Jonatha Brooke
2024-11-09 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Merging evocative folk, melodic pop and an edgier roots rock sensibility, singer/songwriter/guitarist Jonatha Brooke began releasing music in the early 1990s, first as a member of the duo the Story and more enduringly as a solo artist. After four major label releases, she started her own independent label, Bad Dog Records in 1999, and has since released ten more albums – including the companion CD to her critically acclaimed, one woman, Off-Broadway musical, My Mother Has Four Noses.
Jonatha has co-written and/or produced songs with Katy Perry, The Courtyard Hounds, and Jessica Simpson. She’s also written for four Disney films, numerous television shows, and she composed and performed the theme song for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. She won the 2019 International Acoustic Music Award for Best Female Artist for her song “Put the Gun Down,” and was the competition’s overall grand prize winner. And in 2020, she was awarded an Independent Music Award (IMA) for her EP, “Imposter.”

Rabbitology
2024-11-10 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Shoulder your capes of star-dusted moss. Venture into the land of the harebrained and burrowing. “Rabbitology” is a sonic project that seeks to explore the raw and odd. Beginning in a dorm room with percussion made from a dining hall apple, Rabbitology’s scrappy production style lends to each song’s eclectic and strange soundscapes.

The Ark's Open Stage
2024-11-11 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.
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. Tremendous local performers like Dick Siegel, Misty Lyn, and Matt Watroba spent time honing their craft on Open Stage audiences. Even nationally recognized talents like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Gilda Radner, and David Alan Grier paid their dues here. 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.

Craig Finn
2024-11-12 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Craig Finn is a Minnesota-bred singer/songwriter based in New York City, best known as the singer of The Hold Steady. Finn spent the ’90’s leading Minneapolis indie band Lifter Puller, which released 3 albums and an EP. After relocating to New York, he joined with Lifter Puller member Tad Kubler to form The Hold Steady in 2003. The Hold Steady quickly achieved critical acclaim and a worldwide fanbase with their unique pairing of dense lyrical narratives with big rock guitars. The Hold Steady’s ninth album, The Price Of Progress, was released in March 2023, commemorating the band’s 20th Anniversary.
Finn released his first solo album in 2012 with three additional solo LPs put forth from 2015 – 2019: Faith in the Future, We All Want The Same Things, and 2019’s I Need a New War – which coalesced into a sign-of-the-times musical trilogy. Finn’s debut book “I Can’t Keep Saying Thank You”, a collection of his song lyrics, was also released in 2019. A double album of B-sides/outtakes, All These Perfect Crosses, was released in 2021 accompanied by a limited-edition graphic novel/comic book.
Finn’s fifth solo album, A Legacy of Rentals, was released in May 2022 to great fanfare. Pitchfork praised it saying, “The writing remains the main attraction in Finn’s work, and both as a storyteller and a rock songwriter, he has never sounded more in control. From the beginning, he had a gift for meticulous, vivid world-building, and his wordplay has gotten tighter as his subjects have come down to earth.” That’s How I Remember It is Craig Finn’s podcast series, which just started its third season. Co-produced and distributed by Talkhouse, the podcast series examines the connection between memory and creativity. Each episode features a discussion between Finn and one creator – including musicians, authors, filmmakers, and more – about the role memory plays in their art. These exclusive conversations reveal the different ways each creator synthesizes their remembered life experience to tell stories about themselves and the world we live in.

