EMP (Experience Music Project)

March 31, 2001

We have been wanting to go to the EMP since it first opened last year, and we finally got that opportunity today. The EMP was the brain child of Paul Allen, the CO-creator of Microsoft. Mr. Allen fancies himself a rock guitarist and even has a band. He was inspired by Jimi Hendrix as a kid and has perhaps the largest collection of Hendrix memorabilia. His desire to share this memorabilia spawned the EMP.

As we entered the museum, we were supplied with a Music Experience Guide (MEG). The MEG is a portable computer you carry over your shoulder. It is equipped with a handset and a very comfortable ergonomic headset. As you walk up to a display, you would point the handset at an above labeled infrared eye and push a button. This would tell the MEG where you are and begin a narration for that display. In addition, each item in the displays has a number next to it. If you punched the number into the keyboard, you would get a brief history of the item and/or hear the sounds or music it produces. The place was incredible.

As you initially walk into the museum, you pass through the Sky Church, an elaborate stage for live performances. After getting the MEG, you are in the main foyer standing if front of a Guitar Tree.

Pneumatic devices are hooked to several of the guitars and are designed to play chords on the instruments directed by the ambient sounds from the crowds walking by. Several headsets were available in the main area that allowed you to listen to these sounds.

Our first stop was the Guitar Gallery, where guitars 400 to 700 years old were displayed next to the latest electrical incantations. We then walked through Milestones, and area displaying and chronicling the important landmarks and shifts in Rock and Roll over the past 60 years. Northwest Passage was a history of Rock in the Seattle and Portland areas. And, finally, the Hendrix Gallery was a massive display of everything Jimi Hendrix.

The interactive stuff was great. On Stage is where you are part of a band performing in front of a small club audience (actually a projection of fans on a wall in front of you). Magically, the instruments in your hands play the right notes no matter what you are doing with them (but you do have to play them) and a TelePrompTer leads you through the lyrics of either "Twist and Shout" or "Wild Thing". Those waiting in line to go on stage get to watch the band on a large screen as they perform (no sound, though). It was fun to watch those ahead of us and we learned from their mistakes. They all seemed pretty self-conscious and stiff, so we vowed to let it all loose in OUR performance. Unfortunately, no video is available, so I won't be able to offer a copy of us performing "Wild Thing", But we do have a still and tickets to our show

The Sound Lab is an area where instruments are made available for you to play and soundproof booths allow you to really express yourself. We went into the Vocals booth and belted out some Kareoke as well as got a singing lesson from the Wilson sisters of "Heart". We also used the Jam Booth, where we each got to play drums, keyboard or guitar together. All in all, it was a lot of fun. We concluded with the Funk Blast, a ride similar to the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood, except this was a ride through FUNK MUSIC.

It was a good day, but I have to say I wish they had more interactive stuff. The MEG is a great tool to use at exhibits and it gave you a source for music and entertainment as you waited in some of the lines, but we left really wanting more of the fun interactive stuff.