From “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Talkin’ Baseball” (and The Simpsons’ classic spoof, “Talkin’ Softball) to “Centerfield” and “Glory Days,” music plays a special part in baseball lore. Part of that soundscape is the stadium organist, a staple at most ballparks, keying up the “Charge” fanfare or “Havah Nagilah” to energize the home crowd.
For the Phillies, the man behind the keyboard at Citizens Bank Park is Brian “The Maestro” Anderson. A longtime keyboardist and singer with Philly-area bands such as Fooling April and the yacht rock tribute Boat House Row, Anderson is in his fifth season with the Phillies after becoming the team’s first organist since 2005, when Paul Richardson retired due to health reasons. Richardson died the following year.
When Anderson got the gig, there was no organ in the stadium — and there still isn’t.
“So that’s part of the challenge,” Anderson says. “So a lot of it is still right now a library of songs that are being played. The live appearances are more occasional right now.”
The musician brings his own keyboard — a Crumar Mojo, a “clonewheel” that emulates a Hammond B3 organ. “And we have the shell on it with nice Phillies graphics and all that kind of stuff,” he explains.
A lifelong Phils fan, Anderson says watching the game from his perch behind the keyboard is quite different than his experiences in the stands as a spectator.
“It’s like it’s an exhausting amount of focus, because you feel like you’re playing [the game], because you’re constantly looking at how many outs are there? What is the count? It’s a much different perspective than sitting back in your chair and just taking it in more passively.
“I don’t know if that ends up being more dialed into the game or less dialed into the game. Probably a little less, because you’re constantly queuing up what you’re going to do next. But it is definitely mentally exhausting. You’re on every pitch waiting and preparing, because you’re getting cues in your ear. And you got to be ready to go at any second.”
Performing at the stadium has also tested his improvisatory skills.
“I was never a great off-the-top-of-my-head kind of musician,” Anderson says. “There’s always those guys you meet, like play this song, and they listen to it once and then they start playing. That was never really me. This has challenged me to get into that world a little bit more, be able to play things without a lot of preparation. But it’s been good. The more you do those things, the better you get at them. So that’s been cool for me as a musician.
“And it’s a very different live element than being on a stage in front of a crowd that’s looking at you. You’re background music and you don’t have that crowd right in front of you interacting.”
Anderson has been able to connect with other MLB organists, including Matt Kaminski in Atlanta and Bobby Cressey in San Diego.
“He actually recorded the organs for ‘MLB The Show,’ the video game, which we’re all jealous of,” he says.
Anderson adds that he had reached out to Fenway Park’s organist, Josh Kantor, when he and his family were about to attend a Red Sox game, and Kantor invited them up to the organ booth for a visit.
“Everyone’s been super welcoming and cool,” he says.
Photo courtesy of Brian Anderson
Leave a Reply