Shows & Events

Open Mic

The Ark’s Open Stage

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

Whether you're looking for your big break, want to perfect your live performance skills, or just want to perform live for the sheer fun of it, Open Stage nights offer supportive audiences and a terrific space. Performers have eight minutes (or two songs) each to do their thing. Doors open at 7:30, and names are drawn at 7:55 and 8:30. If your name isn't chosen, bring your raffle ticket with you next time, and you'll double your chances.

$3.00, Students and Ark Members free

Lori McKenna

Special Guest: Mark Erelli

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

From her home base in Boston, Lori McKenna has carved out an enviable niche for herself as one of Nashville's most in-demand songwriters, all while maintaining a prolific and remarkably consistent career as a solo artist. The release of her anticipated album, 1988, adds to a series of landmark years for McKenna and follows three widely acclaimed albums: 2016’s The Bird & The Rifle, 2018’s The Tree and 2020’s The Balladeer, of which the Associated Press praised, “McKenna has by now long established herself as one of the best songwriters working in any genre. And she does it again and again,” while The Tennessean asserted, “one of the sharpest pens in modern country and folk songwriting.”

$40.00

The Kentucky Gentlemen

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

The Kentucky Gentlemen are reshaping country and soul music with their bold, genre-blending mix of country, R&B, and pop. Twin brothers Derek and Brandon Campbell captivate audiences with a sound rooted in their Kentucky upbringing and elevated by high-energy performances. Fresh off tour with Grammy nominated group The War & Treaty and shows with Global Superstar Estelle, the duo continues to rise as dynamic voices shaping the future of country music.

$29.00
Postponed

Lucy Kaplansky

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

This show has been postponed to Sunday, December 14 at 7:30pm.

$29.00

The RFD Boys

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

It's hard to believe, because each show is fresh and new, but the RFD Boys have been delighting Michigan audiences since 1969 with their fabulous musicianship and sly, exquisitely timed between-song humor. They're legends of Michigan bluegrass, but they're more than that too. With an appearance on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited, with songs recorded by the likes of the Country Gentlemen, and with performances alongside bluegrass greats like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, the RFD Boys are a part of America's bluegrass tradition. Tickets available at the door. There are no advance tickets sold for RFD Boys shows.

$16.00, $15 students, seniors, and Ark members

Vienna Teng

Special Guest: Alex Wong

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

Songwriter Vienna Teng re-emerges this fall with her mashup song pair We’ve Got You - her first new music in over a decade - but her fans have been here the whole time. They’ve packed concert venues even in years between releases, crowdfunded an ambitious music video in hours, and joined by the hundreds when she launched her “music x climate action” Patreon in 2022.

$51.50

Shawn Phillips

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

The man who taught Joni Mitchell her first guitar techniques, who also taught George Harrison of the Beatles his first lessons on Sitar, the man who wrote the music to Donovan’s “Season Of The Witch” and has played with many of the finest musicians in the world including Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. He’s produced 27 albums and is known around the world for his refusal to bow down to commercialism in the music industry.

$29.00

Gretchen Pleuss // Annie Bacon and her OSHEN

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

Gretchen Pleuss is an Ann Arbor, Michigan based poet and singer-songwriter whose "vocal delivery and skillful finger picking call to mind the folk singers who graced the stage of the Gaslight Café during the 60's Greenwich Village folk renaissance. Fans of Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, and other folk luminaries will appreciate Gretchen's gorgeous arrangements and thought-provoking songwriting” –Dan Jarvis, Midwest Action. Annie Bacon is a writer and songwriter living in Ann Arbor, Michigan (via Maine and San Francisco). With her OSHEN she merges a literary writing style and folk-rock Americana sound to create rich and emotionally complex music.

$24.00

Cole Chaney

Special Guest: Wild Horses

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

When it comes to his latest album, In the Shadow of the Mountain, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Cole Chaney is pretty candid and blunt about who he is and what kind of music he wants to make — the result of which, this stunning offering from an artist wise beyond his age. “I’m not concerned with being labeled as ‘country,’ whatever that means. And I’m kind of fed up with the scene, it’s not what I’m into right now,” Chaney says. Pointing to his lifelong admiration for 1990s rock as a vital influence on the sonic landscape of the album, Chaney aimed to find a melodic balance between that raw and real rock sound and the bluegrass and folk music of his native Kentucky.

$24.00

Lindsay Lou

Special Guest: Cousin Curtiss

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

Lindsay Lou is a siren songbird who made her way into the world of music with groups like The Flatbellys and The Sweet Water Warblers. Adopted by the jamgrass scene, frequently sitting in with bands like Greensky Bluegrass and writing and performing with Billy Strings, she has toured all the world with her sweet and powerful sound.

$29.00

Carrie Newcomer

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

Carrie Newcomer weaves her life and her art together, with music, community activism, and personal concerns all playing a role. She's one of those people who exudes a spirituality that's all her own, and she has to be seen in concert to be truly appreciated. Says novelist Barbara Kingsolver: "She's a poet, storyteller, snake-charmer, good neighbor, friend and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace." And you can forget all that and just luxuriate in her incredibly rich alto voice! Carrie has traveled to India and performed as a U.S. cultural ambassador, and local religion journalist David Crumm, writing on the ReadTheSpirit website, named her to his list of "10 Spiritual Sages to Watch."

$29.00

Carbon Leaf

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

Carbon Leaf’s fifteenth studio album, Time is the Playground, is both a call to action and an embrace of the moment. Marrying nostalgic storytelling to nuanced, folk-infused indie rock, the Richmond, Virginia band embroiders heartfelt melody and harmony with acoustic and electric instrumentation to create a 12-song rumination on time, love and personal growth that’s equal parts urgent epiphany and contented exhalation.

$40.00