Hello Music Lovers, Happy 2012! I hope this year brings you all joy and success in your endeavors! It will be a good year for Apple & Britt because we have every reason to believe we will be working at least 1 or 2 nights a week. Yes, we are fine with that and really have no desire to work full-time ever again. 2011 brought us the big change of going very part-time, and we actually enjoyed that very much. Playing at the Lighthouse Sound feels very warm and cozy to us. We feel appreciated by the staff, and there’s a lot to be said by that. We were delighted to see their entire restaurant and bar FULL last Saturday, New Years Eve. Today we got a call inviting us to play Saturday, January 7, the 14th, and February 11 and 18th. We were already booked there for Valentine’s Day, February 14th. I am pretty sure all gigs will be 6 to 10pm. Tracy, the head chef, has been there about 2 years and is doing an excellent job of keeping the quality of food at a consistently high level. Darrin, the general manager, is practically over-qualified to run this establishment, with his resume filled with New York City and Las Vegas high end restaurants. They are lucky to have him here to keep the entire operation running smoothly and with excellence. And, it doesn’t hurt that he’s friends with Tony Bennett. I’m so jealous! Their contact info: Address: 12723 St. Martin's Neck Rd., Bishopville, MD 21813 Phone: (410) 352-5250 Their website: http://www.lighthousesound.com/oc-maryland-golf-restaurant Other gigs coming up include Fridays, January 13, February 10, 17 &24th, at The Palette in Snow Hill, MD. Located in historic downtown Snow Hill, Maryland, The Palette celebrates contemporary cuisine with local tradition. Their address: 104 West Green St., Snow Hill, MD 410-632-0055 Call for reservations, because they sell out frequently, the owner Phil Cropper says. www.thepaletterestaurant.com Apple & Britt will be playing 5:30 to 8pm in the upstairs loft/bar area. Be advised, there is no elevator, and there are 22 steps to climb. Yikes…..Moving our equipment in and out will be a chore. Pray we get help! One last gig we have booked at this time is Saturday, February 25th at the Crisfield Country Club. I just spoke to the club’s president, Carol Samus, and she informed me it is a private affair for club members. Looking into the future, Dale and I have discussed playing at Lighthouse Sound twice a week this summer. We certainly will keep you updated on that! In other news, I find it incredibly interesting that the Beach Plaza Hotel will have a new restaurant this year. I couldn’t be happier to tell you it is my favorite Italian restaurant in Ocean City, none other than Adolfo’s. Now, the deal isn’t in stone yet-- the papers should be signed in the next two weeks-- but it is pretty much a done deal, says David, a.k.a. Kanook, with whom I just now spoke. The owners, Kim and David Griffin, are hard-working and dedicated to their business, staff and customers. I know this personally because my own daughter spent last summer as a hostess for them! I had already been a huge fan of David’s marinara sauce. My daughter received an employee meal every night and sometimes she would bring home her extras, or even all of it, to me! Her personal favorite sauce is the Gerardo, a combination of the marinara and alfredo sauces. She also raves about the alfredo sauce, saying it is especially rich. Check out their website: www.oc-adolfos.com for more information. I was told it is a five year lease. One more thing I like about Adolfo’s is that they carry a sweet reisling on their wine list, for wimpy drinkers like myself. Have you heard Michael Buble’s newest CD, Christmas? I was given the CD for my birthday in November and had the pleasure of watching his Christmas TV special, as well. With fifteen tracks it is chock full of new arrangements of Christmas classics and one original which he co-wrote. I was truly pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this CD. I suggest you pick up a copy for yourself and a friend. I would love to know how many of you have ever heard of, or visited, an Italian restaurant in Baltimore’s Little Italy called Germano’s Trattoria. I happened upon a copy of the Baltimore Sun in November and I found their advertisement. What really caught my attention was that they operate a Cabaret room Thursday through Sunday. Ah! Interesting! Their website: www.germanostrattoria.com has the schedule for the cabaret room, complete with information about each performer. Their address: 300 S. High St., Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 752- 4515 for reservations. I would love to both go see other people perform there and perform there myself someday. Better to go check out the joint first, eh? Who would like to join me? Say “An Evening with Tamm E. Hunt” on Friday, Feb 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm? EMAIL ME if you are interested. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. You can also keep abreast of the latest developments on our Facebook page: Apple & Britt. I hope to see you on there, or at a gig, very soon! Happy, happy, merry, merry…and all that jazz. We appreciate every single one of you! Rhonda