Hi Everybody and Happy Holidays!
You know that it must have been an incredibly great year for music in ’07 when Neil Young and Lucinda Williams don’t turn up on my top 10 list. Having said that, here is my list of top ten CDs for the year, and I promise to get my top film list on the website by Dec. 31 – still have to catch up to a few movies that have already opened and some that will open in the next few weeks.
Soon as I finish this note I’m off to the final day of Rockin’ For The Hungry, the biggest benefit of the year for Food Gatherers, Washtenaw County’s food bank/food rescue organization. The goal of raising 150 tons of nutritious, non-perishable food has already been reached, so today we’re going to try to boost that amount up to an unprecendented 200 tons of food! Many, many thanks to all the generous folks who have already visited us during our live broadcast at Busch’s Market at Main St. & Ann Arbor – Saline Rd. in A2.
Our final live music event this year at the downtown Borders in A2 is this Wed., Dec. 12 at 12:30pm, and it features Ingrid Michaelson, a NYC-based singer-songwriter whose music is being heard everywhere from Gray’s Anatomy to Old Navy commercials. I’ll emcee her free, live set of tunes on Wednesday, then she’ll sign CDs immediately afterward.
This Friday, Dec. 14 will be my last Espresso Royale live broadcast of the year, so stop by the 214 S. Main St. location in downtown A2 anytime between 6-10am to say hello and pick up an MB limited edition coffee mug, concert tickets and CDs. Wow, where this year gone?!
Before I go, hats off and very best wishes to my dear friend Terry Lawson, film critic at the Detroit Free Press, who accepted a buyout offer and no longer works for the paper. I will deeply miss his astute and elegantly-written movie reviews, along with his insightful Sunday column, one which often dealt with music. Beyond his encyclopedic knowledge about both music and movies, plus his ridiculously high work ethic, he remains a genuinely humble man and an all-round great guy. The Freep won’t be the same without you, Terry! Best of luck on your next adventure.