Paper Wings
2026-05-27 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Long-time friends and collaborators Emily Mann and Wila Frank, known together as Paper Wings, dream up warm, pastoral folk songs furnished with delicate banjo and spellbinding harmonies so close you often can’t tell their voices apart. On their latest project, Listen to the World Spin, the Nashville duo’s songwriting flourishes, displaying their exceptional ability to reference nostalgic sounds of American folk music while maintaining their own compelling style of artful and unpretentious lyricism. Embracing themes of solitude, nature, and passage through time and space, Listen to the World Spin is a beautiful exploration of how we are never alone in our search for meaning and certainty in difficult times. “We needed these songs to guide and comfort us through the last few years,” says Frank, “And we hope they’ll do the same for others.” Listen to the World Spin was released on March 15th, 2024 with support from Free Dirt Records.

Dave & Kristi
2026-05-28 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
One time garage rock troubadour Dave Boutette, and former Radio City Rockette Kristi Lynn Davis make what could be considered an unexpected musical pairing, but they have certainly found a way to make it work. Since pairing Dave’s celebrated songwriting with Kristi’s natural gift for harmony, the duo has delighted audiences at music festivals, house concerts, and listening rooms from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the Maryland shore. Their most recent release THE CHICKADEES reached #11 on the Folk DJ Chart in June of 2025.
For additional spark in the set list that night, Dave & Kristi will be bringing along Jason Dennie on mandolin and Brad Phillips on fiddle.
Dave & Kristi’s songs mix many schools of American roots and popular music including folk, blues, swing, and old time country. The lyrics testify to the power of true love, rebirth, Polka bands, coffee, and migrating fish.

Mike Massé
2026-05-29 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Mike Massé is an internationally acclaimed artist and arranger who performs epic acoustic classic rock. He is a YouTube icon with over 195 million channel views. Legends of rock like Toto, Boston, Sarah McLachlan, Styx, Rush, Berlin, Asia, and others have expressed love and gratitude for his acoustic renditions of their songs. Toto cites his acoustic cover of “Africa” as their favorite.
Mike initially gained notoriety for his performances posted on his widely viewed YouTube channel. The success of that channel allowed him to quit his day job as a public defender after 13 years and move his family to Denver to become a full-time musician who performs around the world.
Mike’s acoustic arrangements are praised for their originality, creativity, accuracy and simplicity. He is careful to remain true to what is beloved about the original recordings, while bringing his own masterful musical flair to each rendition.

Kim Richey
2026-05-30 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Postponed!
This show has been rescheduled for Friday, April 16, 2027. Tickets will be honored for the new date. If unable to attend the rescheduled date, ticket holders have until June 1 to request a refund by contacting the Michigan Union Ticket Office 734-763-8587 or at muto-tix@umich.edu
FROM KIM: I am sorry to tell you all that due to a health issue I have to reschedule all of my May 2026 shows for later this year and next year. Hopefully, I will be up and running again soon and making my way to a town near you.

The RFD Boys
2026-05-30 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, 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. The RFD Boys are one of southeastern Michigan’s most durable musical ensembles, and their shows capture a deep slice of musical Ann Arbor. Their 50th-anniversary appearance at the Folk Festival was a special moment and introduced many listeners to Dan Roehrig, who joined the band on guitar, mandolin, and bass in mid-2018. Dan grew up listening to Doc Watson, Clarence White, and Tony Rice, and you can hear it in both his singing and guitar playing.

Tickets available at the door. There are no advance tickets for this show.

