Our First Interview Completed!
Behind-the-scenes photo from Sunday’s interview shoot with Organ Grinder co-founder Dennis Hedberg. We grilled him for 3.5 hours, this man has had a lot of experiences! That’s one interview down – who’s next? 
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Jonas Gets Interviewed
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,…
Bonus Feature – The Egyptian Theatre’s Wonderful Wurlitzer
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…
What a Concept!
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…
Early Inspiration
Yesterday we interviewed Nathan Avakian, who was so inspired by his visits to the Organ Grinder starting at 4-years-old that he made a career of being an organist and composer. Nathan spoke about that inspiration, what it’s like to be a young organist, how new people come to discover and enjoy organ music in their…
The Doughnut is Part of the Whole
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…
A Good Sign
Well, hello, little fella! Thanks to a tip from our Facebook group member, Jason Pittman (who also took the photo), we know that the original Organ Grinder sign’s monkey (which is likely about 8-10ft tall – not a little fella) still exists! We are not disclosing the exact location at this time, as we are…