The Ark

The Ark's Open Stage
2026-05-04 20:00 - 23:00, 2026-04-29 20:00 - 23:00, 2026-04-08 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) | 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.

John McCutcheon
2026-05-03 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.
John McCutcheon’s art grew out of his absolute mastery of American traditional music and instruments. He’s a legend of the guitar, the hammered dulcimer, and several other instruments, and a prolific songwriter, and there’s nobody more qualified to own the folkmusic.com domain name! The result is a body of classic American song, rooted in the best our musical tradition has to offer. John McCutcheon is a voice for peace, a community organizer, a writer, a literacy campaigner, and a performer who has packed concert halls on four continents. The Washington Post calls John’s concerts “little feats of magic,” and as a storyteller he’s been compared with Garrison Keillor—and, even better than that, Will Rogers.

Pieta Brown & The Taken
2026-05-02 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Hailed as a “self-styled poetess, folk goddess, and country waif” by the BBC, Pieta Brown first came to international prominence with the release of her self-titled debut in 2002. Since then she has released multiple highly critically acclaimed albums, EPs and singles, with much attention being paid not only to her distinct sound and style, but also the power of her singing and songwriting.
Although the Alabama-bred, Iowa-based Brown’s quietly riveting tunes and gritty, charismatic performing style resist easy categorization, they’ve helped her to win a fiercely loyal international fan base that extends to many of her fellow artists.
“When Pieta sings you’re aware of something effortless and natural, like rain on earth,” Mark Knopfler observed, while Don Was called her “a great singer-songwriter who possesses major star-power magnetism,” and Iris DeMent described her as “the best poet I’ve heard in a long damn time.”
Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon says Paradise Outlaw is “probably my favorite record ever made at our studio.”
Pieta has toured extensively since her first release, and has performed at festivals in the US, Canada and around the world, including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Calgary Folk Fest, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Portfairy Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, and more. Pieta’s songs and music have been heard in various TV Shows and indie films, and her albums Paradise Outlaw and Mercury both reached #1 on various radio charts. Pieta has also made guest appearances on National Public Radio shows including World Cafe, KCRW, Mountain Stage, E-Town, Folk Alley, and Weekend Edition.
“In her hands the blues hover with cloudy foreboding and old-time songs become billowy dances.” ~ Chicago Reader

Alan Doyle
2026-05-02 20:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
Alan Doyle— actor, producer, best-selling author, and best-known as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea these past 20+ years— hardly needs an introduction. With five solo albums under his belt, Doyle has been touring the world with his ace six-piece band for the last decade. In late 2014, Doyle released his best-selling memoir Where I Belong, followed by A Newfoundlander In Canada released in October 2017, and All Together now released in November 2020. Amidst these projects, Doyle found time to write music for and appear on CBC’s Republic of Doyle, guest on CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries, a role in 2014’s Winter’s Tale and 2010’s Robin Hood. With his 2022 live album “Here, Tonight” and a recent JUNO nomination for his 2021 album “Back to the Harbour”, Doyle chalks up a lot of where he is right now to luck. “I’m the luckiest guy I’ve ever even heard of,” he says. “This was all I ever wanted, a life in the music business, singing concerts.”
Doyle hails from Petty Harbour, NL, and formed Great Big Sea in 1993 with Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, and Darrell Power, in which they fused traditional Newfoundland music with their own pop sensibilities. Their nine albums, double-disc hits retrospective, and two DVD releases have all been declared Gold or Platinum and have sold a combined 1.2 million copies in Canada.

Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan
2026-05-01 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 2017, Grammy-nominated artist Joan Osborne released the critically acclaimed album, Songs of Bob Dylan. Her artistic and soulful reinterpretations of the selection of Dylan songs was an eye-opening moment in an already celebrated career.
Eight years after milestone recording, Osborne will release the stunning Dylanology Live on April 25th. The captivating recording finds the gifted vocalist performing in front of a live audience, with special guests Amy Helm, Robert Randolph and Jackie Greene. Songs include “Spanish Harlem Incident”, “Buckets Of Rain” “Masters Of War”, “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” and “High Water (For Charley Patton)”.
Throughout her three-decade, multi-Grammy nominated career, Joan Osborne has never been an artist confined to one space as she continues to seamlessly blend into any genre. Her incredible and distinctive voice always shines through her own songs, while she has also become one of her generation’s finest interpreters. Dylanology Live is yet another testament to her artistic range.

Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective and Blueshouse
2026-04-30 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.
Ann Arbor’s Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective is a proudly intergenerational group, sharing instruments, knowledge, kindness, and talent across eras. Instruments you might hear in the music of the collective include not only ukuleles but also guitar, flute, percussion, harmonica, accordion, mandolin, mandola, bass, piano, and melodica. The group is inspired by the idea that music cuts across diverse cognitive capabilities and resources, including numeracy, language, and space perception.
Mike Brooks, veteran blues guitar player/singer/songwriter from the UK has been playing guitar since the age of 10, and professionally since the age of 16. His musical career and accolades are many and varied, but include hitting the UK charts in 1979 (#28 on “the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” despite being a blues band), getting a cease and desist order from Walt Disney Corp for using a band name too close to that of a cartoon mouse, opening for bands such as the Yardbirds, the Animals, Wishbone Ash and Nine Below Zero, and playing in some of the most famous venues anywhere such as London’s Marquee, and, well, The Ark! In addition to leading BLUESHOUSE and fronting the Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective, he also works with Ann Arbor’s youth at the Neutral Zone, a continuation of a youth music project begun in the UK called Electric896, which taught disengaged youth how to rock the blues.

Gráinne Hunt with Jules Stewart
2026-04-28 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
A queer, nu-folk singer-songwriter with a voice like complex coffee, Gráinne Hunt is one of Ireland’s most compelling vocalists and songwriters – blending raw emotion, commanding power, and a voice that stops audiences in their tracks. Performing as a duo with San Diego’s Jules Stewart on drums and vocals, the pair create a sound that’s been compared to The Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile – rich harmonies, heartfelt stories, and magnetic onstage chemistry.
Gráinne’s original work – two solo albums and a new live EP – draws from deeply personal experiences, weaving stories of pain, longing, and joy that have earned her comparisons to Tracy Chapman and Natalie Merchant. Her powerhouse performances have taken her from stages with Glen Hansard and U2, to opening for Gladys Knight and Mary Black.
Jules Stewart, based in San Diego, CA, is an accomplished drummer and vocalist with over 25 years of experience performing with artists including Gráinne Hunt, Lindsay White, and Please Ask for Paul. Known for her dynamic precision and deep musical sensitivity, Jules brings both groove and grace to every collaboration. She’s been featured in DRUM! magazine’s New Blood column, the San Diego Troubadour, and on The Up and Coming Drummer Podcast.
Together, Gráinne and Jules deliver an intimate yet powerful live experience – soaring harmonies, emotional storytelling, and connection that transcends borders.
Gráinne’s tour is gratefully supported by Culture Ireland.
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).

May Erlewine with Packy Lundholm
2026-04-26 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
One of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, May Erlewine has a gift for writing songs of substance that feel both fresh and soulfully familiar. Her ability to emotionally engage with an audience has earned her a dedicated following far beyond her Michigan roots. This year, May is teaming up with Chicago guitar wizard, Packy Lundholm. The heart forward power duo will be offering their music in the name of love, service and rock & roll.

Pajamas
2026-04-25 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.
In an era of precision-crafted playlists and algorithmic recommendations, Pajamas is a refreshing anomaly. Hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, Pajamas’ style has been described as “exploratory rock” – a good descriptor for Pajamas’ sound which contains a smorgasbord of influences from across almost the whole canon of American music tradition. This four man group is redefining the live music experience, standing on the shoulders of giants and crafting performances that are as much about the journey as the destination.
The band’s rocky overall sound is nuanced, feeling almost like each song is an interesting, in-depth conversation between the band and audience. The band’s four members – Nicholas Orr, Graham Low, Owen Kellenberger, and Liam Gallegos – weave together a tapestry of sound that is both intricate and expansive. Songs blend seamlessly into one another, creating a sense of flow and continuity that is all too rare in modern music.
Pajamas draws influence from the likes of Pink Floyd, Phish, Chick Corea, Grateful Dead, Jaco Pastorius, David Bowie, Brian Blade, Radiohead, Victor Wooten, Allman Brothers and many others. Since 2018, Pajamas has played hundreds of shows across the Midwest and beyond. From festivals like Summer Camp and big stages like Frederik Meijer Garden Amphitheater they’ve shared the stage with nationally touring acts including Goose, Aqueous, Thornetta Davis, Karina Rykman and many others.

