“All Bad,” the latest album from Nick Shoulders, ultimately encapsulates everything that makes Nick’s inimitable form of country music so vital: a heady balance of dazzling musicianship and punk defiance, coupled with gritty eccentricity and a generational connection to the roots of the genre. With a singing style inherited from his family’s vocal lineage, Nick’s songs achieve the rare feat of imparting difficult truths while inciting a certain joyful abandon, balancing a sound forged by years of hard travel with a heartfelt reverence for the origins of country music.
The ultimate storytelling competition, The Moth GrandSLAM invites winners from our open-mic StorySLAMs back to the stage for the Ann Arbor storytelling championship. The theme for the night is... A POINT OF BEAUTY. Five minute stories about the gobsmackingly gorgeous nestled in the mess, the astonishingly attractive, the sensationally stunning. Witnessing an awe-inspiring work of art, or admiring the humble daisy growing through the crack in the sidewalk. Seeing past the sound and the fury to find something unexpectedly exquisite.
Long before glowing acclaim from NPR and Billboard, packed shows, unforgettable festival appearances, millions of streams, and collaborations with everyone from BTS to Kaboom Collective, the journey of The Accidentals commenced in a public high school classroom in Traverse City, MI. As the story goes, concertmaster violinist Savannah Buist and cellist Katie Larson raised their hands at the request for volunteers to play a music boosters concert and wound up being musical soulmates. After Sav and Katie attended a school presentation by The Moxie Strings, their collective fate would be sealed forever.
Four-time GRAMMY winner Sarah Jarosz has announced her new album, “Polaroid Lovers,” and she’s bringing it to The Ark! The record is releasing on January 26, 2024 via Rounder Records. It features a decidedly more electric sound than Sarah’s earlier bluegrass-flavored efforts, and it shows this brilliant artist maturing as a songwriter. A Texas native, she's spent most of her adult life living in New York City, but shortly before writing the album Sarah left her adopted home to join her soon-to-be husband in Nashville.
A master lyricist and satirical storyteller, John Hiatt delivers songs filled with tales of redemption, relationships and surrendering on his own terms. His lyrics and melodies have graced more than 20 studio albums, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and scores of others, and have earned him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a BMI Troubadour award, and a lifetime achievement in songwriting designation from the Americana Music Association.
As childhood friends growing up in Denver, Colorado, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing were always exploring the outdoors. Whether it was rafting down their neighborhood creek or discovering hiking trails through the Rocky Mountains, Joe and Justin were born adventurers. Now, as the GRAMMY® Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, they have put this passion for the outdoors at the heart of their Americana Folk music.
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.
Over his almost 30 year career, Matt Nathanson has evolved into one of the most applauded songwriters and engaging performers on the music scene today. His sixth studio album, Some Mad Hope, yielded his breakthrough multi-platinum hit "Come on Get Higher.” Matt comes to The Ark in support of a new album, Map At The Mall.
Chris Fleming was named one of Variety’s Ten Comics to Watch for 2019. He has amassed over 70 million views on his Youtube channel and has appeared in Comedy Central’s CORPORATE, Splitting Up Together, Netflix’s Last Laugh and Twelve Forever. The Huffington Post has called him “perhaps one of the best things on the internet.” Of his live show, Chortle says, “you can’t take your eyes off this unpredictable, exciting performer.”
A long time friend of The Ark, Vienna Teng performs for The Ark's 28th annual Fall Fundraiser. Upper tier tickets include a dessert reception followed by a pre-show conversation with Vienna Teng.
Steve Poltz is not normal. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but has lived most of his life in southern California, and those geographic poles are quite likely responsible for his unhinged genius. No Depression crowned him, "A sardonic provocateur with a lighthearted acoustic-driven wit, suggesting at times a sunnier, less psychedelic Todd Snider, or maybe a less wan, washed Jackson Brown.”
When Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore made the album Downey To Lubbock together in 2018, they wrote the title track as a sort of mission statement. “I know someday this old highway’s gonna come to an end,” Alvin sings near the song’s conclusion. Gilmore answers: “But I know when it does you’re going to be my friend.” Six years later, they’re serving notice that the old highway hasn’t ended yet. “We’re still standing, no matter what you might hear,” they sing on “We’re Still Here,” the final track to their new album Texicali. Due out Jun 21, 2024 on Yep Roc Records, Texicali continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours’ respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore).
