Hill Auditorium
825 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
The Ark and Bank of Ann Arbor are excited to announce the lineup for the 50th Ann Arbor Folk Fest at Hill Auditorium. The festival is The Ark's largest annual fundraiser and delivers two extraordinary nights of soul-enriching music featuring longtime Folk Fest favorites, exciting new discoveries, and the artists who have made this beloved tradition such a special part of our community. Saturday’s lineup is Colin Hay, Mavis Staples, Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, Vienna Teng, DuPont Phillips and MC Jeff Daniels.
Hidden Ridge takes the timeless sound of the American String Bands of the 50s and catapults it into the 21st century. Driven by fiery fiddle and singing guitar, soaring mandolin and deep bass this group presents Bluegrass in a rip-roaring performance you won't want to miss. They are currently celebrating the release of their first EP, "If It's All Worth It".
Mustard’s Retreat has always sung the songs they enjoyed and cared about, regardless of the trends of the music industry and pop culture. They are committed to simply being themselves, not chasing fame or brass rings, while delighting in and connecting with their audiences as if they were family. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then. Tonight the trio reunites to celebrate the release of their new CD, Between Black & White Clouds.
The 22nd Annual celebration of love and music features Annie & Rod Capps, The Rough & Tumble, and The Lucky Nows. Three acclaimed musical duos who also happen to be partners in life share the stage, swapping songs and stories. You can expect some collaborating both planned and spontaneous. Not just for lovebirds, and not just love songs. Just a whole lotta great music.
Born and raised in South Florida to a Jamaican father and Barbadian mother, brothers Malcolm and Umoja honed their violin skills through South Florida’s public school system before attending Dillard High School for the Performing Arts. Now known as Sons of Mystro, they blend reggae classics, American pop hits, and original compositions with their signature violin sound, backed by a DJ and drummer.
Over the last decade, Aaron Lee Tasjan has established himself as a standout songwriter and performer. Through six critically acclaimed albums, he’s built a loyal worldwide audience on the strength of his unique songs, passionate live shows, and indie folk grit style of storytelling and performing. Accolades for his work include a 2022 Grammy Nomination for Best American Roots Song, and several Americana Music Association Awards nominations including International Album of the Year in 2021, Song Of The Year in 2022, and Best Emerging Artist in 2017. His most recent studio album, Get Over It, Underdog, kills sacred cows and pokes holes in the dam, while leaning hard into the idea of perseverance.
On the night of the Fourth of July, fireworks over Mei Semones' Brooklyn block were competing with something more primal. Up and down the street, dogs answered each burst with a long, ragged howl of their own. Semones, alone in her apartment with her guitar while the rest of the city celebrated outside, found she didn't mind the solitude. The howling struck her less as a cry for help than as a kind of greeting: proof that she was never really by herself, not with music always keeping her company. By morning, she had the seed of the title track for her sophomore album, Howl.
Crystal Bowersox, a northwest Ohio native, has built her world around music. By the age of 10, she was performing in local clubs and venues. On the cusp of 18 and with a curious heart, Crystal moved to Chicago, IL, where she spent her days busking on subway platforms between working odd jobs and attending school.
Royal Oak Music Theatre
318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, United States
Cory Wong is a Grammy-nominated guitarist, composer, and producer celebrated for his explosive live energy, razor-sharp funk grooves, and boundary-pushing collaborations across genres. Known for blending the technical precision of jazz with the infectious spirit of funk, pop, and soul, Wong has carved out a singular space as one of modern music’s most dynamic and joyful performers.
Michael McDermott’s brand of rock n’ roll brims with the kind of well-honed style and wisdom that can only come from a career on the road and a pedigree in the studio. Effortlessly blending natural folk sensibility, pop hooks, and honest rock, McDermott’s music is as much for the outcast as the congregation. It’s an exploration of the dark corners of life’s journey and it resonates middle class truths through the passionate filter of a kid that grew up on Chicago’s Irish South Side.
Lisa LeBlanc has been dropping musical plot twists for 15 years. This includes a platinum-selling francophone folk album, an electrified English-language rock album, a multi-award-winning disco record and a live album with the Québec Symphony Orchestra. She’s earned multiple Félixes, three Juno nominations, and two Polaris Prize shortlist nods. For 2027's Patchwork, she went back to the jam session, diving into 60s and 70s folk and rock’n’roll while adding a hint of swamp pop, soul and a dash of traditional Cajun and Acadian influences.
Masonic Temple Theatre
500 Temple St, Detroit, MI, United States
In the spring of 2025, just a few short months after playing their near-sellout first show at Madison Square Garden, and earning their first GRAMMY® nomination for 2024’s Good Together, the members of Lake Street Dive - vocalist Rachael Price, bassist/background vocalist Bridget Kearney, drummer/background vocalist Mike Calabrese, keyboardist/vocalist Akie Bermiss, and guitarist/background vocalist James Cornelison - gathered to work on new music for what would become their very first independent release, and ninth album, What About Flamingos?.