Peter Mulvey & Jenna Nicholls present Floyd Mercantile
2026-05-31 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
In April 2025, Peter Mulvey and Jenna Nicholls, along with guitarist Ross Bellenoit, traveled to Floyd, a small mountain town located in the Blue Ridge Highlands of Southwest Virginia, for five uninterrupted days of recording. What emerged is Floyd Mercantile — a record that feels both intimate and timeless.
The makeshift studio was a decommissioned general store called (you guessed it!) Floyd Mercantile — a weathered wooden building standing across the road from an open pasture where cows wandered and grazed in the gentle early spring. (One cow even volunteered to be on the album cover.) Inside those old walls, the trio recorded the album live — no isolation booths, no heavy overdubbing — just three musicians in a room, listening closely and letting the songs unfold in real time.
The sessions were recorded by Jeff Oehler and filmed in their entirety by partner Sue Bibeau and their associate Skylar Locke. Together, Sue and Jeff comprise Beehive Pro, an audio, visual, and design collective famed for their intimate recordings and thoughtfully considered visuals.
They captured not just the sound, but the atmosphere — the wood floors, the daylight through the dusty windows, and the creak of the porch boards could all be considered session players on this album.
The repertoire bridges eras. Mostly comprised of songs Peter and Jenna wrote separately, there are a few gems from the Great American Songbook: “Skylark” (Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer), “Them There Eyes” (Maceo Pinkard/Doris Tauber/William Tracey), and “I’ll Be Seeing You” (Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal).
The visual and sonic tones of the project reflect the periods these songs evoke — even the newly composed tracks feel in conversation with another time. The goal was not nostalgia, but continuity: to stand inside the lineage of American song and add something honest and present to it.
Floyd Mercantile is not just an album. It’s a document of place. Of three musicians in a room. Of songs — old and new — allowed to breathe in the quiet of a Virginia afternoon.

Rachel Baiman & Philip Bowen
2026-06-03 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Common Nation of Sorrow, Rachel Baiman’s 2023 LP, was called one of “The Best Albums of the Year (So Far)” by The Boston Globe, awarded 4 stars from American Songwriter, and deemed a “Tremendously and remarkable record” by The Amp.
Raised in Chicago, Baiman made her way to Nashville at 18 with the dream of being a professional fiddle player and has since released two solo records and an EP, alongside session and side-person work with Kacey Musgraves, Kevin Morby, and Molly Tuttle among many others. As a songwriter, she has garnered a reputation for her specific brand of political and personal lyricism, which Vice’s Noisey described as ‘Flipping off Authority one note at a time”.
Philip Bowen is an Appalachian born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music is rooted in folk tradition, regional storytelling, and lived experience. Raised in West Virginia, Bowen began playing fiddle at age four and developed a distinctive sound that blends Appalachian textures with modern Americana songwriting.
He has built a substantial and engaged audience through touring and online performance, reaching over 1.5 million followers across platforms. His early momentum included a win at TikTok’s Greatest Talent competition and appearances at key rooms and stages including The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd and Lindsley, NPR’s Mountain Stage, Americanafest, and an official showcase at Folk Alliance International.

VOICES: feat Al Bettis & Ki5 with Aviva Match
2026-06-04 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Inspired at age 30, singer/songwriter Al Bettis picked up a guitar and a notepad and got to work. The self-trained acoustic guitarist has gained popularity for his smooth vocals and sincere lyrics. His shows are a journey through love, heartbreak and redemption as he offers stories about the musings behind many of his songs. Reminiscent of legends like Al Green and Otis Redding, with musical influence from artists such as Ed Sheeran and Jason Mraz his soothing voice and raw sound is something you surely want to experience.
Ann Arbor’s electrifying musical maestro, Kyler Wilkins aka Ki5, is back on the Ark stage! He’s delighted to be joined once again by vocalist Aviva Match who carries a powerful, sincere tone that compliments his breathy, heartfelt vocal expressions.
Driven by a love of vocal harmony and coming off the 2026 release of the MIND EP, Ki5 is excited to share intricately designed and entirely spontaneous moments of playful musicality with his hometown. His performance is a soul-stirring experience that transcends genres and defies expectations. Once again, he’s not just bringing you music – he’s taking you on an exhilarating journey through the sonic universe as soulfully performed vocal lines collide with each other, beatboxing, and possibly even instrumentation. Drawing inspiration from musical luminaries like Reggie Watts, Bobby McFerrin, and Bon Iver, Ki5’s authentic, empathetic, and liberating style is nothing short of transformative.
Voices is a series of artist-cultivated concerts at The Ark conceived and created by Ann Arbor musician Kyler Wilkins, AKA vocal looping artist Ki5. The series seeks to expand the representation of Michigan BIPOC artists and audiences at The Ark. Each show, intentional time will be taken to get to know each artist in the form of brief interviews and musical breaks to have them speak about their journey as musicians and performers with the hope that people in the audience are more connected to and inspired by those voices.

