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.
Announcing 2010 Bob Moog Foundation Calendar
From the Archives of Bob Moog: A Photo Retrospective Calendar for 2010
The Bob Moog Foundation has created a calendar celebrating the rich history of the Moog Legacy through vintage photos, memorabilia, quotes and information taken directly from Bob’s archive. The photos trace pivotal moments in Bob’s early career and highlight many musicians and pioneers who inspired his work. Throughout the calendar, which is laden with images of early Moog instruments, Bob’s thoughts and philosophies about his work are shared in an effort to give greater understanding to his history and path; his was one of collaboration, listening and absolute dedication to musician’s needs.
The calendar is comprised of five vintage photos of Moog himself, taken from 1958-1974. The remaining photos are of:
- Leon Theremin
- Vladimir Ussachevsky
- Herb Deutsch
- Keith Emerson
- Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause
- Isao Tomita
- Joel Chadabe
- Roger Powell
Since being published, the calendar has garnered praise, including being called “drool-worthy”:
From Mark Vail
“What a beautiful, informative, and intricately detailed document the 2010 Bob Moog Foundation Calendar is! The rarely — if ever before — seen photos are outstanding, so much so that in 2011 I may extract and frame many of them for my studio walls. On second thought, the calendar as a whole will end up in my archives; I promise no scissors will ever touch it. Also extremely cool and drool-worthy are the Moog Modular images in the background. Well done! I can hardly wait for the 2011 edition.”
From Matrixsynth (www.maxtrixsynth.com)
“I just received my copy this weekend. The calendar is a great conglomeration of images and the history of Bob Moog’s legacy. It is built to last like his instruments. The paper stock is thick! Not your cheap glossy calendar here. Highly, highly recommended. I plan to have mine framed. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet and were planning on it I recommend you do so quickly. This is THE stocking stuffer of the year in my opinion.”
The calendar was designed by graphics artist Rose Hecht in collaboration with the Bob Moog Foundaton. Through her designs, Rose pays hommage to the original Moog modular synthesizer as the instrument that spawned an industry and radically changed the face of popular music. The background of every page touts panels of knobs and patchbays — images taken from photos of an early modular that was used in Moog’s shop in the 60s. That instrument is one of the many priceless items in Moog’s archives.
The calendar is available for purchase on our online store. All proceeds go to fund our ongoing projects, including the preservation of the archives.
Preservation on Reel-to-Reel Tapes in Bob’s Archives Begins With Help of GRAMMY Foundation
Audio Preservationist Seva Ball Begins Transfer of Archive Tapes With Help of GRAMMY Foundation Funding.
Seva David Ball, setting a tape for transfer
In March of 2008, the Bob Moog Foundation was awarded an $8,000 assessment grant from the GRAMMY Foundation to assess the physical, historical, and legal viability of over 300 reel-to-reel tapes in Bob’s archives. After months of study, three experts verified and prioritized 143 tapes to cleaned and transferred.
In the summer of 2009, the Foundation was awarded a $15,000 preservation grant from the GRAMMY Foundation to begin work on the prioritized tapes. Many of the tapes have been compromised by previous unstable storage conditions and the wear and tear of time; they will need mold remediation, baking, rewinding and re-housing on new reeels before they are ready to be transferred to digital format. Audio engineer and preservationist Seva David Ball of Soundcurrent Mastering is heading the team who will complete the process on over 40 of the tapes.
Prioritized tapes include those of Roger Powell (Utopia), Chris Swanson (House composer for R.A. Moog, Co.), Harolde Bode (speaking about he Bode Frequency Shifter), Emmanuel Ghent, Sun Ra, William Hoskins and Bob himself (speaking at a variety of seminars around the birth of the prototype). Recently a very special donation was made to this collection from an early synthesizer pioneer– we’ll be telling you about it and sharing it with you next month.
The project is expected to take 6 months to complete.
Many thanks to the GRAMMY Foundation for their ongoing support! This project would not have been possible without them!
Umphrey’s McGee Rocks eBay for the Bob Moog Foundation
Midwestern Icons of Improvised Rock Auction Autographed Items for Bob Moog Foundation
In October of 2008 Umphrey’s McGee, long-time Moog enthusiasts and present day rock icons, headlined Moogfest at the Hammerstein Ball Room in New York City. Their fantastic set included keyboardist Joel Cummins swooning the crowd with his masterful playing of the Moog Voyager and Jake Cinninger blowing everybody away with his skills on the new Moog Guitar.
A few months later, in February 2009, Umphrey’s McGee and the Bob Moog Foundation joined forces to present an Umphrey’s McGee Gets Mooged-Out pre-show at MoDaddy’s in Asheville, NC. The band thrilled a packed room with all music being processed through moogerfooger effect pedals. This experimental sonic event was an incredible experience for the fans and band alike . Joel put the Moog Voyager through its paces while Jake and Brendan accompanied him on the Moog Little Phatty. Andy, Kris and Ryan were hooked up to moogerfoogers and enjoyed new realms of sonic expression. The show raised over $4,000 for the Bob Moog Foundation.
In a continuing effort to support the Bob Moog Foundation’s mission toeducate and inspire people through electronic music, and their effort tobuild a Moogseum in Asheville, NC, Umphrey’s McGee is donating the following items to be auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to the foundation:
Auction items include:
1.) Signed Mantis Deluxe Edition
2.) Signed Poster from September 8, 2006 St. Pat’s Park, South Bend Indiana
3.) Signed Poster from April 8, 2008 Egyptian Theatre, Dekalb, Illinois
The auction will begin today, November 2nd at Noon CT, and will only go for
seven days, so let the bidding begin!
Here are the links to the items:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130341566746#ht_500wt_1182
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130341565036#ht_500wt_1182
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130341563688#ht_500wt_1182
Many thanks to all of the guys in the band for their ongoing support and to band manager Vince Iwinski for facilitating the auction!
Live From The Mind Of Moog #6
img class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-395″ title=”inside peel” src=”http://bobmoogfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/inside-peel.jpg?w=420&h=315″ alt=”inside peel” width=”420″ height=”315″ />Inside the famous Orange Peel before the crowd arrived.
Moog Foundation T-shirts at the merch booth. Have you ordered yours yet?
And here are two more cakes–a Moogerfooger and the Bob Moog Foundation logo in edible form.
August Worley, Bob Moog, and the other very important person whose name I can’t remember. Here they are designing the Minimoog Voyager some years ago.