Yarn
2024-11-13 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
You might expect a band that calls itself Yarn to, naturally, tend to spin a yarn or two. “That’s what we do, we tell stories, live and in the studio, truth and fiction”, singer/songwriter Blake Christiana insists. “We don’t always opt for consistency. There’s a different vibe onstage from what comes through in our recordings. There’s a difference in every show as well, you never know what you’re going to get.”
Yarn’s ability to persevere ought to come as no great surprise, especially for a band that spent two years honing their chops during a Monday night residency at the famed Kenny’s Castaway in New York’s Greenwich Village. In effect, it allowed them to rehearse onstage, mostly in front of audiences that often ranged in size from five to a hundred people on any given night. 10 studio albums followed. The band then took to the road, playing upwards of 170 shows a year at any number of prestigious venues. They have landed on the Grammy ballot 4 times, garnered nods from the Americana Music Association, placed top five on both Radio and Records and the AMA album charts, been streamed millions of times on Spotify, and accorded the “Download of the Day” from Rolling Stone. Shine the Light On found shared songwriting credits with John Oates (the Oates of Hall & Oates fame), and when audiences expressed their admiration, it brought the band a populist cult following of diehard devotees, popularly known as “the Yarmy.”
It’s proof positive that the Brooklyn and Raleigh based band have made their mark, and in dealing with their emotions, scars and circumstances, they find themselves in a position to share those experiences with others who have juggled similar sentiments.

Adam Ezra Group
2024-11-14 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Welcome to Adam Ezra Group, who, along with nonprofit organization RallySound, host a free festival every summer that raised $143,000 for homeless veterans in 2023. During the pandemic, Adam live-streamed for 500 nights in a row. The group co-produced an album with 163 fans, and Adam takes a month out of each year to visit the living rooms of his fans around the country.
If you haven’t connected with Adam Ezra Group yet, these are just a few examples to help understand how this underground, Americana songwriter and his bandmates seem to have popped out of nowhere, establishing a connection with their fans unlike any other, and are suddenly selling out theaters throughout the Northeast.
Adam Ezra will joke with you that while the “nowhere” part might be accurate, nothing has ever just “popped” for this folk musician, activist. Without resources, connections, or any kind of clue how the music world works, Ezra began playing shows over 20 years ago. He played bars, bookstores, fields, and parking lots, often raising money for causes he cared about; a practice that grew into his nonprofit organization RallySound.
So how did this band operating so far outside the traditional music world come to win New England Music Award’s “Americana Act of the Year” in 2023? What could have happened to inspire John Oates to call Adam and invite him to begin a songwriting friendship that would lead to John producing their upcoming release and co-write, “Hold Each Other Now”? What happened to catch the attention of The Wallflowers, who recently invited AEG to join them on their spring tour, or SPIN Magazine who recently proclaimed, “This Independent Underground Folk Band Is Blowing Up Without Selling Out”?
If you ask Adam, he’ll tell you: “One person at a time, over many years and thousands of shows, decided to turn their heads to listen… It’s no fairytale, but it sure makes me proud and humbled when I look out from the stage to watch theaters full of people singing along to our music.”
These days you’ll find Adam and his bandmates, Corinna Smith (Fiddle), Poche Ponce (Bass), and Alex Martin (Percussion), constantly out on the road. If you look at their tour schedule now, you can buy tickets to see them at festivals, rock venues, and theaters around the country, but you will also see their tour continuously peppered with activism and grassroots events; a testament to an artist who will never forget where he came from, and whose mission is about much more than music.

Riders in the Sky
2024-11-15 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
For more than forty years, Riders In The Sky have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing Western music. And while remaining true to the integrity of the genre, they have themselves become modern-day icons by branding it with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit, and all along encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!”
Riders In The Sky are stars of the stage, screen, the Grand Ole Opry, National Public Radio, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Saturday morning TV, and are the only exclusively Western artist to have won a Grammy Award. They truly are “America’s Favorite Cowboys!

