Just found out that Moogfest 2020 has been cancelled, so am feeling a little disappointed. However, that disappointment is tiny compared to the gifts that four years of Moogfest attending gave to me and countless others. Even if the festival never happens again, it left its vibratory mark on two North Carolina towns and neither of them will ever be the same.

The fest moved to Asheville NC in 2010 after four years in New York City. Moog has been a presence in Asheville since Bob Moog settled there in 1978, and opened the Moog factory. Moogfest Asheville ran from 2010 -12, culminating in appearances by Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, DEVO and many other big name electronic acts. Eventually, they got a better deal in Durham, so the fest came East. Asheville remains a hub of synthesizer activity with the Moog Factory and recently opened Moog Museum. Plus modular modules crafters Make Noise have called Asheville home since 2008. And there is an active and prolific community of synth players there to this day. Synthesis leaves a vibrational mark!

The first year Moogfest hit Durham, it was big time razzle-dazzle!! Every theatre and bar venue booked with performances. Laurie Anderson, Jason Lanier, Silver Apples, a three day residency with Gary Numan, a huge outdoor stage, a sleep concert, signage all over downtown – it was amazing! Working the ticketing table the very first year was incredible fun. Everyone was so pumped and joyful! All my co-volunteers were music producers as well, which was exciting! The subsequent years were just as much fun, although seemingly scaled down each year. In 2019, I was impressed by the presence of a number of local acts.

And, to be honest, that is what I would love to hear! More local players, low key venues, meetups, parties, jams! This is something the synth community in the Triangle/Triad area can do! I have very little nostalgia for “the great ones” of the past! I appreciate the ground they broke, but, damn, lets walk on that ground. To truly honor them, lets dance on that ground. So many people out there making so much beautiful noise!! I do not hear the need to import acts.

I would love the local synth community to take the weekend that was to be Moogfest 2020 and do something with it. One idea is a 24 – 48 hour synth concert – players could sign up for times in increments from 20 minutes to an hour. It would be fun to have each player or group leave a loop or drone running so the next player can take off from there. All woven together! Another idea would be to book several venues for 2-3 nights and offer evenings of sounds all around. The coolest thing would be to have whatever we do benefit Jill Christenson’s Day One Disaster Relief Organization!

Anybody want to do this???