The Making of “Bob Moog Live” (Part 4 of 5): “Electronic Music Should Always Be Changing”
[Leading up to our Bob Moog Live CD Release Party on October 10, 2010 at the LAB, we are presenting a series of blogs written by Dan Lewis. You can check out the first post "The History", here , the second post,
The Secret Behind the Music" here and the third post "Squalling Minimoog" here. Lewis is the only surviving member of the trio of Bob Moog, Mike Abbott and Dan Lewis who rehearsed and performed together for this recording. Dan will be performing and speaking at the release party.]
Mike Abbott, Bob Moog and Dan Lewis, Asheville Art Museum, 1980
Bob went on to consult for many of the world’s great synth companies,
eventually re-establishing Moog Music, while Mike and I went on with our separate
and occasionally joint music careers, frequently getting together to perform
everything from original work to 50s and 60s rock & roll for dances.
Whenever I would run into Bob in Asheville, he was always happy to see me,
as if we had just played last week, and always asked about Mike.
Michael Abbott passed away some years back, and Bob passed
a few years later, leaving me the one to tell the story; I hope they will approve.
Bob once told Mike and me something I’ve always remembered.
He said:
“Electronic music should always be changing, because it can”.
That seems as profound today as it did 30 years ago, when Bob said it.
ABOUT THE MUSIC & THE MUSICIANS…
Bob Moog in performing on the Minimoog in Concert, November 23, 1980
Robert Moog (1934-2005) was the internationally famous inventor of the Moog
synthesizer, and the many synthesizer variations and analog effects that bear his
name and that of Big Briar, Inc., which is the name of the cove where he built his
home and workshop in western North Carolina. Bob had performed on piano as
a young man, but rarely performed after the success of his inventions. It is
conservative to say that the fabric of modern music was forever changed and
expanded due to the work of Moog and his fellow synthesizer contemporaries.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Mike Abbott at the synths, November 23, 1980
Michael Abbott (1953-2004) was the most accomplished professional musician
of the trio, having played and performed steadily since the late 1960s with bands
too numerous to list. Playing anything from a Fender-Rhodes to a Hammond B-3,
Mike was almost certainly the first in western North Carolina to own and perform
on a MiniMoog, and quickly picked up a MicroMoog and several polyphonic
synths as they became available on the national market. Mike was a huge asset
on any stage; on this recording, he provides the multi-timbral “glue that holds
the music together, and composed the instrumentals “Hannibal” and “Someone”.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dan Lewis on the Ukelin, with Mike Abbott in the background, November 23, 1980
Dan Lewis (1953- ) is a songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist since 1974,
with 12 albums of original music (6 of them instrumental synthesizer) to date, and
is producer/arranger/audo engineer at Acoustic Audio in Hendersonville, NC.
Most of the music offered on this CD are his original compositions circa 1980;
he began playing music in 1974, is entirely self-taught, and had been playing a
total of six years when this music was made.
Dan Lewis
Flat Rock, NC
October 2010
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The CD Release Party for “Bob Moog Live” happens on October 10, 2010 at the Lexington Avenue Brewery’s Music Venue in Asheville, NC from 3:30- 6:00 p.m.. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation. Performers include Dan Lewis, Mary Frances (Emyrael), Jeff Knorr (Funknastics) adn Ben Hovey (Asheville Horns) with other special guests.
Bob Moog Live will be sold exclusively through the Bob Moog Foundation online store (www.moogfoundation.org/shop) beginning October 11.
“The Making of Bob Moog Live” (Part 3 of 5): The Squalling Minimoog
[Leading up to our Bob Moog Live CD Release Party on October 10, 2010 at the LAB, we are presenting a series of blogs written by Dan Lewis. You can check out the first post "The History", here, and the second post,
The Secret Behind the Music" here. Lewis is the only surviving member of the trio of Bob Moog, Mike Abbott and Dan Lewis who rehearsed and performed together for this recording. Dan will be performing and speaking at the release party.]
Bob Moog and Dan Lewis Rehearsing in Bob's workshop in the country
Needless to say, Mike and I were thrilled and terrified at this totally unforeseen opportunity [to rehearse and perform with Bob], and spent weeks scrambling to come up with something that we could incorporate Bob into, and that we hoped might measure up to our amazing new line-up. The results were far different from whatever we had origin ally planned as a duo, and the rehearsals with Bob at his shop at Big Briar, some 25 miles outside Asheville, were always productive and memorable.
Bob played the most popular Moog synth, the MiniMoog. Mike played a Mini, a MicroMoog, a Wurlitzer electronic piano and an Oberheim OB-8, while I performed on acoustic guitar, a 32-string Ukelin (16 plucked, 16 bowed) a small harp and on one tune, a Moog Sonic Six.
Most of the original material was mine, with two songs by Mike Abbott. Mike and I collaborated by improvisation and experimentation until we had found what we liked and what worked the best, while Bob wanted his parts written out, so I had to invent a graph system quickly so I could write out his parts. It was amazing to me that 99% of my efforts were accurate; once in a while, I’d hear a “clam” when we tried out a new part, and I’d pull out my graph and find that I had misplaced a note and had to fix it. To this day, after 30 years in music and a dozen albums, I don’t read or write down music.
Our usual arrangement was this: I’d play the basic tune, Bob would play either a bass line or a melody, while Mike would provide all the middle part, the “glue” that brought the other parts together. Mike was always a great musical asset who anchored any gig we ever did; when we were on stage together, I could count on Mike to not only play brilliantly, but help cue musicians on the back line who may not have known the music as well.
Bob had a wonderful enthusiasm that was always a pleasure to be around, and even the most casual conversations were treasured by we two young musicians; we became friends, and at the same time, felt awed to be with him. He never gave you any impression that he was famous, nor thought he was. He was totally accessible, real and genuine. We spent many afternoons at Bob’s home in South Turkey Creek, rehearsing in his workshop at Big Briar. Afterwards he always invited us to stay for dinner with his family.
We rehearsed with the huge roll-up doors open, looking out across the valley. Once, Bob’s Minimoog started squalling like an electronic pig. Mike and I were shocked to see the inventor calmly turn it up on it’s side, give it three whacks with his fist, sending horrific electronic thunder cascading across the hillsides. Naturally, the Minimoog responded immediately to the master’s touch, and performed flawlessly the remainder of the evening.
Once the music started to come together, Mike brought his Tascam reel-to-reel recorder and taped the rehearsal, and later had a friend come and monitor the recorder during both concerts to capture our performances. Even then, we knew we were participating in something that felt historic, and Mike was wise enough to record it.
Our first performance at Bele Chere 1980 was a success, and the feeling was good for everyone, so we agreed to repeat the performance in more controlled indoor circumstances. I was able to arrange a concert some months later at the Asheville Art Museum, then located at the Asheville Civic Center. The concert on November 23 was well attended and the audience enthusiastic. From that event came the bulk of the recorded music on the Bob Moog Live CD, the rest from earlier rehearsals.
That was to be the second and last concert of Moog, Abbott & Lewis. As Bob often said, he was first and foremost an electronic musical engineer, and performing music was not his first priority. Mike and I realized that we had been incredibly fortunate to know and perform with Moog; thanks to Mike’s forethought, we also have the recordings.
Dan Lewis
Flat Rock, North Carolina
October 2010
The CD Release Party for “Bob Moog Live” happens on October 10, 2010 at the Lexington Avenue Brewery’s Music Venue in Asheville, NC from 3:30- 6:00 p.m.. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation. Performers include Dan Lewis, Mary Frances (Emyrael), Jeff Knorr (Funknastics) adn Ben Hovey (Asheville Horns) with other special guests.
Bob Moog Live will be sold exclusively through the Bob Moog Foundation online store (www.moogfoundation.org/shop) beginning October 11.
The Making of “Bob Moog Live” (Part 2 of 5): The Secret Behind the Music
[Leading up to our Bob Moog Live CD Release Party on October 10, 2010 at the LAB, we are presenting a series of blogs written by Dan Lewis. You can check out the first post "The History", here. Lewis is the only surviving member of the trio of Bob Moog, Mike Abbott and Dan Lewis who rehearsed and performed together for this recording. Dan will be performing and speaking at the release party.]
Bob Moog at the Minimoog with makeshift music stand, reading the music Dad so carefully wrote for him (Summer 1980)
The first challenge we faced before our trio rehearsed even once was massive. Mike and I played by ear and memory, so when Bob asked for charts (his parts written out in music) Mike and I were not only scrambling for material that we hoped would be worthy, but then had to somehow write part of it down. Mike had basic skills in reading and writing music, but I had none, and a fair amount of the music was mine.
Heart attack time. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I had to come up with something, so I made a graph of the 5 lines and 4 spaces, and spent countless hours leaning over my guitar playing my parts, humming what I hoped were harmonies, then trying figure out what note it was on the guitar, then painstakingly figuring where on the graph the note went and for what fraction of time.
Thinking back, it was crazy and would have been much easier had I had a keyboard, but I was too inexperienced to know how unlikely the whole process was, so I spent many entire days fiddling with my cobbled-up scoring system, and somehow pulled it off. I remember handing Bob my scribbled music notes that I literally couldn’t read myself, saying “Let’s just play it and see how far we get”. Unbelievably, the Muse of Music must have been smiling down on us, because about 95% of it worked. Every once in a while, on a first run-through, I’d hear a serious “clam” in my melody, stop the guys, run over there with my graph, red-faced, and fix the problem.