Tall Heights
2024-11-16 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Tall Heights wants to share a moment with you. A moment in New England, a moment on Earth. With their 2024 release, Softly Softly, Paul Wright (cello/vocals) and Tim Harrington (guitar/vocals) reject isolation; both the universal experience of the early 2020s, and its sound recording definition where different instruments are recorded separately. Harrington explains, “The opposite of isolation in recording is bleed, where you hear the drums and guitar through the vocal mic because everything is happening in the same room. It’s risky because you can’t easily change it later. You’re stuck with whatever you get. Bleeding is just the perfect word for it. It’s scary and it sometimes hurts.”
After the pandemic, Ben Folds invited the Boston-based duo to Nashville to make his latest album, “What Matters Most” (New West 2023). Following this month-long apprenticeship under Folds, Tall Heights became focused on records that testify to a specific place and time. They started drawing inspiration from classic Simon and Garfunkel albums like Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Their focus narrowed to “something pretty simple actually,” Wright explains, “to capture a real moment with real people in an actual room.”
For 10 days in rural Massachusetts, the childhood friends captured brand new songs in an old fashioned way. The album maintains their unique vocal blend, which has earned them nearly half a billion streams, but it feels more spontaneous and timeless than their previous work. Softly Softly is out everywhere October 18, 2024.

Cris Jacobs
2024-11-17 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Due to a building issue, tonight’s Cris Jacobs show has been canceled. We’re working on a rescheduled date, and will notify ticket buyers once one has been confirmed. Hold on to your tickets – they will be good for the new date!
From Baltimore comes Cris Jacobs—an unexpectedly gritty soul-blues singer and guitarist with outlaw country ethos. Blending a variety of musical traditions, Jacobs creates a distinctive voice and sound of his own punctuated by emotive songwriting and explosive guitar playing. Equally at home playing heartfelt Americana ballads or funky blues rockers, Jacobs is known for his mesmerizing live shows, where his improvisational guitar playing, powerhouse band, and deep reservoir of songs make each night a unique experience.
Named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know” in 2017, Jacobs has collaborated with the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville, and earned opening slots on tours with Sturgill Simpson and Steve Winwood.
With three solo albums to his name, a collaborative record with Ivan Neville aptly titled “Neville Jacobs”, songwriting credits that include bluegrass artists Audie Blaylock and Frank Solivan, New Orleans funksters Dumpstaphunk, and gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama, Jacobs continues to evolve and display his wide range of writing and performing prowess. “No matter the song”, he says, “I just like to keep it soulful and let the music speak for itself”

Andrew Marlin Stringband
2024-11-18 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Andrew Marlin is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Chapel Hill, NC. His latest solo record, Phthalo Blue, is out now! The album features all original music by Andrew, recorded around one mic at The Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, TN. In addition to Marlin on mandolin, the music showcases a slew of frequent collaborators including Stephanie Coleman (fiddle), Allison de Groot (banjo), Clint Mullican (bass), Josh Oliver (guitar), and Nat Smith (cello) – engineered by Sean Sullivan.
Along with this new release, and his three previous instrumental collections (Fable & Fire, Witching Hour and Buried in a Cape) Marlin has produced six albums of original works of American roots music with Watchhouse, has formed the bluegrass group Mighty Poplar (with collaborators Critter Eldridge, Greg Garrison, Alex Hargreaves and Noam Pikelny) and regularly contributes instrumental performances to other artists and albums. He’s recently played mandolin on recordings for Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Plains, Dead Tongues and Phil Cook. Marlin is also an in-demand producer, and has produced albums for artists including Mipso, Kate Rhudy, Rachel Baiman and Ismay.
Over the last decade, he has toured with all three of his projects throughout the U.S and Europe and appeared on high profile programs such CBS This Morning’s Saturday Morning Sessions, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, and headlined sold-out notable rooms including the Ryman and Red Rocks.

