The Ark

The Ark's Open Stage
2023-01-18 20:00 - 23:00, 2023-02-08 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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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. Twelve performers have eight minutes (or two songs) each to do their thing. Sign-up: doors open at 7:30 p.m. At 7:45 we randomly select the names for the first half, and at 8:30 we draw names for the second half. If your name isn’t chosen, bring your raffle ticket with you to the next Open Stage (often the first and third Wednesdays of the month–check our calendar or website, theark.org), and you’ll double your chances.

Wallis Bird
2023-01-19 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Few can enrapture an audience the way Wallis Bird can. Bird is coming to Michigan with a brand new album, Hands, which finds her turning the spotlight onto herself, raising issues that are sometimes hard to confront, only to emerge optimistic and whole. Among these are issues of trust, alcohol abuse, stagnation, self-censorship and self-improvement, some addressed through personal recollections of crucial moments accumulated over the last two years. Each, however, is delivered by a voice uncommonly blessed with joy, ingenuity and empathy.

Djangophonique // Harmonious Wail
2023-01-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Djangophonique is a virtuosic, instrumentally driven quartet led by guitar player Andrew Brown. A true disciple of the style, Andrew has spent countless hours immersing himself in the language of Django Reinhardt’s jazz manouche, and he’s joined on stage by bandmates that match his skill and passion for the material. The result is a sound that’s unmistakable to fans of the music, and alluring to the uninitiated—a sound that can bring the lively energy of a Parisian dance hall to the quietest listening room or captivate a buzzing festival audience with a shimmering ballad. With respect for the tradition and a fearless creativity that bends the conventions of the style, Djangophonique is keeping the Hot Club of France revival alive and well.
The members of Harmonious Wail, from Madison, Wisconsin, are purveyors of Americana-infused gypsy jazz who continue to take their listeners on a ride via the music of the Hot Club sounds of Parisian cafes, to the deepest blues of the Memphis Delta, to the heartfelt folk scenes across every-town-America. Harmonious Wail is a trio of multi-award winning musicians. Sims Delaney-Potthoff, a mandolin virtuoso, and vocalist, Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, vocalist extraordinaire, whose percussive instrument of choice is a cardboard box (but who can also rock almost any household object), and Jeffo Weiss, a master bassist who dazzles and mesmerizes on both upright and electric 5-string bass. As stewards of the Gypsy Jazz genre, they have established the Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, held twice a year in Madison, Wisconsin.

Heywood Banks
2023-01-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Heywood Banks is simply one-of-a-kind, almost impossible to describe, with a style his very own. Equal parts genius and buffoon, this songwriter-comic-singer-poet-musician from Flint has become a cult hero and a pop icon, with a show that appeals to college students, stoners, businessmen, yuppies, rednecks, punks, kids, or your grandmother. Heywood intersperses his humorous observations of life with twisted, inventive, bizarre songs, sung and played in a variety of styles, from folk, to country to rock to pop, and way beyond. You have to be pretty smart to get Heywood at his deepest level (he demands a high level of pop culture literacy), but you can also enjoy him just for his vocal style impersonations, expert musicianship and just plain silliness. But why trust our opinions? Come and see for yourself!

Shane Guerrette
2023-01-24 20:00 - 23:00 | MI
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It’s the old way of doing things that inspires a new sound for upstate NY based artist, Shane Guerrette. Drawing influence from classic soul and roots rock genres, Shane has only just begun to craft his own retro flavored sound. With a recent self-released debut album called “Here’s Hoping” and plans of touring in the near future, you’ll want to keep an eye out for what’s to come from this rising star.
This program is made possible with support from the Ford Motor Company Fund. It is presented live, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page.
This is a FREE show. Nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers.