Bob seemed to enjoy the whole process; there was never anything but harmony between the three of us. We laughed and joked all the time. In retrospect, I’m amazed the whole thing worked as well as it did; there was only one part of all that music that was ever written down, that being Bob’s parts. Mike and I continued to “earball” our parts, but somehow, it all came together in a way that we all enjoyed, because after our first gig in the summer of 1980, we all agreed that we wanted to do a second one later that fall. This event is the one that is featured on the “Bob Moog Live” CD. To this day, some 30 years later, although I’ve created and recorded many songs and instrumentals, I still do not read or write music, and am still amazed that somehow collectively, we pulled that off.
Dan Lewis
October 2010
Flat Rock, NC
The CD Release Party for “Bob Moog Live” happens on October 10, 2010 at the Lexington Avenue Brewery’s Music Venue in Asheville, NC from 3:30- 6:00 p.m.. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation. Performers include Dan Lewis, Mary Frances (Emyrael), Jeff Knorr (Funknastics) adn Ben Hovey (Asheville Horns) with other special guests.
The Making of “Bob Moog Live” (Part 1 of 5): The History
Leading up to our Bob Moog Live CD Release Party on October 10, 2010 at the LAB, we are presenting a series of blogs written by Dan Lewis. Lewis is the only surviving member of the trio of Bob Moog, Mike Abbott and Dan Lewis who rehearsed and performed together for this recording. Dan will be performing and speaking at the release party.
Bob Moog & Dan Lewis Rehearsing in Bob's Workshop, Fall 1980
Bob Moog Live is one of the very few recordings that exists of Bob Moog performing on the Minimoog, one of the many synthesizers he helped create. About half the tracks on the CD are taken from what musicians often call “a gig tape”, a simple recording made for the musicians to remember the performance by but not originally intended to be reproduced for audiences. There were two performances by Moog, Abbott and Lewis, both in 1980. The first performance was at the Bele Chere Festival in Asheville, N.C. in late July, and the second performance was on November 23rd at the Asheville Art Museum. Also included in the CD is a recording of the rehearsal which took place at Moog’s workshop in Leicester, NC.
The entire series of events and the resulting concerts happened by chance; I was serving as co-chair of the entertainment committee of the second Bele Chere festival, back when it was an intimate downtown arts festival (it now takes over the city and attracts 300,000 people annually). In those early days, the entertainment committee (all three of us) did everything but clean the streets afterwards. At one meeting, someone mentioned that Robert Moog, the famous synthesizer inventor, had moved into the area and wouldn’t it be amazing if he would consent to do anything, anything at all, at the festival that year.
As a musician, I privately thought that there was no way this musical giant was going to do anything at our little second-year festival, but I volunteered to give him a call, figuring that I might at least hear his voice on the phone. I had no idea how fateful that phone call was to be. I was surprised to find that Bob was totally accessible, engaging and willing to participate. He asked if there was anyone who would be performing with synthesizers, and by chance, my close friend and musical collaborator Michael Abbott (perhaps the only professional synthesist in western NC at that time) and I were planning to do some original music and Bob immediately replied (to my amazement!) “Great! I’ll play with you guys”. Articles from Bob Moog’s archives, which the Foundation is working to preserve, will be on display as well.
Dan Lewis
October 2010
Flat Rock, NC
The CD Release Party for “Bob Moog Live” happens on October 10, 2010 at the LAB in Asheville, NC from 3:30-6:00 p.m. Doorsare at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation. Performers include Dan Lewis, Mary Frances, Jeff Knorr and Ben Hovey with other special guests.
“Bob Moog Live” CD Announced
Bob Moog Foundation and Dan Lewis Announce CD Release for Bob Moog Live October 11, 2010
Cover of "Bob Moog Live" CD
The Bob Moog Foundation and Asheville composer/musician Dan Lewis announce the world premiere and release party for a historic live concert recording, Bob Moog Live. The premiere event will take place on October 10, 2010, at the Lexington Avenue Brewery in Asheville, NC, from 3:30–6:00 p.m. Admission is $7, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Moog Foundation.
Bob Moog Live is the only known recording of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog publicly performing on his famous Minimoog, the best selling analog synthesizer of all time. Created in 1970, the Minimoog celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The Bob Moog Live recording took place on November 23, 1980, at the Asheville Art Museum and captured a performance by Moog, Abbott & Lewis. Local musicians Dan Lewis and Mike Abbott, an accomplished synthesist, rounded out the trio on keyboards, guitar, and ukelin. Lewis and Abbott performed with Moog twice in Asheville in the summer and fall of 1980. The CD features the latter performance along with sterling rehearsal sessions.
Lewis and Abbott composed all the music on the CD. Lewis, who preserved the recordings for the last 30 years, brought this project to the forefront. He produced the album to highlight a historic event and to create a fundraising mechanism for the Bob Moog Foundation. The CD, described as electronic neoclassical music, features excerpts from Moog, Abbott & Lewis’s live concert tape. Subtitled “The Gig Tape,” it was originally recorded on 1/4-inch analog tape, thanks to Mike Abbott’s forethought.
The CD will be available exclusively through the Bob Moog Foundation’s online store beginning on October 11, 2010. In addition to original music and instrumentation, the CD features Moog speaking candidly between songs about a variety of subjects ranging from the capabilities of electronic musical instruments to his life during that time period. At the time of the recording, Moog had recently left the company he started 25 years prior and moved from New York to North Carolina, where he started a new business, Big Briar, Inc.
Here’s a sample from the CD:
Hannibal Crossing the Alps with Bob Moog on the Minimoog
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Bob Moog passed away in 2005, and Abbott in 2003. Lewis remains in the Asheville area as audio engineer and arranger/producer at Acoustic Audio Recording in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
The Bob Moog Live event on October 10 will be a multilayered “happening” that includes listening to samples of the CD and brief informal lectures by Dan Lewis and by Bob Moog Foundation Executive Director Michelle Moog-Koussa. Live original music performed by Dan Lewis on guitar and synthesizers as well as an improvisational synthesizer jam featuring top area keyboardists performing on Moog synthesizers will provide live experimental synthesis as the musical backdrop for the evening. Jeff Knorr (The Funknastics), Mary Frances (Emyrael), Ben Hovey (Asheville Horns), and others will join Lewis on stage. A display of Minimoog material from Bob Moog’s Archives will be on display.
“While the recording is not 21st-century high fidelity, we realized it allows the listener to ‘attend’ a somewhat historic event and experience the only known opportunity to hear Bob speak, tell stories, and perform on his most famous invention, the Minimoog. In that sense, the recording is unique,” said Lewis. The CD will be available for purchase at the event.
Michelle Moog-Koussa states in the liner notes that it was rare to hear father at the piano when she was growing up and it was rarer still that he would perform. The Bob Moog Live CD is indeed a treasure and a unique glimpse into a time in Bob Moog’s life when he was taking a break from his professional life. He was relaxed, and that comes through in his commentary and playing The Bob Moog Foundation has embraced this project as an extension of its work in historical preservation.
The proceeds from the event and CD sales will support the Bob Moog Foundation, whose mission is to educate and inspire children and adults through electronic music. The Foundation is currently working on its educational goal of creating a curriculum with professors at UNC-Asheville that will teach K–8 children science through electronic music, and its historical goal of preserving and sharing Bob Moog’s extensive archives.
Online CD sales will be available after the event on the Bob Moog Foundation website at www.moogfoundation.org/shop.
Erik Norlander’s Galactic Incentive
For a Limited Time Only
Receive Erik Norlander’s New The Galactic Collective With $25 Donation
Erik Norlander is many things to the world of synth-driven symphonic rock. He is a maestro at the keys, a composer, producer, synth designer and a sterling bandmate and colleague to many in the music industry. To the Bob Moog Foundation, Erik is a rockstar advocate for our cause, raising his voice (and synths) for us time and time again:
- Catch him in this YouTube video talking about Bob’s legacy,
- Listen to the original song, The Princely Hours, that he composed for the Bob Moog Foundation on all Moog instruments here
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Check out the photo gallery from his recent performance at our spring fundraiser Moogus Operandi, which took place on May 27th.
The Galactic Collective
For a limited time only, thanks to Erik’s generosity, we are able to offer his new CD, the very Moog-centric The Galactic Collective, with a donation of $25.00 to the BMF. Erik enthusiastically supports our efforts to teach science through electronic music, and to restore Bob’s archives, and to create a Moogseum, a hallmark interactive facility where these two goals will converge.
Please join Erik in supporting the BMF by donating today.
Not only will you be supporting the Bob Moog Foundaiton’s mission to educate, inspire and innovate through electronic music, you will receive Erik’s excellent CD which includes insightful liner notes from Michelle Moog-Koussa where she speaks to Erik’s connection to Bob Moog. Here is a sampling from those introductory notes :
“It is said that in hands of the highest caliber, the use of technology becomes magic. Not pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat magic, but awe-inspiring transcendental connection. Bob handed off his technological, musical baton and Erik Norlander has cradled it in his hands, skillfully, lovingly exploring the limits of sonic expression and incorporating it into his expressive, epic music. Magic.”