Amythyst Kiah
2024-11-19 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, Amythyst Kiah’s new album Still + Bright explores the vast expanse of her inner world: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural world, the life lessons learned in her formative years as a self-described “anime-nerd mall goth.” In dreaming up the backdrop to her revelatory storytelling, Kiah and Walker arrived at a darkly cinematic and exhilarating twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough album Wary + Strange—an LP that landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021 and drew acclaim from major outlets like Pitchfork. With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars and industrial-leaning beats to gilded pedal steel and Kiah’s exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright fully affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth.
On Wary + Strange, Kiah offered up a collection of spellbinding songs detailing her experience with grief and trauma and alienation, each illuminating the extraordinary impact of her songwriting. An electrifying showcase for her singular musicality and soul-stirring voice, Kiah’s Rounder Records debut soon found many leading critics hailing her as a formidable new talent, adding to a list of accolades that includes earning a Grammy nomination for her powerhouse anthem “Black Myself.”
While Still + Bright undoubtedly finds Kiah pushing into new emotional and musical terrain, the album also makes for a vital new addition to a body of work largely dedicated to exploring the struggle and joy of true self-discovery. “With all of my music, I’d love to leave people with the feeling that it’s okay to go off the beaten path and to structure your life in a way that feels right to you,” says Kiah. “And just like with the last record, I hope that these songs can help people out if they’re going through a difficult time. That’s what I always hope for more than anything: for my music to continue to be a part of the healing process for anyone who might need it.”

Philip Bowen
2024-11-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Born and raised in West Virginia, Philip Bowen’s uplifting sound is heavily inspired by Appalachian roots. The dynamic, internationally touring singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began playing fiddle at the age of four, & his virtuoso skills have become quite popular, with over 1.5 Million followers online. He’s played iconic venues like The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd & Lindsley, and been a featured performer on NPR’s “Mountain Stage.” 2023 was a breakout year for Bowen, and saw him share the stage with legends like Darius Rucker, finish as a semifinalist on Season 18 of America’s Got Talent, earn a spotlight at Americanafest, and release his debut album, “Old Kanawha.” In addition to his work as a touring artist, he is an accomplished session player with over 100 credits to his name for a wide range of artists including Noah Kahan, Zandi Holup, Brandon Davis, Styles Haury, Jenna Paulette, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, & more
He continues to release his original music, spreading his message of positivity to an audience that has been growing rapidly. With guest spots on Ross Golan’s “And the demo is…” and praise from American Songwriter, Whiskey Riff, Rolling Stone, The Bluegrass Situation, No Depression, and Atwood Magazine, it’s easy to see why the Nashville Songwriters Association International dubbed this inspirational artist “one to watch.”

Chris DuPont // Spencer LaJoye
2024-11-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Chris DuPont is a proud Michigan-native tunesmith, endlessly reimagining the indie/folk paradigm. With an unmistakable ethereal tenor, diverse fingerstyle guitar work, and a taste for the cinematic, DuPont steers the classic eloquence and lyricism of 70’s Americana into the iridescent haze of indie pop. His songs are dreamy tapestries that ask questions about love, permanence, grief, lineage, and the frailty of human memory.
Spencer LaJoye makes queer indie folk music for everyone. With a coy smile, a wink to the back row, and carefree expertise, they spin their crystalline vocals through a loop pedal while strumming the weathered acoustic guitar they acquired for leading worship in high school. LaJoye is an East Coast singer/songwriter with Midwest roots, a classically-trained violinist with a proclivity for Broadway vocals, and a student of Americana music with a theology degree hanging in their studio.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
2024-11-22 19:30 - 23:00 | Masonic Jack White Theatre, 500 Temple Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, United States
Gillian Welch’s rich and remarkable career spans over twenty-five years, and she and her musical partner David Rawlings are a pillar of the modern acoustic music world. They have been hailed by Pitchfork as “modern masters of American folk” and “protectors of the American folk song” by Rolling Stone.
After moving to Nashville in the early 1990s, Welch was launched into the public consciousness when Emmylou Harris recorded a cover of Welch’s “Orphan Girl.” Her career continued to flourish as her 1996 debut Revival, produced by T Bone Burnett, was released to critical acclaim. Firmly on the roots music map following the release, Welch followed up that GRAMMY nominated album release with 1998’s Hell Among The Yearlings, a stark duet record with Rawlings, further solidifying the duo as a force in the folk music scene.
For her work as executive producer as well as a performer and songwriter on the eight times platinum O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Welch was awarded the Album of the Year GRAMMY, and was simultaneously nominated for her own Time (The Revelator) which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of the 2000s and is widely considered by critics to be one of the best albums of all time. This release was Welch-Rawlings’ first on their own record label, Acony Records, helping to establish the duo’s fierce commitment to independent music.
Artist presale 7/23 10am
Spotify presale 7/24 10am
Public on sale 7/25 10am

