The Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association has really
outdone themselves this time!  I have been going over the itinerary of
the 2008 Convention in the Los Angeles area, July 1-6,2008, and it is
one highlight after another.  If you are a mechanical music enthusiast
then this is a convention not to be missed!  The list of music machines
to be enjoyed is a literal Who's Who from Dave Bower's famous Encyclo-
pedia.  Tours will take you to fabulous collections, including the
incredible San Sylmar one.  Along the way, you will have the oppor-
tunity to experience fantastic world class German orchestrions, in-
cluding a Welte Wotan, a Welte Style 3, a Welte Philharmonic, a
Wurlitzer Concert Pian-Orchestra, a large Popper Jazz Orchestrion with
a Swanee Slide Whistle, a huge Popper Gladiator, a mammoth Hupfeld
Excelsior Pan, a Weber Maesto that sounds like Paul Whiteman's band, a
Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina, a Weber Solea, a Weber Otero, Wurlitzer
Pian-Orchestras, a Popper Iduna, a Hupfeld Helios, a Weber Styria, a
Loesch Titania, and various Imhof & Mukle orchestrions imported by
Ernst Boecker.

American orchestrion enthusiasts will enjoy seeing Joe's American
Fotoplayer of YouTube fame, a snappy Seeburg G, a Seeburg KT Special, a
Wurlitzer CX, a Wurlitzer Mandolin Quartette, a Nelson Wiggen Style 6,
an Encore Banjo, a Bowfront Double Mills, a Cremona J, a Coinola
Midget with flute and violin ranks, a Peerless Arcadian, a Coinola X,
a Link, and many more!  Band organs, street organs, and dance organs
will be on display including a Wurlitzer 105, a roll-operated 52-key
Gebrüder Bruder playing Gustav Bruder music, an Elite Apollo Bruder
from Coney Island, a Duwyn Café organ, several large street organs,
and a 101-key Mortier Dance Organ.

Reproducing piano aficionados will find the player system of their
choice demonstrated.  In addition, fantastic music boxes will be shown,
from Reginas to Polyphons, Lochmanns, Symphonions, overture boxes,
automata, and Paul Lochmann's outstanding personal three-disc Eroica
Clock.

If this were not enough, there will be an outstanding concert at the
Hollywood Bowl, a July 4th visit to the Reagan Memorial, a tour of a
world-famous antique and classic car collection, and an optional tour
to the beautiful Descanso Gardens and the famed Gene Autry Western
History Museum, including a ride on the grand four-abreast Spillman
carousel in Griffith Park.

The Workshop lineup is most impressive, covering a broad range of
valuable topics presented by many of the nation's leading mechanical
music experts.  Workshops will focus on topics from monkey organs and
roller organs to reproducing piano systems, Mills Violano Virtuosos,
scanning and recuting rolls, a discussion of MIDI interface, and a look
into buying orchestrions.

There will be great entertainment, from AMICA's own Player Piano
Pumping Contest to special guest performances from Germany, and to top
it off there will be a banquet performance by the Titanic Jazz Band
featuring MMD's own editor, Robbie Rhodes, as pianist!

And finally to pay for your convention experience, there will be a
large mechanical music mart, where you can sell all your excess
mechanical music goodies.   Clean out your basement and haul or ship
your items to the convention Marriott Hotel headquarters.

And now for the bad news: only 300 lucky mechanical music enthusiasts
can attend!  This is _the_ mechanical music event of 2008!  Hurry, and
register now, so as to not be left out.  The following link has
registration forms and information, as well as everything you need to
attend.  Even if you are not now an AMICA member, you can attend by
taking advantage of AMICA's special offer mentioned in the link: 

http://www.amica.org/Live/amica_conventions/Past-Convention-Websites/2008-LosAngeles/index.htm

See you there!

Tim Trager
http://www.timtrager.com