Neal Francis
2023-01-26 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Presented with support from Ann Arbor’s 107one
On his new album, “In Plain Sight,” Neal Francis offers up a body of work both strangely enchanted and painfully self-aware, unfolding in songs sparked from Greek myths and frenzied dreams and late-night drives in the depths of summer delirium. True to its charmed complexity, the singer/songwriter/pianist’s second full-length came to life over the course of a tumultuous year spent living in a possibly haunted church in Chicago. The result: a portrait of profound upheaval and weary resilience, presented in a kaleidoscopic sound that’s endlessly absorbing.
Bravery can take many forms. For Danielle Ponder it took the shape of a leap of faith: leaving her successful day job working in the public defender’s office in her hometown of Rochester (New York) to devote herself full-time to sharing her powerful voice with the world. The singer-songwriter’s mesmerizing eight-song debut, “Some of Us Are Brave,” reinforces that her faith was not misplaced, and her leap has been rewarded with a safe landing. Written and recorded over three years, the album is a refreshingly original, shiver-inducing mix of pop, R&B, blues, rock, and moody trip-hop topped by Danielle’s celestial voice— an instrument that can plumb melancholy depths with a heartsick murmur and scrape the sky with hurricane force wails.

Friday Night Folk: BanjoFest
2023-01-27 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Valerie June headlines this in-the-round evening in The Ark’s Ford Listening Room featuring her own specially curated lineup of phenomenal women artists, including Thao, Yasmin Williams and Michigan’s own Rachael Davis.
Click here for full festival ticket information.

46th Ann Arbor Folk Fest
2023-01-28 18:30 - 23:30 | Hill Auditorium, 825 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
Ani DiFranco, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and Patty Griffin headline Saturday’s program which also features Gina Chavez, Oshima Brothers, Kyshona, and The Jared Deck Band. Peter Mulvey with SistaStrings serve as our emcees for the evening. With a special guest appearance by Parker Millsap.
Saturday night of the Ann Arbor Folk Fest offers the traditional Folk Fest format in beautiful Hill Auditorium, featuring a blend of renowned and up-and-coming performers, providing the opportunity to hear artists you know and love while discovering great new talent.
Click here for full festival ticket information.

Buffalo Nichols
2023-02-02 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Carl “Buffalo” Nichols has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? After cutting his teeth between a Baptist church and bars in Milwaukee, it was a globetrotting trip through West Africa and Europe during a creative down period that began to reveal the answer. He heard jazz in Ukraine, blues from expat African Americans in Berlin. “Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Buffalo Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album, composed largely of demos and studio sessions recorded between Wisconsin and Texas, and it marks a new stage of the blues.

Appalachian Road Show
2023-02-03 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Appalachian Road Show is a visionary acoustic ensemble, bringing new-generation interpretations of traditional Americana, bluegrass and folk songs, as well as offering innovative original music, all presented with a common thread tied directly to the heart of the Appalachian regions of the United States. Grammy-nominated banjoist Barry Abernathy joins forces with Grammy-winning fiddler Jim VanCleve (original founding members of the much beloved Mountain Heart!), fresh off of his recent stint touring with multi-platinum country artist Josh Turner, as well as esteemed vocalist and mandolinist Darrell Webb, who has recorded and toured with Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent, among many others. The group also includes 26-year-old “old soul” guitarist Zeb Snyder, whose fierce and versatile playing recalls Doc Watson and Norman Blake as readily as it does Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Mustard's Retreat
2023-02-04 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Mustard’s Retreat has always sung the songs they enjoyed and cared about, regardless of the trends of the music industry and pop culture. They are committed to simply being themselves, not chasing fame or brass rings, while delighting in and connecting with their audiences as if they were family. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then. They’ve traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy’s Center’s Millennium Stage. They’ve recently begun referring to their career and touring as “Defiantly Hopeful.” In part due to their long career, but more as a statement about what the music has meant to them. “Folk music is, at its heart, defiantly hopeful!” founder David Tamulevich says. “We came of age in the 60s, at the confluence of Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and the singer/songwriter revolution. We care much more about what we do and stand for and finding that common ground with our audiences, than fame or money: this is our community of choice, and we consider ourselves so fortunate to be here.” Tonight’s show features the Mustard’s Retreat 2.0 duo of Tamulevich and Libby Glover, who come to The Ark with a new album, “By Request.”

Laith Al-Saadi
2023-02-05 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Laith Al-Saadi began singing at age four and began playing guitar at 13. At 15 he formed his first blues band, Blue Vinyl. In short order they opened for blues greats like Buddy Guy (to whose work his playing has been compared), Luther Allison, Son Seals, and Taj Mahal and toured the Netherlands. At the University of Michigan, Laith was a member of the Johnny Trudell Orchestra and freelanced with Detroit greats like Thornetta Davis, Jocelyn B, The Reefermen. Laith is a real road warrior who generally can be found playing at least five nights a week around Michigan and beyond, and Michigan’s secret got out when he made the finals of television’s “The Voice.” If you haven’t checked out this monster Michigan talent yet, you really should! Tonight Laith performs a rare solo show.