Chris Smither
2026-06-05 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother’s ukulele. “Uncle Howard,” Smither says, “showed me that if you knew three chords, you could play a lot of the songs you heard on the radio. And if you knew four chords, you could pretty much rule the world.” With that bit of knowledge under his belt, he was hooked. “I’d loved acoustic music – specifically the blues – ever since I first heard Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Blues In My Bottle album. I couldn’t believe the sound Hopkins got. At first I thought it was two guys playing guitar. My style, to a degree, came out of trying to imitate that sound I heard.”

In his early twenties, Smither turned his back on his anthropology studies and headed to Boston at the urging of legendary folk singer Eric von Schmidt. It was the mid-’60s and acoustic music thrived in the streets and coffeehouses there. Smither forged lifelong friendships with many musicians, including Bonnie Raitt who went on to record his songs, “Love You Like A Man” and “I Feel the Same. (Their friendship has endured as their career paths intertwined over the years.) What quickly evolved from his New Orleans and Cambridge musical experiences is his enduring, singular guitar sound – a beat-driven finger-picking, strongly influenced by the playing of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins, layered over the ever-present backbeat of his rhythmic, tapping feet (always mic’d in performance).

Jane Siberry
2026-06-06 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Jane Siberry, a highly respected figure in the international music scene with a career spanning over four decades, is starting her upcoming tour on March 19th in Oregon and concluding on April 29th in Halifax. Known for her ethereal voice, poetic lyrics, and genre-defying sound, Jane has captivated audiences worldwide since the 1980s, delivering an impressive catalog of 15 studio albums and countless live performances.

Jane’s live performances are renowned for their emotional depth, humourous and moving storytelling, and the spontaneous magic that happens when she is on stage. Tour audiences can expect an intimate and transformative concert experience, blending classics from her repertoire with new pieces.

Like A Star: Celebrating 20 Years of Corinne Bailey Rae
2026-06-07 19:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
In 2006 Corinne Bailey Rae released her self-titled debut album, a record she had recorded on a shoestring budget while still unsigned. An early appearance on BBC2’s ‘Later With Jools’ and some intimate gigs around the UK had already started a word-of-mouth buzz leading her to be tipped as the next big thing. But the success of that album was instant and immense. Debuting at Number One in the UK, featuring hit singles such as ‘Put Your Records On’ and ‘Like A Star’, becoming a smash-hit around the world, and crashing straight into the Billboard Top 20 in the US – the first British female singer-songwriter to do so in decades – meant Bailey Rae gained a huge global audience within months.
And now, four years and four-million album sales later, comes the long-awaited second album. For the 30-year-old singer and songwriter from Leeds, this meant politely declining the suggestions that she work with this or that big-league producer in this or that big-money studio. It meant co-producing the album herself with friends and musicians she had worked with in the past to retain intimacy and control, shrugging off the huge, worldwide expectations engendered by the self-titled debut and refusing to be bedazzled by that album’s multiple Grammy and Brit Award nominations.

The Arcadian Wild
2026-06-07 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
The Arcadian Wild is an indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN, led by songwriters Isaac Horn, Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of confessional pop, folk, progressive bluegrass, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offer up songs of invitation; calls to come and see, to find refuge and rest, to journey and wonder, to laugh and cry, to share joy and community and sing along.

The Ark's Open Stage
2026-06-08 20:00 - 23:00, 2026-06-17 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, 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. More info here!
Why play Open Stage at the Ark? Do it to be heard. Do it so you know you can. Do it to take your music to the masses. If you’re not interested in getting on stage tonight, get your practice in at being a great audience member and observer of new music.
Tickets available at the door.

Darrell Scott
2026-06-10 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Multi-Instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that love is all that matters, that we don’t always get it right, but that’s the instinctive and requisite circuitous allure of things, why we forever chase it, and why it is held sacred.
Darrell Scott comes from a musical family with a father who had him smitten with guitars by the age of 4, alongside a brother who played Jerry Reed style as well. From there, things only ramped up with literature and poetry endeavors while a student at Tufts University, along with playing his way through life. This would never change.
After recently touring with Robert Plant and the Zac Brown Band (2 years with each), and producing albums for Malcolm Holcomb and Guy Clark and being named “songwriter of the year” for both ASCAP and NSAI, these days ﬁnd him roaming his Tennessee wilderness acreage hiking along the small river, creating delicious meals with food raised on his property and playing music. He often leads songwriting workshops to help people tell their own truths with their stories, and is as busy as always writing, producing, performing, and just plain fully immersing himself in life.

