AJ's Cafe of Ferndale is planning to break the Guinness record for "longest concert by multiple artists" when it hosts a 10-day continuous musical tribute to the American auto industry.

The 240-hour "Assembly Line" show -- planned for March 20-30 -- will be hosted by AJ's Cafe in Ferndale, MI, the latest in a series of events planned by cafe owner and community activist AJ O'Neil.

O'Neil made headlines in March 2007, when he hosted a 50-hour "Danny Boy" marathon. He recently made national news again with his offer of a free cup of coffee to customers who pledge to buy American cars.

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.

"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, MI.

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.

If anybody can pull off an event like this, it's AJ O'Neil, who has a history of bringing the community together for special events and causes.

In December, what began as O'Neil's small effort to show support for a bridge loan to the Big Three automakers grew into a movement and generated media coverage nationwide.

His offer of a free cup of coffee to customers who sign a promise that they will buy an American-made car prompted an overwhelming response that resulted not only in O'Neil briefly running out of coffee, but also a new Web site: http://ipromiseamerica.com/, and social networking site: http://ipromiseamerica.ning.com/. The online community has been growing ever since, and O'Neil plans on tying the effort to his Assembly Line concert idea.

O'Neil's 50-hour "Danny Boy" marathon last year brought prominent politicians, including Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, to his coffee shop stage.

The marathon inspired a book about how the community came together for the marathon -- and about O'Neil's personal struggles. "In Sunlight or in Shadow," by Karen Wilhelm, is scheduled for release in February.

AJ's Music Cafe is located at 240 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, MI.

You can contact O'Neil at 248-399-3946 or e-mail him at ajamesoneil@gmail.com.

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