BMF to Raffle Lou Reed’s Moog Guitar
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
Patrick Moraz’s Birthday Greetings
“Well, Dear Bob, wherever You are in the Cosmos, I wish You a very Happy Birthday and a great ride on the “centrifugal beaches of Infinity”, on Your Journey around and across the Universe!
Patrick Moraz – Vintage Moog Photos and Reflections on “Change of Space”
In his rise as a virtuoso keyboardist in the mid-70s, Patrick Moraz worked closely with Bob on the early testing of the Polymoog and Macromoog. He visited the Moog Music factory, located in Williamsville, NY in 1975 as a musician consultant; in turn Bob visited Patrick in Switzerland to help Patrick with the programming and tweaking of the Polymoog for his upcoming solo album Story of I.
“…It was at the same time a miracle and a wonderful experience”, says Patrick, “that I was able to invite Bob Moog to Geneva, Switzerland, during the first several weeks of the recording and production of my first solo album “I” (a.k.a. “The Story of I”). Bob and I were able to work long hours in the studio, even sometimes during the night, and quite a lot of sounds and textures which are featured on the album came from those sessions. Bob was truly a genius in his own right, and he was always very calm and extremely dedicated to his art, his own inventions and to the future of electronic music as a whole! He also a great sense of humor! These were truly fantastic times!”
Today we are sharing a rare and wonderful photo of Bob and Patrick taken in 1975 behind Moog Music during that period of collaboration. Patrick has autographed 25 of these photographs and donated 25 copies of his new “Change of Space” CD in celebration of Bob’s birthday, which we are offering together for a $75.00 donation. All proceeds will go to support our Moogseum and Student Outreach projects. Make your donation here. Thanks, Patrick, for your support!
Here are a few more photos, discovered in Bob’s archives, that were taken during that same time period.
Patrick with Macromoog 1975
Bob and Patrick Tweaking the Polymoog
Bob working on Patrick's Polymoog
In February, Patrick released his most recent album “Change of Space”. Here is some information and history about the CD, in Patrick ’s words:
” “COS”, as I call it, is a collection of songs and instrumental pieces never released as yet which I had the chance (the opportunity) to finish composing, recording, mixing and “polishing” over a period of about 14 years. Although I didn’t work on them “all the time” during that long period of time, these pieces reflect very much some of the music I have developed and recorded on my own as well as with other remarkable musicians. *
In the late 80’s and beginning of the 90’s I used to have my own recording studio in Hollywood, on the corner of Vine and Santa Monica Blvd. Since work was slow in “89” with the Moodies, I decided to do some sessions and also compose the music for the 700th Anniversary of my country of origin, Switzerland.
There was always a lot of cultural and ethnic activities on the premises, with all kinds of local musicians from all styles, like Bunny Brunel, bass player extraordinaire, Kazumi Watanabe, the famous guitarist from Japan, John Wackerman, from the Wackerman family of drummers associated with Frank Zappa’s various groups, Alex Ligertwood, former lead singer with Santana in the 80’s, and Alex Acuna, premier percussionist of Joe Zawinul’s group “Weather Report”. Some of the pieces, as mentioned earlier were recorded in Los Angeles, i.e. “Peace in Africa”, “Change of Space”, “The Power of Emotion” and Stellar Rivers & Streams of lucid dreams”.
The other pieces, the suite entitled “Sonique Prinz” in 3 movements and the very last piece of the album “Alien Spaces” I recorded on my own, playing all the instruments at Audio Playground in Orlando as well. In regards to the technical, sound engineering and mixing aspect of those recordings, I was helped over different sessions by Joseph Rivers, the co-owner of the studio at the time and Eric “Woody” Wood, a Full Sail alumni. Though the studio itself doesn’t physically exist any more, one could find more info added about it and some of the synthesizers available on the premises, as well as the recording gear and the mixing equipment.
In regards to the theme of the music itself, my music generally always has to do with some “causes” pertaining generally to Freedom, in all its facets, and to Change, change for a better world, change for a better situation, Awareness, Spirituality and the Cosmos!”
To read much more about “Change of Space”, go to Patrick’s websites, www.patrickmoraz.net and www.patrickmoraz.com He’ll be posting more about it soon! You can also check out his entire collection of available CDs on the Voiceprint website.
