Special Guest: Flamy Grant
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesOver the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship.
The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus has won critical acclaim and a legion of fans worldwide with their unique sound and flair for live performance.
Martin Sexton tours in support of the 25th anniversary of Live Wide Open - the critically-acclaimed double vinyl live album. The show will include these fan-favorites as well as some new material and surprise covers.
Duane Betts ignites and brings an evolution to the Southern rock tradition. With a fiery legacy forged by his father, the legendary Dickey Betts, the second generation musician infuses it with his own soul-stirring blend of blues, raw passion, and six-string mastery. Backed by his band, Palmetto Motel, Betts delivers a dynamic live show filled with searing guitar solos, heartfelt storytelling, and a mix of classic influences with fresh energy. Fans can expect a blend of roots rock, blues, and some improvisational jamming, creating an electrifying yet deeply authentic experience.
Jessic and Zach wrote and composed music for the WGA award-winning Peacock Series Baking It starring Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg. The duo has also written songs and musical sketches for the hit animation show Rick and Morty, Party Over Here (a Fox sketch show produced by The Lonely Island), the Peacock series Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin, Buzzfeed, FunnyOrDie and Nickelodeon. Their improvised musical podcast Off Book has been praised by various online publications including Indie Wire, USA Today, Parade, AV Club and Splitsider and been featured at Comedy Central’s Clusterfest Festival, Moontower, the world renowned Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, and the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in LA.
Mike Dawes is an English guitarist known for composing, arranging, and performing multiple parts simultaneously on a single guitar. He is regarded as one of the world’s most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists, with a repertoire spanning original viral videos and popular arrangements, alongside mainstream chart success performing with Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.
Emily Slomovits began playing violin at the age of seven, and has been joining her father and uncle (the duo Gemini) on stage since she was eight years old. She studied classical violin for more than ten years, adding jazz and folk fiddle styles to her repertoire along the way. In her early teens she began singing and playing guitar and has since then been performing solo, with Gemini, and in groups ranging from classical string quartets to folk and country bands.
Buffalo Rose is a singularly spectacular six-piece band from Pittsburgh, PA. Overflowing with the bold and unfettered joy of their inimitable blend of “Theatre Kid Americana,” a Buffalo Rose show is a celebration of creative wonder; a sparkling sonic delight. Their live show is where their energy fully shines, and songwriting is their lodestar. The band’s recorded catalog is full of vibrantly emotive and methodically arranged songs, sure to thrill the mind and charm the heart.
Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce, the “Jacko” and “Pierce,” make up the seminal duo Jackopierce. They've been making music for 35 years that has amassed a loyal following of millions of fans around the world with their high-energy live shows.
Michigan native singer/songwriter Kylee Phillips is releasing her first full length album - “Before I Am Invisible” - an ambitious collection of sensual, articulate, and unpretentiously therapeutic pop anthems. This long-awaited, expertly percolated record couldn’t be more timely, giving voice to the memories, desires, rages, joys, and insights of a deeply grounded woman who has found the one place she won’t be talked over.
Lucy Kaplansky is an acclaimed singer songwriter of rare talent, “a truly gifted performer with a bag full of enchanting songs” (The New Yorker). She has released nine critically acclaimed CDs, two of which were awarded Best Pop Album of the year by the Association for Independent Music. National Public Radio described her 2012 album Reunion as “a master class in making the personal universal."
When John Cowan and Luke Bulla perform together, their shows reflect 25 years of shared history, musical trust, and genuine friendship. Blending New Grass Revival (and more) favorites with old and new originals, they pair masterful picking, rich harmony, and stories that are heartfelt, funny, and hard-earned.