To read more about The Galactic Collective, check out this great review on Ystejam.
Moogus Operandi Through the Lens of Jon Leidel
Images from Moogus Operandi
An Incredible Night of Celebrating Bob Moog’s Spirit
On May 27th, the Bob Moog Foundation presented Moogus Operandi, a benefit concert featuring synth wizard Erik Norlander and an ensemble of Asheville musicians. Playing to a packed room at the Orange Peel, Asheville’s premiere music club, Norlander knocked Asheville on its musical ear with music from his latest release The Galactic Collective and from his extensive back catalog.
With his newly re-configured “Wall of Doom” custom Moog modular synthesizer providing the sonic and visual backdrop, Norlander explored the boundaries of the legendary Moog sound and captured the creative, analog-based vibe that is Moog. One Moogus Operandi attendee summed it up when he was asked by another “What do you think of the music”? to which the response was simply “Goosebumps”.
Enjoy these images from Moogus Operandi, the musical memory of which still lingers in the minds of the attendees and participants alike. Many thanks to our Rockstar photographer, Jon Leidel, for capturing the evening so beautifully and to Erik and all the participating musicians who donated their time to make this evening possible. Thanks also to our sponsors whose support allowed us to bring the Wall of Doom in for the event, and to all of our volunteers, who make our work possible.
You can see a photo gallery of the Moogus Operandi rehearsals here.
Stay tuned for the upcoming audio and video recording of Moogus Operandi!
Thank you Moogus Operandi Sponsors!
Putting on a big show like Moogus Operandi is a major endeavor. We couldn’t have pulled it off without the support of our sponsors! We would like to thank:
Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company – For the financial sponsorship of the event, the assistance planning the promotion, the copious amounts of delicious food that helped feed the hungry musicians and for brewing that amazing Moog Filtered Ale!
City Mac Asheville – A gold level sponsor, City Mac also donated an iPod Touch for our raffle and provided 3 Macs for our art auction at the event itself.
Echo Mountain Recording – This world-class studio hosted Erik and the ensemble of musicians for almost a week. The generous staff lent physical and technical assistance before, during and after the long days of rehearsals.
Grove Park Inn – This gorgeous landmark hotel graciously hosted Erik Norlander and Lana Lane with a donated room during their Asheville stay. Needless to say, Erik and Lana were delighted with the accomodations, which provided a much needed respite from 12+ hours of rehearsals each day.
Gould Killian CPA Group – This group of Asheville accountants supported the event with a silver level sponsorship. They were Bob’s accounting firm for many years.
Moog Music, Inc. came on as a silver level sponsor and donated a Muli-Pedal for our raffle. True to form, they also lent us plenty of great Moog gear for our MoogLab interactive experience at the event.
Mountain Xpress – Asheville’s favorite independent paper lent their mighty voice with a donation of ad space, which was immeasurable helpful to us spreading the word about our event. Outside of their sponsorship, the MX also featured a cover story on Moogus Operandi.
RBC Centura – Our local bank is always there with words of encouragement and support. They put their money where their mouth is and came on with a silver level sponsorship.
98.1 River – How can you go wrong with a radio station who’s slogan is “Different is good?” 98.1 The River rocked the promotion of our event with daily announcements and a couple of great interviews. Super cool DJ Ashley “BadAsh” Davis stepped up as our MC for the evening – she was terrific!
Additional thanks to: Smashing Guitars, The Piano Emporium, Early Girl Eatery, Chef in Motion, Asheville Wine Gallery, Colorful Palate Catering, Collapsable Studios.
Moogus Operandi Rehearsals – The Photo Gallery
Moogus Operandi, a benefit concert featuring Erik Norlander and a host of Asheville musicians, was an amazing evening of musical and visual celebration. You can read more about it and see a gallery of photos of the event here.
Leading up the the event itself, Erik spent weeks arranging his music for the new musicians/instruments that were to be included for the concert. He flew in a week early and set up rehearsal space at Echo Mountain Recording, where he rehearsed with local musicians for three 12-hour days before the event. Below are some of the images captured at those rehearsals; they are courtesy of Jon Leidel Photography.
Many, many thanks to all of the musicians who lent their time and talents, which made the evening a huge success.
Asheville Talent to Rock Moogus Operandi
Stellar Lineup of Asheville’s Local Talent Join Synthesizer Wizard Erik Norlander at Moogus Operandi Fundraising Concert
In the spirit of creative community that unites Asheville and Bob Moog, we are thrilled to confirm a remarkable lineup of Asheville’s talented musicians who will come together May 27 to perform with symphonic rock keyboard virtuoso Erik Norlander at the upcoming fundraising concert, Moogus Operandi. Norlander, a long-time Moog aficionado, will perform songs from his new album, The Galactic Collective. His massive custom modular synthesizer, affectionately known as The Wall of Doom, will provide the musical centerpiece for the evening.
Embracing the depth and breadth of Asheville’s homegrown musical talent, Norlander has invited the following local musicians to perform with him on the Orange Peel stage:
Strings
Woody Wood – Acoustic Guitar
Ellie LaBar – Electric Violin
Brooks Butler – Electric Guitar
Percussion
Adama Dembele (Afromotive) – African percussion
Shen Hunt – African percussion
River Guerguerian – percussion
Vocals
Lana Lane – Female Vocal
Oso Rey (Soulgrass Rebellion) – Male Vocals
Woody Wood – Male Vocals
Synthesist
Amos Gaynes – Voyager, MidiMurf
Theremin
Chris Tanfield
By combining the influences of blues, soul, funk, electronica, african and bluegrass from local musicians into his original symphonic rock compositions, Norlander has at once created a one-of-a-kind musical exploration that is unique to Asheville and serves as a fitting tribute to Bob Moog’s pioneering legacy of unlimited sonic expression.
Moogus Operandi will rock the Orange Peel on May 27th, 2010, from 7-11pm. Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks open the show, followed by a set by Woody Wood. The evening includes a Moog-inspired art auction, a multi-media presentation based on Bob Moog’s archives and a raffle for an iPod Touch, Moog Mulit-Pedal, a day of recording at Echo Mountain Studios, 2 tickets to Bonaroo, 2 tickets to the Orange Peel and a case of Moog Filtered Ale. Tickets are on sale at the Orange Peel (www.theorangepeel.net).
Moog Filtered Ale to Add Buzz to BMF Fundraising
Bob Moog Foundation Unites with Asheville Brewing Company to Launch “Moog Filtered Ale”
Proceeds of Limited Edition Brew to Benefit Foundation
Asheville Brewing Company and the Bob Moog Foundation are proud to announce the launch of the limited edition Moog Filtered Ale, a pale beer named in honor of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. The beer will be available beginning May 27, 2010 at the Foundation’s fundraising event, Moogus Operandi featuring synthesizer wizard Erik Norlander. All profits from the sale of the beer will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation to benefit their projects. The beer is being released in conjunction with Bob’s May 23 birthday.
Moog Filtered Ale Label by Phil Cheney
Moog Filtered Ale will be be distributed nationally and internationally in 22-ounce bottles through Asheville’s Bruisin’ Ales and will be available on tap in various locations throughout Western North Carolina. The beer will be sold from May 27 through July 31, after which it will no longer be available.
“Moog Filtered Ale is an American-style pale ale with distinctive notes of caramel and pine. It’s a very accessible beer that reflects the Moog legacy. I’ve been a fan of Bob Moog since college, and I am excited to present a beer in honor of an American pioneer,” says Doug Riley, brewer and part owner of the Asheville Brewing Company.
Asheville Brewing has been making outstanding craft beers since 1998 and has won several awards for its beers. As an active supporter of local non-profit groups they are thrilled to be working with the Bob Moog Foundation, whose work is innovative and historical. Through Moog Filtered Ale, Asheville Brewing aims to support the interactive educational programs that the Foundation is developing to teach science through music as well as the eventual creation of a Moogseum.
Asheville Pizza Company President Mike Rangel says, “We are thrilled to be working with the Bob Moog Foundation to help keep Bob’s vision and legacy alive. By donating the profits from Moog Filtered Ale, we will be supporting innovative science education through the Foundation’s MoogLab outreach project. We are proud to be joining some of the larger beer companies in supporting important educational work in our community. Moog Filtered Ale is absolutely the most exciting project our company has been involved in.”
Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, comments, “Creating Moog Filtered Ale with the Asheville Brewing Company has been a rewarding project. We are very grateful to Mike Rangel and Doug Riley for their support of our innovative projects, which will benefit Western North Carolina and beyond. The unique partnership between the Asheville Brewing Company and the Bob Moog Foundation marks a true match of venture philanthropy and creative fundraising in a economically precarious environment. The proceeds from this project will assist us in continuing our important work.”
The colorful label for the Ale was designed by Asheville artist Phil Cheney. The label, an original graphic in vibrant shades of purple, green, and orange, shows Bob Moog leaning over a keyboard with musical notes, synthesizer knobs, and patch cables floating from his head. In the upper right hand corner of the label, “76″ commemorates Bob’s May 23 birthday.
A launch party for Moog Filtered Ale will be held on May 27, 2010, at the Orange Peel in Asheville. The event, Moogus Operandi, will feature virtuoso synthesist Erik Norlander and his massive custom modular synthesizer, affectionately called “the Wall of Doom.” An auction of Moog-inspired art will be held on eBay a week prior to the event and will conclude the night of the event.