Jeff Black
2026-06-11 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Jeff Black’s songs appear on recordings by Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, John Oates, Dierks Bently, Blackhawk, Jo-el Sonnier and more. A master songwriter and performer, Black was voted one of the top 100 Folk artists of the last 25 years by Boston’s WUMB listeners. In the tradition of the great storytellers, his passionate, soul driven live performances of songs from his vast catalog are not to be missed. When Jeff is not on the road, he lives in Nashville.
“His words and voice hold down center stage with a craft so deeply in the artistic pocket that it obscures anything outside” –No Depression
This show is free for Ark members at the Solo ($50) level and above! Show your membership card at the door for entry.

Songs & Stories: An Evening with Radney Foster & Kelly Willis
2026-06-12 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Radney Foster first gained attention as half of the duo Foster & Lloyd, who with “Crazy Over You” became the first duo in history to top the Country charts with their debut single. He then established himself as a solo artist in the early 90’s with his critically acclaimed release Del Rio, Texas 1959.
Known as a songwriter’s songwriter, his songs have been recorded by everyone from Keith Urban and the Chicks to Hootie & the Blowfish and George Benson. His own hits like “Just Call Me Lonesome,” “Nobody Wins,” and “Texas In 1880” continue to be played on radio and by bands around the world.
His most recent project For You To See The Stars is in two parts, a book of short fiction, and a collection of songs to go with it. He is currently working on another book of fiction, as well as developing film and TV projects.
Singer-songwriter Kelly Willis captured critical acclaim from her first release, with a distinctive voice that conveys both tender heartache and smoldering heat. Born in Oklahoma, she moved often as a kid with her Army Colonel dad. She started singing professionally at 16, fronting the rockabilly band “Kelly and the Fireballs” in the DC area, but it soon became clear she was more of a country singer. After high school, she moved to Austin and It wasn’t long before she got on the radar of MCA’s Tony Brown, who signed her after an introduction by Nanci Griffith.
Kelly’s recording career began at a time when Nashville was experiencing a creative resurgence with the likes of Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Foster & Lloyd and The O’Kanes. She recorded three albums for MCA that were critical hits, but it wasn’t until she left the major label restrictions behind that she came into her own with 1999’s What I Deserve for Rykodisc.
The albums Willis has made since What I Deserve have only burnished her reputation as Austin’s reigning queen of Americana, including being inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. When not performing her own music, Kelly tours with Brennan Leigh and Melissa Carper as Wonder Women of Country, in support of their 2023 self-titled EP.

Jason Carter Band
2026-06-13 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
In Lloyd, Kentucky, on U.S. 23, there’s a sign on the Country Music Highway dedicated to renowned fiddler Jason Carter. It was placed there because of his other accomplishments—the Grammy awards, the worldwide tours, and the many other accolades he’s earned through his music. But for Carter, joining the legendary names honored on that stretch of highway just might mean the most. “There’s a certain sound that’s up there that you just don’t hear anywhere else,” he says. “I think that played a big part in how I sound today.”
True to those Kentucky roots, Carter continues to pour all he has back into bluegrass. For thirty years, he has been the fiddle player for the Del McCoury Band—the most awarded group in bluegrass history. He’s won three Grammy awards, including 2018’s “Best Bluegrass Album” with the Travelin’ McCourys, of which he is a founding member. And he’s taken home five IBMAs for “Fiddle Player of the Year,” a staggering number that isn’t quite so crazy once you realize just how many bluegrass greats have turned to Carter for collaboration.
As a fiddler, Carter has been featured on albums by Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Asleep at the Wheel, and many more, all in addition to his tireless touring and recording with Del as well as the Travelin’ McCourys. On Carter’s forthcoming solo album, Lowdown Hoedown, listeners may recognize instrumental contributions from such legends as Jerry Douglas or Sam Bush alongside vocals from young trailblazers like Sarah Jarosz or Billy Strings. This time, though, Carter is singing lead.
With Lowdown Hoedown, Carter shares the fruits of decades’ worth of on-the-road experience, spectacular musical sensibility, and genuine excitement for what bluegrass can be.