*Please Note : All original names i.e. Patrick Moraz solo Albums, Cds, Dvds and original projects names are all copyrighted (©) and “tm” (Trademarked) as well as “R” (Registered Copyright).
Silent Auction List
Wheat again.
Here is what was in the Silent Auction at Enter the Mind of Moog
You may not know it, but Michelle Moog-Koussa ran a successful gift shop, called Amore, in Asheville for many years. But soon after Michelle started the Bob Moog Memorial Foundation, she realized she had to close the shop to devote herself full-time to the Foundation. Because of Michelle’s extensive business experience, a lot of excellent Asheville gift shops donated lots of goodies for our silent auction. But there’s more in there for the collector and musician. Here is a quick summary of the items offered in our silent auction, which benefits the Moog Foundation.
Moog Archive Photograph, from 1958. Bob in a nice business suit playing a Melodia Theremin. Number 1 of a limited series of 25.
West Side Gift Basket
Gift certificates to some of the most popular stores and restaurants in Asheville
The Virtuoso International School of Music
4 online piano lessons and a DVD including all 6 volumes of the Virtuoso Methodology series. http://virtuosoism.com
SampleMoog musical instrument multisample library, from Sonic Reality and IK Multimedia
Value $230
Karmasonics Music Package
17 CDs from the music store, total value $150
L’eau de Vie Gift Package
$200 in hair care and facial treatment from one of Asheville’s premier salons.
Moog Little Phatty Synthesizer, value $1,300
Malaprop’s Basket
$230 of books from this popular Asheville independent bookstore.
Chocolate-Raspberry Cake from Rose & Lilly’s Cakes (designers of this evening’s Voyager cake). Total value $80.00
Echo Mountain Recording Studio package
One full day’s use of the facilities, value of $1,000.
Downtown Shopping Spree, total value $275
Father’s Day Basket
A bunch of gifts and gift certificates from numerous Asheville stores
Moog Archive Package
Vintage Moog Music sticker from the early 1970s, and Publisher’s copy of the article “Electronic Music” from the Encyclopedia of Applied Physics, 1994, authored by Bob Moog. Both come with a letter of provenance from Ileana Grams-Moog.
Sensibilities Gift Basket
$140 worth of bathroom-spa goodies from this popular Asheville store.
Live from Enter the Mind of Moog #5
Well, I wish you could hear the music. The EP will be available soon so you’ll just have to buy a copy.
I’m really proud of the tremendous progress the Moog Foundation has made in the last year. Go too moogseum.com if you haven’t already and learn about our fantastic plans. We want to educate the world about electronic music and its contribution to musical creativity and art, and of course Bob Moog’s pivotal role in all of this.
The Asheville, North Carolina community has been what has kept all this going. Bob Moog moved here in the 1970s and made it his home, where he lived with his family and raised his four children. It’s obvious that Asheville loves Moog and appreciates the Moog legacy in music history. Now they want to help us share it with the world by helping us build our museum. We hope you’ll continue to support us, and come visit the museum when it opens!
I’m sorry I could not come up with a list of all the great performers on stage tonight. I’ll try to put one together and post it after the fact.
Meanwhile the jam sessions continue. The event is scheduled to run until 10:00 pm, which is twenty more minutes, but I’ll take this opportunity to sign off. I drove up from Atlanta, Georgia this morning to help out with this event and I’ve had a great time. I’ve enjoyed being your host, as it were.
Moog on!
Wheat Williams, volunteer
August Worley Strikes Again!
Dr. August Worley, designer and architect of the Minimoog Voyager, has a new venture making an electronic device for sonic therapy, promoting healing and health in the body. Not the same thing as music therapy. It’s called the Pyradym. Check it out at augustara.com.
Live from Enter the Mind of Moog #3
An unknown electric violinist just jacked in to the Moogerfooger booth, run by Jason from Moog Music Inc., and they are doing some wild and hairy improvisations, wrenching astonishing sounds from her futuristic four-string. I’m going to try to interview her later.
