The year 2025 marks the 65th anniversary of Joseph Shabalala forming Ladysmith Black Mambazo. His group would not only conquer all of South Africa, but would become a worldwide phenomenon, winning more GRAMMY Awards (Five), and receiving more GRAMMY Award nominations (Nineteen), than any World Music group in the history of recorded music.
Special Guest: Ani Mari
Ypsilanti Freighthouse 100 Market Pl, Ypsilanti, MI, United StatesPresented in partnership with the University Musical Society (UMS) Texas-based songwriter and guitarist James McMurtry is a supremely insightful and inventive storyteller whose fans include everyone from Stephen King to John Mellencamp. Funny and sad often in the same breath, McMurtry teases vivid worlds out of small details, crafting searingly honest lyrics set against a rock/Americana backdrop.
Sponsored by Matt and Nicole Lester
Special Guest: Ani Mari
Ypsilanti Freighthouse 100 Market Pl, Ypsilanti, MI, United StatesPresented in partnership with the University Musical Society (UMS) Texas-based songwriter and guitarist James McMurtry is a supremely insightful and inventive storyteller whose fans include everyone from Stephen King to John Mellencamp. Funny and sad often in the same breath, McMurtry teases vivid worlds out of small details, crafting searingly honest lyrics set against a rock/Americana backdrop.
Sponsored by Matt and Nicole Lester
Special Guest: Caleb Elliott
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesIf Lefty is anything, it is the journal of Penny and Sparrow’s inner child. Dog-eared, lock busted open. On its pages the sketches of dreams, nightmares, erotica, and literary fan fiction graffiti the margins of poetry, elegies, and love letters in the wild colors of saxophone blue, electronic pink, and blood harmony red. Beautifully varied and richly rendered, it is an album that wanders from theme to theme, style to style, exultation to tragedy. Yet it is never lost. If anything, it is at play.
Opener: R.O. Shapiro
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesOne of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, May Erlewine has a gift for writing songs of substance that feel both fresh and soulfully familiar. Her ability to emotionally engage with an audience has earned her a dedicated following far beyond her Michigan roots. This year, May is teaming up with Chicago guitar wizard, Packy Lundholm. The heart forward power duo will be offering their music in the name of love, service and rock & roll.
Special Guest: Improvement Movement
Michigan Theater 603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesIron & Wine is the musical project of singer-songwriter Sam Beam. Born and raised in South Carolina, Beam is a former film professor who got his start making home recordings before landing on Sub Pop Records. Iron & Wine’s 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle garnered both critical and popular acclaim, vaulting Beam into the spotlight of the burgeoning indie folk/Americana scene as one of its new and leading voices.
As global ambassadors of Irish heritage and storytelling, The High Kings have consistently brought the timeless tradition of folk music to audiences worldwide, earning them chart-topping success and widespread acclaim. With their signature blend of classic tradition and modern edge, The Rocky Road Tour promises to be a vibrant showcase of Irish culture, energy, and musicality.
An evening with Herb Alpert and his brand new Tijuana Brass! Herb along with his 6 great musicians, Bill Cantos (piano & marimba), Kerry Marx (guitar), Ryan Dragon (trombone), Kris Bergh (trumpet), Ray Brinker (Drums) and Hussain Jiffry (bass), will be playing all of your favorite TJB hit songs just as you remember hearing them while growing up.
Paula Cole returns to the stage with THIS FIRE: 30—a special anniversary tour celebrating three decades of This Fire. A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for her fearless writing and genre-blending sound, Cole broke boundaries with songs that were both deeply personal and universally resonant.