JD Clayton
2023-02-07 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Arkansas-based singer/songwriter JD Clayton crafts and plays songs from the heart and heartland. Through varied tunes and soul-gripping lyrics, JD weaves a classic Americana vibe, staying true to his Southern roots. From an early age, he developed his musical skills from piano to percussion and blues harp to guitar, uniting them with coming-of-age verse. He delivers to his listening audience the essence of what it means to be young and alive. He comes to Michigan with a new EP, “Side A.”
Ark members at the Solo level and above receive a buy one get one free ticket offer at the door for tonight’s show!

Talisk
2023-02-09 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Groundbreaking, chart-topping, genre-bending, globetrotting, instantly enthralling… it’s little wonder that Talisk ranks highly amongst the most in-demand folk-based groups to emerge from Scotland in the last decade and more. Mohsen Amini (BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ Musician of the Year), Graeme Armstrong and Benedict Morris (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year) fuse concertina, guitar, and fiddle to produce a multilayered signature that has captivated audiences around the globe. At its core, three seemingly acoustic instruments—but in the hands of three master craftsmen one unmistakable, bold sound and captivating live show. Talisk is coming to Michigan with a new album, “Dawn.”
Opener Anna Mieke’s deft songwriting and enveloping compositions have asserted her as a vital voice amongst Ireland’s alt-folk genre. The Irish multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based in Wicklow, Ireland, toes the line between folk forms and vivid dreamscapes, drawing on traditional and contemporary motifs. The lyrically ornate and instrumental delicacy of her work, alongside flowing atmospheric arrangements, contributes a challenging, emphatic and new voice to alt-folk.

Breabach
2023-02-10 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Securely ranked among Scotland’s most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, Breabach unite deep roots in Highland and Island tradition with the innovative musical ferment of their Glasgow base. They have released six increasingly acclaimed albums, while fueling their creative appetites in collaborations with BAFTA award–winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artists Moana and the Tribe & The Black Arm Band, Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, video game composer Big Giant Circles, and, as artists-in-residence at 2019’s Celtic Colours festival with Cape Bretoners Beolach. The year 2022 saw the release of the band’s latest album, “Fàs” (a Gaelic word meaning growth, developing and sprouting). The album is heavily inspired by the natural environment of Scotland and sees the band showcase more progressive elements in their music than ever before.

Justin Roberts & The Not Ready For Naptime Players
2023-02-11 11:00 - 12:30 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Five-time GRAMMY-nominated Justin Roberts is truly one of the all-stars of the indie family music scene. For some 20 years, Justin has been crafting songs for kids and parents that navigate the joys and sorrows of growing up. Along with his band, The Not Ready for Naptime Players, he has traveled the globe, from Hong Kong to New York, and Miami to Seattle. He comes to the Family Room with a new album, “Space Cadet,” that’s packed with his trademark brand of zany fun. Justin has performed in front of millions of people on the Today show; he’s been featured on Nick Jr.; and his song “Get Me Some Glasses” was featured on a World Series broadcast. We’re excited to welcome Justin back for his first in-person performance since the pandemic started!

An Evening with George Winston
2023-02-11 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
From the Management of George Winston:
For the remainder of 2023, George is taking a break from touring to recover from some health issues related to his 2012 bone marrow transplant. During this time, he will also work on studio recording projects and preparing to return to the road in 2024. We are very grateful to those who’ve recently purchased tickets and for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you at a future performance.
Tickets purchased with a credit card online, by phone, or in person through the Michigan Union Ticket Office will be refunded automatically. For tickets purchased in person at The Ark’s box office, please return your ticket there to obtain your refund.
Please review The Ark’s current COVID-related information before attending a show.
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George Winston is undeniably a household name. He’s inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling upwards of 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, Winston finds live performance akin to breathing. George’s music is evocative, offering us all a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives and let our minds adventurously wander. George Winston’s classic albums “Autumn” and “December,” are perennial favorites, along with “Winter into Spring,” “Summer,” 2017’s “Spring Carousel – A Cancer Research Benefit,” two volumes of the compositions of Vince Guaraldi, two volumes of benefit albums for the Gulf Coast disasters, and six other solo piano albums. He recently released his 16th solo piano album, “Night.” George’s compositions extend solace with an idiosyncratic grace.
100% of merchandise sales at this show will be donated to Food Gatherers. Nonperishables also accepted.