Dan Bern
2026-06-14 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
If you must put him in a box, make sure it’s a big box! Undefinable by genre, crossing over and through folk, rock, singer-songwriter, and kids music, Dan Bern is a captivating live performer with a loyal, multi-generational following. He has written thousands of songs, released dozens of albums, and played shows across North America and Europe–from coffee shops to Carnegie Hall, and he most recently opened for The Who and Roger Daltrey.
Dan’s songs have appeared in numerous films (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” “Get Him to the Greek” “The Bubble” “Zero Effect”) and TV shows (Amazon Prime’s award-winning kids program “The Stinky & Dirty Show”). A rare, and true renaissance artist, Dan is the author of several books, is a prolific painter, has his own podcast and internet radio station.

Bob Schneider
2026-06-16 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and former frontman of Joe Rockhead, The Ugly Americans and The Scabs, Bob Schneider is one of the most-celebrated musicians in the live music capital. Combining diverse styles, Schneider’s music spans genres, blending elements of folk, rock, rap, funk, bluegrass, reggae and country with the more traditional singer/songwriter aesthetic. In short, FRUNK.
Schneider has won more than 59 Austin Music Awards including Best Album, Best Songwriter, Best Musician, and Best Male Vocals making him the most decorated artist in Austin’s storied music history. Schneider’s fan base reaches far beyond the city limits of Austin. He started gaining national recognition with his major-label debut for Universal Records, Lonelyland. A fiercely-independent artist, Schneider opted to start his own label, Shockorama Records, which has afforded him the freedom to make the music his fans love, on his own terms.
Schneider’s live performances, both solo and with the band, are legendary. A two-time performer on his hometown’s famed Austin City Limits television show, he still does his weekly residency at The Saxon Pub, as he has for over 20 years. All told, he plays over 150 shows a year all over America and he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

North Mississippi Allstars
2026-06-18 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
NMA was started by brother Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from their North Mississippi home inspired by their father Jim Dickinson as well as neighbors and musical elders of their community; RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and Fred McDowell.
Luther’s first national tour was the RL Burnside Ass Pocket of Whiskey tour in 1997, selling out shows in the US and Canada. “Kenny Brown hired me to tour with RL and Cedric and showed me the ropes. That experience blew my mind. Cody and I have been on the road ever since.”
NMA began touring in 1998 and over the years the touring lineup has included Cedric, Duwayne and Garry Burnside, Chris Chew, Berry Oakley Jr, Oteil Burbruidgem and currently Joey Williams of the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ray Ray Hollowman, guitar player for Eminem and Nee-O.
Since their debut album in 2000 and hitting the never ending road, they have shared the stage with countless legends; Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, the Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Spencer to name a few, while earning multiple grammy nominations for their experimental albums of what they like to call Modern Mississippi Music.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Little Saints

The Avett Brothers and Mike Patton present: ATTV/PTTN
2026-06-19 20:00 - 23:00 | Hill Auditorium, 825 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
Scott and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers join forces with Mike Patton, legendary frontman of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, for AVTT/PTTN, an unexpected new collaboration marked by a bold, self-titled debut released through Thirty Tigers, Ramseur Records, and Ipecac Recordings. The Avetts bring a storied career as four-time GRAMMY nominees with multiple top Billboard debuts, a critically acclaimed HBO documentary (May It Last), a Broadway musical inspired by their work (Swept Away), and a long run of chart-topping Americana and rock releases. Mike Patton contributes his own genre-expanding legacy across experimental rock, orchestral projects, and film scoring, in addition to his influential work with Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, and his boundary-pushing collaborations. Together, AVTT/PTTN merges two singular artistic worlds into a striking new chapter for all three musicians.

