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.
Windborne has been called the most exciting vocal group in a generation. With a 20-year background studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan share a vibrant energy onstage with a blending of voices that can only come from decades of friendship alongside dedicated practice.
The Wildwoods are an enchanting Folk/Americana trio based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as "focused and charmingly human". The Wildwoods' delicate melodies and descriptive lyrics come from nature, love, experiences from the road, and growing up in Nebraska. The Ark's Artist Spotlight Series is made possible with support from Ford Motor Company Fund. Nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers
Matt Watroba, a Detroit Music Awards winner as Best Overall Folk Performer, is the kind of guy who makes friends easily: not only is he on a first-name basis with most of the major folk musicians in North America after a couple of decades of sharing stages with them, but he also has the kind of rapport with audiences that makes them feel as if they're sitting among friends in a living room.
Tonight’s show offers an opportunity to hear three of the legends of Michigan music together on the same stage—guitarists George Bedard and Steve Nardella will be joining Mr. B on stage for a Thanksgiving weekend blues and boogie blowout! This trio has a grand history of playing together in the past, and when they have, the results have been amazing. This will be a long-awaited reunion show for these three giants of blues and boogie and it's not to be missed!
Gemini (twin brothers San and Laz Slomovits) have played an annual family concert for Ark audiences on the Sunday after Thanksgiving every year since 1994 to benefit Mott Children’s Hospital, where San’s daughter, Emily was born. Emily will join the brothers for this show.
Ark Family Room shows are free and streamed to The Ark’s Facebook page.
The David Mayfield Parade offers music that stretches from the avant-garde to David Mayfield’s own musical roots, which are buried deep in the bluegrass tradition from a childhood of touring with his family’s band.
All current Annual Members and anyone who has become an Introductory Member since September 1, 2021 are eligible to attend.
Award-winning guitarist, educator, and performer Rollie Tussing makes a raggedy brand of music informed by the era of 78 rpm records, juke joints, and street performers. He composes a lot of his own songs and has a knack for reworking an old obscure tune, finding beauty in the forgotten scratches, pops and grooves of his esoteric record collection.
Special Guest: Dave Roof
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesMidwestern songwriting legend Dick Siegel has been bringing his joyous, eccentric and penetrating musical vision to audiences across North America for more than three decades. Songs like “When the Sumac is on Fire,” “Angelo’s” and “Carry Me Away,” drawn from the traditions of American folk, roots and pop music, have become radio show theme songs, quotable classics and—most importantly—all-time personal favorites deeply imbedded in the hearts of his fans.
Named for a tough but enduringly creative neighborhood north of downtown Cincinnati, Over the Rhine is the duo of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. Their ethereal sounds—dreamy, sweeping, highly literate and melancholy—have drawn comparisons to the likes of Cowboy Junkies. If you've never heard Over the Rhine, this is a great time to check them out—their December shows draw on their superb holiday albums, which bring renewal and a sense of the season to all.
Special Guest: Full Cord
The Majestic Theatre 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan, United StatesTrampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who'd ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn't rely on amplification. Special guests, Full Cord out of Grand Haven, Michigan has been stealing the scene with an extraordinary song base that spans through originals, newgrass, traditional, covers, country, Texas swing, jazz and more.