On March 27th, we welcomed the eight classrooms of second graders from Asheville City Schools to the Orange Peel for a grande finale event. Over the course of the morning, each classroom shared what they had learned over the 10 week curriculum period through original songs, sound waveform art and even a game show based on sound. The Orange Peel, ususally a venue for rockers and rappers, was packed with students, parents and teachers — all focused on the sublimely spectacular subject of sound.

Here are some images of the day, taken by Katie Richard Photography:

In the years before his passing, Bob Moog often dined at Early Girl Eatery in downtown Asheville with friends and family. The owners, Julie and John Stehling, counted him among their most cherished customers. Now they are giving back on the pioneer’s birthday by donating 20 percent of all sales from breakfast, lunch and dinner to the namesake Bob Moog Foundation.

The Early Girl Birthday Salute to Bob Moog takes place on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012. Doors to the restaurant open for breakfast at 7:30 am and close for dinner at 9:00pm.

Additional funds for the Bob Moog Foundation will be generated during the day through a raffle. Customers who make a contribution of at least $1 while dining at Early Girl on the 23rd will be entered into a raffle to win one of several prizes, including Bob Moog Foundation merchandise, one of three limited edition SynthArt posters and a pair of tickets to see a show at the Orange Peel.

Julie Stehling, co-owner of the restaurant with her husband John for the past 10 years, reflects on Moog’s importance in the Asheville community,

“I see Bob Moog as the father of Asheville’s vibrant creative community.  His influence on the world of music is impossible to overstate. The Bob Moog Foundation’s current creative influence on Asheville and our children is at the top of my list of why we are so proud to run a business and raise a family in WNC.”

As part of the day’s celebration, the Bob Moog Foundation’s resident synth guru, Marc Doty, will perform short sets of original music in the restaurant on vintage synthesizers, including a Minimoog Model D from the 1970s. To spur a Moog-y creative vibe, the Foundation will encourage diners to create custom pieces of Moog-inspired art on the kraft paper table liners that cover the tables at Early Girl. Submissions of Moog table art will be hung on the walls of the restaurant throughout the day.

Funds raised during the birthday salute will be used to enhance the Foundation’s three projects: Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which teaches kids the science of sound through the magic of music, the preservation of Bob Moog’s Archives and the planned Moogseum.

Early Girl Eatery takes pride in serving local food with a southern twist. They are located at 8 Wall Street in downtown Asheville. Their hours are Monday 7:30-3:00, Tuesday-Friday 7:30-9:00, Saturday and Sunday 9:00-9:00. Reservations can be made at 259-9292.

Please join us for a special day celebrating great food, an inspirational legacy, a non-profit that’s igniting creativity in future generations and a community that gives back!

Parents and Kids! Get ready to learn about sound, invention and electronic circuits!

Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool at UNC Asheville in conjunction with the North Carolina Science Festival on Saturday, April 14th!

The Bob Moog Foundation is pleased to announce two presentations of Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool as part of the North Carolina Science Festival. The 45-minute interactive presentations on the science of sound will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 14th at Lipinsky Auditorium on the campus of UNC Asheville. Both sessions will be geared toward students age 5–18 and their parents. Attendance is free of charge.

The sessions will be followed by an interactive setup allowing hands-on exploration of the science behind the sounds of electronic music, using the intuitive interface and sonic richness of Moog instruments. Through these activities, NC Science Festival attendees will learn about vibrations, sound waves, and electricity!

Between sessions, UNC Asheville’s Department of Music will host attendees in its Bob Moog Electronic Music Studio, located in the lower level of Lipinsky Auditorium. UNC Asheville’s Electronic Music Club will be present to teach attendees about building simple oscillators and circuit-bending techniques.

Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool is the Foundation’s hallmark educational project, teaching the science of sound through the magic of music. A pilot curriculum of the program is currently being taught to eight second-grade classrooms in the Asheville City Schools. The Foundation recently raised $23,000 through an online campaign to begin the expansion of Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool nationwide.

