You betcha ! Like a carnival barker !

Tom. If I can pin Bill Horn in a corner for a few minutes I will find out more about his & Bill Irwins visiting Groups.
A funny moment this past April. The Americans arrived very late on the first day due to a flight delay. Its was just past midnight and Bill Irwin was given his accomodation a van number. When he found the site plot number....there was NO van on it...Ha!!!! I have yet to meet Bill without a smile on his face.

Graham UK

If they renamed it to a "Professional Performing Musicians' Convention", those of us who declare income from music, could use it for a tax deduction.

The real problem for doing this in the US is with our distances, we are not talking about a few hours' drive or a train ride. Air travel us always more of an undertaking (and more of an expense).

Alex K. I just wish our petrol. Airfares & Train fare were the sort of price you are paying. Petrol in the UK is now £3.85 UK pounds a gallon.

Graham

Hi ,
If you go to www.keyboard-cavalcade.co.uk,
Sceptre Promotions, you can read all about it
All the best,
Fred UK.

I find this an interesting topic as I attended most of these festivals annually over a 10-year period when I lived in the U.K; occasionally as a featured performer. In the late 80s there were so many of them; Caister, Blackpool, Barton Hall, Morecambe, Sandford Park. Some folks even started creating their own little mini-festivals in off-months and it got to the point where you would pack up from one festival and head directly of to the other (where you would meet many of the same people from the week before).

I think it’s settled down to a more reasonable level in the U.K now but somebody raised an interesting question in this thread which is worth discussing; “why don’t we have this kind of thing in the U.S?”

Distance is certainly a part of it. In the U.K, no matter where you live, you can be in any other part of the country by car in the same day. The British phenomenon of “Holiday Camps” is also a big factor. Out of season holiday camps can provide an abundance of affordable accommodation in a setting where there are many superb amenities including one or more concert halls and theaters right on site. I apologize to non-Brit readers for whom the concept of holiday camps might be completely alien. Try searching the web for the history of “Butlins” or “Pontins” and it might give you a little more insight.

When I first came to the U.S, there were actually two national festivals in existence: AOAI in Florida and Asilomar in California. These were a little different from their U.K counterparts. Both were held in what can only be described as opulent surroundings: AOAI in a 4-star Marriott Hotel and Asilomar on the picturesque Northern California coast, and both with a price to match. Aside from the ambience of the venue, the American and U.K festivals were quite similar in nature. Both had formal evening concerts by visiting artists while retail exhibitors (each representing one manufacturer) and workshops were available throughout the day.

Most important of all, both the British and the American festivals were designated as ORGAN festivals. The focus was always on the two-manual organ while keyboards, if featured at-all, were usually seen as a portable alternative to the organ for an RV or spare room. This to me is where the big difference lies. As home organs began to loose popularity worldwide, the British festivals (reluctantly) adapted accordingly while the American festivals remained ORGAN festivals. I was actually one of the first performers to appear in concert at Caister (U.K) with just keyboards and no organ (a Gem WS2 and a Solton MS5). Even though I was using a midi pedalboard, the reception was very mixed and I remember that the most vocal group were the organ die-hards who raised quite a stink at the feedback forum at the end of that week. They wanted organ music, played on organs that looked like organs by organists!

By the time I left the U.K (1992), the festivals were already being referred to as “Keyboard Festivals” and more and more performers, young and old, were using single arranger keyboards and even daring to perform pop music! This transition was, in my opinion, what kept the U.K’s festival scene alive. Both of the American festivals fell apart due to lack of interest and neither is in existence today. Had the American festivals tried to appeal to a broader customer-base instead of focusing solely on organs, the story might be quite different. However, the chasm which separates piano/organ retailers from M.I retailers in the U.S.A continues to ensure that this could never happen (this could be a whole separate discussion!).

Hey, maybe we should start a SynthZone festival somewhere

I hate it when you guys begin making sense! Now I have another project to look into--a U.S. Keyboard festival. This one might be more fun than you think--especially if I can put something together.

Graham, have lots of fun and like Donny said, take lots of pictures.

Cheers,

Gary 8)

Hi Chris

Thanks for the history. It's very interesting. I remember hearing of the Organ Festivals at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California. I would have loved to attend, if they were still going. But it would be even better if they did make it a Keyboard Festival. I do believe that you are correct in your thoughts that the UK is a smaller place. And making music at home is more widely appreciated over there and throughout Europe. Around here, people think that playing music means putting on a CD.

Tom G.

Unfortunately, Tom G is right on the money. I talked with two show promoters here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. and both said pretty much the same thing--forget it. The cost of putting on a similar event here would range from $150,000 to $200,000 minimum for a three day show at a mid-size facility. Most of the dealers I talked with said they like the idea, but probably would not attend. They also said, and I believe this to be true, the major manufacturers want their space for free or want a significant discount, which would make this type of event financially impossible. Guess we're back to a convention in the sunny south--Don Mason and Scott Langholf here we come!

Cheers,

Gary

Every year during the Frankfurt MusikMesse, they do a thing called the "Arranger Party" on the last Sunday of the show. They hire one of the large function rooms and turn it into a modest mini-theatre with a small stage and seating for around 500 people.

Each arranger keyboard manufacturer sends their top demonstrator from the show to demonstrate the company's flagship instrument for about 15 minutes. There are usually about 8 manufacturers represented and the whole event takes 2 -3 hours. The Arranger party has been running for about four years now and has become a pretty popular event.

My point is that it wouldn’t be very hard to set up something similar here, allow the artists a little more time (say, an hour each) and stretch the event out to fill a weekend. I believe that most of the major manufacturers would be willing to provide one artist and a rep for a weekend to ensure that their products are seen in the best light. The event organizer would only need to hire a function room in a hotel, and some PA equipment. This could be financed by a reasonable admission fee for attendees or split between supporting manufacturers. Attendees would be responsible for their own accommodation and participating manufacturers would be at liberty to hire additional function rooms in the same hotel if they wanted to provide a hands-on demo area for attendees (which I believe many would elect to do).

I just wanted to throw the thought out there. This could be a kind of self sufficient festival where the financial investment on the part of the organizer would be fairly small while the size and scope of the festival would be limited only by the intentions of the manufacturers and the number of attendees.

If anyone out there wants to take this to the next step, let me know.

Chris