Joshua Grekin
2026-04-24 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.
Known to locals as the founder and director of Ann Arbor’s Grekin School of Music, composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Grekin takes the stage with his own unique blend of soulful, jazzy, feel-good music. Joined by an all-star band of Detroit-area veterans, Grekin will perform music spanning four decades as a composer and performer, including selections from his nine original musicals.
Grekin’s belief that music has the power to heal and bring people together led him to found the nonprofit Musician & Artist Prosperity Project (MAPP). This concert doubles as a fundraiser for MAPP; all profits from the evening will benefit the organization.

Ana Popovic
2026-04-23 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.
Los Angeles-based and critically acclaimed guitarist and singer Ana Popovic released her highly anticipated album Dance To The Rhythm (Electric Heel Records) in September 2025. Produced by Popovic and Buthel, the album showcases a groundbreaking fusion of groove, blues, funk, and soul. Building on the success of her previous work, Dance To The Rhythm pushes boundaries, seamlessly blending infectious dance grooves with raw blues guitar and powerful lyrics.
For Ana, blues guitar is the foundation of everything in her music. Yet, she masterfully blends genres, effortlessly shifting from blues to dance, jam band, funk, pop, and even gospel—it’s all part of her evolving sound. A true pioneer, Ana combines her blues guitar roots with bold experimentation, redefining the intersection of blues and dance music.
A multi-award-winning artist, Popovic has earned recognition from major outlets and industry figures, including Bruce Springsteen, who called her “one helluva guitar player.” She’s been nominated for seven Blues Music Awards, and her latest album POWER hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Ana has shared stages with legends such as B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, Robert Plant, and Gary Clark Jr., and is an endorsee of Fender, D’Angelico, Jim Dunlop, and DR Strings. Popovic’s commitment to her craft and fearless boundary-pushing ensures she remains one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary blues and beyond.

Jeffrey Martin with special guest Niall Connolly
2026-04-22 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.
As a babe Jeffrey Martin sought out solitude as often as he could find it. He’s always been that way, and he has never understood the whole phenomenon of smiling in pictures, although he is a very happy guy. One night in middle school he stayed up under the covers with a flashlight and a DiscMan, listening to Reba McEntire’s ‘That’s the Night that the Lights Went Out in Georgia’ on repeat until the DiscMan ran out of batteries. That night he became a songwriter, although he didn’t actually write a song until years later. After high school he spent a few years distracting himself from having to gather up the courage to do what he knew he had to do.
Eventually he found his way to a writing degree, and then a teaching degree. He wrote most days like his life depended on it, all sorts of things, not just songs, but songs too. He fell in love with teaching high school English, which was fantastic because he never thought he’d actually come to truly love it. His students were fierce and unstoppable forces of noise and curiosity, and for all that they took from him in sleep and sense, they gave him a hundred times back in sparks and humility.
All the while he was also playing truckloads of music. There was one weekend where he flew to LA while grading essays on the plane, played two shows, and then flew back home, still grading essays, and woke up to teach at 5 am on Monday morning. It was around this time he started wondering if such a life was sustainable.
Alas, music, the tour life, was a constant raccoon scratching at the back door. Jeffrey spent nights on end sitting up in bed, and then sitting on the front porch, staring off into the dark, wondering if he could bear to leave teaching to go on tour full time. Eventually his brain caught up with what his guts had known for months. With tears in his eyes he announced to his students that he wouldn’t be back the following year, and that he didn’t feel right hollering at them to chase their dreams at all cost if he wasn’t going to do the same.
Jeffrey Martin tours full time now. He is always making music, and he is always coming through your town. He misses teaching like you might miss a good old friend who you know you’ll meet again.