Live from Enter the Mind of Moog #2
Maestro Dave Hamilton sets up the recording rig on the Orange Peel stage
Here’s Dave earlier in the day, setting up the recording and signal processing rig and supervising the soundcheck for all the musicians.
Live from Enter the Mind of Moog #1
Michelle Moog is onstage right now thanking all the many organizations and people who supported this event. The main purpose of this event is to showcase our plans for the new Moogseum, which will be in Asheville, North Carolina. The Bunscombe County visitors bureau gave us a huge grant to get things started. We hope to break ground in 2012.
Lots of people are really enjoying themselves playing with Moog synthesizers, Moogerfoogers and guitars, and of course theremins. And we’re tracking and mixing an album of new music with contributions from dozens of musicians. There’s live video deejay work going on too. I wish I had access to all these peoples’ names, but I don’t right now. Maybe we can track some down and post them later.
Live from Enter the Mind of Moog–Bob Moog’s 75 birthday celebration.
Hi, I’m Wheat Williams. I’ve been a friend of the Moog family for many years and I’ve been volunteering with the Moog Foundation since its inception. I’ve done some press and media relations work, and I’ve worked in cataloging the Moog archives, but mostly these days I do IT and tech support. Michelle Moog-Koussa asked me to “live blog” this event. It’s a broad and impressive undertaking. We were here from 12:00 to 6:00 frantically setting up. Now the guests have arrived and there’s so much going on. Creative Director Dave Hamilton is onstage tracking a host of local musicians who are building up some improvisational music tracks with electric and acoustic instruments. Dave is mixing everything and processing it all through Moogerfoogers to create some hypnotic, rhythmic dance music.
Hundreds of people are here at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina.
We hope that in a few days you’ll see video clips from the event on the Electronic Musican Magazine web site, and also at GearWire.com.
I have a lot of photos and I’ll start posting them presently.
Enter the Mind of Moog:Bob’s 75th Birthday Celebration
ENTER THE MIND OF MOOG:
Celebrating Bob’s 75th Birthday
May 21, 2009
The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
Enter the Mind of Moog will be a golden opportunity to experience a working version of the planned Moogseum as the Bob Moog Foundation will transform the Orange Peel into an educational sonic playground for all ages. Upon entering the venue, attendees will be immersed in an interactive experience guiding them through the work and life of synthesizer pioneer and innovator Bob Moog. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Foundation’s hallmark project, the Moogseum, to be located in Asheville, NC.
Interactive instrument-based exhibits will be set up to connect attendees to the unique sounds and interfaces that helped make the Moog name a legacy in the worlds of science, music and innovation. Highlights include a “Theremin Tour”, where visitors will be guided by Bob Moog Foundation volunteers to play the early electronic musical instrument in various audio configurations as well as see it used as a video mixing tool, the “Synthesizer Lounge”, comprised of a bay of synthesizers available for attendees to explore and the Moogerfooger Remix Station which will highlight the power of the the Moog signal processing tools. Attendees are encouraged to bring their iPods or other playback devices to remix original music through Moog equipment.
The Interactive Timeline will guide the viewer through specific eras of Moog’s career and document the evolution of the Bob Moog Foundation. The Bob Moog Foundation will unveil a Mini-Moogseum installation to be featured permanently at the Orange Peel. The Mini-Moogseum, a beautiful showcase crafted by Chris Perryman of Domus Aurea Woodworking, will house a small exhibit of the pioneer’s archives, tell the story of his impact on the world of music, highlight his connection to the Asheville community and feature a custom built theremin, designed by Bob’s former student and protege, Steve Dunnington.
Throughout the evening, four Bob Moog Foundation House Bands (comprised of four all-star bands of local artists) will be recording a four song album live on stage. These songs will be recorded as if in a studio with each musician layering their part individually over one another. At the end of the recording process, we will have an EP album ready to be mixed. The songs will then be performed live by each band that recorded them.The original songs composed for the occasion pull from four different genres: acoustic, funk, indie rock and pop.
Jay Sanders will lead the acoustic selection of the evening, with each acoustic instrument being treated to some special Moog electronic processing. Jeff Knorr will use Moog equipment in the creation of a funk song; the drumming, Moog synthesizer as the bass and electric piano will all be processed through Moogerfoogers. Josh Phillips – will feature Josh’s vocals layered on top of Mooged-Out drums, bass and guitar. Joey Szabo will lead a song featuring the Theremin as the lead instrument accompanied by drums, bass, guitar, and vocals.
