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This has been a secret that I’ve been waiting to release, and now it’s here! Back in February I received an email from a representative from SONY Pictures asking if I knew where they could rent an ARP Pro Soloist for their upcoming film Saturday Night due to be released soon. The movie, originally called SNL 1975, is about the first Saturday Night Live episode, and how it all came together. They wanted an authentic instrument to use when they depicted the late, great Billy Preston playing none other than the ARP Pro Soloist  and singing “Nothing from Nothing”.

First, how cool is that The first musical act on SNL featured an ARP and amazing ARP artist upfront and center!

Second, yes, we had a wonderful ARP Pro Soloist coming to us from California. It was being tuned-up by the amazingly talented Alsún Ní Chasaide of SyntheticDreamscapes  after a heavy-duty stint at NAMM during which people such as Stevie Wonder, Lamar Michell, Patrick Moraz and Dave Kerzner gave it a spin!

After some finagling, we had it sent to Georgia where the filming took place and to my astonishment, this particular instrument was about to gain even MORE infamy… none other than the Grammy Award winning Jon Batiste was portraying Billy Preston! Talk about one instrument taking on powerful vibes!

The film is scheduled for a premier on Oct 11. We can’t wait!!! Meanwhile, our second favorite Pro Soloist (our first is my dad’s, of course) will be out in the public again in the next year. We believe the magic that musicians bring to the instruments is contagious, so catch the vibe and stay tuned!

Read about the film on Vanity Fair, and check out the trailer below (ARP shows about 1:17 / 2:17) and the original video of Billy Preston on Vimeo.

Alvin Taylor with Billy Preston on first SNL, Oct 1975. from Richard Fox on Vimeo.

Jon Batiste, who also created the movie’s percussive score, plays the debut show’s musical guest, Billy Preston. By Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

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I am standing on the corner of Christina and Needham in Newton, Massachusetts. Behind me an SUV holding several ARP Synthesizers, the keyboards that helped change the face of music forever. This is where much of the magic was made, the birthplace of ARP Instruments, Inc.

Over fifty years ago, my father, Alan R. Pearlman started making ARP synthesizers at what was then Tonus, Inc. They were made by hand, at a little cinder block warehouse at 45 Kenneth. Their success warranted a move to larger facilities, and eventually  to an even larger space in historic Lexington, Mass. These moves were a simple puddle jump when compared to the distance that his instruments would travel, and the impact they’d have. ARP Synthesizers would spend more than a decade making some of the most iconic music synthesizers ever.

Now, I am bringing these instruments to their new home in Boston, but considering these instruments have been all over the world, this is a homecoming celebration.

ARPs around the World

Who’s ARP retro ARP ad with Pete Townshend

If you have a pulse and have listened to music made after 1971, you’ve been impacted by ARP synthesizers. From Japan’s Yellow Magic Orchestra, to Venezuela’s universities; from the studios of The Who’s Pete Townshend, and master screen composers like John Williams and Vangelis;  From the stages of The Rolling Stones with Billy Preston on keys, The Ohio Players, Funkadelic, Rufus & Chaka Khan.  David Bowie used them extensively on his Berlin Trilogy, You’ve also heard them in seminal works from Herbie Hancock, Prince, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails and Erasure. Just to name a few.

ARPs in Space

If you are a science fiction fan, chances are you heard (and saw) an ARP 2500 in Close Encounters of the Third Kind’s famous final scene, or heard an ARP 2600 as the voice of R2D2 in Star Wars. If you’ve seen “Stranger Things,” you’ve also heard ARP synths setting the mood.

Synthesizers Then and Now

Though some consider synthesizers to be “artificial” compared to other instruments, the artistry involved in playing or creating sound with a synthesizer is just as real as any other instrument.

Analog synthesizers, such as the first popular instruments from ARP, Buchla and Moog, use electrical voltage to create audible sound. This sound can then be manipulated in a myriad of ways, usually with knobs, sliders, patch cords, or other physical controls. This experience inspires a feeling of limitless potential and originality. By adding a keyboard (or any other controller), a player can combine their sound design with musical virtuosity. 

With a combination of events that included a burst of new instruments by Japanese companies, the worldwide shift to digital synthesizers and later software synthesizers, these analog instruments grew to be seen as outdated. Folxs starting off in the last 15 years probably haven’t ever used one. 

