Jon Muq
2026-05-15 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.
For Jon Muq, a singer-songwriter born in Uganda and now living in Austin, Texas, music is part of a larger conversation he’s having with the world and everybody in it. Drawing from African as well as western musical trends and traditions, he devises songs as small gifts, designed to settle into everyday life and provoke reflection and resilience. “These days the world is sad,” he explains, “so I wanted to make happy songs. I wanted to write songs that connected with the listener in a very personal way. When someone listens to my music, it’s not just about me and what I’m singing. It’s about how they understand the songs individually. I think these songs can speak many languages, depending on what you want from them.”
Muq’s experiences as a child in Uganda and as a man in America give him a unique perspective on the world he’s addressing. “I grew up in a very different life, where so many people pass through hard times just because they don’t have much. Our biggest issue was food scarcity. Then I came to a different world, which gave me a picture of how to write a song that can find balance with everyone wherever they are, whether they have a lot or not much.” With his May 31st debut album with producer Dan Auerbach and tours with Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Amythyst Kiah, Corinne Bailey Rae, and others, Muq is expanding the scope of his music to speak to more and more people.
Presented with support from Bank of Ann Arbor

Guitar Women: An Evening with Sue Foley, Rory Block, & Cindy Cashdollar
2026-05-16 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Grammy-nominated blues artist Sue Foley, legendary blues icon Rory Block, and steel guitar master Cindy Cashdollar unite for Guitar Women, a rare collaboration bringing together three distinctive artists whose careers span decades of touring, recording, and musical innovation.
Moving from traditional Delta blues to Texas roadhouse grit to the luminous sweep of steel guitar, the evening features solo performances, collaborations, and candid reflections drawn from a lifetime in music.
The concert coincides with the May release of Foley’s new book Guitar Women, which honors the trailblazing women who shaped the sound of the guitar.
An unforgettable night of masterful musicianship and shared musical history.

Chris Knight
2026-05-17 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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After 23 years as a recording artist, singer-songwriter Chris Knight remains boldly empowered to make music that always delivers the unflinching truth. In fact, the man raised in Slaughters, Kentucky uses a simple, direct barometer to regularly check his muse: “If I can’t believe myself, I won’t sing the song.”
What Knight writes about is what he knows. He was raised in mining country, so it’s no surprise that he would earn a degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University and then work as a mine reclamation inspector and then miner’s consultant. But eventually his passion for writing songs and playing guitar, both inspired by his musical hero, the late John Prine, led him to chronicle his surroundings in words and music.
“I came from a big family and grew up in the woods six miles from two small towns, so there were a lot of stories,” he says. “There were always a lot of ideas to write about.”

It’s no wonder that Knight has single-handedly scraped a reputation as one of America’s most uncompromising and respected singer-songwriters through 23 years and nine studio albums. He’s done this minus fanfare and artifice. The native son of Slaughters, Kentucky (population: 238) only sings songs he believes. He also speaks only when he has a potent message.

Open Stage Showcase
2026-05-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Our Open Stage Showcase lets us shine a light on some of our standout performers who’ve graced our Open Stage through the year.
Bob Hoot of HOOT and Hollers is a singer/songwriter living in Whitmore Lake, MI. Hoot moved back to Michigan in January 2024 after 45 years in Madison WI where he performed and recorded with with Tent Show Troubadours (2016–2023) and HOOT and Hollers (est. 2020– ) Hoot has been performing solo shows in and around the Ann Arbor area, primarily in the summer outdoor concert season. Set lists include songs from Hoot’s catalog of over 115 originals, as well as favorite covers. This show will also be a CD release event for the latest Hoot and Hollers album titled Ain’t My First Rodeo. HOOT and Hollers music is available on all streaming services. Bob Hoot will be joined by Gabrielle Hartman (violin).
Peter Bedford began to teach himself how to play guitar after listening to James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album in 1970. After teaching school for 40 years and continuing to play and teach private lessons, he moved back to Michigan and began to attend and play at the Ark’s Open Stage nights. Through the luck of the draw and with the support of many loyal friends he found himself on stage more often than not. Pete says that he is deliberately keeping a lot of old songs alive by performing them and talking about them. With a songbook of nearly 200 songs in his head, you can expect to hear a sampling of them at the Showcase. Pete frequently performs with life-long friend, Gary Putrow accompanying him on bass under the name “Pete and Putts”. Gary will join Pete on a number of tunes.
Student and Ark member tickets available at the door.

