Shows & Events

Mick Flannery

Special Guest: Jeffrey Martin

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Award-winning, double-platinum-selling artist Mick Flannery has released seven studio albums, three of which have reached No. 1 status.

The Sunday Times says he “conjures up exquisite story-telling,” and American Songwriter called his album “In the Game” “a sorrowful masterpiece.” The record was nominated for the Choice Music Prize, and won the RTE Radio 1 song of the year two years in a row for tracks “Baby Talk” and “Chain Reaction.” The album was the biggest selling independent record in Ireland in 2021. Mick Flannery’s songs are fluent in expressing layered aspects of the human condition, its flaws, triumphs, and general uncertainty. Originally a stonemason by trade, he once described his stage presence as that of a “mountain goat,” but over the years that shy awkwardness of said mountain goat has started to dissipate. Mick’s live shows are renowned for his self-deprecating humor, audience engagement and the ability to bring people on a journey of both heartbreak and joy, often in the same instance. Mick has built up a reputation over the past decade as one of Ireland hardest-working musicians.

$20

Tom Paxton & The DonJuans

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

We know—Tom Paxton had a farewell tour a few years ago. Kidding! Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and folk icon Tom Paxton is back, and he's teaming up with the Grammy-winning Nashville singer/songwriter duo The Don Juans—Don Henry & Jon Vezner! Collectively, their songs have been covered by: Harry Belafonte, John Mellencamp, Miranda Lambert, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, Nanci Griffith, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea, John Denver, Faith Hill, B.J. Thomas, Blake Shelton, Peter, Paul & Mary and Bob Dylan … just to name a few! Within days of writing and playing together, the trio knew they were onto something, and they soon took it on the road. Ever since the days of Porter & Dolly's cover of "The Last Thing on My Mind," the songs of Tom Paxton have had a special resonance with Nashville songwriters, and now the tradition continues!

$30

Larry & Joe

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela, and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from North Carolina and is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass and oldtime musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe's acclaimed "latingrass" band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants.

Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, guitar, maracas and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. The program they offer features a distinct blend of their musical inheritances and traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.

$25
Artist Spotlight Series Live and Virtual

Nigel Wearne

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Nigel Wearne saunters after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, jazz and Americana-noir. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, he's a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with diverse influences such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones. A deep thinker and truth seeker with a penchant for all […]

Free, Donations accepted for Food Gatherers

Sam Grisman Project presents the music of Garcia/Grisman

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

A Note From Sam-- The music that my father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories. What I find most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated.

My goal in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that our own collective has to offer, we will also show the impact that this music has had on our own individual musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes me happier than playing great songs with my best friends and my hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!”

$25

Joshua Radin

Opener: The Ballroom Theives

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Joshua Radin emerged in 2004 as an empathetic, engaging, and often enthralling troubadour. Over the years, he’s tallied north of 1 billion streams, moved 1 million-plus albums worldwide, and scored a gold certification for the single “I’d Rather Be With You.” His music has appeared in over 200 films, television series, and commercials. In addition to multiple showstopping appearances on Ellen (who also enlisted him to perform at her wedding) and Today Show, and performances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, and Conan, he contributed “Brand New Day” to a commercial in support of the troops at the request of First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. He’s played to sold out crowds around the globe and shared the stage with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos and more. Not to mention, he’s a staunch philanthropist who supports Little Kids Rock and North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), among others. Thus far his catalog consists of nine full-length offerings highlighted by fan favorites such as We Were Here, Simple Times, Underwater, Wax Wings, and Here, Right Now.

Following the release of his 2021 acclaimed album The Ghost and The Wall, Joshua left his material existence in the rearview, grabbed a backpack, packed his guitar, picked up a pen and a pad, hit the road in search of new stories to tell. Those stories comprise though the world will tell me so, part 1 , the first of a pair of forthcoming EPs.

$30, $38, $45

Rodney Crowell

Special Guest: Laurel Lewis

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Rodney Crowell is one of country music’s most successful songwriters, but the deadly seriousness in his music was always there for those with ears to hear. “Dad drove a stock car to an early death / All I remember was a drunk man’s breath,” sang Waylon Jennings as he took Crowell’s “Ain’t Living Long Like This” to the top of the charts. Since the turn of the millennium, Crowell has been on a roll, releasing personal, ambitious albums to wide critical acclaim. With his autobiographical masterpiece “The Houston Kid,” he took an unflinching look at his own down-and-out upbringing. Rodney comes to Michigan with a new release, “The Chicago Sessions,” produced by and featuring Jeff Tweedy; it’s been tearing up Americana radio.

