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“Documentary brings back great Portland memories of the Organ Grinder Pizza” The Organ Grinder Restaurant on Southeast 82nd Avenue was a popular attraction from 1973 to 1996. Jason VondersmithAugust 26th, 2024 Born and raised in Portland, Bob Richardson remembers many fun and happy days at the old Organ Grinder Pizza Restaurant on Southeast 82nd Avenue….
Today I was invited onto KPTV-12’s streaming show by reporter Greg Nibler, to talk about the history of the Organ Grinder and about the next steps for the documentary project.
On Friday, we again visited the home of Organ Grinder co-founder Dennis Hedberg, where he demonstrated his incredible audio system. The system can recreate a number of listening environments, including simulating the experience of being in a large movie palace while listening to a gigantic pipe organ. There are transducers under the floor that really…
Launching the “At the Organ Grinder 3 1/2 Volume Collection” After months of research & preparation, we are enthusiastically delighted to announce the release of “3 1/2 Volumes” of Organ Grinder performances on CD as a means of crowdfunding for the documentary. You can order these CDs today! Please read on for details. Big Update!…
Last week, we filmed multiple events at the American Theatre Organ Society’s annual Summer Youth Adventure: “The Summer Youth Adventure (SYA) is a week-long event designed for young theatre organ enthusiasts who are interested in learning, developing, or refining their skills with the theatre organ. During the week, students will attend a variety of instructional…
A whimsical, musical re-creation of a 30-year-old poster from the Organ Grinder restaurant. (Details about the poster at the end of the video.) Presented in 5.1 Channel Surround on Supported Devices. Audio Warning: Turn your volume down at the end of the video! As of 2024 when this was uploaded, YouTube plays 5.1 content at…
Working on this project, I’ve learned that you never expect where a lead might take you or who you might bump into. Case in point: After seeing an article about the Organ Grinder documentary project in Willamette Week, Tres Shannon, probably most famous for co-founding Voodoo Doughnut, reached out to us. Tres loved going to…
As part of the documentary project, Don Feely demonstrated some of the rhythm unit percussions and sound effects (“traps”) that he purchased after the Organ Grinder’s Portland location closed and the organ was being parted out. The Organ Grinder was innovative in many ways, one such way being that co-founder Dennis Hedberg upgraded the traditional…
It was Sunday evening, February 4, 1996. The last time the Organ Grinder would be open to the public. People had heard the news, and were showing up to experience it one last time. Ironically, like the early days, there were once again people queued up on the ramp behind the console, waiting their turn…
Early in the planning stages for the first Organ Grinder, the founders used an architecture firm which specialized in restaurants and hotels. The design was very conventional – a rectangular building, with the entrance and kitchen at the front, and the organ at the back. No towering windows showing off the pipes to the street,…
Yesterday, we returned to the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon. The AHC had just unearthed a set of slides from the architecture firm Martin, Soderstrom and Matteson (now Soderstrom Architects), originally co-founded by Will Martin, the architect who designed the Organ Grinder building. The slides feature the Organ Grinder building in 1973 around the…
As part of the documentary project, Jonas Nordwall sat for an extended interview. Jonas is the Organist and Artistic Director of Music at First United Methodist Church, Portland, Oregon. He was also very well known as a performer at the Organ Grinder restaurants. At the end, he gave us a demonstration of the Mary L….
This morning we were joined by Bret Goss in front of an abandoned Walmart at an undisclosed location. (Why? Read on…) Bret had a harrowing “Home Alone” story to tell, when, at the age of six, he was accidentally left behind at the Organ Grinder after a large family celebration (each group leaving thought that…
Today’s interviewee was Ron Buel. Ron is a journalist, author and activist who was involved in the “Freeway Revolt” movement in the 1970s. He also was a founder of the Willamette Week newspaper. Ron spoke to us about the fight to stop the Mt. Hood Freeway, which would have destroyed the neighborhoods along SE Clinton…
This week, we visited the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon to view the Will Martin archives. Will Martin was the architect who designed the unique Organ Grinder building. Will is most famous for designing Pioneer Courthouse Square in Downtown Portland. Among other items, we found this concept drawing of the Organ Grinder exterior, rendered…
Today we interviewed Brad and Debbie Avakian. Brad and Debbie were high-school sweethearts who would often gather up a car load of friends to drive all the way across town to enjoy the Organ Grinder together. They are also the parents of Nathan Avakian, who was thrilled as a child to experience the Organ Grinder…
The Organ Grinder restaurants in Portland and Denver were special places to spend your birthday back in the 70’s, 80’s, and into the 90’s. Now, you can send an Organ Grinder birthday greeting to anyone by sharing this video’s YouTube link. The clip used here was recorded at the Portland location in 1996, shortly before…
Located in Coos Bay, Oregon, the Egyptian Theatre is home to the last remaining Wurlitzer pipe organ in Oregon which is still playing in its original location. This short film features a demonstration of the historic instrument, with interviews of Paul Quarino, an original and long-time Organ Grinder performer who is now a caretaker of…
Jonas Nordwall performs the “Superman March” by composer John Williams on the Mary L. Collins Organ, First United Methodist Church, Portland. (4 manuals, 111 ranks.) As part of the Organ Grinder Documentary Project, Jonas sat for an extended interview this week. At the end, he gave us a demonstration of the Mary L. Collins organ,…
Behind-the-Scenes photo from yesterday’s interview with Jonas Nordwall, one of the original Organ Grinder performers. Not only did Jonas expound on a wide array of topics, he also gave us a demo of the Mary L. Collins organ at First United Methodist Church in Portland. Jonas and his son Christopher with Rose City Organ Builders,…