Tickets to the event are $10 in advance and $12 at the door and can be purchased through the Orange Peel.
The Ale will be sold exclusively by Greenlife Grocery, the Orange Peel, and Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company from May 27 through May 30. Beginning May 31, Moog Filtered Ale will be available for international retail distribution in bottles exclusively through Bruisin’ Ales. It will be available on tap throughout western North Carolina.
In Memorandum: Walter Sear Joins Bob Moog in Analog Heaven
Walter Sear (1930-2010)
Bob Moog and Walter Sear at Sear Sound During Taping of "Moog" Documentary
With sadness, we reflect on the legacy of Walter Sear, who passed away April 30, 2010 from complications from a fall back in March.
Sear may be best known for his commitment to quality recording equipment, techniques and for his pioneering work with synthesizer promotion and composition. He began is career as a tuba player, performing in the pit at Radio City Music Hall during the 1950s and sold tubas of his own design. In the late 1950s, Sear purchased some theremin parts from R.A. Moog, Co, the first iteration of Bob Moog’s company, and subsequently became the first sales agent for the R.A. Moog, Co., selling theremins and theremin parts. He took on the role of Bob’s business partner, as you can read about in our Archive Advisor Brian Kehew‘s reflections below, and played a key role in Bob’s ever-important meeting with Herb Deutsch.
Sear pioneered the use and promotion of the instrument the Moog synthesizer. He devoted time and energy to educating New York City studio owners on the applications of the revolutionary instrument. He composed and performed on a custom Moog modular which he helped design and used it in numerous soundtracks from Oscar-winning best picture Midnight Cowboy to Jim Henson’s The Cube to National Lampoon’s Disco Beaver from Outer Space.
In 1970 Sear created New York’s Sear Sound recording studio, a facility renowned for its collection of vintage analog recording gear, including over 275 microphones as well as a Studer 1-inch, 2-track mastering deck that Sear converted from a 1-inch 4-track recorder used to create The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at Abbey Studio. Sear Sound became the recording home for numerous stellar musicians including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Wynton Marsalis, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega, Sonic Youth, Steely Dan and Nora Jones, Phish, Moe and more.
Sear was committed to the integrity of sound, always with an ear to the highest quality. For him, this meant using the best vintage analog gear that could be found. He talks about his commitment to sonic integrity in the video below.
Brian Kehew, BMF Archive Advisor, Reflects on Walter Sear’s Work with Bob Moog:
In the early 1960′s, Bob Moog was making only theremins. He’d left behind the big tube/valve versions of the 1950s and was having more success selling small transistorized theremins. His only commercial salesman was Walter Sear, already an established studio owner and engineer/producer. It was at their booth at the New York School State Music Educator’s Association conference (selling brass instruments and theremins to schools) that Herb Deutsch first came across Bob Moog. At the booth, Herb connected with Bob and invited him to see some “new” music – experimental styles that introduced Bob to the world of electronic music. Later, Herb requested a custom instrument built, which Bob designed for him – the first Moog synthesizer.
All the while, Walter and Bob are trying to survive in the music business. Making mostly cheap guitar and bass amps for kids who had just discovered the Beatles. I have hundreds of pages of correspondence here between the two, as they wrote daily (no email or faxes yet!) to juggle the needs of their fledgling outfit. Thankfully, Walter kept the paperwork, as it is the only clear record of those early days – when the synthesizer was merely an odd sideline to their daily work.
Notable is Walter’s arrangement to get the custom-made “Melsinar” to the Beach Boys – Moog’s first foray into linear (ribbon) controllers – in 1966.
11/25/65 Letter from Bob to Walter Sear
6/10/65 Letter from Walter Sear to Bob Moog
6/12/66 Letter from Bob to Walter Sear
Through 1967 the little amplifiers sold in the hundreds but were so minimally profitable that the R.A.Moog Company was in clear danger of extinction. Luckily, within a year, that odd instrument, Bob’s synthesizer, would take off, selling to schools and commercial composers, and a few talented pop stars and artists. Walter remained Bob’s salesman and demonstrator for the East Coast, as he was situated in Manhattan and could show the synthesizer in his modern recording studio. In the early 1970s, Walter was officially terminated as an official representative when the company changed ownership. Walter and Bob remained lifelong friends.
There is a wonderful scene in Moog, the documentary film by Hans Fjestallad, where Bob visits Walter to reminisce in his NY studio, Sear Sound – still equipped with his giant Moog modular. This particular modular synthesizer is recognizable on many 1960s/70s “Moog records” as it has a notable Maestro Rhythm King rhythm box on top at the time. The synth is featured on Walter’s own Copper-Plated Integrated Circuit LP, Dick Hyman’s incredible Moog records, Marty Gold’s Moog Plays the Beatles, Richard Hayman’s Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine, Sean Lennon’s first album, and many more!
April 2010 – Minute with the Moog Foundation
[help us promote this on Twitter & Facebook! short url: http://bit.ly/dqnuD2 @moogfoundation #moogfoundation]
Check out the photo galleries [1, 2] on our Facebook page.
Sean McDonald, one of the BMF Board Members, put together this first in our new series, “A Minute with The Moog Foundation”. Features content from:
- Erik Norlander and THE WALL OF DOOM Synthesizer
- HATCH Asheville
- Laura Escudé
- Ben Mason / NEB.cinema
- photos Jen Lepkowski Photography
- music by Your Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band (available for purchase at our store)
A few quick notes from Sean (me):
It was truly an honor to install select pieces from Bob Moog’s Archives at the HATCH Design & Technology Gallery. We were able to use the fantastic space at the Asheville Area Arts Council, and had lots of help from Rockstar Volunteers Alex Hornbake*, Greg Bliss and Allen Davis. (We named Allen the honorary curator of the installation after his game-changing volunteer work the night before opening.)
Laura Escudé rocked my world, again, at HATCH Asheville 2010. We met her at HATCH Asheville 2009, where she performed with Scott Pagano, who was a HATCH mentor. This year, Laura came back to Asheville and performed on her own, in collaboration with Ben Mason’s NEB.cinema project and along with Scott, again, but this time with a recorded video he animated. All of it was…extraordinary.
Ben Mason rocked it all over HATCH this year, just like last year. Ben sees the world through a different set of lenses than most of us, and his unique worldview results in an intensely creative, innovative set of interactive audio / video experiences. Freakin’ rad.
We were also lucky enough to share the gallery space with Rajeev Kulkarni from 3D Systems who brought extraordinary three-dimensional print out’s from his company’s technology. Inspiration! As was the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, which we got to tour.
HUGE thanks to HATCH Asheville and HATCH Bozeman for hosting the Bob Moog Foundation. HATCH is a platform — the more you put into it, the more you get out of it — and the BMF has put a lot into, and built a network of world-class contacts who inspire, guide & empower our growing organization. It’s an honor to be a sponsor — to be part of the team.
We’ll be back in May with another Minute with The Moog Foundation!
Thanks!
Sean McDonald [email me]
*You’ll be hearing more about Alex soon…check back for details on a new project!
Announcing Moogus Operandi, May 27th, 2010
Synthesizer Virtuoso Erik Norlander and His Massive “Wall of Doom” Modular Synthesizer Featured in Upcoming Concert Event
The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to announce its spring concert event Moogus Operandi, honoring the pioneering work and legacy of synthesizer maverick Robert Moog, to be held on May 27, 2010 at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The event will be a celebration of the Moog legacy through music, art and mulitmedia entertainment. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door the night of the event.
Northern California based synthesizer virtuoso Erik Norlander (ASIA featuring John Payne, Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane) will headline the evening, performing songs from his new album, The Galactic Collective. Norlander, an accomplished rock, electronic and symphonic keyboardist known for his command of vintage and cutting edge synthesizer technology alike will bring the Moog legacy alive with his synth-heavy instrumentals and his “Wall of Doom” modular synthesizer (so named by his roadies). The Wall of Doom, a massive analog modular synthesizer with restored 1967 Moog modules at its heart, will grace the stage of the Orange Peel as the musical and historical representation of Bob Moog’s legacy of pushing the boundaries of sonic reality. This marks Norlander’s first performance in Western North Carolina.
Erik Norlander with Wall of Doom Synth
Erik Norlander Surrounded by Moog Synths
Erik Norlander with his custom analog Wall of Doom synthesizer
Norlander states “I have been a fan of the Moog instruments since I was kid, and I had the great privilege of knowing Bob Moog in his later years. Moog is, without a doubt, the most iconic name in synthesizers, and to many, the word Moog is synonymous with the word synthesizer. I am really looking forward to this stellar event for The Bob Moog Foundation in Asheville where we will celebrate the legacy of Bob Moog through music using his wonderful, timeless instruments.”
Norlander will be joined on stage by a host of Asheville’s top musicians including percussionists, brass and string players as well as a choral group of four vocalists. The exact lineup of will be announced in the coming weeks.