The North Carolina Science Festival is a 16-day statewide series of events showcasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics encouraging students to pursue STEM careers and for businesses to invest in North Carolina.  It includes hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances and other events. It serves as a vehicle for encouraging students to pursue STEM careers and for businesses to invest in North Carolina.

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About the NC Science Festival:

The North Carolina Science Festival is a multi-day celebration showcasing science and technology. The Festival highlights the educational, cultural, and financial impact of science in our state. Organizers expect more than 150,000 North Carolinians to participate in the Festival, which will run April 13–29, 2012.

To find out more about the 2012 NC Science Festival, visit the Festival’s website, www.ncsciencefestival.org. Follow the Festival through a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ncsciencefestival, and through Twitter, www.twitter.com/ncscifest.

About the Bob Moog Electronic Music Studio:

The Bob Moog Electronic Music Studio, located on the lower level of Lipinsky Hall at UNC Asheville, was dedicated in December 2009. Designed as a work and performance space, it is filled with Moog synthesizers, theremins, and computers as well as chairs for audience members. For years to come, students who study and work in the studio will uphold the legacy of the music pioneer and professor who left an indelible stamp on the recording industry and on UNC Asheville.

For more information about the Bob Moog Electronic Music Studio, visit: http://music.unca.edu/bob-moog-electronic-music-studio.

About the UNCAEMC:

UNCA’s Electronic Music Club strives to engage the Asheville community in both the creative and technical aspects of electronic music-making. Regardless of one’s prior experience as a musician, the club is open to anyone with the desire to explore and make sound waves.

For more information, you can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/uncaemc.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Spectrasonics’ Bob Moog Tribute Library. This milestone has prompted me to reflect on the evolution of this sonic celebration and the resulting legacy.

For those of you who are not familiar, the Bob Moog Tribute Library is the brain-child of Spectrasonics President and Creative Director Eric Persing, but it is the result of the time, talents and generosity of over 50 people including the indefatigable team at Spectrasonics along with musicians and sound designers from all over the world. Featuring 700 sounds and 45 artists, this unique sound library was created to benefit the mission of the Bob Moog Foundation.

And benefit us it has. The funding provided by the library has allowed us to grow our staff a bit (which gets a rousing “Whoot, whoot, whoot!” from me as I was the sole employee of the Foundation for over 5 years) and to make tremendous strides with our educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool and the preservation of Bob’s archives. In these tremendously challenging economic times, it has given us the stability needed to forge our way into the future of igniting creativity at the intersection of music, science, history and innovation.

While all donations are a blessing, and the funding generated by the Bob Moog Tribute Library is no exception, this project leaves behind a wider legacy than the financial benefit. With the creation of the Bob Moog Tribute Library, Eric Persing took a stand: He believed in our mission and our projects, he believed in giving back to a legacy that birthed his own stunning career, but most of all, he believed in the power of music as a force to create community and effect change. With Eric’s vision as its guiding force, the BMTL offered unique opportunities to everyone involved. The Spectrasonics team deftly created the splendid medium, the multitude of legendary artists participated individually but reveled in the collective nature of their efforts, and the Spectrasonics customers were treated to an exciting and inspiring sonic universe. Virtually everyone was inspired to be involved in supporting Bob’s legacy — and each other.

I often wonder what my father would make of a massive and profound gesture such as the BMTL. It’s hard to know as he was so humble and often quiet and pensive. But when music technology is used to enhance personal expression and inspire creativity, and when music is leveraged to bring people together in community — that is the juncture at which Bob Moog’s soul resonates.

To everyone involved in the Bob Moog Tribute Library, we celebrate the legacy of your efforts and contributions. They will live on for years to come — through this Foundation and the people it serves.