Our silent auction will include such items as a Moog Little Phatty Synthesizer and a full day of recording at Echo Mountain Studios.
Finally, in celebration of the pioneer’s 75th birthday, there will be a display of 10-12 birthday cakes designed and donated by area artisan bakeries. The cakes will be judged by a panel of judges for their originality of design and concept. At the end of the evening, we will be sharing these cakes with all attendees.
Cake for everyone! Join us for an night of sonic exploration and celebration!
For more information on the Moogseum, visit www.moogseum.com
Toubab Krewe Gets Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s April 24, 2009
On April 24, 2009 The Bob Moog Foundation and Asheville’s own Toubab Krewe team up to present a unique benefit pre-show for the Foundation’s hallmark project, the Moogseum. Toubab Krewe will combine their diverse musical influences with Moog equipment to treat the MoDaddy’s audience to an innovative set of music. The mini set will feature each band member using a custom tailored setup of Moog instruments and effects provided by The Bob Moog Foundation. The band will be remixed live through Moog effect modules which will be located at the sound board as well. The resulting sounds will then be routed into a surround sound system. This experience will highlight the rich connection between these talented performers and the expressive technology that made the Moog name a classic.
This intimate evening offers an opportunity to connect with Toubab Krewe in a one-of-a-kind performance. After the Mooged-Out set, the band will stick around for a meet-and-greet and signing of a limited edition commemorative poster designed by super talented Jenny Greer at Sound Mind Media.
About Toubab Krewe
Blending American and West African influences into a sound all its own, Toubab Krewe has set “a new standard for fusions of rock ‘n’ roll and West African music” (Afropop Worldwide). Since forming in 2005, the magnetic instrumental quintet has won a diverse and devoted following at performances everywhere from Bonnaroo to the legendary Festival of the Desert in Essakane, Mali, the most remote festival in the world. The band developed their unique sound over the course of numerous extended trips to Mali, Guinea, and Ivory Coast, where they immersed themselves in the local culture and studied and performed with luminaries.
Toubab Krewe Hanging Out In Jamacia
There is a very special connection that exists between Toubab Krewe and the Bob Moog Foundation. During his illness in 2005, Bob was given Toubab’s CD, and spent a sleepless night listening to it several times. Bob was so moved by the level of musicianship this band possessed, and pronounced them “such damn good musicians” (“damn good” were always Bob’s highest words of praise — and he used them with discretion). When Bob passed away several weeks later, his family asked Toubab Krewe to perform at his memorial. The band generously agreed, and made the trek from New Hampshire, where they were touring, to share their music with over 500 of Bob’s friends and family. At the end of the memorial, there was a crowd of people dancing to Toubab’s music. It’s not too often that you see people dancing at a memorial, but then again, Bob Moog was never one for convention.
Proceeds from this very special fund raising event will assist The Bob Moog 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.
Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s with Toubab Krewe will take place from 5-8 pm at MoDaddy’s, 77 Biltmore Ave. (next door to The Orange Peel). Tickets are available at MoDaddy’s for a minimum donation of $30. Space is limited.
What does it mean for Toubab Krewe to be Mooged-Out?
Toubab Krewe is a band that achieves it’s unique and diverse sound by combining traditional West African instruments with instruments that would be found in a traditional rock band. Their highly skilled and adventurous use of their gear is one of the things that helps to energize the live performances that they are well known for. At the Bob Moog Foundation benefit on April 24, the band will perform a special set of music that will be highlighted by including Moog equipment in each band members’ rig. This will challenge each band member to become educated on the expressive nature of the gear that helped make the Moog name a classic. In turn, the audience at MoDaddy’s will witness Toubab Krewe presenting their music in an experimental forum.