Opening for Norlander and accompanying musicians will be Asheville street musician sensations Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks featuring Dwight Hawkins (Saw, Guitar, Vocals), Nicky The Squirrel (Mandolin, Harmonica, Kazoo, Vocals), Tony Costa (Guitar, Kazoo, Vocals), Alex Brady (Gut Bass) performing ragtime, jug band, early blues & country. Furthering the spirit of celebrating musical genres and technologies, the Bob Moog Foundation is proud to feature this group whose sound incorporates the musical saw, an instrument whose sound is much like the theremin, an early electronic musical instrument upon which the Moog legacy was founded.
In addition to fantastic music, Moogus Operandi will explore the Moog legacy through visual art. The Bob Moog Foundation has issued a call to Asheville artists to donate original works of Moog-inspired art to raise funding for the Foundation through an online auction. In the week leading up to the celebration, the foundation will hold an eBay auction featuring the unique pieces of Moog-inspired art. The eBay format will be used to provide an opportunity for the local artists to have their work showcased to a multi-national audience. It will also give the worldwide community of Moog enthusiasts a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind pieces of art created in the pioneer’s hometown.
The auction, which will begin on May 20th, is scheduled to close at the end of the May 27th Moogus Operandi event at 10 pm; attendees will be able to participate through bidding stations set up by CityMac. Artists can register their pieces of art through May 1, 2010 at www.moogfoundation.org/artist-registration/. Submissions must be received by May 15 at 2pm. More information about the auction can be found on the Foundation’s website.
Additionally, visitors will be treated to a multimedia presentation by Gene Felice, the graphics artist who created the Moogseum 3D conceptualization for the Foundation’s hallmark project, the Moogseum. Felice will be highlighting the profound impact of Moog’s inventions on the music industry and on the musicians who have taken his instruments far beyond Bob’s wildest expectations. Felice will be using media directly from Bob Moog’s archives, such as vintage photos, schematics, movie clips and more.
Attendees of the event will be able to participate in a raffle, with generous prizes given by Asheville area businesses. Raffle prizes include an Ipod Touch courtesy of CityMac ($250 value), an Mp-201 Multi-Pedal from Moog Music, Inc. ($499 value) and a chance to lay down some tracks and pull shapes in a day session at the world-class facility of Echo Mountain Recording ($1000 value).
Finally, guests will be able to explore the sonic boundaries of the Moog sound in the Foundation’s MoogLab interactive experience. Theremins and synthesizers will be set up in the back of the Orange Peel, with BMF volunteers standing by offering instructional advice.
Moogus Operandi promises to be a unique opportunity to be immersed in a rich musical experience that blends musical genres and showcases musical technology from its most primal form to its most cutting edge. The combination of talent that will be found on the Orange Peel stage on the 27th will be as unique as the Moog Legacy itself.
As a small non-profit, the Bob Moog Foundation creates unique fundraising events to fulfill its mission and to raise much needed funding for its three projects. The funding supports the Foundation’s staff and many volunteers who are painstakingly working to carry Bob Moog’s legacy forward to future generations.
Moogus Operandi is being sponsored by Asheville Brewing Company, CityMac, Echo Mountain Recording, Gould Killian CPA Group, Moog Music Inc, the Mountain Express and RBC Centura Bank . Without their support, this event would not be possible.
Please join us the night of May 27th! It’s going to be a fantastic evening of musical and artistic celebration!
TICKETS
For ordering information please call the Orange Peel at 1-866-468-7630, visit their website or visit their box office at 101 Biltmore Ave. in Asheville. Hours are from Wed-Sat 12 noon to 5:30pm.
BMF to Raffle Lou Reed’s Moog Guitar
THE RAFFLE IS CLOSED AS OF MARCH 23, 2010
Many thanks to all who participated!
We are compiling the results and will announce the winner on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at noon (EST)
Update March 30th, 2010: We have asked Paul Vo, the inventor of the Moog Guitar, to announce the winner. We need just a bit of time for our volunteer editor to edit his video and we will be posting it at 9pm tonight. Check back here or on our Facebook page. Thanks for your patience — having Paul announce it will make it special indeed!
On Tuesday March 30, 2010 at noon (EST), the Bob Moog Foundation will announce the winner of Lou Reed’s Moog Guitar. The winner will be informed by email, whereby shipping arrangements will be made. Please continue to check this page for any further updates.
Bob Moog Foundation To Raffle Lou Reed’s Moog Guitar Beginning March 9, 2010 12 (EST)
March 8, 2010
Asheville, NC — The Bob Moog Foundation announces a once in a lifetime raffle opportunity to begin Tuesday March 9, 2010 at 12pm (EST). The Foundation will be selling $50 raffle tickets for a chance to win one of Lou Reed’s Moog Guitars. Only 200 tickets will be made available. Participants can purchase raffle tickets online at the Foundation’s online store http://moogfoundation.org/shop . The raffle will close when the 200 tickets have been sold and a winner will be chosen by an automated random selector. All proceeds go to benefit the projects of the Bob Moog Foundation. Employees and volunteers of Moog Music, the Bob Moog Foundation and Lou Reed are not eligible to participate in the auction.
Moog Music Inc., the company which carries on the legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog through its innovative instruments, is donating the Paul Vo Collector Edition (1 of only 300) Moog Guitar, serial #005, signed and played by Lou Reed, to the Foundation. The strikingly beautiful instrument is a maple top Tiger Eye Flame with an ash body, maple neck and ebony fret board. Reed has signed the front of the guitar; his labels for the guitar’s controls remain on the instrument as well as the brackets for his guitar strap.
Front view of Lou Reed's Moog Guitar
Lou Reed's Autograph
Control Panel
Headstock
Back of headstock
Lou Reed, best known as the former guitarist, vocalist and principle songwriter for the experimental rock band Velvet Underground, has enjoyed a prolific career as a solo guitarist known for the pioneering of many sound effects including distortion, high volume feedback and nonstandard tunings. His love affair with the innovative Moog Guitar began early, as he played the instrument in its prototype phase. Reed experiences the Moog Guitar for the first time in this YouTube video. Upon hearing the guitar for the first time, Reed exclaimed “This is amazing….this opens the door”. Reed performed on the Moog Guitar on the David Lettermen Show in the fall of 2008.
Mike Adams, President of Moog Music, states “Our thanks to Lou Reed, who experienced the Moog Guitar in its earliest evolution and inspired us to continue our development efforts. Gratefully, the proceeds from this raffle will support the Bob Moog Foundation. Both the Bob Moog Foundation and Moog Music serve to honor the genius of Bob Moog.”
Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation acknowledges “The Bob Moog Foundation is deeply grateful for the support of Lou Reed and Moog Music. The funds raised from this raffle will be of great assistance in expanding our Student Outreach Program, the program in which we bring Moog instruments in to the schools and teach children the science behind the sounds of electronic music. This program, even in its infant stages, has opened children’s minds and engaged their spirits to explore the extensive sonic possibilities that Moog instruments offer.”
Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Bob Moog. Moog designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments, including Little Phatty® and Minimoog® Voyager® synthesizers, Moogerfooger® effects modules, Etherwave® theremins and The Moog Guitar. Founded by Bob Moog, Moog Music designs and manufactures its products in Asheville, N.C. www.moogmusic.com
The Bob Moog Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to carry on the legacy of Bob Moog through educating and inspiring children and adults through the power and possibilities of electronic music and through the intersection of science, music and innovation. The foundation has three main projects: preserving and protecting Bob Moog’s archives, creating a Student Outreach Program that brings electronic music into the schools, and its hallmark project, the creation of a Moogseum in Asheville, NC, for which it was recently awarded a $600,000 lead grant by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. For more information see
Bob Moog Foundation Makes Waves at NAMM
January 2010
Bob Moog Foundation Making Waves at Winter NAMM 2010
Happy 2010 to all of you from the Bob Moog Foundation! The year begins for us with big plans as we head out to Winter NAMM in Anaheim, CA next week. Our friends at Moog Music are once again sharing their booth space with us. You can find us there (Booth #6100) making waves with a new video about the Foundation and sharing some recently restored material from the tapes in Bob’s archives. We hope to see many of you there! For those of you who can’t make it, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates.
We are also proud to be co-sponsoring three events at NAMM that highlight the Moog Legacy and synthesizer history:
- Main Showcase at NAMM Features Items From Moog Exhibit
From January 14-17, the Bob Moog Foundation, in collaboration with the NAMM Museum of Making Music, will feature dozens of items taken from their exhibit Waves of Inspiration:The Legacy of Moog in the main showcase on the floor of the convention center. Of particular note, an extremely rare Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive keyboard will be on public display for the first time. Numerous vintage instruments, photographs, articles and project notes will also be on display. The full exhibit runs at the Museum through April 30, 2010.
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Celebrating The Legacy of Vintage Keyboards Through Documentary Film
On Friday night, January 15th, from 6-8pm in the Avila Room at the Anaheim Hilton, neo-symphonic synthesist Amin Bhatia and documentary filmmaker Dianna Dilworth headline an evening exploring the evolution and impact of vintage keyboards. Amin Bhatia will be joined by Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation for a question and answer session followed by a screening of a short documentary on the making of his innovative realization of Bolero Electronica, for which he used over 70 synthesizers covering 75 years of evolution in synthesis in music. The documentary features rock legends Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz and Roland Founder Ikutaro Kakehashi.
Following Bhatia, Dianna Dilworth and Markus Resch of the Mellotron Archive will screen Mellodrama: The Mellotron Documentary which explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron – the first musical keyboard to “sample” the sounds of other instruments – from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields” to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama traces a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery.
