Support the Project: Our Crowdfunding Shop is Now Open!
As of May 30th, we’ve raised $50,247 — 38.9% of our crowdfunding goal.
Perks: CDs, Posters, Postcards & More in the Crowdfunding Shop.
Make a Direct Contribution – Proceeds fund the production.
This childhood drawing was provided by an Organ Grinder fan who spent hours creating elaborate scenes of their dream pipe organ. This instrument has everything – note the inclusion of not one, but two pianos!
You can help support the project by purchasing from the Crowdfunding Shop.
Sign up for our email newsletter and receive updates about the project.
A lot has been happening with the production… not only are there multiple news items yet-to-post from last month’s five-state tour of the Midwest (some really amazing stuff), but a lot has already happened during the still-ongoing Denver road trip. On Monday, I visited the Denver Public Library’s research floor. There’s a special room for…
It sure looks like the Organ Grinder, doesn’t it? But it’s not! While visiting Shawn Kenney as part of our Midwest Tour, Shawn provided a notebook filled with photos and documents of “Pipe Organ and Pizza”-themed establishments. There were over 100 restaurants with pipe organs created throughout the 1960’s-1980’s, most of them independently owned and…
In February of 1996, shortly before Organ Grinder Portland closed, fans turned out to visit the restaurant one last time. Fortunately, several brought their camcorders with them, and have provided their footage to the documentary project. In this video, patron Ted Welty recorded organist Don Feely’s medley of themes from Disney’s animated hit “Aladdin” (1992)….
In April, as part of our Midwest Tour, we visited Organ Piper Pizza in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Organ Piper is one of three remaining establishments where you can enjoy live theatre pipe organ music with your pizza. Organist Zach Frame kindly allowed us to film a complete 45-minute set, in order to portray what it’s like…
Inside a warehouse in Franklin, Wisconsin, belonging to Carma Labs, Inc. (the makers of Carmex), is the world’s largest theatre pipe organ. As part of the Organ Grinder documentary project, and our return to the Midwest in September, we visited Carma Labs to see what weird and wonderful things people are doing with theatre pipe…
Happy Valentine’s Day! High school sweethearts Brad and Debbie Avakian describe going out to the Organ Grinder in their teenage years, and then later recount a humorous interaction between their parents during one family outing to the restaurant. Brad and Debbie have been together 40 years, after dating over six years before getting married. In…