Crystal Bowersox
2026-04-21 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.
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.
Chicago’s rich musical history helped Bowersox to broaden her musical horizons. Ultimately, Bowersox auditioned for the ninth season of American Idol, and her time on the show proved to be well spent. In 2010, her debut album, “Farmer’s Daughter” was released on Jive Records and since, she has since released 3 LP’s, two EPs, several singles, and is currently developing a theatrical rock concert titled, “Trauma Queen”. Crystal has recorded and performed alongside several notable names and additionally, has used her voice and talents to benefit several organizations close to her heart.

Tadhg Ó Raghallaigh, Aidan Duffy, Paul Spring, and Alex Wand
2026-04-20 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.
Touring from County Meath, Ireland, uilleann piper and educator Tadhg Ó Raghallaigh comes from an Irish-speaking family with a legacy in Comhaltas music education. Multi-instrumentalist Aidan Duffy performs on guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki, presenting original songs and Irish ballads. Minnesota-born, NYC-based songwriter Paul Spring performs music from his new album that fuses Irish traditional and American roots music. Gifted singer and percussionist Ben Duffy backs these performers on bodhrán and drums. Alex Wand presents original resonator guitar compositions and songs with his trio featuring Michael Gould on drums and Joe Fee on bass. The evening features four sets spanning traditional sessions, original songs, and instrumental compositions across Irish and American musical traditions.
Tadhg Ó Raghallaigh is a uilleann piper from County Meath. Irish is his first language, and he comes from a long line of respected players. He is also a traditional irish music teacher. His family started the local chapter of Comhaltas Irish music education in County Meath.
Aidan Duffy is a traditional musician and songwriter from Trim, County Meath. He plays traditional Irish guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. He will back up Tadhg in traditional sessions as well as play a set of his own original music. He also has an extensive repertoire of Irish ballads and songs, and is a gifted singer, and will sing a few during the trad session. He is also an intermediate-level Irish language speaker.
Ben Duffy is a drummer, singer and songwriter from Trim, County Meath. He is a gifted singer and guitar player, with an extensive repertoire of Irish ballads and songs, and will sing a selection during the trad session. He will back up Tadhg on Bodhran, Aidan on Drums, and Paul on Drums.
Paul Spring is a songwriter from Minnesota, now based in NYC. I recorded an album with these Irish musicians and they will serve as my backing band. Here is a link to my own music, which fuses trad and American music:
Alex Wand is a composer and performer whose practice spans songwriting, ecological thought, field recording, and alternate tuning systems. He is currently working on a collection of instrumental compositions for resonator guitar entitled “Rufus’s Retreat.” A Metro Detroit native, he teaches music at the U-M Residential College. He’ll be joined by Michael Gould (drums) and Joe Fee (bass).

Willy Porter
2026-04-19 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.
Some folks are lucky to find what they love to do at an early age and quietly settle in for the long haul expanding and developing their work over the arc of a lifetime. Willy Porter is one of those artists. He has followed his own path to explore the sacred language that music truly is. Thirty years after his solo recording debut, he continues to reach further into his guitar & pen while stretching the form of what his own music can be. His live shows are guitar driven events—equal parts grit, soul, and muscle—that are electrifying, dynamic, and wholly original in the way that his voice blends and fuses with his virtuoso fretwork.

Mr. B's 29th Annual Blues & Boogie Piano Celebration
2026-04-18 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.
Once a year, Mark “Mr. B” Braun, Ann Arbor’s own wizard of blues and boogie piano music, comes together with other top piano players from around southeastern Michigan and beyond. Call it a piano summit, or perhaps a meeting of the minds! Audiences in southeastern Michigan tend to think of Mr. B as a local hero, but in fact he’s well known among fans and practitioners of blues and jazz piano music all over the country and around the world. This year Mr. B will be joined onstage by Demetrius Nabors and two surprise special guests.
Demetrius “Krayon” Nabors is a prominent pianist, composer, producer, and arranger, celebrated in both the Detroit area and the national contemporary jazz scene. His music reflects a rich tapestry of influences, including gospel, jazz, classical, and blues, all of which are evident in his compositions and performances. A two-time winner of the Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Musician, Demetrius holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan. His talents have taken him to stages in Europe and Africa, as well as to national television, including a memorable appearance on the former “Arsenio Hall” show.
Note early start time!

