Hey, join us this Friday January 23rd!

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A lot of exciting things have happened since our last newsletter.  Here are some highlights:   THE CD RELEASE PARTY We had an exciting Release Party in October officially launching the New CD - How Do You Read It?  We arranged the seating auditorium style to accommodate more people which proved to be a good thing - a nice gathering of folks piled into Studio A. We invited our good friend Jennifer Cesario to host the event.  She did a great job as emcee and won the audience over with her quick wit and fun personality.  Poet Angel River's dynamic and fluid presentation of original writings made the evening extra special.  She effectively used melody to engage the audience with poetry that can be best described as apologetic.  Angel's message tied in well with the How Do You Read It? project -both encouraged spiritual growth and maturity in the believer. Rufus and band shared all the songs from the new CD.   One of the highlights of the evening was a performance of Face to Face. Accompanied by Dan Mlesczko and Jim Thomas on backgrounds vocals, this beautiful ballad spoke of seeing the Lord one day in all His glory.  Rufus closed the party with Love in What You Do - a song that speaks of all the things love is and encourages believers to show their love in the world.  The scriptures say that they will know we are Christians by the love we have one towards another.  .     CDBaby.com, Amazon.com and Family Christian Stores in the Detroit area agreed to carry the project and we're happy to say the CD's sales are doing very well.        ANGEL TREE In November Rufus and band opened for Christian Artist Michael English in an effort to raise money for Angel Tree.  Michael English was the headliner for this Christmas Benefit Concert held at Zion Christian Church in Troy. The show also featured Classical Guitarist Michael Stockdale.  The proceeds raised benefited Angel Tree - a Prison Fellowship organization that buys Christmas gifts for prisoner's children.   FESTIVAL OF TREES Also in November Rufus performed at the Festival of Trees Gala - the largest annual fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Michigan.  This event was held at Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn.  Rufus has become a mainstay at this event and this year the band was in a heavy traffic area. INTRODUCING "THE CAMP" On January 14, our new non-profit organization - The Camp (Christian Artists and Musicians Project) was formed to promote independent artists who are not in the spotlight of mainstream performance and provide spiritual enrichment through the arts to the community.  4thFridays falls under this umbrella and is now officially a non-profit event pending 501(c) (3) tax exemption status.  Other events in the near future will include prison ministry and other outreach programs, a radio show, and music seminars - all designed to encourage the indie artist and help them share their gift. Our fundraiser is scheduled for March 26 - the 4thFriday.   COMING UP ON JANUARY 23RD: Jan Krist - 4thFridays is happy to welcome back Singer and Songwriter Jan Krist to kick off our new year.  Jan is one of the premiere folk artists in the country and happens to reside in Michigan.  This wife and mother of two travels from state to state performing thought provoking tunes that speak of the power of love, mercy and redemption.  She is admired everywhere for her lovely voice, clever writing, melodic songs and expertise on guitar.  She'll share songs from her latest release Wounded You Wounded Me as well as a few from previous projects on Jan. 23.  You won't want to miss this show.         The Poet's Corner Tracy Price will share inspiring readings from Billy Graham's Hope for Each Day and Rufus Harris will share a combination of tunes from the first and second album and some thoughts behind the music. ----------------------------------------------------- Great Christian venues? From gigging at various places around the city, you're bound to find some nice venues.  We know a lot of you are looking for other places to frequent throughout the month so we thought we share some of the ones we've discovered in the metro area.  These are not teen hangouts and feature great entertainment and good refreshments. Divine Cafe in Keego Harbor - a very charming Christian coffeehouse that is giving the Starbucks in the area a run for their money.  And we see why.  Not only is the coffee good but they feature entertainment in a cozy, warm and friendly setting.  The names of their beverages are really cool and have spiritual titles The coffeehouse is located at 2170 Cass Lake Road If you like blues, you'll love Joel's Place in Pontiac. Joel's place features Troy Michael and Soul to Soul - as the house band.  You may remember Troy performed at 4thFridays last summer and packed the house out.  Rufus will again share stage with Troy performing with band at Joel's place on Saturday, Feb. 7th.  The event is held at Mt. Victory Church 30 E. Montcalm at the southeast corner of Montcalm and Baldwin.  Come on out and enjoy blues and more...Visit www.troymichael.bandlookup.com Shepherd Fellowship Church in Waterford has a really nice coffeehouse that features shows once a month.  Rufus and band played there earlier this month and had a great time despite a few technical glitches.  The atmosphere was nice and really comfortable.  Check it out by visiting www.shepherdfellowship.org  2515 N. Williams Lake Road in Waterford Montescotti In addition to the best coffee you've ever had, Monte Bertrand will prepare something we call Montescotti (that's "biscotti that's off the hook").  It's a great companion to 4thFridays coffee and like our coffee tends to go very quickly.  So don't wait too late to partake!  By the way, there is no additional cost for the coffee or biscotti.  It's all included in the admission.  However, for the very first time there will be a tip jar. ----------------------------------------------------- Help us get the word out! We can't do this on own on. We need your help in getting these songs played on the radio. Help us generate some excitement about this release. Call WMUZ-FM103.5 to request the new album - How Do You Read It? Their number is 313-272-3434. Also call the Mix 92.3 and WGPR 107.5 FM Write a review about the album on Amazon.com.  People really read these!! Thank you for your support! With your help we can get this timely much needed message out there and also put Detroit back on the map. ----------------------------------------------------- 4thFridays is held at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center at 15801 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn.  Doors open at 8pm (barring any technical difficulties) and show starts at 8:30pm.  We sometimes bounce between the Dome Room and Studio A.  But we'll always let you know in what room we'll be.  This month the show will be held in Studio A.  We're looking forward to seeing you this month.  For more information call: 248-886-0881 or visit www.rufusharris.com.