With immense gratitude from all of us at the Bob Moog Foundation,

At Spectrasonics with Eric and Lorey Persing

We have recently added several autographed Moogfest 2011 posters to our eBay store!  Each of these posters is available on a first come first serve basis. Please visit our eBay store to see individual photographs of posters signed by Wayne Coyne, Moby, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Amon Tobin, Beak, Fine Peduncle, Flying Lotus, Holy F**k, TV on the Radio, Ghostland Observatory, Terry and Gyan Riley, and Beats Antique.

We have added a few unique posters from the Moogfest Synth Art Show as well. Check out our  limited-edition art posters signed by Passion Pit, Wayne Coyne, Ghostland Observatory, and Active Child. These artists have each added their own personal stamp to an already dynamic piece of artwork suitable for framing. Some of these posters sold out at Moogfest 2011! These rare items are conversation pieces that would enhance any collection.

You can see all of the signed posters on our Ebay store!

All proceeds from the sale of the posters benefit our projects.

Our pilot program of Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool is in full swing at eight Asheville City Schools 2nd grade classrooms! This nine week curriculum introduces the physics of sound through interactive and intuitive learning interfaces; it’s brimming with information that is conveyed in fun and engaging ways.

One of the second grade teachers from Hall Fletcher Elementary,  Erica Reardon, has been writing mini-blogs about each lesson of Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool. Check out her links below to get an inside look at what creativity and innovation the kids are being exposed to through the curriculum:

Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool Kickoff event

Introduction to SoundSchool (lesson 1)

Discovery stations (lesson 2)

Tuning fork fun (lesson 3)

Invisible wiggles (lesson 4)

Where do the wiggles go? (lesson 5)

Wiggles in the wire (lesson 6)

We saw the wiggles! (lesson 7)

Want to learn more?

To see a TV segment of Mrs. Reardon’s fabulous second graders in action, click on this link to the WLOS “Never Stop Learning” segment.

Read this great article about the power and impact of Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool.

We’ll be issuing an update on the results of the pilot program in the late spring or early summer. Please check back to read about our progress!

Our IndieGoGo campaign, which ended Thursday night at, raised $23,138 from 510 funders across the globe for our educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool.  As part of  the campaign we offered two perks that can’t be found elsewhere.

At the $25 and $100 level, participants were entered into a raffle to win the Moogfest Voyager synthesizer, which was signed by over 25 Moogfest 2011 artists including Brian Eno, Amon Tobin, Moby, Wayne Coyne, Edgar Froese, Passion Pit, Terry Riley, Umphrey’s McGee, Beak, Ghostland Observatory, Chromeo, STS9 and more.  Over 400 people entered at this level online as well as 150 people who entered in person at Moogfest.

We are delighted to announce that Scott Eza from Johannesburg, South Africa is the winner of the much coveted Moogfest Voyager. Congratulations Scott!

At the $50 level, 48 people were entered to win the raffle to win the Moogfest VIP weekend, which includes 2 VIP tickets to Moogfest 2012, a three night stay at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, 2 passes to Navitat Canopy Adventures and over $1,000 of coupons to area restaurants and attractions.  We’re excited to announce that Ashley Heath from Corpus Cristi, Texas is the winner of this amazing weekend. Congrats Ashley! We can’t wait to see  you here in Asheville in the fall!

Many thanks to all of you who participated in the campaign and to Moog Music, Inc., Moogfest,  The Grove Park Inn and Navitat for donating amazing perks to us! Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool is stronger for it. We will be putting the funding to good use in the coming months to begin to grow the program.  Please be sure to check our website for updates on how we expand DBSS!

At 11:59 pm (PST) last night (March 1), our IndieGoGo campaign to raise funding for Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool came to a beautiful end.

Thanks to over 500 donors from all over the country and all over the world, we raised $23,138!!

