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The most recent Guinness World Record for the longest concert by multiple acts was reportedly set by a bunch of Hungarian musicians in June at a summer resort on Lake Balaton. More than 1,000 musicians participated, playing for 216 hours.
Today I got an e-mail via the Detroit Blues Society informing me that Ferndale coffee shop owner AJ O'Neil — the same fellow behind the 50-hour "Danny Boy" marathon in 2008 — is hoping to break that record with a 10-day concert beginning March 20. Maintaining 240 hours of continuous music is obviously going to require a lot of participants, and organizers are currently signing up bands interested in providing 55-minute sets.

The Assembly Line Concert is being billed as "musical tribute to the American auto industry." During the hoopla when congress was debating whether to give bridge loans to the Detroit automakers, O'Neil offered a free cup of coffee to anyone who promised to make their next car an American-made car. The promotion generated a lot of online interest, even spawning its own social networking site, and this concert is apparently an outgrowth of that.

The Assembly Line concert will bring the two worlds together as the music marathon pays tribute to American workers, products and automobiles. The Danny Boy marathon attracted singers ranging from local business owners to the governor of Michigan. The Assembly Line will also call on musicians from all segments of society to come together in the heart of hard-hit Main Street America and help pay tribute to the down, but not out, American worker.

"We call on every manufacturing plant, every car dealership, garage mechanic to join us," O'Neil said. "We call on politicians, loan officers, credit agencies, builders to join us. We call for music to heal us in these trying times.

"We call on the corporate world to join us to help us in our Main Street solution to this American challenge."
The Assembly Line Concert will feature at least 240 acts, performing for 240 hours, nonstop, at AJ's Cafe, 240 Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, Mich.

Each of the 10 days will highlight different aspects of the American partnership between workers, employers, politicians and the media. One day, political leaders will play 24, one-hour sets; another day, auto workers; and another day, local Detroit bands. Even members of the media will have their own day to play and be a part of the big news event. [via http://www.assemblylineconcert.com/]

There is a lot of information for interested bands online at http://www.assemblylineconcert.com/, including stage rules and a mail-in sign-up sheet. You also can send an e-mail to theassemblylineconcert@gmail.com with a description of your band, links to examples of your music, a contact phone number and which days you'd be available to play.

Keep in mind that since this is a non-stop concert, they'll need people to do sets at 4 a.m. Luckily, it's taking place at a coffee shop.

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