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While we were recording interviews at Shawn Kenney’s residence as part of the Midwest Tour, a visitor dropped by – organist Richard Gregory. As is becoming an emerging theme in this documentary, Richard became hooked on theatre organs as a toddler – in this case, at just one year of age – after visiting Roaring…
After wrapping up the Ohio leg of our Midwest Tour, our travels took us through Indiana. There, at a freeway interchange just outside of Indianapolis, is an unassuming small cemetery. A fitting symbol, as just around the bend lie the remains of the once grand and much beloved Paramount Music Palace. Much like the Organ…
Last Monday, kicking off the Ohio leg of our Midwest Tour, we interviewed Shawn Kenney at his home. In addition to his duties directing a museum in Columbus, and his position as Vice Chair of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS), Shawn, with the help of many friends, has managed to put together an amazing…
On Sunday, we traveled to Detroit, Michigan for the first shoot of our Midwest Tour and interviewed organist Lance Luce at the historic Senate Theater. Lance is a man of many talents – and of many duties. He’s currently the organist at Little Caesar’s Arena for the Detroit Red Wings, and was once the organist…
Update: The Midwest Tour is complete – check out the updates! A whirlwind of activity commences later this week! Have you heard of the book (and films) titled “Around the World in Eighty Days“ ? How about “Around the Lakes in 18 Days” ? Well, that’s the less-than sane, destination-packed trip that is coming up…
The remastered “At the Organ Grinder 3 1/2 Volume Collection” is selling out, with fewer than 10 copies remaining in stock from our initial production run. There’s good news, however – The next batch of CD sets is coming soon! We are accepting preorders now at a $20 discount below the in-stock price. That’s a…
As part of the rerelease of the original “At the Organ Grinder” albums on CD, a portion of the net proceeds is directed to the American Theatre Organ Society’s youth programs. Based on CD sales in February, a payment was sent today to the ATOS in the amount of $84.62 – all thanks to your…
This is a fun coincidence that happened recently. It’s not specifically Organ Grinder related, but it ties in nicely with the theme, and it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t embarked on this documentary project. Back in September, when I interviewed Mark Reed, he made several comments regarding a book called “The Best Remaining Seats…
We announced some great news earlier this month: A backer of the film gave us a Challenge Award – any contributions received in February will be DOUBLED – fully matched by the benefactor, up to a total of $5,000. And the response was incredible. February was our best fundraising month ever! Thanks to a number…
On January 30, 1996, five days before the Portland Organ Grinder closed, three performers entertained the audience: Paul Quarino, Donna Parker, and Jonas Nordwall. Although not a scheduled event, it represents a “Farewell Concert”, as it was the last time these three performers would play together at the Organ Grinder. Three different fans independently recorded…
As part of the rerelease of the original “At the Organ Grinder” albums on CD, a portion of the net proceeds is directed to the American Theatre Organ Society’s youth programs. Based on CD sales in January, a payment was sent today to the ATOS in the amount of $83.43 – all thanks to your…
Update: The Denver Road Trip is complete – check out the updates! That’s right, we’re going to Denver! A recent uptick in contributions is allowing us to plan our next “road trip” phase of production. Denver is very important to the Organ Grinder story. The second Organ Grinder restaurant – bigger and louder than the…
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…
This is huge… a backer of the film has just given us a Challenge Award – any contributions received in February will be DOUBLED – fully matched by the benefactor, up to a total of $5,000. That means there is the potential to raise $10,000. This is an amazing opportunity to jumpstart the road trip…
This week, we interviewed Mike DeSart. Mike has many interests, including flying model aircraft, and raising parrots – for many years he and his wife ran a parrot breeding and related supplies business, “The Bird Barn”, out of their home in Portland. But for Organ Grinder fans, Mike was the often-unseen hand that kept the…
Let’s go celebrity spotting… The Organ Grinder was a unique and popular place that drew visitors from all over, including Hollywood celebrities. (And local celebrities, too!) Pictured above is comedian Rip Taylor (center) at Organ Grinder Denver, along with Organ Grinder co-founder Jerry Forchuk (left) and Al Fike, “The modern minstrel man”. After talking with…
When the Paramount Theatre in Portland, Oregon closed, before eventually becoming the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, many items were auctioned off, including furnishings, lighting fixtures, props, and the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ that had originally been installed in the theatre for its grand opening on March 8, 1928. A representative of the company that owned…
As part of the rerelease of the original “At the Organ Grinder” albums on CD, a portion of the net proceeds is directed to the American Theatre Organ Society’s youth programs. Based on CD sales in December, a payment was sent today to the ATOS in the amount of $175.74 – all thanks to your…
Is paperwork your passion? Do you enjoy spending long hours performing tedious tasks with recordings and documents? Do you like working in a situation where you legally cannot tell people about the contents of said documents? All without pay? Well, have I got the position for you! I need help proofreading and formatting interview transcripts….
Last week was the anniversary of the start of the documentary project! In January, 2024, after pestering Organ Grinder co-founder Dennis Hedberg for months about doing an interview, I met with him at his home, and convinced him to share his story with the world. Our initial schedule was thwarted by January’s big ice storm,…