Jess Merritt & The Understorey
2023-02-13 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Jess Merritt is an Ann Arbor singer and songwriter whose rich, soulful voice evokes a unique emotional resonance. From power ballads to velvet keys, soul and rock to blues and pop, listeners are headed into a memorable experience by this expansive and versatile artist.
This special “musical memoir” performance marks Jess’s 40th birthday and a return to the stage with her band, the Understorey, after a 5-year hiatus. The Understorey is composed of longtime collaborators Josef Deas and Jenny Jones and new members Brennan Andes, Jon Brown and TJ Zindle. The show will feature a mix of original songs, covers and stories about the “path to renaming and reclaiming” herself, along with special guests.

My Folky Valentine
2023-02-14 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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What better time than Valentine’s Day to get to know some married or partnered couples who make music together? My Folky Valentine is The Ark’s annual celebration of romance! Each year we present a few of the region’s top musical couples, in the round during Valentine’s Day week. Your hosts, Annie and Rod Capps, invite some of their most talented friends from around the region to share the stage for an evening of grand collaboration and anything but love songs! . . . Okay, well, maybe a few love songs, since this year My Folky Valentine falls on the day itself. Can you imagine anything sweeter than a pair of tickets to see this show? This year’s lineup features Jenny & Robin Bienemann from Chicago and Ruth & Max Bloomquist from Ludington.
This event is presented live at The Ark, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page.

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton
2023-02-15 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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There’s something uniquely fun about Amy LaVere, even when she’s breaking your heart. She is well known among songwriters and critics alike. NPR’s Robert Siegel says she “specializes in lyrics that are more barbed than her sweet soprano prepares you for.” Her growing catalog of material and steady critical acclaim suggest a first-tier presence on the Americana and indie-folk/punk circuits. Amy’s live performances are anything but predictable. She might appear on stage with a full band, sporting a mask and pink wig, or simply be in blue jeans and sandals, but her upright bass and clever song delivery are constants. Her voice is at once the bully and the victim. She’s performed in venues as wide-ranging as St. Andrew’s Hall in London and Memphis’ famed dive bar Earnestine and Hazel’s. There’s no room she can’t find an audience in and charm it to pieces. Tonight LaVere is joined by her guitarist (and husband since 2014), Will Sexton, an Austinite who has worked with Steve Stills, Roky Erickson, and Waylon Jennings.

Misty Lyn & The Big Beautiful
2023-02-17 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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As a fixture of the Michigan folk music scene for over a decade, Misty Lyn Bergeron has penned haunting melodies over simple arrangements that traverse the gothic, literary fringes of American roots music. Pulling from a wealth of vivid subject matter, her songs are cathartic and poetically rich works that approach sometimes difficult topics such as death, loss, heartache, and healing. After getting in a serious car accident in 2015, there has been a noticeable shift toward love, light, and hope in her music, while still maintaining a deep connection with the things that are lost and those that are fading. Members ofTthe Big Beautiful include Matt Jones (drums), Ryan Gimpert (guitar and pedal steel), Carol Catherine Gray (fiddle, vocals, tambo), and Jim Roll (bass). Misty Lyn & The Big Beautiful come to The Ark with a new release, “Narrows.”
Photo by Doug Coombe

Crys Matthews
2023-02-18 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Ask about the new generation of social justice music-makers and Crys Matthews will be mentioned. A southeastern North Carolina native who now calls Washington, D.C. home, Crys has been compared to everyone from Toshi Reagon to Tracy Chapman and Ruthie Foster. Equally at home in an acoustic listening room as she is on stage at large music festivals, Crys quickly gathered a loyal following on the East Coast playing such prestigious venues as the Sundance Film Festival, The Birchmere, The Hamilton, and Jammin’ Java. A prolific lyricist, Crys blends Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and funk into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. “I believe in hope,” Matthews says of her latest album, “Changemakers.” “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.” And, from the title track to the last track, “Changemakers” does just that all while tackling some heavy topics like immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter, and gun safety to name a few.