We will be putting this funding to excellent use in the near future to begin next steps to expand DBSS outside of the Asheville area. Stay tuned for more details on our progress.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us througout this campaign. Please keep your eyes on your mailbox for the perks associated with your giving level. For all of you entered in our two raffles,

We will be announcing the winners of our Moogfest Voyager raffle and or VIP Moogfest Weekend raffle on Monday, March 5, 2012 by noon (EST).

Please check the home page of our website at that time.

Thanks again from all of us at the Bob Moog Foundation, and on behalf of children everywhere who will be inspired by this program!

The Moogfest Voyager

Ok, let’s tell it like it is. Winning a Minimoog Voyager Select Series, beautifully crafted by Moog Music, Inc.,  is enough to get just about anyone who has ears excited. But our Moogfest Voyager will turn heads and make your ears perk up. Specifically configured in Bob Moog Foundation colors, this one-of-a-kind synthesizer boasts a whitewash cabinet and electric blue backlight to light up its commanding panel of sonic controls. What makes this $3500 instrument even more extraordinary than its outrageous sonic capabilities, are the musical giants that signed it at Moogfest 2011, including: Amon Tobin, Beak, Brian Eno, Chromeo, Dick Hyman, Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream), Ghostland Observatory, Holy Fuck,  Joel Cummins (Umphrey’s McGee), Moby, Passion Pit, Suicide, STS9, Terry Riley, TV On the Radio, Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips).

We can safely say that there is not another Voyager like this in the world. We are raffling it off as part of our IndieGoGo campaign.

You can enter to win the Voyager by visiting our Indiegogo campaign here.

And you can see an entire gallery of photos of the synth here.

VIP Weekend at Moogfest 2012

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Moogfest, the incredible Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa, and Navitat Canopy Adventures, we are proud to offer a raffle for a VIP weekend to Moogfest 2012 which includes two VIP tickets to Moogfest, a 3 day weekend Breakfast in Bed stay at the Grove Park Inn, passes to Navitat and $1,000 worth of coupons to restaurants and attractions around Asheville. This package is worth over $2,000; the chance of winning as of this writing 1 in 25!

Enter to win the VIP Weekend to Moogfest 2012 here.

Monster MoogArt

This limited-edition “Moog Monster” art poster is designed by renowned poster artists Dan Grzeca. The poster is hand (not digitally) printed, and is signed and numbered by the artist. It measures 24″ x 36″ and is printed on heavy card stock. Only 85 of these posters exist! This unusual Moog-Inspired poster art is perfect for gracing the walls of your studio.

You can get this unusual rendition of a modular synthesizer here.

Bob Moog Foundation 2012 Calendar: Moog Pioneers in the Studio

We are proud to offer our BMF 2012 calendar at two different giving levels of the Indie campaign. So much more than a place to keep track of the 365 days that will mark 2012, this calendar is loaded with photos from Bob’s archives as well as the archives of some of his collaborators. Many of them have been rarely seen. An introduction and text by Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook, Recording the Beatles) lends insight into the seminal period in history when composers were pioneering the use of the Moog Modular synthesizer in their varied compositions.

Get this historic, collectable calendar here.

Mooged-Out Volume 2

The Bob Moog Foundation is fortunate to be surrounded by a town full of talented musicians who are enthusiastic about supporting our cause. Fourteen Asheville bands came together last year to raise their mighty voices (and instruments) to create Mooged-Out: Volume 2. Spanning musical styles ranging from rock and hip-hop to dubstep and avant electronica, the album is a dynamic showcase for the wealth of sounds inspired by Bob Moog’s contributions to modern music. The album is not strictly electronic music, but an expression of the wider pool of creativity that Bob touched.

The Mooged-Out Vol.2 CD is included at almost every level of giving on our IndieGoGo campaign.

We’ve received some rave reviews about the CD. Here’s one from Doug Slocum, a synthesizer designer from the Boston area:

“It is seriously RARE that I can actually enjoy newer (not Prog) artists without simply skipping to the next track, only to find the same boring stuff.