Willie Nile
2026-04-17 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.
The New York Times called Buffalo, NY-born Willie Nile “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” Uncut Magazine called him “A one-man Clash” and “the unofficial poet laureate of New York City”. His album Streets Of New York was hailed as “a platter for the ages” by Uncut. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.” His single from that album, “One Guitar,” was the “Top Pick of the Week” in USA Today.
Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Jim Jarmusch, and Little Steven are among those who have sung his praises.
Willie has a new album called The Great Yellow Light. MOJO gave it 4 Stars and wrote: “On his 21st album in a career of remarkable consistency, he again delivers a batch of classic rock ‘n’ roll.” Poet Richard Hoffman wrote: “It’s a masterpiece! The title track brought me to tears. An album that can make you dance and make you cry. R ‘n’ R at its best.” PowerPop Magazine wrote: “Nile has the Mark of the Bard upon him.” Willie will be touring in Europe and in North America this year in support of the new album and lives in New York City.

Fantastic Negrito
2026-04-16 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.
Fantastic Negrito is a powerhouse performer whose live shows are charged with emotion, intensity, and connection. Blending Delta blues, soul, funk, and rock, he delivers dynamic sets built on rhythm, storytelling, and fearless expression. The Oakland-born artist — a three-time GRAMMY winner — has earned a reputation for transforming every show into a deeply engaging, unforgettable experience.
From Glastonbury to Newport Folk, Fantastic Negrito captivates audiences with his mix of grit, humor, and raw honesty. His performances turn struggle into celebration, and his songs take on new life each night, reshaped by the moment and the crowd.
Every show is a testament to the power of live music to inspire, challenge, and bring people together.
Since winning NPR’s inaugural Tiny Desk Contest, Fantastic Negrito has shared stages with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Chris Cornell, and Primus, and has collaborated in the studio with Sting, E-40, Tank and the Bangas, and many others.
He is also busy producing other artists featured on his independent record label, Storefront Records.

Yasmin Williams with special guests Nic Gareiss and Lucy Yao
2026-04-15 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.
Yasmin Williams is an innovative guitarist and composer known for her unique compositional approach and expansive instrumental style. Her latest album Acadia, released on Nonesuch Records, showcases her evolution from solo performer to collaborative artist, featuring partnerships with notable musicians like Aoife O’Donovan and Immanuel Wilkins.
Williams’ distinctive creative process involves “ruminating” on single notes until compositions naturally emerge. Beyond traditional fingerpicked guitar, she demonstrates mastery of multiple instruments including kora, harp guitar, banjo, and electric guitar. Her music, while rooted in folk traditions, transcends conventional structures to incorporate elements of progressive rock and experimental composition.
Following her acclaimed 2021 album Urban Driftwood, Acadia represents a significant artistic expansion, featuring three distinct sections that move from traditional folk influences to atmospheric soundscapes and experimental arrangements. Williams’ approach emphasizes sustained tones and intricate articulation, creating music that balances technical precision with ethereal, floating melodies.
Yasmin will be joined by very special guests, dancer Nic Gareiss and pianist Lucy Yao.

