Column for February 24, 2005
Here
we are another week in the news. My desk is elbow deep in stuff, maybe I
should call news. The three legged deer story. Seven Hundred new jobs in
Livonia thanks to Quicken and Valassis. Dennis Tini of Farmington Hills, who is
chairman of the Wayne State University Department of Music being honored for
his work at WSU. Bravo Eatery opens in Collage Park on Haggerty Road between Six
Mile and Seven Mile. When complete this development will feature a Mitchell's
Fish House, an Irish Pub, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Cold Stone Creamery, Mexican
Grill and Caribou Coffee Store.
There was the sex slave
story. The apartment fire story. The Farmington Hills girl getting stem cell
treatment. A Farmington Hills man who faces charges in a voyeurism case.
A lady who had a bird fly down her chimney and into her house. The art collector
who paid $590,000 for a pair of paintings from the famed series depicting dogs
playing poker.
The news pours in faster then
I can type. Baseball season is around the corner. Hockey season is down the drain
and Farmington Hills radio station WDFN is so upset Detroit Pistons Richard Hamilton
and Chauncey Billups were left off the NBA All-Star team they decided to have
a star named after them by the International Star Registry. Sports Radio 1130
WDFN is the home of the World Champion Detroit Pistons and now the two newly anointed
celestial superstars.
I have a pile of CDs on my desk
that area bands have sent me and asked me to listen too. That is one of the tuffest
things for bands. Not making and recording CDs but promoting them after you have
recorded them. I asked Jerry Patlow who runs an entertainment agency out of his
Farmington Hills home office. He promotes everything from clowns and pony rides
for kids parties to Chubby Checker and Freddy Boom Boom Cannon to area concerts,
festivals and car shows and he agreed. Bands can make incredible digital state
of the art recordings and even with the advent of the Internet it is still a difficult
job promoting original music.
I still have on
the desk CDs from Ron Aitken who was in the band the Sunday Funnies. This CD
has a Commander Cody/Dylan/Tom Petty sound. A CD from the Bluescasters who will
be playing at the Library Pub on Grand River east of Novi Road. Their CD is blues
yet jazz and still rocks. Rockin' Hoss features Big Mitch Manns one
of Michigan's biggest and best guitar players. Their CD would be perfect for the
next Pulp Fiction movie. Sandra Dziedziula sings "What Jesus Said" on the Jam
Rag Family Album which features 17 local recording artists. Doctor Dixie is performing
and recording Dixieland music. The Missing Links doing music of the 30s and 40s.
Jotown the one man band. Joe Hamma has six CDs including one that features all classic
car songs.