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January Highlights
 "Bustin' Out" - would be the best phrase to describe last month's 4thFridays. There was standing room only. We broke our attendance record of January 2005 by about 60 people. Nearly 200 people came out to the first 4thFridays show of the year. And what better way to kick the year off than with the fabulous jazz band - Zamar.
The excitement began to build before the doors even opened. An hour-and-a half before the show, the slight hiss of the sound system is interrupted with a mic check, "testing, 1, 2, 3, 4". Laughter can be heard from work crew and band members as they continue to set up for the night. A voice then rings out, "Turn on the stage monitors please!" Drum riffs suddenly start to echo off the walls of Studio A. Minutes later, the member of Zamar walk in for their sound check. The house band and 4thFridays crew momentarily stop to greet their good friends with smiles, handshakes and hugs as this extended family reunites.
The doors open and about 15 minutes before the show, a large diverse group of guests begin to fill the room.  As attendees help themselves to chocolate velvet gourmet coffee and check out the CD's for sale, there is an obvious aura of excitement and anticipation in the air. Smiles, chat, and laughter are now all around the room. Additional seating is brought in, as the guests settle in for a night to remember...
It's showtime and time for...
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The Poet's Corner
As the lights dim, resident poet Tracy Price takes the stage. With a relaxed low and soothing voice, she delivers a piece entitled Children of the Light by Billy Graham that captivates and leaves the audience wanting more.
rufus harris
On cue, the 4th Fridays' house band theme rings out, with house video playing in sync. The powerfully-clean harmonized sound of Rufus and the band then kicked out the cover Taking it To The Streets, followed by No Compromise, Not Black or White, My Life and It's Not About... . A cool rocking sound with lyrics that touched attendees' spirits and souls!
Tracy and then, Zamar
After filling up on conversation, pastries and hot brews, Tracy again takes the stage in the Poets Corner. She delivers a powerful piece by |
| Tracy Price |
Oswald Chambers, Keeping Your Soul Fit. |
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A round of applause fills the room... then a video is seen where Marlin Baker, saxophonist of Zamar, talks of their music, life and faith. The video fades to black and the guys open with a very funky jazz sound that is uniquely Zamar. For nearly 45 minutes, the musicians erupt with complexity and soul. Then the melodic jazz riffs beam out over the audience, with cascading enlightening measures, followed by a rhythmic percussion that shakes the room.
On a personal note, the members of Zamar have performed at 4thFridays
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| Marlin Baker - Zamar |
several times - beginning in 2002. We are always happy to feature them
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at the shows - not just because of their tremendous musicianship or great spiritual tunes - but because they are great guys. They are cool yet unpretentious.
The guys in Zamar are the real deal: It is obvious that as individuals and as a group they are dedicated to the Lord Jesus; the music they play; and people they meet. They come to 4F and have even offered to perform for us free of charge! One of the guys (who will remain unnamed) said, "... we would pay to play at 4thFridays!" They exemplify what it means to do your best for the Lord while displaying a humble servant's heart. Zamar wrapped up their set with a rousing
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cover of Ain't No Stopping Us Now. Already we look forward to their return.
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Paul Dozier & William Pope - Zamar |
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rufus harris concludes the show with a raffle and the house band playing Left With Questions.
raffle
During 4F setup some other artists who were preparing for a show on Saturday, in the theatre, were invited to attend 4F as our guests. The folks at the Ford Community Center heard of this and were nice enough to give 4F complimentary tickets to the event -
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| Pete McAllister - Zamar |
Careem A. Warren - Zamar
Johnny Ballard not shown |
the day after 4F. The Ford Center
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gave us 8 tickets. So it was decided to put a few tickets in the raffle The event was called Sarakasi. It consisted of African acrobats from Kenya.
Rufus before conducting the raffle, issued a disclaimer which basically indicated that 4F would not be responsible for the content of the show to which the tickets granted access and that he did not want to receive any complaints from the winners - no phone calls - no emails. The crowd laughed.
At the performance, Mildred (4F greeter) and husband Marvin; Denise and Rufus were surprised to be seated next to the one of the raffle winners - Anna Huhta. She brought along a guest - Greg Trimble. We also saw the other raffle winner that night - Yvette Wafer. Her two girls were seated in front of us.
During the show we witnessed a 180 pound man squeeze his body into a small box (approx. a 2' X 2' cube); several men performed the limbo under a stick that was set a blaze; and a man carefully balanced on top of several chairs (maybe 7?)stacked on top of each other. We laughed, gasped, and applauded. It was a great show! Afterwards, we enjoyed a dinner at Red Robin. Congratulations to raffle winners.