$45, $55, $75

A Sharon, Lois and Bram Singalong with Sharon and Randi

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

If you grew up within range of Canadian television in the 1980s and 1990s, you may have sung along with Sharon, Lois & Bram, seen their television series "The Elephant Show" and "Skinnamarink TV." or begged your parents to take you to one of their sold out concerts. Sharon, Lois & Bram have spent their careers bringing joy to families everywhere. Over the course of their 40+ year musical journey, the Canadian trio has produced 17 recordings, numerous compilations, three songbooks and the best-selling children’s book, Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Skinnamarink. The recipients of countless awards, Gold & Platinum albums, inducted into the Order of Canada, and appointed Goodwill Ambassadors for UNICEF, the group is widely known among the most beloved children’s entertainers of all time. Following Bram’s retirement, and with his encouragement, Sharon and her daughter Randi continue to share the music of Sharon, Lois & Bram with fans and friends, old and new. Randi’s song lyrics and voice can be heard on several tracks of the 2019 album she produced, Sharon & Bram and Friends. Sharon and Randi are excited to be singing the songs of Sharon, Lois & Bram (many introduced to the trio by Randi) with a new generation of musical friends.

$20, $15 kids

The Gibson Brothers

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

The Gibson Brothers are the bluegrass duo of Eric and Leigh Gibson, from Ellenburg Depot, New York, in the hardscrabble lands along the Quebec border. They've gotten widespread recognition for their deep and realistic original songwriting, which grows organically out of the community and the experiences in which the brothers have taken part. There's beauty but also pain in the vivid storytelling of their songs. But the Gibsons also fit perfectly into the great tradition of brother duets with their ringing, instinctive harmonies. Says Michael Eck of No Depression: "To say they've got the classic brother duet thing down is an understatement; they own it." Some of their recent music has been experimenting with the incorporation of electric instruments. This duo has been cleaning up at bluegrass awards shows these days, and if you're wondering who the heirs apparent to the bluegrass greats might be ... well, come on by! The Gibson Brothers come to Michigan with a wonderful new release, “Darkest Hour.”

$25

A Josh White Jr Celebration

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

This Josh-a-Palooza celebrates a Michigan treasure. Josh and special guests will be on hand for a magical afternoon of music and memories. Josh White Jr has carried his message of positivity, spirituality, love, peace, and social commitment around the world, performing for presidents, kings and queens, the Pope, for the poorest of poor in their […]

$35
Special Event

Broken Social Scene

Special Guest: Hannah Georgas

The Majestic Theatre 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan, United States

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their album, You Forgot It In People, Broken Social Scene are playing songs from their seminal sophomore album, among many more hits. At the dawn of the 21st-century, just as the internet began infecting every aspect of our daily lives, Toronto musicians Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning began […]

$30, $35 day of

Dave & Kristi with their Showband

Opener: Rochelle Clark

The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Dave Boutette's Midwest is full of passion, humor, and a certain shaky grace. Influenced by songwriters from Chuck Berry to John Prine to Elvis Costello, he documents the travels and triumphs of life in the heartland. Dave grew up in Detroit's shadow, and he peppers his performances with stories of his home and his life on the road. Kristi Lynn Davis logged in about 1,200 performances and 240,000 kicks as a Radio City Rockette. She also sailed the globe as a singer-dancer on cruise ships and worked in musical theater productions with showbiz icons Susan Anton, Buddy Ebsen, Maurice Hines, Jack Jones, Paige O’Hara, Juliet Prowse, Rip Taylor, and others. Kristi’s had so many adventures in show business, she had to write a book to keep them all straight. Her award-winning comic memoir is titled "Long Legs and Tall Tales." Close, comforting, and warm, Kristi’s voice slips in right beside Dave’s, and her charming and confident stage presence, along with her quick wit, are adding a whole new appeal to Dave’s shows. Together they have performed at music festivals, listening rooms, and brewpubs from the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula all the way down to Oberlin, Ohio. Tonight marks their first show with a full band.

$20