Well, this CD is f***ing awesome.  I got thru it this first time and am ready to listen again and share my experiences.

What a great bunch of musicians.  Seriously.”

By supporting our IndieGoGo campaign, you are not only helping to inspire a future generation of creative and innovative thinkers, but you end up with a little piece of Moogy goodness to inspire your day, week, or year. Thank you!

Our very first booth at NAMM 2012, featuring Bob and the generations of children his legacy will inspire

Having our own booth was a signal to the industry of our growth over the past year. The interest in our projects was palpable from the very first day.  Executive Director Michelle Moog-Koussa, Archive and Education Specialist Marc Doty, and rockstar volunteer Susan Granados spoke to hundreds of people over the weekend, sharing with them videos and photos of our progress with Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool and our work with Bob’s archives.  The response was fantastic. People continue to show great interest and enthusiasm in our projects. In particular, we had many, many inquiries about when Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool would be available at a national level, and many requests to adapt the program for children with special needs. We’ll be working on both of  those possibilities over the next several months.

One of the most special things about NAMM is the reverential energy  for Bob that converges on our booth through visits from all kinds of people. This year, the love and respect for Bob and the legacy that grew from his lifelong dedication to “making tools for musicians” (his words) was evident in the variety of people that came by our booth to show their support of our efforts.

Bryan Bell (former engineer and keyboard tech for Herbie Hancock, Santana, INXS and Neil Young), Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Bob Moog Foundation, stopped by to make sure we were all working hard and behaving ourselves. A special thanks to Bryan for your tireless work on our behalf over the past year and a half.

Legendary sessions synthesist, Michael Boddicker and Keyboard Magazine founder Dominic Milano gather at the BMF booth.

Marc Doty with Morris Hayes, keyboardist for Prince. Marc and Morris know each other from the days when Marc worked at Paisley Park.

Super talent Morris Hayes,  keyboardist for Prince, explores the Novitiate. He spoke to us with great reverence about meeting Bob, and about the impact that Moog instruments have on his work.

Michelle and Russ Paul (Les Paul’s son) catch up and talk about their fathers. Les was one of Bob’s idols. In the mid-70s, they  had a chance to work together on a guitar amplifier, the Lab Amp, for Norlin, the then parent company to Moog Music and  Gibson.

Marc Doty confers with Mike Garson, keyboardist for David Bowie, prior to filming a testimonial about Bob’s influence on his musical career.

Wow! Mike Garson and Herbie Hancock converge at the Bob Moog Foundation booth.

The legacy is alive in these gentlemen: Herbie Hancock, Patrick Moraz and Mike Garson. Michelle basks in the glow of  it all as Marc Doty takes it all in from behind. Marc got a chance to interview each one of these gentlemen. Keep your eyes out for his upcoming videos!

Susan Granados with Phyllis and Patrick Moraz on the NAMM floor.

Crowds gathered as Stevie Wonder stepped into the Bob Moog Foundation booth. It was an extraordinary moment — grace and integrity filled the air. Such is the aura of this amazing human being.

After talking for a few minutes about the progress with Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and Michelle and Stevie’s mutual desire to adpot the program for children with special needs, Michelle gets a wonder-ful hug from Stevie.

Marc Doty films Alex Wurman as he talks about his father’s early recordings on the Moog modular synthesizer. Alex’s father, Hans Wurman, recorded such records as  The Moog Strikes Bach (1969) and Chopin À La Moog (197

Digidesign c0-founder Evan Brooks hangs out with Michelle inside the BMF booth.

BMF Artist endorser and monster synthesist Erik Norlander stopped by with his lovely and talented wife, symphonic rock vocalist Lana Lane (second from right), and his bandmate John Payne (far right). BMF supporter and Norlander/Lane fan Michael Gough joined in for a group photo.

A huge thanks to everybody who cam by the booth to express their interest and support! We we honored to be part of  the energy and legend that is NAMM. See you again next year!