BLKBOK
2026-06-19 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Born and raised in Detroit’s inner city, BLKBOK (born Charles Wilson III) grew up in a music-filled home and was an acclaimed piano prodigy by age eight, winning statewide accolades and college-level competitions. While many of his peers pursued hip-hop, Charles chose the name BLKBOK, a nod to one of the greatest pianists and composers of all time and a reflection of his journey from pop and hip-hop culture to his critically acclaimed neo-classical debut album Black Book and subsequent mixtape projects and collaborations.
BLKBOK’s live, high-energy performances are culturally reflective, delivering a piano-based experience unlike any other. His vision is to illuminate awareness, encouraging dialogue and counterpoint in how we perceive ourselves and the world we share.
His debut album Black Book served as a cornerstone of the inaugural Juneteenth Foundation Freedom Concert and was later re-released as a DLUX Edition featuring “Forgotten Girls” and “Kendrick + Karine.” His mixtape CVRART and collaborative project “Angels Watching Over Me” with world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee further showcase his innovative voice. His original composition “Stars (Ad Astra)” became the first-ever piano duet performed from space in 2022.
Closing out 2025, BLKBOK released Urban Etudes: Vol. 1, a collaborative EP with Beats by JT that blends classical form with rhythm in a powerful sonic dialogue. He carried that creative momentum into January 2026 with Peaceful Piano: The Self-Love Mixtape, an intimate and reflective project centered on breath, space, and emotional clarity, a calm exploration of self-love as both foundation and beginning.
Building on this evolution, The New Classical Tour debuted in New York City, Natick, and Toledo, with additional dates to be announced. He is currently composing a new Concerto set for premiere this summer.
More than an artist, BLKBOK is a movement – breaking barriers and inspiring change through sound.

Ellis Paul
2026-06-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless.
Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit. After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a seven album contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories. His songs have appeared in several blockbuster films (Me, Myself, and Irene; Shallow Hal, Hall Pass) and have been covered by award winning country artists (Sugarland, Kristian Bush, Jack Ingram).
Through a steady succession of albums of his own – a remarkable 23 releases so far – and a constant touring presence around the world, Paul’s audience has grown into a loyal legion of fans. Along the way, he has picked up an impressive number of awards including the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award, 15 Boston Music Awards, An Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maine, the 2019 International Acoustic Music Awards Artist of the Year and most recently his album, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named the 2019 NERFA Album of the Year.
His latest album “55” touches on the necessity of gratitude in a difficult era of the pandemic and divided political stances on his own imprint, Rosella Records.

Steph Strings
2026-06-21 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Steph Strings is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music bridges the gap between the intimate and the expansive. Known for her unique ability to tell stories through her instrument, Steph’s signature sound fuses intricate fingerstyle guitar, percussive rhythms, and earthy, organic textures with lyrics that balance vulnerability with strength.
Emerging from the Australian music scene as a distinct force in contemporary folk and roots, Steph has built a reputation as a captivating live performer. Whether playing to a festival crowd or an intimate room, she possesses the rare ability to hold an audience spellbound with just her guitar and voice. Her dynamic performances have led to a string of sold-out headline shows and a rapidly growing fanbase across the UK, Europe, and beyond.
More than just a musician, Steph Strings is a storyteller who reminds audiences of music’s power to heal and connect. As she continues to tour globally and share her craft, she remains grounded in authenticity, emotion, and a passion for making people feel alive.

Hot 8 Brass Band
2026-06-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Drawing on the traditional jazz heritage of their hometown of New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band are renowned for including elements of funk, hip hop, rap, and its local variation, “bounce” in their music. The collective earned a win in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards 2022 for their feature on John Batiste’s ‘Album of The Year’, following the nomination of their ‘The Life & Times Of…’ LP for ‘Best Regional Roots Album’ in 2013.
Transcending genres and trends, Hot 8 have performed and collaborated with the likes of Jon Batiste, Blind Boys of Alabama, Basement Jaxx and Alice Russell, and provided live support for Mos Def, Lauryn Hill and Mary J Blige. Since forming they have established a decade-long affiliation with actor/BBC 6Music DJ Craig Charles, among other tastemakers, DJs and journalists worldwide. After a festive appearance Live at Maida Vale for Lauren Laverne (BBC 6 Music), the Hot 8 Brass Band performed for Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny on BBC Two to welcome in 2019. Later that year, after taking to the stage at the BRIT awards in February, Hot 8 Brass Band were invited on the European leg of George Ezra’s tour.

