Odds and Ends

Greetings...and lots of little odds and ends to chat about, or rather “blog” about.

April 15th (or this year, April 18th) is not only tax day - and don’t get me started on the issues emanating from our nation’s capital - but it also marks a couple of deadline dates for ATOS.

Bucky Reddish is Chairman of the ATOS Endowment Fund Committee, and now has in his hands several requests for funds from the Fund. The committee will pour through these documents; make its recommendations; and soon ATOS will announce which groups will be receiving grants from the Endowment Fund to help with specific organ projects.

FYI - the Endowment Fund principle (the amount of money available from which the interest earned provides grant monies) is getting very close to the magic $1 million mark. Anyone care to provide a challenge grant to “get us over the top??”

Another deadline passed has to do with the election. The voting is over, although we always wait a few more days before tabulations begin to allow those ballots postmarked April 15 or sooner to actually work their way through the USPS. But it won’t be too long before we find out which three candidates for the board won election. Let the counting begin!!

If you have found this message, you have discovered the new-look ATOS website. It is really wonderful. So much easier to navigate. More information. More video and audio content. And it will soon get a LOT better. Thanks to Tom Blackwell, Tyler Morkin and a host of professionals and volunteers who worked hard for a very long time to bring this to fruition. It’s great!

Also via the website, Theatre Organ Radio (TOR). And a new wrinkle starting May 1. We will be airing a two-hour, “live-on-tape” show with yours truly playing host, spinning records, answering requests that come in via e-mail, interviews, promotions, features and a whole lot more. The plan is to air it on the first Sunday of each month in the evening Eastern time. Then, we will repeat it several times at different hours over the following several days so it hits just about everybody’s convenient listening time.

To that end, I want to offer initial “Thanks” to sponsor/underwriters of TOR. Once again, Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa is partnering with us. So is Jack Moelmann, who is simply providing underwriting support to do his part for ATOS, plus he is also providing a second “package” to promote Theatre Organ Society International. As it is with two gas stations operating at the same intersection, so it is with TOSI, ATOS, COS - the Cinema Organ Society in the UK, TOSA in Australia, the Trust in New Zealand, and even AGO, OHS and all of us promoting the King of Instruments. Our little corner of the musical world is too small to divide it up even further. We welcome all.

We invite businesses in related fields and individuals who wish to support TOR and its programming to contact us about sponsorship/underwriting of ATOS programs. I’m available at k.double [at] atos.org.

Hundreds so far have signed up for the EMCATOS-hosted annual convention, headquartered at the Westin Hotel in Providence,RI. The 5-manual Wurlitzer at PPAC in Providence, the new 4-manual Phipps/Hanover installation in Worcester, the Shanklin Music Hall former Boston Metropolitan 4-manual Wurlitzer, the Babson College 4-manual Wurlitzer, and the historic Zeiterion and Stadium Theatre installations....GADS-ZOOKS what a lineup of great organs!!!! Hope you are adding your name to the roll of attendees. May 1st is the cutoff date for the discounted registration!!

Final note - heard young Indianapolis organist Justin Stahl perform for the Alabama chapter on Big Bertha, the 4/29 Wurlitzer organ at the gorgeous theatre in downtown Birmingham, and what a show he put on!!!! Wonderful arrangements. Some very new and modern music performed to great applause. Here is another wonderful talent along the lines of Jonathan Ortloff, Nathan Avakian, Donnie Rankin and others who guarantee great playing in our future!! (Or, our doddering old age, depending on what is written on one’s birth certificate!!)

Stay tuned for news about how John McCall might be a bigger hit at the Master’s golf tournament than Tiger Woods these days!!! Next on the Blog!!

Sign up a new member!!!! It’s half price, and thus so would be your renewal. Take somebody to a chapter meeting or better yet, a concert. Help your local chapter, which helps ATOS, too!!!! Here’s “bloggin’ at you, kid!”

Ken Double