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Here's a look at what's coming up on February 24th:
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No Other Name - No Other Name's mission begins with the desire to glorify God through Spirit-led music. No Other Name centers around the prophetic songwriting of Laura Hoffa and Joanne Newton. From big |
progressive rock with symphonic twists to intimate piano/vocal worship - their latest album is a fulfilling musical experience. The No Other Name project has blossomed into a very meaningful collection of worship songs which incorporate elements of classic rock, moving worship improvisation, and beautifully orchestrated ballads. The band's name is taken from Acts 4:12, "... for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." They'll take the 4thFridays' stage this Friday.
Also we welcome back to 4F, Paul McKenzie - Paul is a skilled
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| vocalist; classical guitarist; and songwriter. His lyrics; voice and skill |
No Other Name | |
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on the guitar are soothing and melodic. His many CDs illustrate his versatility. They contain various styles of music: from jazz to blues to soft praise and contemporary songs. In addition to music, Paul is an actor and teaches Scripture memorization. He has memorized many letters of the Bible as well as major portions of the Gospels. He dramatizes them and performs the book passage word for word from the King James Version. For more info about Paul, check out his website:
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| Paul McKenzie |
And the houseband, rufus harris - will share tunes as well with band members Sidney Howard (keys) Jeannine Gardner (drums) and Charles Weldon (bass) not shown.
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Jeannine Gardner
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Sidney Howard
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Rufus Harris
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Coffee - Our brewmister Lawrence Strong invites you to stop by the coffee table to enjoy this month's featured flavor. Also enjoy popular Purple Passion Tea. And of course there will be de-caf and the
4thFridays house blend for those who like it strong
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and robust.
4F Raffle - With admission, you'll receive a ticket for our raffle. The drawing is held near the end of the show. You certainly can win music, coffee and maybe a little something else special in a little canvas tote.
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JustRadio - Check it out. It's FREE. JustRadio.Net - a Christian Indie radio station. By logging on, you can listen to great Christian music while you are at work or play 24/7.
Woodward Crossing - Coming up at the Woodward Crossing show - Hip Hop Group - The Mad Prophets and Singer/Songwriter Katie Savino. The show will be held on March 10th at Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Detroit. Visit: www.woodwardcrossing.org for more info.
Divine Caffe - Our friends John and Nann are the owners of this great coffee shop in Keego Harbor. They offer delicious coffee and other tasty treats. Stop in during the week to pick up some Moses Mocha or Jacob's Java on your way to work or visit them on a Friday or Saturday night when they feature live entertainment. Please patronize this wonderful establishment and tell others about them. Visit their website for more information: www.divinecaffe.com. Tell them that the folks at 4thFridays sent you.
A cool new venue - w/ David Ivey
As you can probably imagine, running a monthly venue is a lot of work. So it's always nice to be able to listen to live Christian music and not to have to worry about setup and teardown. We like to attend local venues every chance we get. One venue we just recently discovered is actually run by an artist who appeared at 4F last year - David Ivey. David is a Contemporary Gospel artist who for years worked with Fred Hammond. David recently started a new venue at the Chalet in Farmington Hills called an Evening of Jazz and Inspiration. His shows are held the 3rd Friday of the month. The January show featured a jazz band from Flint called The Roger Jones Trio. We had a chance to hear them and they were absolutely wonderful. If you like the feel of a Chicago-style club but that is distinctly Christian, then you will enjoy this venue. A website is currently in the works. For now you can join David's mailing list by emailing him at: davidpivey1@yahoo.com. Tell him we sent you.
Want to help? - Hey, if you like what we're doing and can support it financially, send your donation to the address below OR donate online via our website: www.thecamponline.org. The CAMP is a 501(c)(3) organization. Proceeds will support 4thFridays shows; prison ministry; artists engaged in ministry as well as our Internet radio station.
The CAMP is looking for businesses and organizations - If you know of a business or organization that might be interested in supporting the CAMP financially, we would like to hear about them. Let them know we are 501(c)(3) and email us their contact information. We will send them a packet with sponsorship and donor opportunities. Thank you in advance. |
4thFridays is presented by the CAMP
(Christian Artists & Musicians Project):
Come check it out
This month in Studio A
The Ford Community & Performing Arts Ctr.
15801 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, MI
between Southfield & Greenfield Rds.
Doors open at 8pm/Show starts at 8:30pm
Admission: $10
Info: 248-886-0881
Send all correspondence to this address:
theCAMP
5119 Highland Road #207
Waterford, MI 48327
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Written and edited by:
Matt Beaudry, Denise Strong and Rufus Harris
4thFridays photos: Christina Hoeinghausen
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