- Panel Discussion To Explore the Impact of Bob Moog’s Work on the Music Industry Past, Present and Future as Interpreted though Museum Exhibit
On Sunday January 17th from 3-4pm in the Idea Center at NAMM, The Bob Moog Foundation and the NAMM Museum of Making Music will present a panel discussion in celebration of the premiere exhibition Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog. The
discussion will involve industry and musical luminaries in an exploration of the impact of Bob Moog’s work on the music industry as it relates to the exhibition at the NAMM Museum of Making Music public display through April 30, 2010.
The discussion will be moderated by Museum Curator Tatiana Sizonenko
Panelists include:
- Craig Anderton (Senior Editor: Harmony-Central.com, Senior Editor: EQ Magazine, Contributing Editor: Keyboard Magazine)
Herb Deutsch (collaborator on first Moog synthesizer)
Larry Fast (Synergy, Peter Gabriel)
Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook, The Who, Exhibit Advisor)
Michelle Moog-Koussa (Executive Director, the Bob Moog Foundation)
When the Show Ends, An Exclusive Moog Tour Begins
The Museum of Making Music, in collaboration with Moog Music and the Bob Moog Foundation, is offering an exclusive tour of their exhibit Waves of Inspiration:The Legacy of Moog to NAMM attendees only. The exhibit is the first-ever public display of a rare collection of vintage instruments, photographs, diaries, schematics, catalogs and project notes from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, along with the prototype of the first Moog modular synthesizer and much more.
On Monday, January 18, a bus will depart from Anaheim to the NAMM Headquarters (where the Museum is housed) in Carlsbad, California. Hosted by Michelle Moog-Koussa (Executive Director of The Bob Moog Foundation), Mike Adams (President, Moog Music Inc.), exhibition advisor Brian Kehew and museum staff, the tour includes lunch before departing back to Anaheim in the early afternoon. Space is limited and an RSVP is required. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Carolyn Grant at carolyng@namm.org or call 760-801-7180.
Celebrating the Moog Synthesizer with Pioneers Herb Deutsch and John Eaton
The week after NAMM, we will be at the NAMM Museum of Making Music to join electronic music pioneers Herb Deutsch and John Eaton for an evening of music and conversation regarding their collaboration with Bob Moog on two groundbreaking instruments. The event, Celebrating the Moog Synthesizer, takes place at the Museum on Saturday, January 23rd at 7pm. Tickets are available for purchase online through the Museum.
We’re off to a great start in 2010! Thank you all for your ongoing support that makes our work possible.
Legendary George Duke and Quartet to Perform November 6, 2009 at Museum of Making Music
Intimate Concert and VIP Reception at Museum of Making Music, Carlsbad, CA
On Friday, November 6, 2009, George Duke, whose very name is synonymous with funk, R&B, pop, soul and jazz and who is heralded as a world class keyboardist, synthesizer pioneer, composer and Grammy award winning producer, will perform an intimate concert with his quartet at the Museum of Making Musicin Carlsbad, California. The concert is a celebration of the Bob Moog Foundation and the Museum of Making Music’s exhibition, Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog, a first‐ever look at the life and work of synthesizer innovator, Dr. Robert Moog.
Tickets to the concert are $35 for the general public and $30 for museum members. Optionally, for $100 guests can enjoy both the concert event and a special VIP after‐party reception with George Duke that will take place following his performance. Attendance is limited. For tickets and information, please contact the Museum at 760‐438‐5996 or visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org.
In the past 40 years, Duke has released over 30 albums as well as appearing on countless other albums. Most recently Duke released Dukey Treats (2008), which highlights his skills as a jazz/funk master and song writer. Duke talks about the album in this video. He has also worked with an array of artists, including: Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Dianne Reeves, George Clinton, Anita Baker, Miles Davis, Denise Williams, Jeffery Osborne, Regina Belle and others. Additionally, Duke has worked as musical director at numerous large-scale musical events, including the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1988. In 1989, he was the interim musical director of NBC’s late-night music performance program Sunday Night.
THE EXHIBIT
Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog focuses on Bob’s Moog’s work and the impact that he had on the world of music. It features rare vintage synthesizers and other related Moog instruments and memorabilia from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and from various private collections. The exhibit explores the numerous musicians, engineers and colleagues who played a vital role in the evolution of the Moog sound and the relationship between and the inventor/toolmaker and the musician, as well as the genesis of a variety of musical interfaces.
Remembering the Genius and Soul of Les Paul
Fond Reflections of Les Paul — from the Desk of the Executive Director
In the fall of 2007, I was fortunate enough to attend the Mix Foundation Tech Awards that are held each year in conjunction with the AES show in New York City. I was fortunate enough to be invited as the guest of my friends at Steven’s Institute of Technology . As luck would have it, I wound up accepting the award for Technical Acheivement in Musical Instrument Technology on behalf of Moog Music, Inc. for the Little Phatty. It was a great evening all around, but the highlight for me, after receiving the award, was meeting Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar and multi-track recording.
I already got a sense of who Les was from his time up on stage presenting the Les Paul Award to Al Kooper. Les was more interested in the attractive brunette holding the award than the happenings on stage. When he got up to the mic, he said something along the lines of “I feel like a broken flag pole standing next to her”. The whole room erupted in laughter — at 92 years old, the guy had an incredible amount of spunk.
I was sitting with Steven’s talented faculty, of which guitar wizard Carlos Alamar was a member. Carlos offered to introduce me to Les, so up we went to the front of the room. Les initially looked a little distracted with all of the comotion going on in the room, but when Carlos said “Les, this is Bob Moog’s daughter, Michelle” Les’s face lit up, he gave me a huge smile and a hug and said “Oh, I just loved your dad.”
Dad and Les knew each other quite well from their years under Norlin Industries, Inc. Norlin was an umbrella organization that owned several music companies in the early to mid-70s including Sennheiser, Lowery Organs, Maestro Foot Pedals, Moog Music, Inc. and Gibson Guitars. Apparently, neither Dad nor Les were too fond of the way their parent company handled things and they bonded as two inventors facing the realities of being part of a large corporate organization. At one point around 1975 Norlin asked Moog Music, Inc. to make a guitar amp, the LAB Series Amp, to go with some of the Gibson guitars. Dad was in charge of designing that product, the prototype of which is part of his archive.
In the fall of 2008, I was in NYC on business and met up with a friend to go see Les perform at the Iridium Club in Manhattan. His set was a mixure of music, humor and nostalgia. At 93 years old he still had the chops of a virtuoso, the spirit of an innovator and the heart of gold. I went back stage to see him we spent some time talking about music and Les’s fondness for Dad. People wandered in and out to pay their respects to Les and he was always warm and animated. I was struck by his humility and open spirit, two things people always tell me they admired about my father. I could certainly see that Les and Dad had easily been kindred spirits.
Commenting on the link between the two men, Colby Cosh recently wrote:
“Two men, Les Paul and Bob Moog, stand above all others as creators of the musical environment in which our brains are all now marinated.”
Les invited me to come interview him at his home the next time I was in town; I was really looking forward to that. I’ll be in NYC in October for AES once again, but this time my second favorite music pioneer will be playing a tune somewhere else………hopefully in the company of my father.
Les Paul was a brilliant maverick inventor, a great musician and a hell of a nice guy. He is deeply missed by many here at the Bob Moog Foundation and around the world….
Erik Norlander’s “The Princely Hours”
Erik Norlander’s Skillful Use of Five Moog Instruments Provides Upbeat, Ethereal Song to Benefit the Bob Moog Foundation.
Erik Norlander is a progressive rock keyboardist whose evocative synthesizer technique is Erik’s evocative synthesizer technique is reminiscent of the legendary Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson and Jon Lord while still very unique and forward-moving in its own right. Erik takes many of the classic riffs and phrases from his various influences and reinvents them with highly emotional pitch bending, vibrato and authoritative phrasing. This technique combines brilliantly with Erik’s mastery of sound and production. Erik has personally led sound design efforts on several major brand synthesizers, and his knowledge of synthesis and audio engineering are second to none. Erik’s perpetual live use of vintage instruments — Moog synthesizers in particular — give his concerts a depth and authenticity of sound seldom seen in modern stage productions.
“The Princely Hours” is an original all-Moog composition donated by Erik, available exclusively through the Bob Moog Foundation. Here’s Erik’s description about the instruments involved in the song:
“I composed ‘The Princely Hours’ as a special piece for The Bob Moog Foundation using only Moog instruments. Even the percussion is Moog! The leads come from my Moog Voyager and my 70s Minimoog Model D. The stereo bass is from my modular Moog system, and some of the sound fx come from the modular as well, of course. For general textures and atmosphere stuff, I used my Moog Rogue, a real favorite of mine for that sort of application. The low bass drones are original Taurus pedals. The tracks were recorded using MOTU Digital Performer with reverbs courtesy of Universal Audio (Plate 140, Dreamverb) and IK Multimedia (CSR). The echoes are provided by the Moogerfooger MF-104 Analog Delay. ”
Listen to the whole track here.
