Alt-Americana singer-songwriter Ani Mari’s debut solo album, girlfriend (produced by Erik Koskinen and Real-Phonic Records, 2023), explores the ambiguities of coming of age in a beautifully precarious world. Across ten warmly combative tracks, she fights for grace and connection amidst the anxieties, desires, heartbreaks, and joie de vivre of being young in America’s heartland.
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 for this show.
Allison Lupton hails from the heart of rural Ontario, Canada where her love for music took root in church choirs and local sessions. From playing for community dances to soloing with orchestras, Allison has found her voice as a singer-songwriter and flutist after more than a quarter century performing in Canada and abroad. Along the way Allison has received accolades from international press as well as her peers at home winning Folk Music Ontario's "Songs From The Heart" and multiple Canadian Folk Music Award nominations including “Traditional Singer of the Year."
Whether playing mandolin, national steel, or screaming electric guitar, Davy Knowles has an unmistakable style. Since bursting onto the scene with his band Back Door Slam’s critically acclaimed album “Roll Away” in 2007, Davy’s star has only risen. His sophomore release “Coming Up For Air'' was produced by the legendary Peter Frampton, with subsequent tours seeing him supporting and sharing the stage with acts such as Jeff Beck, The Who, Brian Setzer, and George Thorogood.
Hailing from the picturesque west coast of Ireland, Boxing Banjo have quickly become one of the most respected Irish music acts. Comprising four of the most accomplished Irish musicians, brothers Darragh and Mícheál Healy along with Joseph McNulty and Cillian King have amassed in excess of 20 Irish Championship titles on various instruments in traditional Irish music and singing along with 4 World bodhrán titles.
Opener: Ben de la Cour
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesWhen 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.”
After three years of breakout touring at some of the biggest roots festivals in the United States and Canada, and another three years locked out of the live performance world they have so ambitiously cultivated, Doolin’, France’s premiere practitioners of Irish and Celtic music, return to touring with their latest album entitled CIRCUS BOY.
Mark Lavengood is a distinguished multi-instrumentalist, performer, and producer whose work in the Bluegrass, Americana & Roots Music genres has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal following. Mark and his talented band will honor the remarkable legacy of one of America’s most beloved troubadours, John Prine. With standout hits and deep cuts alike, fans can expect an evening filled with laughter, poignancy, and the timeless storytelling that Prine embodied.
Fiddler/violinist Darol Anger and multi-instrumental virtuoso Mike Marshall are pioneers of the New Acoustic Music movement, which is still bringing folk, jazz, bluegrass, and world music influences together in an instrumental acoustic setting.
From their beginnings in mid-Sixties Ohio as a group of friends playing cover tunes to the present-day unit featuring the propulsive team of drummer Scott Thompson and bassist Jared Camic, Keyboard Master Randy Harper, Guitar Ace/vocalist Jeff Zona and Pedal Steel/Saxophonist John Heinrich, PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE continues to embellish the rich 50-plus year history of one of Country-Rock’s pioneering forces. As one reviewer recently wrote: “PPL’s sound combines sweet memories with edgy, contemporary muscle. Their vocals are as strong as Kentucky moonshine and the musicianship and performance skills are as sharp as a straight razor”.
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.
Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America in 1979 as a means of survival. They traveled to California as a part of the Texas-based five-piece band St. Elmo’s Fire with hopes of being discovered and signed by a major record label. When no such opportunity arose, and the promising tour dissolved, Keith and Ezra peeled off from their bandmates to fend for themselves. Busking on the streets of Santa Cruz with an acoustic guitar and an upright bass, the pair quickly learned that engaging listeners instantly was the only path towards dollars and coins in the open guitar case. When entry in a music contest required them to have a name for their act, they chose Trout Fishing in America as an homage to Keith’s love of writer Richard Brautigan and Ezra’s love of fishing.