Ian Flanigan
2026-06-23 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
With a voice like worn leather and songs that hit straight to the soul, Ian Flanigan is a powerful presence in modern Country and Americana. A road-tested artist since the age of 17, Ian has spent years traveling the country, living on the road, and building a grassroots career grounded in authenticity and connection. After capturing national attention as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice (Team Blake, Season 19), he signed with Reviver Records and has continued touring relentlessly, releasing music consistently, and deepening his impact across the Country and Americana scenes.
Blending country, folk, and rock with unfiltered honesty, Ian’s music has earned millions of streams, widespread radio airplay, and critical praise. He’s completed two major country radio campaigns and a recent Americana run, releasing new material every 6–8 weeks and delivering compelling, high-energy performances that reflect both his lived-in voice and years on the road.
Ian’s music has also been featured in television and film, including placements in Mayans, Heartland, and the indie horror film The Departed—a testament to the emotional range and cinematic quality of his songwriting.
In 2025, Ian released his second full-length album The Man My Mama Raised, a deeply personal and sonically rich project that reinforced his reputation as one of Country and Americana’s most honest and distinctive voices.
Offstage, Ian is a signed Nashville songwriter and sought-after producer, crafting music for his own catalog and for artists across the country. He is the founder of HOWL Entertainment—an artist collective dedicated to empowering independent musicians—and serves on the Board of Directors for HOPE ROCKS, a nonprofit that raises awareness around addiction recovery and mental health through the power of music and community outreach.
Ian’s passion lies in his family, fostering community through the arts, and life on the road. He is currently self-producing his next body of work while actively touring the U.S., continuing to build momentum with every show.
Whether on stage, in the studio, or out on the road, Ian Flanigan is a builder of songs and stories—an artist who brings truth, grit, and heart to everything he touches.
The Ark’s Artist Spotlight Series is made possible with support from Ford Philanthropy. It is presented live, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Tonight’s show is FREE (nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers).

Esther Rose
2026-06-24 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don’t want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song.
This precise blend has made the Santa Fe-based artist one of her generation’s most beloved songwriters: someone whose live shows are known to conclude in mass tears and group hugs. Still, something was different this time. “For me, these songs felt like revelations,” she explains, comparing the 11-song record to a memoir, alive with kinetic storytelling and personal insight. In its newly direct and stirringly nuanced writing, you’ll hear about rock bottom encounters, shifting relationships with substances, evolving perspectives on adult partnership, and, as evidenced by those early lines in “Want,” a few jokes along the way. Vivid and bracing, Want places you in the passenger seat while each of these feelings arrive.
To match the multi-dimensional tone of the writing, Rose has made the most adventurous, hardest-hitting record of her career. Working with producer Ross Farbe and recording live-to-tape in Nashville’s Bomb Shelter, she travels as far as she’s been from the stripped-down classic country of celebrated early work like 2017’s This Time Last Night and 2019’s You Made It This Far. Following the wide-open serenity of 2023’s momentous Safe to Run, she now leans toward confrontational arrangements full of distortion and full-band spontaneity, never sacrificing a classicist’s gift for melody that makes each song instantly memorable.

Handmade Moments
2026-06-25 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Handmade Moments is a duo based in New Orleans, LA. Anna Moss and Joel Ludford’s endearing personalities guide us through diverse musical flavors of American music. They serve up ornate instrumentation and simple yet sophisticated songcraft. Their live show offers a memorable mix of intoxicating vocals, bass clarinet, saxophone, sousaphone, guitar, upright bass, and tag team beatboxing.
“Moss and Ludford are masters at sneaking heavy messages into lighthearted melodies and arrangements, Moss’ bass clarinet functioning like a cheerful Trojan Horse to deliver a grim truth to the listener.” – No Depression

Gregory Stovetop
2026-06-26 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ticket prices on our website reflect all-in pricing for purchases made online or by phone. This means the price you see includes the ticket price plus MUTO’s ticket processing fee. Tickets may be purchased with no included fees in person at The Ark during box office hours.
Gregory Stovetop is a singer songwriter from Chelsea, Michigan blending cosmic folk, rock ’n’ roll grit, and heart-scorched soul. With albums (The Good Stuff, Hot Stuff) and influences like Paul Westerberg, Tom Petty and Pat Benatar. His music channels transformation, reverence, and mystic fire. Currently recording an acoustic record with Dominic John Davis ( Steppin in it /Jack White) will be released in the Summer of 2026, Stovetop’s sound is raw, radiant, and unmistakably his own.
