You have to hand it to Moog – what other brand in music these days inspires this kind of passion, let alone an entire music festival?
Moogfest itself seems to have gone fairly mainstream. Bonnaroo producers AC Entertainment are behind this year’s installment, and the headliners announced so far already include Massive Attack, MGMT, and Thievery Corporation. (In fact, I hope Moog also taps some of its lesser-known, more underground artist enthusiasts; we’ll know once we see the full lineup.) AC themselves are no strangers to North Carolina, and the fest will basically take over Asheville when it lands October 29-31. (Mark your calendars now. Tickets go on sale at the end of this month.)
In addition to the music lineup, Moog Music promise “workshops, artists in panel discussions, visual art exhibitions, installations and film screenings,” and instrument hands-ons. It should be excellent, even though for some reason that “visual art” mention makes me imagine black velvet paintings of the Moog Modular. (Note to self – awesome idea. Jesus playing a Liberation?)
The bigger story this year from a historical perspective, though, is the coming 40th anniversary of the Minimoog keyboard. It’s hard to believe, but the breakthrough keyboard synth has been around for four decades. The fact that people still go out and (at a premium, no less) pick up a Minimoog today is quite a testament to Dr. Moog and his legacy.