Bill Frisell
2023-02-19 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Bill Frisell can be a hard musician to classify. You’ll find him in the jazz bins (or at the jazz link), and he’s been called the most brilliant jazz guitarist since Wes Montgomery. But he’s the kind of jazz musician who looks outward to other music, and his guitar can do just about anything, from any genre. It can approximate the sound of a country steel guitar, can wail the blues, can break new ground in music like Jimi Hendrix did. And he plays his own compositions, each one intricately woven into the capabilities of his instrument. As a collaborator, Bill Frisell is one of the most sought-after voices in contemporary guitar. His Ark shows have an intimacy that’s hard to find at his dates in larger cities. The New York Times sums it up: “It’s hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell.”

Buffalo Rose
2023-02-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Buffalo Rose is a wildly charismatic six-piece modern folk/Americana band from Pittsburgh. They take the singer-songwriter tradition to a new level by crafting original songs which are emotive, meticulously arranged, and inspired by a world of idiosyncratic influences that never let a dull or predictable moment creep in. The band released its debut album, “The Soil and the Seed,” in 2018. Since then, Buffalo Rose has dropped two EPs, 2019’s “Big Stampede” and 2020’s “Borrowed and Blue,” opened for the Wood Brothers, Mipso, Pokey LaFarge, Tyler Childers, and the Infamous Stringdusters, and shared a festival stage with the legendary Sam Bush. The band’s upward trajectory continues into 2022 with its latest EP, “Rabbit,” created in collaboration with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Tom Paxton, followed by a new full-length LP, “Again, Again, Again,” released November 2022. Fans of Lake Street Dive, Nickel Creek, and Punch Brothers will find much to like in this crew.
This program is made possible with support from the Ford Motor Company Fund. It is presented live, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page.
This is a FREE show. Nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers.

Chris Knight
2023-02-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Tonight’s performance has been postponed due to weather conditions. Please retain your tickets and they will be honored on the new date. Once the date is announced, patrons will have 30 days to request a refund if they are not able to attend the new date.
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“It’s hard to know how people are gonna react,” Chris Knight says of “Almost Daylight,” his ninth album and first new recording in over seven years. “I’ve written songs about a lot of different things going all the way back to my first record, and some folks still think ‘somebody kills somebody’ is all I write about. Maybe that’s why I was bound and determined to get these particular songs on this album. If people like them, then we’ll be fine. But I wasn’t gonna do it any other way.” For the past 20 years, Chris Knight has only made music his own way. He’s released eight acclaimed albums, played thousands of electrifying live shows and built generations of fervent fans from Texas honky-tonks to Manhattan rock clubs. He’s been hailed as “the last of a dying breed…a taciturn loner with an acoustic guitar and a college degree” (The New York Times) and “a storyteller in the best traditions of Mellencamp and Springsteen” (USA Today). Bottom line, he’s hard-earned his reputation as one of America’s most uncompromising and respected singer/songwriters. And now with “Almost Daylight,” Knight delivers the most powerful – and unexpected – music of his career.

Rochelle Clark & The Familiars
2023-02-23 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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A native of Michigan, Rochelle Clark writes music that has been described as raw, honest, and beautifully vulnerable. She writes and sings about real life, joy, struggle and human tragedy – you can’t help but feel for the characters in her songs. Leaning heavily on personal experience, she connects on an intimate level that resonates with her audience. As one half of the acclaimed Americana duo The Potters Field, Rochelle has offered powerful vocals that have been captivating audiences in Michigan and throughout the Midwest for years. Drawing on her roots in folk, Americana, and country, Rochelle has found a sound that is uniquely her own. In January 2020 she released her first solo recording; an EP titled “In Time,” and she’s continuing to explore her voice as a solo songwriter. Joining Rochelle will be a band of exceptional musicians (affectionately dubbed The Familiars) who include Jason Dennie, Keith Bilick, and John Sperendi.