Yagody
2026-04-14 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.
YAGÓDY arrives in communities across North America with a clear purpose: to preserve Ukrainian folk traditions while demonstrating their continued relevance during a time of ongoing turmoil.
For centuries, folk music has carried history, identity, and collective memory through periods of occupation, censorship, and attempted erasure. As Ukraine continues to endure sustained attacks, these events serve as living expressions of resilience and continuity.
Praised as “mesmerizing” by the Chicago Sun-Times, YAGÓDY’s concerts feature material from their self-titled debut album alongside recent releases and ancestral hymns reanimated for modern times. The tour repertoire will include ethno-ritual performances such as:
“Chernomorets,” This ancient hymn of heroism and hope focuses on the symbolism of the Black Sea, embodying the Ukrainian spirit and love of freedom.
“Tsunamia,” Ukraine’s 2024 national Eurovision selection, is rooted in a generational belief that “only the mountains and the sea can give us strength.” Inspired by accordionist Nadiia Parashchuk’s grandmother, the song unfolds as a mythic meditation on endurance.

“BramaYa,” inspired by the Roman god Janus, a symbol of beginnings and transitions. Its recurring refrain, “Yanara,” functions as a battle cry reflecting themes of responsibility, truth, and collective resolve.

“Koni,” YAGÓDY’s newest single, is a contemplative meditation on time, longing, and memory. Anchored by the mournful tone of the duduk, the piece unfolds slowly, emphasizing harmony, restraint, and ritual.
At a moment when international conflict can feel distant, YAGÓDY brings Ukraine’s cultural reality directly to the stage, offering a shared space where cultural preservation is experienced as something human, immediate, and collective.

John Gorka
2026-04-12 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.
John Gorka is one of the most well-loved singer/songwriters in the folk community. With a career spanning 40 years and a discography of 17 solo releases, he embodies the best of folk music with his eclectic blend of folk, blues and bluegrass influences, insightful lyrics and engaging delivery. John’s career was launched in the mid-80s when he won the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1984.
Several years later he signed to Red House records for the release of his debut album I Know. He migrated to Windham Hill/High Street for his subsequent three releases, earning extensive critical acclaim from a variety of publications including Rolling Stone which dubbed him the preeminent male singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement. He returned to Red House in 1998 and has since released a string of albums that have achieved folk chart-topping success.
Hailing from New Jersey, but forged in the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene, John has honed his craft and persona into an unmistakable image. The shy, wry, insightful, and yes, sensitive singer-songwriter has been copied and parodied. But the old coat he wove still fits, and still suits him well. The old songs ring as true as they ever did, and the new ones are just as good.

Gemily
2026-04-12 13:00 - 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.
Gemily (Gemini + Emily) is the folk music trio comprised of Laz and San Slomovits, and San’s daughter, Emily. Laz and San, as the highly popular family music duo, Gemini, have been performing throughout Michigan and the United States since 1973. Emily first began joining them on stage when she was just eight years old, and increasingly since graduating from college in 2016. All three are versatile instrumentalists and excellent singers. Between them they play over a dozen instruments including guitars, violins, ukulele, mandolin, pennywhistle, and a variety of folk flutes and hand percussion instruments.

Penny and Sparrow
2026-04-11 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.
A wise wizard once said: “when in doubt, always follow your nose.”
The last album from Penny and Sparrow, Olly Olly, was a work of revelation and liberation. A search for and an embrace of the self. I imagine they were left with a headscratcher of a question: well, shit. Where do you go from there?
Fortunately, they listened to the wizard and followed their noses backwards to find their way forward.
Aiming to strip away pretense and invite experimentation, they commandeered a garden shed from a friend and retrofitted it to make a twenty-track album that is vast, weird, and wholly unexpected.
If Lefty is anything, it is the journal of Penny and Sparrow’s inner child. Dog-eared, lock busted open. On its pages the sketches of dreams, nightmares, erotica, and literary fan fiction graffiti the margins of poetry, elegies, and love letters in the wild colors of saxophone blue, electronic pink, and blood harmony red.
Beautifully varied and richly rendered, it is an album that wanders from theme to theme, style to style, exultation to tragedy. Yet it is never lost. If anything, it is at play.
United by its intimate vocals and aching harmonies, its acoustic laments trickle into ethereal pop only to surge into whimsical ballads and crest into grand hooligan anthems that sway gently down to familiar shores where melancholic ballads tell of love lost, found, forgotten, and remembered.
Andy and Kyle have written some albums in blood. Others they’ve whispered to the sea. This one they danced in the sky with smiles on their faces. Lefty feels like not just a celebration of their journey beyond the bounds of their traditional genre, but as if they have rediscovered the joy in music by honoring the sounds that inspired two boys growing up in Texas to one day make the damn stuff themselves.
–Pierce Brown, author and friend
VIP includes:
One general admission ticket
Early entry into the venue
Access to an intimate pre-show soundcheck party (2-3 songs)
Q&A with Penny & Sparrow
Limited edition tour poster; autographed by Penny & Sparrow
Crowd free merchandise shopping
Limited availability
Early Entry includes:
One general admission ticket
Early entry into the venue
Limited edition tour poster; autographed by Penny & Sparrow
Crowd free merchandise shopping
Limited availability