Suzy Bogguss
2026-05-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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During the creative explosion that was country music in the 1990s Suzy Bogguss sold 4 million records with sparkling radio hits like “Outbound Plane,” “Someday Soon,” “Letting Go,” “Drive South,” and “Hey Cinderella.” But you can’t peg Suzy that easily…
In the midst of her country popularity she took time off to make a duets album with the legendary Chet Atkins. In 2003 she made an album of modern swing music with Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. An album of original music in 2007 landed her at number 4 on the jazz charts. Her folk music roots show through in her frequent appearances on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, in the Grammy she earned for her work on Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, and in her critically acclaimed album and book project from 2011, American Folk Songbook. In 2014 she released Lucky, a collection of songs written by Merle Haggard and interpreted through Suzy’s crystal vocals from the female point of view. Her latest offering, Prayin’ For Sunshine, is an Americana tour de force with all songs written by Bogguss.
She continues to tour the world, both on her own and with fellow country radio divas Terri Clark and Pam Tills as “Chicks With Hits” and more recently, with Kathy Mattea on their Together At Last tour. So yes, you can call her a country singer if you want, but really that’s just the beginning.

The Seldom Scene
2026-05-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Fifty-three years into a legendary career, much has changed about The Seldom Scene, starting with the venerable progressive bluegrass quintet’s various lineup iterations over time. But even as band members have stepped in and out of various roles, what’s most important is what hasn’t changed: an undeniable knack for blending both old and new music and traditions without sacrificing what makes either potent and durable. Their current iteration is a true blue lineup: guitarist mandolin player Lou Reid, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, banjoist and fiddler Ron Stewart, dobro player Fred Travers, and guitarist Clay Hess.
Since they started up together in 1971, The Seldom Scene has dexterously performed original and traditional songs while presenting fiery and soulful reinterpretations of material by Merle Haggard, James Taylor, and more. The concept of bluegrass unshackling itself from a conservative, straight-ahead mindset seems like a given now, when some of its biggest stars fill stadiums and cross over with mainstream audiences, but the continued presence of the Scene acts as a reminder that it wasn’t always so. Even if their playing style feels more at home in intimate clubs, where the audience can feel their exuberance radiating from the stage, the Scene’s elastic relationship to genre established an important precedent that encouraged their contemporaries and allowed bluegrass bands to expand their repertoire in ways that laid the groundwork for today’s bluegrass boom.

Ike Dweck
2026-05-26 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Brooklyn-born and raised, rising independent singer-songwriter Ike Dweck is building a reputation for deeply personal lyrics and unflinching introspection. Since debuting in 2023, he’s continued to shape a sound that blends raw vulnerable folk with a modern, aggressive rock, inviting listeners into the heart of his experiences.
From writing solo to collaborating with fellow artists and songwriters Chance Emerson and Vincent Lima, as well as producer Jack Riley (previous work with Cameron Whitcomb and Grace VanderWaal), Ike has cultivated a creative circle that advances his word-choice-driven songwriting while keeping authenticity at its core. Much of his work revolves around the realities of battling mental health and navigating relationships. In doing so, Ike has created a community of fans that resonate similarly, finding connection and validation through his vulnerability.
Remaining proudly independent, Ike has been releasing new singles song by song for over two years, now surpassing over 1 million listeners on Spotify in the first half of 2025 across 15+ original songs in his release discography. There’s an immense growing anticipation for what’s ahead for Dweck, with plans to step into touring as a headliner for the first time next year, build his own Brooklyn-proud merchandising brand, and activating his fanbase of more than 3.5 million followers with a bootstraps methodology.
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).

Paper Wings
2026-05-27 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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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
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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
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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
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In January 2024, Kim Richey found herself in Mexico, gazing out at a sea of people singing along to “I’m Alright,” one of her classic tracks. The three folks on stage with the veteran, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter were also raising their voices in harmony. To her right sat Brandi Carlile, to her left, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Brandy Clark. The formidable foursome was participating in a songwriter’s round only half-jokingly dubbed “Titans of Americana” at Carlile’s female-forward Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival on the Riviera Maya in Mexico.
“That was nuts looking out and seeing everybody arm-waving and singing along,” says Richey, still both incredulous and cheered by the memory of performing with that supergroup and later appearing alongside other Girls Just Wanna Weekend-ers Annie Lennox, Lucius, Allison Russell, and Sarah McLachlan among others. “It was just like, ‘wow’!”
The good news for fans of this particular Titan is a whole new batch of songs to sing along with and arm wave to with the release of her 10th studio album Every New Beginning. The 10 songs on Every New Beginning represent the full spectrum of the Ohio native’s gifts as both a revered songwriter who can leap from melancholy to mirthful in a single couplet — whose songs have been recorded by the likes of Brooks and Dunn, Patty Loveless, and Mary Chapin Carpenter — and owner of one of music’s truly celestial voices.
That voice, which Brandi Carlile has cited as formative in crafting her own style, is a widely sought after harmony instrument and has been featured on scores of albums including Jason Isbell’s acclaimed Southeastern, Trisha Yearwood’s Everybody Knows, Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams, Reba McEntire’s Starting Over, and Has Been by Capt. Kirk himself, William Shatner, among many others.

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
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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.

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
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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
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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 | 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
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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

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.

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.

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).