Dick Siegel Trio
2024-11-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Dick Siegel emerged as a noteworthy songwriter of the Detroit/Ann Arbor music scene in the 1980s, releasing his first first album, Snap!, to critical acclaim and soon garnering attention far beyond the confines of his adopted state of Michigan. Since then, Siegel has been performing his blend of American folk, blues, jazz, and R&B on stages from New York City’s Bottom Line to the Vancouver Folk Festival. Considered a songwriter’s songwriter, Siegel was honored by WDET as one of “Detroit’s Top Musical Artists of All Time.” Siegel will be joined by his long-time musical partner guitarist Dave Roof and upright bassist Charlie Reischl to bring his irresistible and exuberant music to life. Strains of American folk, blues, jazz and r&b weave through Dick’s songs in classics like “Angelo’s” and “What Would Brando Do?” Sometimes there’s a hint of Hank Williams … a bit of Louis Jordan, Bob Dylan … the zaniness of Spike Jones… even a little T.S. Eliot meets the Beatles.
Songwriter and indie-folk artist Maddy Ringo opens.

Mr. B
2024-11-23 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Born in Flint and a true Michigan institution, Mr. B (Mark Braun) is a rare living link to the early days of boogie woogie, having learned directly from legends like Little Brother Montgomery and Blind John Davis. He plays in concert halls, he plays outdoors, he’s even played on a piano he towed by swimming out to Mackinac Island, but wherever you hear him, it’s an exciting show. Each year Mr. B stops in at The Ark for a Thanksgiving weekend concert, and it always brings something new. If you’re a regular at these November shows, note that this year’s is the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Tonight’s show celebrates the release of Mr. B’s new album, “Blues Piano Today.” Mr. B will be joined on stage by Detroit drummer, Leonard King.

Jane Siberry
2024-11-24 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Iconic and enigmatic, Jane Siberry is one of music’s most unique and gifted singer-songwriters. Blessed with a sincere integrity and emotional depth, she has released 14 studio albums, including her well-loved signature song Calling All Angels. Jane’s songs have been covered by numerous artists, including k.d. lang with her stunning renditions of Love is Everything and the 23rd Psalm-inspired The Valley.
She is recognized as a forward-thinking artist, using her creativity both in song and in how she operates in the music business. She was one of the first to set up “self-determined transactions” (pwyw). She continues to explore ways to live healthily as an artist creating an online style-store, webinars, “Janetakes” (feedback for artists) and passive income streams in order to “keep the joy up” and to remain aware that “it is a privilege to be a musician.”

The Ark Annual Membership Meeting
2024-11-25 18:30 - 23:00 | MI
Become a Member
The Ark will hold the Annual Meeting of its Members on Monday, November 25 at 6:30 pm. This year’s Annual Meeting will be held virtually by Zoom. At this meeting, the Membership will hear about the current state of The Ark and conduct any membership-related business that may come before the group.
All current Annual Members and anyone who has become an Introductory Member since September 1, 2023 are eligible to attend. You must pre-register by email to receive a link to attend the meeting. An invitation will be sent in mid November to all eligible members who provided us with an email address and permission to use it.

