The Bob Moog Foundation Announces “Moogus Operandi” Fundraising Event featuring Synthesizer Virtuoso Erik Norlander and his Massive Wall of Doom Modular Synthesizer.
The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to announce Moogus Operandi, a concert event honoring the pioneering work and legacy of synthesizer maverick Robert Moog, to be held on May 27, 2010 at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The event will be a celebration of the Moog legacy through music, art and mulitmedia entertainment. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door the night of the event.
Northern California based synthesizer virtuoso Erik Norlander (ASIA featuring John Payne, Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane) will headline the evening, performing songs from his new album, The Galactic Collective. Norlander, an accomplished rock, electronic and symphonic keyboardist known for his command of vintage and cutting edge synthesizer technology alike will bring the Moog legacy alive with his synth-heavy instrumentals and his “Wall of Doom” modular synthesizer (so named by his roadies). The Wall of Doom, a massive analog modular synthesizer with restored 1967 Moog modules at its heart, will grace the stage of the Orange Peel as the musical and historical representation of Bob Moog's legacy of pushing the boundaries of sonic reality. This marks Norlander's first performance in Western North Carolina.
Norlander states "I have been a fan of the Moog instruments since I was kid, and I had the great privilege of knowing Bob Moog in his later years. Moog is, without a doubt, the most iconic name in synthesizers, and to many, the word Moog is synonymous with the word synthesizer. I am really looking forward to this stellar event for The Bob Moog Foundation in Asheville where we will celebrate the legacy of Bob Moog through music using his wonderful, timeless instruments."
Norlander will be joined on stage by a host of Asheville's top musicians including percussionists, brass and string players as well as a choral group of four vocalists. The exact lineup of will be
announced in the coming weeks.
Opening for Norlander and accompanying musicians will be Asheville street musician sensations Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks featuring Dwight Hawkins (Saw, Guitar, Vocals), Nicky The Squirrel (Mandolin, Harmonica, Kazoo, Vocals), Tony Costa (Guitar, Kazoo, Vocals), Alex Brady (Gut Bass) performing ragtime, jug band, early blues & country. Furthering the spirit of celebrating musical genres and technologies, the Bob Moog Foundation is proud to feature this group whose sound incorporates the musical saw, an instrument whose sound is much like the theremin, an early electronic musical instrument upon which the Moog legacy was founded.
In addition to fantastic music, Moogus Operandi will explore the Moog legacy through visual art. The Bob Moog Foundation has issued a call to Asheville artists to donate original works of Moog-inspired art to raise funding for the Foundation through an online auction. In the week leading up to the celebration, the foundation will hold an eBay auction featuring the unique pieces of Moog-inspired art. The eBay format will be used to provide an opportunity for the local artists to have their work showcased to a multi-national audience. It will also give the worldwide community of Moog enthusiasts a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind pieces of art created in the pioneer's hometown.
The auction, which will begin on May 20th, is scheduled to close at the end of the May 27th Moogus Operandi event at 10 pm; attendees will be able to participate through bidding stations set up by CityMac. Artists can register their pieces of art through May 1, 2010 at www.moogfoundation.org/artist-registration/.
Submissions must be received by May 15 at 2pm. More information about the auction can be found on the Foundation's website. Additionally, visitors will be treated to a multimedia presentation by Gene Felice, the graphics artist who created the Moogseum 3D conceptualization for the Foundation's hallmark project, the Moogseum. Felice will be highlighting the profound impact of Moog’s inventions on the music industry and on the musicians who have taken his instruments far beyond Bob’s wildest expectations. Felice will be using media directly from Bob Moog's archives, such as vintage photos, schematics, movie clips and more.
Attendees of the event will be able to participate in a raffle, with generous prizes given by Asheville area businesses. Raffle prizes include an Ipod Touch courtesy of CityMac ($250 value), an Mp-201 Multi-Pedal from Moog Music, Inc. ($499 value) and a chance to lay down some tracks and pull shapes in a day session at the world-class facility of Echo Mountain Recording ($1000 value).
Finally, guests will be able to explore the sonic boundaries of the Moog sound in the Foundation's MoogLab interactive experience. Theremins and synthesizers will be set up in the back of the Orange Peel, with BMF volunteers standing by offering instructional advice. Moogus Operandi promises to be a unique opportunity to be immersed in a rich musical experience that blends musical genres and showcases musical technology from its most primal form to its most cutting edge. The combination of talent that will be found on the Orange Peel stage on the 27th will be as unique as the Moog Legacy itself.
As a small non-profit, the Bob Moog Foundation creates unique fundraising events to fulfill its mission and to raise much needed funding for its three projects. The funding supports the Foundation's staff and many volunteers who are painstakingly working to carry Bob Moog's legacy forward to future generations.
Moogus Operandi is being sponsored by Asheville Brewing Company, CityMac, Echo Mountain Recording, Gould Killian CPA Group, Moog Music Inc, the Mountain Express and RBC Centura Bank . Without their support, this event might not be possible.
Erik Norlander is a self described “keyboardist, composer, producer and engineer”, but despite his humble admission, he is a prolific artist. With 32 albums under his belt over the last 15 years, he has embodied the sound of Moog and his works are a great testament to the beast that is securely encased within the heart of his levethian “Wall of Doom” analog synthesizer…a 22 oscillator custom 1967 Moog Modular. Keyboard Magazine describes Erik's work this way:
“From lightning-fast, Bach-like synth leads and arpeggios to thunderous rhythm beds and sci-fi lyrical themes (2003’s Music Machine chronicles the rise and fall of a genetically-engineered rock star, for example), Norlander’s solo work gleefully summons the operatic spirit of ’70s prog. At the same time, it displays the kind of originality, virtuosity, and cohesion best achieved by one artist taking a vision from conception to final mix.”
Erik has been a valued contributor to the foundation as well as a musician who speaks through the vessel of Moog and thus, the sound that Bob created over 50 years ago will continue to make waves through him for many years to come.
The Bob Moog Foundation is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire people through the intersection of music, science and innovation. The Foundation's goals include creating a MoogLab interactive educational experience and curriculum that teach children science through electronic music, preserving a fast decaying collection of electronic music memorabilia contained in Bob’s archives, and creating a Moogseum facility where
its educational and preservation efforts will come alive in an innovative, interactive experience for people of all ages.
An important aspect of the Foundation's work is to embrace the local and international communities to which Bob was so deeply dedicated. In this spirit, the foundation works to promote the cultural richness of the local artists and musicians and to act as a converging force for musicians around the world. Moog believed strongly in the music as a unifying force. He wanted people to get out from behind the confines of their garages and home-studio headphones to bring their music to the world. He felt strongly that music is meant to be performed and art is meant to be seen. He was fond of working in his garden in his spare time, and the key to a healthy garden is fertile soil and tending. Part of the Foundation’s goal is to help create fertile minds in young people and adults with exposure to the convergence of music and science. In this time of economic crisis, when arts and music are being eliminated from the schools, the Bob Moog Foundation aims to fill a void and elevate the level and quality of music and science education; the foundation seeks the support of the local and international communities to bring this project to fruition.
TICKETS
For ordering information please call the Orange Peel at 1-866-468-7630, visit their website or visit their box office at 101 Biltmore Ave. in Asheville. Hours are from Wed-Sat 12 noon to 5:30pm.
For more information, contact Michelle Moog-Koussa at 828.215.8414 or michelle@moogfoundation.org
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