Many thanks to Erik for this stunning musical tribute to the Moog legacy, and for his support of the Bob Moog Foundation.
mooged out: Asheville (The CD)
Backstory
In fall 2007 the Bob Moog Foundation sponsored an effort pioneered by local musician, engineer and producer Dave Hamilton. The idea was to record local Asheville musicians performing their music with innovative twists on or through Moog instruments.
After months of studio work, the project culminated with this CD and the recording of a collaborative track at a live event called Enter the Mind of Moog.
You can purchase the whole album for a gift of $25. All proceeds benefits the foundation.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
See pictures from the event.
View videos from the Event, as documented by Electronic Musician Magazine (scroll down the page).
Thanks
To Dave Hamilton–thanks for your inspired creative spirit. To all the artists involved, who are playing a critical roll in carrying forward the legacy of Bob Moog. And to all the volunteers, without whom none of this would have been possible; a special thanks to the five amazing volunteers who made up our event committee.
Our event committee was:
- Scott Kenney
- Siobhan Reilly
- Erin Rafalowski
- Dave Hamilton
- Sean McDonald
We deeply appreciate the donation of mastering services from Seva David Ball at Soundcurrent Mastering and our discounted press rates from Sonopress. Without you both, this project would not be possible.
Interested in participating in a future “mooged out: YourTown”?
Participating Artists
P Good by Menage
Menage is a local, female-fronted roots rock band. They were honored to donate multitrack masters to their song “P Good” that was initially recorded at Echo Mountain Studios. These tracks were then remixed using Moogerfoogers at Silvermine Studio by Dave Hamilton. The result is a new version of a Menage song that has Moogerfooger effect processing on the drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and vocals.
www.themenage.com and www.myspace.com/thegreenfields
Until I See Stars Again (BMI) by The Green Fields
written, produced and mixed by Chris Mondia
arranged by Chris Mondia and the Green Fields
engineered by Julian Dryer, Jon Paul Hess, Charlie Cissell & Chris Mondia
recorded at Echo Mountain Studios, Silvermine Studios, and Chris’ bedroom.
Eric Bailey – Fender bass
Chris Carter – drums
Charlie Cissell – glockenspiel
Jon Paul Hess – Moog Voyager
Chris Mondia – vocals, six & 12-string guitars, tambourine
The Green Fields are a pop band from Asheville, NC centered around the songs and arrangements of Chris Mondia. With a large and evolving cast of musicians, the Green Fields draw on a diverse range of influences such as The Beach Boys, Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, the Byrds, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and The Beatles to make their deeply personal and unique sound. “Until I See Stars Again”, presented here in an alternate version than what will appear on their forthcoming sophomore effort, features a Moog Voyager (played by local “man about town” Jon Paul Hess) as it’s centerpiece.
Now You Know by Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band
The Booty Band is very excited about being a part of this project. As The Booty Band has not experimented much with this kind of technology, they say: “We’re very happy to have our knobs twisted and our Moogers Foogered.” The band donated multitrack masters for the song “Now You Know” which was originally tracked at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC. The tracks were then processed through Moogerfooger Lopass Filter, Ring Modulator, Phaser, and Analog Delay by Dave Hamilton.
Me Have Fun by Ruby Slippers
“me have fun” copyright 2006
Ruby Slippers
lyrics & vocals written by Molly Kummerle
music written by: Molly Kummerle, Andy John, Robin Tolleson
THIS VERSION: all parts & vocals played/sang, engineered, & produced by Molly Kummerle in her den on a Zoom MRS-8 digital recorder, using a Roland 3500 S digital electric piano and a Yamaha PRS-7 420 keyboard. The Zoom media card was then passed on to Dave Hamilton who converted each track into useable waveforms and remixed the song using Moogerfoogers at Silvermine Studio.
My Heart Trembles by Broomstars
Broomstars (Jason, Liz, Clayton and Jared) have been 100% committed to preserving Bob’s legacy. From the band’s inception, it’s been a strong desire to utilize many of his beautiful instruments in Broomstar songs. This was our intent when recording “My Heart Trembles”. In particular, this song is heavily saturated with lush sonic landscapes using Moogerfoogers and the Minimoog Voyager. Listen as bass lines pulsate with the Bass MuRF, ring-modulated guitars delicately swoon, and the synth’s bombastic, yet sometimes subtle melodies emerge. It may be of interest to know that good “old-fashioned” knob twisting provided the swirling textures you hear at the end of the song. Yes, it’s true; you can do that with Moog analog gear! Bob wanted the musician to have a limitless palette from which to create. Also, included at the end, and quite heart-warming was the addition of Jared’s daughter’s heartbeat (in utero). For more information, upcoming shows and to hear additional songs, please visit our website
http://www.myspace.com/broomstars
Willow by Chris Tanfield
Chris Tanfield recorded “Willow” with engineering help from Jon Paul Hess at Silvermine Studio. The song features acoustic guitar, vocals through Moogerfooger delay effects, and Theremin through delay being amplified through a Leslie speaker.
Funk in ya Knock by Agent 23
Agent 23 is an MC/Producer, soloist and member of the notorious GFE collective. He has released 3 solo albums as well as an album of hip hop for youngsters. He reps for the traveling set, the misfits, and the lovers of psychedelic. His self produced song, “Funk in ya Knock”, is an elbow to the ribs of overserious mainstream hip hop, and features a keys solo heavily dosed by the Moogwork of Dave Hamilton.
You can find more Agent 23 classics at www.granolafunk.com and entertainment for the kids at www.childstyle.org
Fakie Rock by Strut
Hi we’re STRUT – we’ve lived and played music in Asheville for 8 years. We play a mix of Ska/Funk & Rock, lately our song writing has taken an electronic/psychedelic turn due the help of the Moogerfooger’s and their endless sonic possibilities. We are honored to be part of this compilation and anything MOOG. The song we selected for the compilation is called Fakie Rock. The song was tracked in Orlando, FL and then taken to Altamont Studios in Asheville for overdubbing. That’s when we broke out the toys. The Moogerfooger’s included in this song are: Lowpass Filter & Ring Modulator on guitar; 12 Stage Phaser on bass and vocals; we also used a Minimoog Voyager and an original Minimoog keyboard for overdubs.
Find more of our music at www.strutproductions.com and www.myspace.com/strutproductions
much love… enjoy! – STRUT-
Another Longest Day of the Year by The If You Wannas
We used the Moog Little Phatty for the lead synth part with added delay and distortion.
Players:
Ryan Cox – vocals, guitars
Trevor Stoia – bass
Jacob Baumann – drums
Gavin Conner – little phatty synth
words and music by Ryan Cox
copyright 2007
recorded at High Five Recording with Jayro
www.theifyouwannas.moonfruit.com and www.myspace.com/theifuwannas
Turn it Around by Josh Blake and his Big Money Band
The Big Money Band is a group of talented Asheville musicians who have come together to support me and my songwriting. Our group includes members of GFE, Strut, Yo Mammas Big Fat Booty Band, and The Short Term Memory String Band. When we were approached by the Moog Foundation to submit a track for this compilation, we wasted no time. The track “Turn it Around” was recorded at Echo Mountain Studios (Asheville, N.C.) in August ’07 and features the musicianship of Eric Krasno (Soulive) and David McCracken (Donna The Buffalo) working the wonders of the Moog Voyager. We are truly honored to be included in this project and to have an opportunity to give back to someone who gave so much to the world of music. peace…….Josh Blake
www.bigmoneyband.com and www.myspace.com/bigmoneyband
Be For You by Josh Phillips Folk Festival
As the Folk Festival’s debut album, WICKER, is not due out until April ’08 and has not been mixed in it’s entirety, Josh Phillips is honored to hear this Moog interpretation of this “Pre-Mix.” Listen closely for the deep bass on the drumset. There are plenty of Moogerfoogers on the vocal tracks as well.
www.myspace.com/joshphillipsfolk
Geronimo by Chach
Chach is an up and coming, innovative hip hop artist whose production sounds are on the cutting edge. On the track “Geronimo,” the Minimoog Voyager is used for it’s grimey lead synth tone.
Circus Pills by Jen and the Juice
“The circusy waltz and lyrics in the song suggests there is a problem with doctors over medicating people.” says Jen Greer. The Jen and the Juice song “Circus Pills” was recorded in the halls of UNCA music department (literally). While Jen Greer recorded the song standing in the middle of the hall way with a single vocal mic, Joe Buzzelli (Jen and the Juice drummer and producer) and Funky J. Bryan (sound engineer) weaved MoogerFooger effects: Low Pass Filter, Ring Modulator, Stage Phaser, Analog Delay, MuRF and Control Processor, throughout the song. If you listen closely you can hear them running in the hall.
www.jenandthejuice.com and www.myspace.com/jenandthejuice
The New Come On by The Great Slide
The Great Slide is a four piece psychedelic rock outfit. The song “The New Come On” was recorded at Silvermine Studio by Steve French. The vocals are drenched in Moogerfooger Analog Delay, the bass is being played through a Phaser, and the drumset is being played through Moogerfooger effects to create sonic textures as well as a fuller kick drum.
