Posted by admin on Feb 14, 2005
Thank you! to each and everyone who walked through the doors at the Magic Bag for the AJ Lovefest on February 14th, AJ’s birthday. To say the least, What a success! An outpouring of generosity and love filled the room. It felt as if AJ was there in spirit to turn the night into pure love and camaraderie.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed, just to name a few: Jeremy of the Magic Bag for opening his theater to us, business owners who donated merchandise and gift certificates, publicity from the local media, the colorful belly dancers and Middle Eastern musicians who gave us an enlightening experience from AJ’s musical roots, his fellow musicians (who shared AJ’s passion for music) gave us the gift of a performance that would have certainly filled AJ with pride and happiness, a film dedicated to AJ (about his life here in Detroit) which truly captured the essence of who AJ was, his many friends who worked tirelessly to organize and coordinate this event, and the people who made generous donations for the benefit of Ian.
The Friends of AJ would like to send a special thanks to Michael Spleet, an excellent digital photographer, for donating some amazing photos of the event. To see the photos, go to the Photos Page.
The film, “ashes to ashes”, by the Brancaleone Brothers is now available on the Video Page.
Posted by admin on Feb 10, 2005
Amjed Abdallah would have turned 37 on Valentine’s Day. But on Jan. 2, Abdallah was gunned down in his studio and home at 430 Eight Mile. People who loved him are still deeply mourning his death. “A.J. was a guy who was just full of love,” said long-time friend Matt Lee. “If you look at any picture of him, you can see that he was always smiling. He loved people and he loved life.”
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Posted by admin on Feb 10, 2005
The courtroom seemed split in half during Terrence Moore’s preliminary exam. On one side, benches were filled with friends and family of the defendant, who police believe shot Amjed Abdallah four or five times with a Sig Sauer automatic handgun at his studio and home at 430 Eight Mile on January 2. On the other side of the court room were four of Abdallah’s friends.
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Posted by admin on Feb 7, 2005
Friends and fellow musicians are celebrating the spirit of AJ Abdallah, who was killed earlier this month in his Ferndale studio, with a celebration of his life as an equally talented musician and friend. The AJ Lovefest will be held Monday, February 14, Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be AJ’s birthday. This very special night will be a Detroit musical extravaganza and features unplugged performances by Nova, Twelfth Hour, Zug Island, The Reefermen, Scattercat and the Howling Diablos.
Other guests appearing in special jam sessions include: Jerome Day of Uncle Kracker, Kenny Olson and Jimmie Bones of Twisted Brown Trucker, Jody Raffoul, Eliza, Tim Diaz, Shakey Fowlkes, Vinnie Dombrowski of Sponge and Kenny Robinson. The evening will also feature a short memorial film of AJ, directed by the Brancaleone Brothers.
Come listen to the best Detroit musicians at the AJ Lovefest at the Magic Bag, Monday, February 14th, Valentines Day. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all proceeds from the minimum donation of for the event go to AJ’s 15 year old son, Ian Abdallah. Additional checks may be made out to Ian’s mother, Kathleen Hurley. The Magic Bag is located at 22920 Woodward Avenue in Ferndale. They can be reached at (248) 544-1991. The AJ Lovefest promises to be a beautiful celebration of a wonderful Detroit musician who will be deeply missed.
Media may contact Matt Lee for Drumbeaters at (248) 584-3715.
Click here to see Event Poster
Posted by admin on Feb 5, 2005
A man accused of fatally shooting a Ferndale recording studio owner was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.
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