The Ark's 36th Annual Storytelling Festival - Liar's Contest
2023-02-24 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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The Ark’s annual Storytelling Festival expands to three days for 2022! New this year is a Liars’ Contest on Friday night.
Liars have been around since the snake first hit it off with Eve. By some accounts, contests celebrating liars have been around since the 15th century, but these accounts may be apocryphal. Today, liars contests are held in countries all around the globe, and The Ark is joining the fray with its First Annual Liars contest, which is part of the new and expanded 36th Annual Storytelling Festival. The event will feature six of the best liars in the region, each telling a ten-minute story and competing for highly valuable bragging rights, a crisp $100 bill, and a fabulous trophy for the winner! Each of our distinguished celebrity judges has a special relationship to the fine art of prevarication.
The Liars: Larry Castleberry, Jennifer Otto, Rich Swanson, Jeff Doyle, Genot Picor, Mike Cox
The Judges: Kathleen Daniels/Married to Jeff Daniels, a man who makes his living by pretending to be other people; Karl Fink/As a retired Circuit Court judge, he spent most of his life listening to liars … and not just the attorneys; Christopher Taylor/Mayor of Ann Arbor, a politician—need we say more?
MC for the event: Amir Baghdadchi

The Ark's 36th Annual Storytelling Festival
2023-02-25 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
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Saturday brings storytellers Bill Harley, Sheila Arnold, and Steve Daut. Bill Harley is a songwriter and storyteller whose commentaries have been featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He’s equally at home performing for adults and for families, and a refreshing breath of fantasy is just around the corner in everything he does. Sheila Arnold brings stories, historic individuals, new ideas, new perspectives and old knowledge to schools, libraries, professional organizations, museums and churches. And Steve Daut is well known to Michigan audiences; he has adapted stories of Mark Twain to the storytelling medium.

Margo Price
2023-02-25 20:00 - 23:00 | The Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States
Margo Price has something to say but nothing to prove. In just three remarkable solo albums, the singer and songwriter has cemented herself as a force in American music and a generational talent. A deserving critical darling, she has never shied away from the sounds that move her, the pain that’s shaped her, or the topics that tick her off, like music industry double standards, the gender wage gap, or the plight of the American farmer. (In 2021, she even joined the board of Farm Aid.)
Now, on her fourth full-length Strays, a clear-eyed mission statement delivered in blistering rock and roll, she’s taking on substance abuse, self-image, abortion rights, and orgasms. Musically extravagant but lyrically laser focused, the 10-song record tears into a broken world desperate for remedy. And who better to tell it? Price has done plenty of her own rebuilding—or as she shout sings in explanation on “Been to the Mountain,” the set’s throat-ripping opener, “I have been to the mountain and back alright”—and finds herself, at long last, free. Feral. Stray.
So, while the last few years have seen remarkable moments of acclaim—a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, Americana Music Honors, a Saturday Night Live performance, and just about every outlet and critics’ year-end Best Of list—Price is still hungry. “I still have a lot of drive inside of me,” she says. “I have a chip on my shoulder. It feels like I still haven’t been able to fully realize all my dreams yet, and that eats me up.” Just wait.
When Tré Burt was signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records in 2019, he was one of only two artists -including label mate Kelsey Waldon, to join the label in the past 15 years. Caught It From The Rye, Tré Burt’s debut album was re-released on Oh Boy in Jan 2020. The album showcases Burt’s literary songwriting and lo-fi, rootsy aesthetic, which he honed busking on the streets of San Francisco and traveling the world in search of inspiration. Like labelmate and songwriting hero John Prine, Burt has a poet’s eye for detail, a surgeon’s sense of narrative precision and a folk singer’s natural knack for a timeless melody. Caught It From The Ryeis an urgent missive from an important new voice in songwriting.
For a songwriter who thoughtfully documents what he sees in the world, 2020, while challenging, was rich with inspiration. The year birthed the single, Under The Devil’s Knee, a song that continues the tradition of outspoken political folk songwritersof yore. It is an incredibly moving protest song tracing the lives of George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Breonna Taylor. Recorded remotely featuring Allison Russell, Sunny War and Leyla McCalla. “Humanity feels like it’s slipping away from us, as a country. Iwanted to reinstate the humanity of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and so many other brothers and sisters slain by police in the way I know how. I wanted to immortalize their dignity and make the work easy for future historians and remind the present that no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, this is about actual pain and real human suffering caused by a system of governance that is morally bankrupt. This, I felt was my duty as an American songwriter to do. Music is a powerful force, especially when you put it through a protest song. It makes the fight more tangible. Reframes perspective. None of which entered my mind when writing this, at all. That was out of anger. I wrote this song out of anger. They should all be alive.” -Tré Burt