Continuum by Thunderdrums
Thunderdrums is the solo tribal electronica project performed by Asheville NC resident Frank Bloom. The set up for Thunderdrums includes a vast array of various handdrums, percussion instruments, drumset, electronic drum pads, samplers, effects pedals, and looping pedals. For “Continuum,” Frank used his Moogerfooger MURF alongside a few more effects graciously donated for the recording by the Broomstars: the Phaser, the Delay, as well as a Little Phatty synthesizer for the live basslines he created. more information, tour dates, etc: www.myspace.com/thunderdrums77
Moogwai by Medisin
Medisin has been on the electronic music scene since 1999 when he mysteriously discovered a forever life changing psy.trance party in the backwoods of North Carolina. Since then he has gone on to become a gifted DJ & Producer, with many different styles of music under his belt. Traveling often while spreading his infectious style of psychedelic to the world and bringing medicine through music to heal the sins and sadness of the human experience. This track, “Moogwai,” was made specifically for the Bob Moog Foundation in memory of Bob Moog. A true pioneer who helped to create so many new opportunities to open up the mind and send it on a journey. THANK YOU!!!Medisin
www.myspace.com/medisintrancer
Event Photos
Pictures from the Enter the Mind of Moog event where we recorded the live track.
Special thanks to Jen Lepkowski Photography and Jon Leidel Photography.
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| Bob Moog Foundation + Asheville AFFILIATES |
Ben Hovey Lends his Funky Horn to Mooged-Out At MoDaddy’s Bele Chere After Party
For any of you who attended “Enter the Mind of Moog: Bob’s Birthday Celebration” in May, you’ll remember one of the highlights of the evening being Ben Hovey waling on his trumpet while simultaneously playing the Little Phatty. No doubt about it, Ben is a mean funk player who puts his heart and soul in to every note.
Ben plays with “Wormholes, Trumpets, and Funk”. Fusing function and form, this sonic scientist, an undeniable gear-head, has daisy chained his musical styling as “electro-soul.” Building a funky foundation of break beats, erecting walls of sound with his synthesizers, and illuminating the spot with hot live brass, he makes House into a Home. But Ben doesn’t stop there. He makes the musical rounds and plays with the Asheville Horns, the Booty Band, the Josh Phillips Folk Festival and Kevens.
Like many of the musicians who lend the Bob Moog Foundation their mighty talents, Ben has a very deep connection to the Moog Legacy.
“I’ve felt an inspiring connection with Bob since first bringing home a Moog Rogue synthesizer around 10 years ago. In learning about him over the years I have come to deeply respect his kind and humble character, genius, and amazing sonic inventions. When he passed, I felt as if I lost a close family member, even though I had never met him. The day after, I went to the local music store to play the Minimoog Voyager for several hours in deep meditation and felt his guiding presence in the “voyage”. I have had many synchronistic experiences with Bob since then and followed an intuitive calling to move to Asheville, work at Moog Music, and help to carry on his legacy. It is an incredible honor to participate in the Bob Moog Foundation benefit concerts, and to share in the love and admiration with other artists who feel a similar bond. THANK YOU BOB!!”
You can follow Ben at www.twitter.com/benhovey. Come check out his amazing skills at our Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s event tomorrow night, July 25th, from 10pm-2am. Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go to beneift the Bob Moog Foundations Moogseum effort. Give MoDaddy’s a call to reserve tickets 828-258-1550 or get tickets at the door at 77 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC.
Chris Tanfield Rocks the Theremin at Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s Bele Chere After Party
Chris Tanfield has been playing his Theremin all over the southeast since 2003 as a member of Silver Machine, The Royal We, and The Morsels, as well as special guest in several other bands. He has appeared at area festivals such as Bele Chere and LEAF, on Asheville’s URTV cable channel and music venues all over the Southeast.
Chris dazzles people with his theremin skills wherever he goes, as he combines musicianship and expressiveness to create a mesmerizing performance. His history with this unique instrument runs deep, as he tells it:
“My relationship with Dr. Moog and Moog Music goes back to the late 1990’s. I first saw a theremin at UNCA music department, thanks to Dr. Wayne Kirby, and was immediately fascinated with it. Soon after that, I began working part-time at Dr.Moog’s factory building theremins. In the year so follow, I must have built, tested and played a few thousand Etherwave Theremins for Moog Music, as well as demonstrating the instrument at NAMM shows and conventions. This is where I honed my technique on the instrument and became familiar with many of its possibilities and quirks.”
“When The Moog Foundation began appearing at music festivals and venues, it was only natural that I would want to get involved, demonstrating and playing the theremin, writing and performing music, and collaborating with some of Asheville’s amazing talent at ‘Mooged-Out” events and recording sessions.”
“I’m so psyched about the upcoming show at MoDaddy’s. Like many Moog events, it will feature some of Asheville’s greatest talents on the same stage. We are collaborating on new music and old, and the mood is creative and exciting! We’ve formed a new band called “The Adapters”, which first appeared at Enter the Mind of Moog: Bob’s 75th birthday celebration. We have a fresh, new, sexy, ethereal sound mix featuring the sweet female voice of Molly Kummerle, theremin, cello, keys, guitar, and drums. Of course Dave Hamilton will be ‘mooging-out’ our sound as well.”
It is a thrill and an honor to create and collaborate with the Bob Moog Foundation and all of the musicians and performers involved. My thanks to everyone at the Bob Moog Foundation for putting together these events.
Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s:Bele Chere After Party takes place Saturday, July 25, 2009 from 10-2pm. MoDaddy’s is located two doors down from the Orange Peel at 77 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC. Call (828) 258-1550 for tickets.
Molly Kummerle Sharing Good Vibes at Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s Bele Chere Afterparty This Saturday!
Molly Kummerle, also known as “Ruby Slippers” on the vibrant Asheville music scene, will be gracing the Mooged-Out stage at our Bele Chere After Party on July 25th. Molly is no stranger to Bob Moog Foundation events, having shared her ethereal jazz/hiprock vocals at Enter The Mind Of Moog in November 2007 and Enter the Mind of Moog:Bob’s Birthday Celebration in May 2009. You can hear Molly performing “Give Me the Sun”, for which she wrote the lyrics,
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and on “Me Have Fun” on our Mooged-Out: Asheville CD.
Molly Kummerle on the Mooged-Out Stage -- Photo by Jon Leidel
Molly has garnered much critical success in the local scene with Stuart Gaines of the Mountain Xpress writing that her performance is “stunning, if not plain sexy — jazz and rock sway. Her voice melts like butter across the room with microwaves ease, while vaguely evoking the best of Ani DeFranco or even Fiona Apple.” Add an analog delay moogerfooger to that and the result is pure magic.
Molly’s connection goes well beyond lending her talents to our events — she is connected to our cause.
“It is an honor and an adventure in creativity to work with the Moog Foundation on this and all events. As an artist, this is an opportunity to participate in something really special. It is a collaboration that brings together different backgrounds, influences, schools of music, technology and improvisation, resulting in a living celebration of the true innovative spirit of Bob Moog.”
Molly Kummerle and Dave Hamilton -- Photo by Jon Leidel
Molly will be performing from 11:15 to 12:00 with one of four Moog Foundation House Band’s, “The Adaptors”. The band will feature Chris Tanfield on guitar and theremin, Jeremy Ferguson on bass, Frank Bloom on drums, Franklin Keel on cello and John Paul Hess on keyboards. Dave Hamilton will be running them all through moogerfoogers from the front of house.
Come join Molly and all the other musicians as they get Mooged-Out, and raise their voices for the benefit of the Moogseum. Tickets are on sale at MoDaddy’s for a $5 donation in advance and at the door. The event runs from 10pm to 2am.
To find out more about Molly, see her myspace page.
Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s – Bele Chere After Party
On July 25, 2009 The Bob Moog Foundation will team up with a diverse selection of Asheville’s top musicians to assemble a Moog Foundation House Band for a funky Bele Chere after party laden in the sonic goodness of Moog instruments. The House Band, which will consist of members of Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Eymarel, The Asheville Horns, Silver Machine, Jen and the Juice, and other talented Asheville artists, will perform using a custom-tailored setup of Moog instruments and effects provided by The Bob Moog Foundation. The band will be remixed live from the sound board by Bob Moog Foundation Creative Director Dave Hamilton, who will have a full array of Moog effect modules with which to bend, tweak and filter the sound.
“Remixing live music using Moogerfoogers is a wonderful hands on experience which requires top notch musicianship from the performers. We are lucky to have this pool of talent in Asheville.”
-Dave Hamilton
The performance will highlight the rich connection between these talented musicians and the expressive technology that made the Moog name a classic. This intimate evening offers an opportunity to witness the use of Moog equipment in the very capable hands of Asheville musicians, many of whom share a connection with the musical legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog.
Proceeds from this Mooged-Out event will assist The Foundation reach its goal of creating a Bob Moog Museum, or Moogseum, in Asheville. The Moogseum will house Bob Moog’s extensive archives, feature interactive instrument-based exhibits and serve as an educational, historical and cultural resource to Asheville and the wider music community. The Bob Moog Foundation was recently awarded a $600,000 grant by the Buncombe County Tourism Product Development Authority to construct the Moogseum. The foundation will soon launch a campaign to raise the remaining funding needed to create this multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. www.moogseum.com
This Mooged-Out event will take place from 10pm-2am at MoDaddy’s, 77 Biltmore Ave. (next door to The Orange Peel). Tickets are available at MoDaddy’s for a minimum donation of $5.
For more information contact Dave Hamilton, Creative Director, at moogerfooger@gmail.com or visit www.moogfoundation.org