Brian Vander Ark
2026-04-10 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Brian Vander Ark is the lead singer and principal songwriter for the multi-platinum alternative rock band The Verve Pipe, recognized worldwide for their radio hits Photograph, Hero, Happiness Is, Never Let You Down, and the #1 smash single The Freshmen.
During breaks from his work with The Verve Pipe, Brian set out on his own to launch a multifaceted solo career that has included releasing four acclaimed independent studio albums – Resurrection, Angel Put Your Face On, Brian Vander Ark and Magazine as well as his collections of cover songs called Planet Sunday Sessions, Volume 1 & II. He’s also collaborated with actor/musician Jeff Daniels on the Simple Truths, an album of original Americana songs while continuing to write and record original music with The Verve Pipe, including their most recent independent album, Threads.

James McMurtry Duo feat. BettySoo: The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
2026-04-09 21:30 - 23:00, 2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Ypsilanti Freighthouse, 100 Market Pl, Ypsilanti, MI, 48198, United States
“One of America’s greatest living songwriters.” (Rolling Stone) Texas-based songwriter and guitarist James McMurtry is a supremely insightful and inventive storyteller whose fans include everyone from Stephen King to John Mellencamp. Funny and sad often in the same breath, McMurtry teases vivid worlds out of small details, crafting searingly honest lyrics set against a rock/Americana backdrop. His Ypsilanti Freighthouse debut draws from his 2025 album The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy. The story-songs on that album find inspiration in scraps from his family’s past: a rough pencil sketch by Ken Kesey that serves as the album cover; the hallucinations experienced by his father, the legendary writer Larry McMurtry; an old poem by a family friend. “A solid smorgasbord of aging, Americana, and arrested development.” (The Austin Chronicle)
Two performances, 7:00pm and 9:30pm
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Matt and Nicole Lester

A night with Adam Bohanan and Frankie Torres
2026-04-09 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.
Adam Bohanan is a Black and Jewish Twin Cities based musician and songwriter who tours nationwide. His music draws from soul, jazz, funk, and R&B. His influences include: Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye. A lifelong nerd, Adam also loves to incorporate playful wordplay and nerdy references into his songwriting. His latest single, “Reese’s” reflects this blend, melding sultry R&B with tongue-in-cheek humor. In 2024, he was a semifinalist on Season 26 of The Voice. On Team Reba, he was known for his “dirty soul” style and fun-loving attitude.
Born and raised in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Frankie grew up with a diverse combination of musical inspirations. The foundation of her music stands on classic rock and the blues, which she grew up singing in bars and at music festivals as young as 8 years old. She was a contestant on season 26 of NBC’s The Voice, making it to the Knockouts on Team Reba. Since leaving The Voice, she has continued to perform around the Twin Cities as an independent artist and as the lead singer of her cover band, Midnight Rambler.

Joseph
2026-04-08 19:00 - 23:00 | El Club, 4114 W Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI, 48209, United States
Made up of three sisters from Oregon, Joseph are renowened for their signature sibling harmonies and stripped-back performance style. While their sophomore album, I’m Alone, No You’re Not (2016), arrived in a breeze of swoony folk, pop rock-minded follow-up Good Luck, Kid (2019) saw Joseph turn the volume – and soul – up. Raising their profile on tour with James Bay, the group has since hosted a cosy NPR Tiny Desk concert and performed on Later… with Jools Holland.
