Asheville, North Carolina is already a kind of mecca for a certain type of musician. It’s the home of Moog Music, the company which carries on the legacy of manufacturing Dr. Bob Moog’s legendary instruments and continuing his explorations in music synthesis. It’s a three hour drive from Moogfest in Durham. And it’s the home of the (independent, non-profit) Bob Moog Foundation.
Visiting Asheville, North Carolina, in December, I walked past a sandwich board that read, “Synth you’re here, come on in.” It was a pop-up store selling T-shirts, mugs, and other memorabilia commemorating one of the town’s most famous citizens, electronic music pioneer Bob Moog.
Robert Moog was a game-changing electronic music pioneer and the father of four children (and one step-daughter), including daughter Michelle Moog-Koussa, executive director of the Moogseum, a brand-new facility opening on what would have been Moog’s 85th birthday, Thursday (May 23), in Moog’s adopted hometown of Asheville, N.C.
Leading up to one of the earliest Bele Chere festivals — the street party took place in downtown Asheville 1979-2013 — a couple of local musicians decided to reach out to Robert Moog.
Music facilitated and inspired by the late inventor Bob Moog can be heard all over the world, but Western North Carolina can rightly claim to be its historic base, as he lived out his last decades in the Asheville area.