And now for the more technical aspects of the evening:
The Bob Moog Foundation has worked closely with Toubab Krewe to determine which Moog gear would best suit each band member. All guitars will be routed through Moogerfooger effect modules in order to shape the tones. There will be a Theremin, two Moog synthesizers, and the new Moog Guitar on stage. The sounds produced on the stage will then be routed to the soundboard where there will be a variety of Moogerfoogers to assist with processing on the drums, percussion, and kora. The Moogerfoogers will also assist in panning the sounds around the room in the surround sound system. This will be an intimate auditory experience that will be best appreciated from the middle of the room.
Umphrey’s McGee Gets Mooged-Out For a Cause
Umphrey's McGee Mooged-Out Sound Check
On February 21, 2009, rock improv maestros Umphrey’s McGee got Mooged-Out at MoDaddy’s in Asheville — raising almost $4,000 for the Bob Moog Foundation in the process. Performing a benefit pre-show for the Foundation, Umphrey’s rocked to a sold out crowd with all band members hooked up to Moog instruments: Brandon, Chris, Andy and Ryan all had their instruments hooked up to Moogerfooger effect pedals. Jake “Mooged-Out” on the Moog Guitar and the Little Phatty and Joel worked his keyboard magic on the Voyager and a Rhodes running through moogerfoogers.
During their jam, the crowd was treated to Jake and Brandon trading solos on the Little Phatty, and sometimes performing a duet on the synth together. Another golden moment was Brandon reaching back to tweak Ryan’s moogerfoogers during his killer bass solo. Joel rocked the Voyager, as always. The guys obviously had a great time jamming and enjoying all of the Moog gear that graced the stage. You can hear audio samples from the evening here.
Dave Hamilton Tweaking the Knobs - Photo by Jon Leidel
At the front of house, our Creative Director, Dave Hamilton, Mooged-Out the band through his slew of moogerfoogers. Dave is an expert at bending the sounds and adding a new dimension to the music.
In addition to mastering the Moogerfoogers, Dave had also set the room up with quadraphonic surround sound to get the most out of this unusual musical experience.
Many, many thanks to the whole Umphrey’s crew for their support in making the evening an enormous success!! Thanks also to MoDaddy’s for hosting the event and to all of our amazing volunteers who make events like this come off without a hitch. Let’s do it again sometime soon!
All proceeds from the evening will assist the Bob Moog Foundation in the planning and creation of the Moogseum.
Event Poster By Jenny Greer
Many thanks to Jenny Greer at Sound Mind Media for creating our poster for the event (left). These commemorative posters were given to each of the attendees and Umphrey’s McGee was generous enough to sign them. Everybody went home happy! Jenny has done quite a bit of work for the Bob Moog Foundation, including the creation of our logo. You can see more of her work on the Sound Mind Media website.
Umphrey’s McGee Gets Mooged-Out February 21, 2009
We are pumped to announced that jam band/improv rock maestros Umphrey’s McGee will be performing a Mooged-Out pre-show benefit for the Bob Moog Foundation at MoDaddy’s in Asheville North Carolina on February 21, 2009. Long time Moog users, Umphrey’s crew will be performing a special mini-set through custom Moog-enhanced rigs, provided by the Bob Moog Foundation. After the set, Umphrey’s will stick around for a meet and greet and signing of special edition commemorative posters before heading over to the Orange Peel for their gig there.
This unique benefit event will allow attendees a rare opportunity to connect with Umphrey’s McGee in an intimate setting of just over 100 people. All proceeds from the evening will assist the Bob Moog Foundation in the planning phase of the Bob Moog Museum, or Moogseum, which will be center for music and science education and a place to connect with the life and legacy of Bob Moog through interactive, experiential exhibits. You can read more about the event on Umphrey’s site.
Tickets for this very special evening go on sale on February 4th, 2009 at 12pm CST through Umphrey’s Ticketing. Tickets are available for a $35 minimum donation. Space is limited. To learn more about Umphey’s McGee, go to www.umphreys.com.
Many thanks to our friends at Umphrey’s McGee!
Executive Director’s Report from NAMM ‘09
Bob Moog Archives on Display, NAMM Museum of Making Music Exhibit, a Sneak Preview at the Moogseum and much, much more!
Winter NAMM, held in Anaheim, California each January, is always a blast for the Bob Moog Foundation. At NAMM, we meet up with old friends, make great industry contacts and generally spread the word about the Foundation’s progress. This year we had much to report!
