, or stop by The Microphone Zone, located at 5 Broadway Street in Beverly, MA. When you see Mark or Sye-Na, be sure and tell them MySceneLive.com sent ya!

 

By Eric Peacock