Heather Mae
2024-11-26 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Heather Mae, the acclaimed social justice singer-songwriter, fearlessly bares her soul in her music, creating an intimate space of shared vulnerability for her listeners. Her unbridled honesty, both on and off stage, has cultivated a devoted fanbase and garnered recognition, including accolades like the winner of the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Artist-Activist of the Year award.
In her 2019 release, “Glimmer,” Heather Mae crafts a luminescent masterpiece, drawing parallels to vocal powerhouses Adele and Sara Bareilles. With storytelling depth reminiscent of Florence Welch, the record uniquely centers on mental health, with each lyric unveiling a portrait of resilience and self-discovery.
Positioned on the cusp of unveiling her upcoming post-pandemic double record, Mae embarked on a mission to address the stark gender disparity for music producers—a mere 4% representation by women. In 2023, Heather Mae rallied a dynamic collective of women and non-binary talents in Nashville, assembling luminaries like producer ZDAN and Lollies, alongside guest artists such as Grammy award-winning musician Allison Russell and the extraordinary duo Sistastrings. Together, they crafted two electrifying albums in two distinct genres, showcasing the unparalleled talent and versatility of women and non-binary music makers.
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.
Tonight’s show is FREE (nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers).

Matt Watroba
2024-11-29 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
What could be better than to kick off the holiday season with a Michigan folk music institution? Matt Watroba, longtime radio host and 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 several 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. We think a Matt Watroba concert makes a great November tradition.
Matt is turning this annual event into a grand community singing gathering! He’ll be joined by a couple dozen or more musical friends from our Michigan music community to be his choir and he’ll lead all of us in song after uplifting song! Proceeds will benefit the Women’s Center of Southeast Michigan.

Jo Serrapere
2024-11-30 20:00 - 23:00 | MI
Whether recreating old classic songs or performing original songs in her own deeply confessional and comic styles, Jo Serrapere’s music stands original while always reflecting her love of American roots music. Her eclectic writing and performance fuses elements of various modern and traditional folk music, Delta and electric blues, roots rock, classic and alt-country, garage rock, surf, and swing. Tonight Jo and her band perform songs off her new records, “The Beautiful Ones” Vol. I & II.

Gemini
2024-12-01 13:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Gemini is the much-loved duo of Sandor and Laszlo Slomovits. They’ve been performing since 1973 and are now playing music for the third—or is it fourth?—generation of young fans and families. They write and perform acoustic music for children and families, celebrating with their audiences the warmth, fun, and joy of family life. A Gemini concert is a kinetic event, filled with rousing singalongs, hand motion tunes, folk tales, and music from around the world. Since 1979 San and Laz have released numerous recordings for adults and children and families. These recordings have won a number of awards including ones from Parents’ Choice Magazine, the American Library Association, the National Parenting Publications (NAPPA), and the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Gemini will be joined by Emily on vocals and violin, as well as by their friend and award-winning keyboard player, Brian Brill.
Gemini’s annual Thanksgiving weekend concert is a benefit for Mott Children’s Hospital. Emily, San’s daughter, was born and cared for in the Holden NICU of Mott 30 years ago, and this is their annual “Thank You” concert.

The Howard Levy 4 and Madcat's C.A.R.Ma. Quartet
2024-12-01 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Howard Levy is a master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, educator, and producer. At the age of 19, he discovered how to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument by developing techniques on it that had never existed before. This enabled Howard to take the harmonica out of its usual role as a Folk and Blues instrument, and into the worlds of Jazz, Classical, Middle Eastern music, and more. His discovery unlocked infinite possibilities for the harmonica world.
Peter Madcat Ruth’s C.A.R.Ma. Quartet features eclectic traditional and improvisational music played by four veteran Ann Arbor musicians: John Churchville on tabla, Brennan Andes on bass, guitarist Dan Ripke, and harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth.