Bob Moog's Archives Showcase at NAMM '09
As you all know, we have been working steadily to preserve and protect Bob’s imperiled archives over the past year and a half. Our goal has always been to share these archives through exhibits, and eventually through our own museum. Recently, we formed a partnership with the NAMM Museum of Making Music (MoMM) located in Carlsbad, California. The Museum of Making Music will be hosting the first ever Bob Moog Retrospective exhibit from September 2009-March 2010. A formal announcement about that exhibit is forthcoming. I spent much of the weekend in meetings with the MoMM’s excellent staff about this exhibit and came away feeling excited about our collaboration and delighted at the prospect of bringing my father’s archives out for people to explore. We’ve come a long way from the moldy workshop!!
As a precursor for the MoMM exhibit, the Bob Moog Foundation provided a showcase exhibit of Bob Moog Archives (above) at the Idea Center at NAMM. This small but powerful slice of Moog history drew a lot of attention and excitement — we were certainly encouraged by the high level of interest and gratified to be sharing the archives with such an enthusiastic crowd. You can get a more detailed glimpse at the showcase from this video interview with Electronic Musician Magazine.
Over at the Bob Moog Foundation booth space (located in Moog Music’s bustling booth), we provided a “sneak peak” the Bob Moog Museum, or Moogseum, which is in the early planning stages. Gene Felice, an
Moogseum Poster at the NAMM Booth
Asheville-based graphics designer (and a devoted Foundation volunteer) created a 3-D model conceptualization of the Moogseum, which was completed just days before NAMM. This outstanding visualization drew a lot of attention at the Bob Moog Foundation booth space. I had a lot of wonderful conversations with people about the Moogseum, including some well-known faces.
Herbie Hancock and Michelle Moog-Koussa
Jazz great Herbie Hancock stopped by the booth and proclaimed the Moogseum “Fantastic!”. That was music to my ears. Lisa Harrington, keyboardist from the Smashing Pumpkins, synth legend Michael Boddicker, pioneering synthesist Morton Subotnik, keyboard tech to the stars Will Alexander and many, many more stopped in to check on our progress as well. Amin Bhatia, the neo-symphonic synthesist who created “Bolero Electronica”, was kind enough to man the booth space while I was out at meetings. You can see him talking to Gearwire about the Moogseum here.
NAMM is full of interesting, creative, musical people. When I could steal a few minutes away from the booth, I wandered out onto the NAMM floor to connect with people who have been touched by Bob Moog’s work.
Ikutaro Kakehashi, Michelle and BMF Board Member Bill Sautter
It is always an honor to talk with Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of synthesizer giant, Roland. I first met Mr. Kakehashi when he came to visit my father at our countryside home in North Carolina; I was 11 at the time. Each year at NAMM, I check in with him and he is always interested and supportive of the Foundation’s efforts. A couple of years ago, at my first NAMM, I was completely humbled when Mr. Kakehashi said to me “Your father is the foundation for my business”.
On the software side of things, I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Persing, President and Creative Director at Spectrasonics. Eric got into synthesis as a kid through his exposure to the Minimoog. You can see him talking about the influence Bob Moog has had on his career here. Eric was very supportive of our efforts and he and I will be working together to see if we can collaborate in some way.
Keith Emerson and Michelle Moog-Koussa
Last, but certainly not least, it was a pleasure for me to finally meet Keith Emerson for the first time. Keith was over demoing and signing autographs at the Korg booth. The nice people at Korg were kind enough to allow me to see Keith before he met the masses that awaited him. I brought along our Moogseum poster and had him sign it. Hopefully, in a few years time, he’ll be playing there as well!
Check out Harmony Central’s coverage of our NAMM efforts here.
NAMM is always an inspiring experience, and this year didn’t disappoint. I return home energized by the incredible support from our extensive network of friends and supporters throughout the country and the world. As a result of NAMM, we have quite a few new projects brewing, and I look forward to sharing them with you throughout the year.
For those of you who did touch base at NAMM, it was great to see you! Thanks for your constant words of encouragement and for the good vibes.
Michelle Moog-Koussa
Executive Director
The Bob Moog Foundation
