In early 2020, the Covid pandemic took over the world, leaving many people without work. The pandemic hit the entertainment industry especially hard, leaving creative-minded people like Todd Magnuson without work, feeling cooped up at home.
It was difficult for Magnuson to find avenues to unleash his creativeness. One day, he looked back at some old music that he started writing as the singer and bass player for Razor Kane. On a whim, he decided to finish some of the songs he started to help pass time. "I find writing these songs to be very therapeutic. And when you hear all the different styles I write, you'll think I need therapy", cites Magnuson, as he refers to the diverse range of songs he's written.
Magnuson reached out to his long-time co-producer, co-host and business partner Terri Lawrenz. He told her what he wanted to do and asked her to do some vocals on his songs. "Todd is always coming up with seemingly crazy ideas and oddly, they end up being great ideas in the long run", says Lawrenz.
The two began working together to turn Blond Viper into what it is today. Magnuson gave Lawrenz a list of cool words and asked her to help him piece together a name for their band. They came up with the name Blond Viper, which made perfect sense. Lawrenz was well known for her Blond locks and Magnuson was well- known for work with snakes. (We will touch more on that later.)
Magnuson and Lawrenz met in 2005 on the set of a TV commercial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At the time, Magnuson was a Producer and Lawrenz was a model/actress which was hired for the commercial to play a sexy santa. They exchanged contact info for future projects. Little did they know that chance meeting on a cold winter night would lead to where they are today.
Their chemistry has led them to produce numerous television shows together, including The Caribou Show, Out 'n' About With Terri and Todd, and Two Bit Game Show. Their most famous work is the long-running national television show Nature Adventures With Terri and Todd, which is still in distribution, currently airing and available on digital platforms.
Nature Adventures blossomed in to something bigger than they imagined. The show was nominated for an Emmy Award and was picked up by ABC Disney, Rural TV, Sony, PBS, and various regional and local TV stations.
Together the pair has made hundreds of live appearances. From gymnasiums to state fairs, the couple traveled and did live reptile-themed shows, and meet-n-greets.
They have also produced a plethora of videos and short films, and several movies; Lost Valley of Cavemen, the Award-winning Deery (available on Tubi, Plex, Amazon) and their latest feature film, Sometimes Yesterday, which features their band Blond Viper.
Sometimes Yesterday is a fictional dramatic love story written by Magnuson, in which the pair play leading roles. Blond Viper created the entire soundtrack for the film providing 12 original songs. The title track from the movie "Sometimes Yesterday" has won 5 awards to date at film festivals throughout the world for Best Original Song. It was written by Magnuson in 2020 and turned into a duet by Lawrenz for the movie. The band has also won Best Original Score for the Sometimes Yesterday Movie Soundtrack. The film Sometimes Yesterday will be released on digital platforms spring of 2023.
Magnuson and Lawrenz's on-screen chemistry and successes led to discover their musical chemistry which is unmatched. Once discovered, the albums started rolling.
Blond Vipers first album featured the talent Of Pete Frye, a musician friend from Pennsylvania. Pete's other commitments limited his schedule and he needed to bow out of the project. He was replaced with current guitar player, Eldon Fisher, a skilled musician who was well known in the area, from previous bands including Crash Alley. Eldon brought on friend Richard Dahl a few months later to play drums and make the band rock solid. Mike Dresch has also become an integral part of the team as he professionally mixes and masters the tracks. He has also had contributed some of his guitar talent.
Three years later, Blond Viper is currently working on their 5th album. Their 4th album, Sometimes Yesterday Movie Soundtrack will be released in late spring 2023.
The pair have many more great things planned for the future. With creative minds like theirs, it will be interesting to see what the duo come up with next.
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