The Bygones
2024-12-03 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
It’s human nature to look back, and to try to make sense of that which has gone by. For the luminous indie folk duo of Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young, it’s a question not only of what should be relinquished, but also what might be worth taking with you. “There’s goodness in every decade of
music. And there’s goodness in every season of life,” Josh shares. “For us, it’s about finding what’s golden in the past and bringing that forward.”
The pair share an eclectic nostalgia for sounds of the past—Jazz and Classical, Golden Age musicals, big bands of the ‘40s, singer-songwriters of the ‘60s, dewy indie rock of the early 2010s—as well as a passion for instrumental music and covers. These points of connection began online, culminated in an impromptu recording session in Nashville, and compelled an unexpected path forward.
The duo’s first release together, a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” gathered massive enthusiasm online as well as the fervent demand of one UK promoter that they tour overseas. Josh and Allison accepted the invitation and rushed to record an EP to have something—anything—to play for audiences, audiences which sold out venues and applauded The (yet-to-be-named) Bygones with standing ovations before they even strummed a note. “It didn’t make any sense,” Josh says. “We weren’t a band yet.” But to see The Bygones live is to comprehend the hype. Allison’s stylish, luminescent presence and vocal finesse, Josh’s astonishing technical aptitude, and the palpable joy in their onstage dynamic create a live show experience that demands multiple encores.
Rather than a band asking the world to listen, the world asked these two musicians to be a band. Their debut album ‘The Bygones’ was released April 4, 2024 on Tonetree.

Antje Duvekot & Seth Glier
2024-12-04 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
The earth speaks to us in a myriad of ways — through ice cores, through uplift and erosion, through tree rings — languages we have the potential to restore our literacy in. Reconnecting with these quiet messages has set Seth Glier, an avid mushroom forager and a Grammy-nominated artist from Western Massachusetts, on a path of channeling nature’s longing for communion with humanity into song. His new album, “Everything,” is a collection of eight songs inviting us to imagine a future in which humans and the planet are re-aligned into mutual restoration.
Antje Duvekot is a compelling live performer and a crafter of intricate, closely observed songs. She’s the winner of some of the top songwriting awards, including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the prestigious Kerrville (TX) “Best New Folk Award” and, in one of the nation’s top music markets, the Boston Music Award for “Outstanding Folk Act”, three of the top prizes in the singer songwriter world. Antje comes to The Ark with her fifth studio album, “New Wild West,” released September 15th.

Jeffrey Foucault
2024-12-05 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
In two decades on the road Jeffrey Foucault has become one of the most distinctive voices in American music, refining a sound instantly recognizable for its simplicity and emotional power. With a string of critically acclaimed studio albums – “Stark, literate songs that are as wide open as the landscape of his native Midwest” (The New Yorker), “Beat-up troubadour folk whittled to dolorous perfection” (Uncut), “Songwriting Brilliance,” (Irish Times) – he’s built a brick-and-mortar international touring career and a devoted following, one that includes luminaries like Van Dyke Parks, Greil Marcus, and Don Henley.
In September of 2024 Jeffrey Foucault will release THE UNIVERSAL FIRE (Fluff & Gravy, 9/6/24), his first album of entirely new material since 2018. A series of high-voltage performances cut live in one room, the album is both a working wake – Foucault lost his best friend and drummer Billy Conway, to cancer in 2021 – and a meditation on the nature of beauty, artifact, and loss.
Augmenting Foucault’s all-star band with members of Calexico and Bon Iver (drummer John Convertino and producer/saxophonist Mike Lewis) THE UNIVERSAL FIRE sets Conway’s death against the massive 2008 fire at the Universal Studios lot in California that destroyed the master recordings of some of our bedrock American music, to interrogate ideas about mortality, legacy, meaning, and calling.

