August 21, 2008

                                                   Celebrating the Pivotal Steps in Our Second Year

August 21^st is always a poignant day here at the Bob Moog Foundation. On that day in 2005, the world lost an electronic music pioneer whose gentle, humble and generous nature endeared him to so many and whose groundbreaking work affected an international community of musicians and music-lovers alike.  On that day, my family lost our deeply loved husband, father and grandfather.  Whether by friend, family, colleague or Moog enthusiast, Bob Moog’s presence is missed very much indeed. One year after Bob’s body left us, our family, along with many colleagues, friends and fans, launched the Bob Moog Foundation, seizing the opportunity to carry the Moog Legacy forward to future generations through educational and cultural outreach.

Our mission of documenting, teaching and celebrating innovative thinking in electronic music has been our beacon as we narrowed our focus over the past year and began the momentous task of preserving Bob's extensive archives. This focus certainly resonated with many of you around the world as we asked for your support over the past year, and gratefully received a generous response.

 Today we celebrate the conclusion of our second year, which has been marked by pivotal events, --  many of which are related to our archive project:

September – The Bob Moog Foundation hosted the first ever Moogfest Symposium with a panel of pioneering synthesists. It was an illuminating night for everyone as these deeply intelligent, perceptive gentlemen shared their reflections on their work with Bob Moog.

 At Moogfest itself, I had the privilege of meeting  many  talented musicians, all of whom treated the audience to sonic tributes to Bob.  Thanks to the graciousness of Moogfest promoter/organizer Charles Carlini, I was allowed to address the Moogfest crowd about Bob’s archives. My brief time on that stage was well worth it. We garnered patrons from that audience and peaked the interest of many of the musicians.  

 One musician in particular stood out in his talents, his deep connection to the Moog Legacy and his desire to help the foundation.  Symphonic prog rocker Erik Norlander has since lent the Bob Moog Foundation his unwavering support. You'll find Erik's original all-Moog song, “The Princely Hours”, which he composed for the Bob Moog Foundation,  available for download on our MySpace page <www.myspace.com/moogfoundation>. The profits from these downloads go to aid the archive preservation effort. Please check out this fantastic composition and download it -- It’s an easy way to help the foundation and get some great music. Our volunteer MySpace Page Coordinator Wheat Williams is responsible for making these downloads possible.

 "The Princely Hours” also graces our home page, giving our site a much needed sonic lift. Erik has also been working for almost a year on another very special project for the foundation. Keep your eyes (and ears) out for its announcement.

October - through the grace of an insistent patron, I was able to attend the AES Convention in New York City. Our archive project caught the eye of Gearwire.com, Electronic Musician Magazine and many others. I spoke to many luminaries in the audio world and they were all very supportive of our efforts. You can see some of those people speaking out on your newly launched You Tube site <www.youtube.com/moogfoundation>.

 Mega rock star, multi-instrumentalist and Moog enthusiast Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins raised his mighty voice in a plea sent out from our website, asking musicians the world over to give back by supporting the Bob Moog Foundation’s archive preservation effort. The flood of responses was an indication that Billy’s voice had been heard. You can read his powerful letter here on our site.

November - the Bob Moog Foundation held its first fundraising event, Enter the Mind of Moog. Almost 500 people packed the Orange Peel and immersed themselves in Moog instruments and Moog history and a live “Mooged-out” recording session . The success of this evening was largely due to a truly amazing group of very dedicated volunteers. Electronic Musician Magazine was present at the event, giving us generous online coverage and support.

 January – A team of Bob Moog Foundation volunteers spent five days cataloging Bob’s archives, finding innumerable treasures. There is still more left to discover!

 At Winter NAMM, the Bob Moog Foundation gained a champion in industry guru Craig Anderton. I spoke with  Craig about our archive project and showed him a few photos. Little did I know what I had unleashed! Craig was a powerhouse of Bob Moog Foundation enthusiasm over the weekend and was absolutely unparalleled in garnering support for the foundation throughout the industry. The ripples from Craig’s efforts will be felt for a long time to come.

 March - Ernie Rideout, Editor-in-Chief of Keyboard Magazine, took a stance and issued an editorial plea to his readers to contribute to our archive preservation effort.

 The GRAMMY® Foundation awarded the Bob Moog Foundation an Assessment Grant to ascertain the viability of the collection of reel-to-reel tapes in Bob’s archives.  We have been working earnestly this summer to fulfill the requirements for that grant.

 April – Craig Anderton speaks out on behalf of the Bob Moog Foundation in the editorial pages of EQ Magazine.

 The Bob Moog Foundation launches its first CD “Mooged-Out Asheville”, which is the creative brainchild of our Volunteer Creative Director, David Hamilton. “Mooged-Out: Asheville” features 16 Asheville bands all playing their songs on or through Moog instruments. This CD is available as a gift with an online donation of $25.00, or individual tracks are available for download on our MySpace page <www.myspace.com/moogfoundation>. Please check them out!  On April 18, we held our second fundraiser, Yo’ Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band Gets Mooged-Out, which served as a launch party for our “Mooged-Out: Asheville” CD. Eleven Asheville Bands played that night. What a great tribute and a fantastic musical gathering.

 May – The Bob Moog Foundation celebrated Bob’s birthday with the release of Amin Bhatia’s “Bolero Electronica”, which is a beautifully crafted celebration of synthesizer evolution.  Amin dedicated the album to Bob and released it on Bob's birthday. You can read more about it on our blog.

 German music software leader Ableton supported the foundation through a cash donation, and through encouraging users of their software to donate to the Bob Moog  Foundation as a tribute to Bob’s pioneering technologies, which now form the basis for a lot of music software in the industry.

June – I traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to NEARfest,  the largest progressive rock festival in the country,  to promote the Bob Moog Foundation with pioneering synthesist Larry Fast.  Larry and I  were graciously allowed to speak to the crowd of 1200 about the archives and I was truly blown away by their response.  The concentrated support in the crowd was truly unprecedented.

August – Thanks to the help of Steven’s Institute of Technology interns Ken Bachlor and Andrew Bentz, and their professor David Musial,  the Bob Moog Foundation launches its YouTube channel www.youtube.com/moogfoundation. This channel is replete with video testimonials about Bob’s  effect on peoples lives. We will be adding to it regularly!

 Swedish music software giant Propellerhead launches their support of the Bob Moog Foundation through a financial contribution,and a tribute package for their Reason users. To raise awareness and entice others to donate, Propellerhead released a free Moog-inspired ReFill to registered users.

What a full year it has been! I am so very grateful for all of the support mentioned above and for all of the support of our donors and volunteers as we work together to build this foundation into a lasting tribute to Bob’s indelible legacy. We simply couldn’t do it without you.  Thank you all for making waves!!!

Please keep the support coming as we venture into what is sure to be and exciting and successful third year of honoring and supporting the rich legacy that Bob left for us all to enjoy.