In recent years, love for analog synthesizers have resurfaced, and it’s more than just nostalgia. Many people missed the flexibility, physicality, and possibilities that analog offered. In response many companies are producing either clones or reproductions of some of the most beloved synths, and a thriving vintage market with extremely high price tags exceeding the original cost have placed these beauties far out of reach for most music makers.

Members of TRC and ARPf in front of The Record Co on Mass Ave, Boston, MA

ARPs for ALL

My father was a generous, kind person who extolled the virtues of education and mentorship and practiced what he preached. He was known to lend instruments to friends, students, young musicians and his employees. His hope was to create the opportunity for invention, creation and discovery. The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation honors his legacy through  creating educational and artistic opportunities for musicians, particularly young and underfunded music makers.

ARPs for All is a partnership between The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation and The Record Co., a Boston-based, not-for-profit community rehearsal and recording space. Both of these 501(c)(3)  organizations share the goal of eliminating all barriers for any musician who has a desire to perform and create. 

Learn about Alan R. Pearlman

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At Berklee College of Music, November 2015 left to right (bottom row) Unknown, Don Lewis, David Frederick, Buena Pearlman, Alan Pearlman, Dina Pearlman (Top row) Michael Brigida, Mary Lock, Rick Parent, David Mash

Gratitude on Giving Tuesday

As I sit here in my robe, about to shower, change clothes and hop into the living room to teach for the college I work at—such is the life in The Time of COVID-19—I can’t help but muse over the extraordinary year and a half that has just past, with tears and with gratitude.

When this photo was taken, little did I know that many of these folk (at the Everything ARP Symposium) have were to become part of my new, extended synthesizer family.

My Synthesizer Family

Along the way I have met hundreds of extraordinary people: pioneers, rainmakers, documentary film producers, former ARP employees, visionary synthesizer makers and small business owners with a life-time dedication to the world of music synthesis. I’ve played legendary instruments and visited the Met Museum with Michelle Moog-Koussa as we beheld our father’s work at one of the most prestigious museums of the world. What a journey!

From a daughter’s dream to a bonafide public institution!

My father left me and my mom, but he also left the world of music and left it in a better place. His passion for technology for the greater good, whether it be for teaching music using synthesis or creating sustainable energy for the future of our planet, was his driving force. My dad was a giver: he gave to students, non-profits, schools, friends and family. He gave to people on the street and to his co-workers. He taught me to “pass it forward” to help the next generation make their way through the world.

Together with both a stellar team of Board members, advisors and friends, The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation was formed legally on June 14, 7 days after my dad’s birthday, and became an official 501 (c)(3) on March 30 of 2020

Along the way, I rediscovered that ARP Synthesizers was more than just a company that made innovative musical instruments, it became the standard for synthesizers to come, allowing musicians to create and discover new sounds that encompassed the soundtrack of our lives.

But then,  you all knew that already. 

Love in the Time of COVID-19—our commitment to you.

We are all faced with enormous challenges to get through this tragic time on our planet. Most people are rising to the occasion: teaching online, staying away from loved ones because they love them, tapping into their creative reserves with homemade video and audio studios both nurture their own spirit and to help ours.

Our plans for the year, like most of yours, are at a standstill. Concert halls are silent, and we don’t know what to do next. The Foundation is going to continue to focus on educational an artistic opportunities to little or no cost to those we can help. We will  be partnering with The Record Co, to provide opportunities for musicians to record at extremely low or no cost at state-of-the-art facilities with vintage equipment.

We are committed to working with colleges to providing scholarships which will be sorely needed with our compromised economy in the near future.

While we continue to stay home, we are providing live streaming concerts, interviews and will be adding educational content to this.

What you can do to help the Foundation

We know money is scarce. Here’s how you can help

• If giving money is daunting, remember: no amount is too small.  Even $1-5 dollars add up.
• Donations in kind are welcome. Blow the dust off of that old synth in the basement. You can get a tax-deduction. Write to us and we will tell you how.
• Volunteer: We need help with social media, marketing, outreach, content creation and more.
• Share our posts, stories and social media pages!

Here’s how you can help yourself and other musicians during COVID-19

• Boston Music Maker COVID-19 Fund
• Preservation Hall Foundation
• Pitchfork.com’s list
• MusicCares
• Adhoc’s list

Thank you again for your support, and love. We are feeling it!

Stay safe, stay healthy.

Dina Pearlman,

Executive Director of The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation

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