BLKBOK
2024-12-06 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Born and raised in Detroit, BLKBOK was immersed in a household filled with music. Showing exceptional talent, he quickly made a name for himself as a piano prodigy, garnering recognition and willing prestigious competitions at both the statewide and college levels by the time he was 8. His live performances are an electrifying display of energy and cultural resonance, aiming to captivate audiences like never before with his unique piano-based showmanship.
His explosive and immersive live music experiences have earned him a reputation for engaging and enthralling audiences with his extraordinary talent. With an extensive background in the music industry, he is no stranger to hard work and dedication. He has toured as a lead pianist and musical director, accompanying artists such as Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, and collaborating with productions such as Cirque du Soleil. Through his diverse experiences, he continues to deliver breathtaking performances that leave a lasting impact on all who witness his extraordinary musical prowess.

An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine
2024-12-07 20:00 - 23:00 | MI
2024 Christmas Tour Thoughts:
One December, not long after Over the Rhine began recording and touring, we were invited to perform some seasonal songs on a public radio station in Cincinnati. It was Christmastime and apparently they thought we were up to the task. We worked up a few carols and traditional tunes and Karin even read a poem by Thomas Hardy called, The Oxen.
It actually felt really good and conjured up an unusual mix of feelings from childhood: innocence, loss, wonder, joy, sadness. I think we were surprised.
People must have tuned into the radio broadcast, because we began receiving inquiries as to whether we had recorded any of our Christmas songs. I don’t think we had considered it at the time, but any young, struggling songwriter is open to the suggestions of the marketplace, and people were persistent.
In December of 1996 – can it really be over 25 years ago? – we recorded and released our first song cycle of some of the Christmas carols that still haunted us. We included a few original tunes and called our wintry mix The Darkest Night Of The Year. We played a special “darkest night” release concert on winter solstice in an old 1300-seat theater in Cincinnati. Every last seat was full. Folks began snatching up copies and seemed to agree that they hadn’t heard anything quite like it.
We began playing concerts around the Midwest every December and found that the rooms were usually packed full of people who had bundled in out of the cold with prized compatriots. Hats and scarves abounded. If you stepped outside during intermission, you could make ghosts with your breath in the crisp night air. And it was dark – oh so dark: a time of year with its own music.
A decade later, in 2006, we released our first full collection of original Christmas/holiday songs called Snow Angels. What is it about Christmas music and the undeniable gravitational pull it exerts on some songwriters? So many Christmas songs have already been written. I think we are genuinely curious about the ones that haven’t yet been written.
We continued to tour every December and these special year-winding-down concerts began to feel like an annual tradition – gatherings of extended musical family, without whom, we’d be homeless.
By the time we released our third holiday album of original songs, Blood Oranges In The Snow, in December of 2014, Karin suggested we had discovered a new genre of music: Reality Christmas.
It’s true: if you’ve buried a loved one, or lost a job, or battled a chronic illness, that stuff doesn’t go away during the holidays. It can be a complicated season for many of us.
And then there’s family.
When Karin and I make the annual holiday pilgrimage home to visit family and pull into the driveway and turn off the car, one of us inevitably looks over at the other and says, “Tie a rope around my waist, I’m goin’ in.”
In 2024, more than 25 years after releasing our first holiday CD, we are still at it. This year, we will be leaning into some harmonies and making an intimate but hopefully holy ruckus. It won’t be all Christmas music: we’ll certainly mix in tunes from many of our records along the way. But hopefully it’s still true: hopefully you haven’t heard anything quite like it.
Maybe a midnight snow will fall and turn each streetlight into its own private snow globe. Maybe, regardless of whatever reality Christmas brings, we’ll hear a faint echo of a song once rumored to have been sung by angels, a song of peace on earth, goodwill toward all… We’ve never heard anything quite like it.
We hope you’ll join us,
Linford Detweiler
With Karin close by
Nowhere Else
Clinton County, Ohio

The Empty Pockets
2024-12-08 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Fill the holidays with rock and modern blues! Chicago’s Billboard chart-topping quartet The Empty Pockets are bringing their ‘MistleTunes’ Holiday Concert to town. Seasonal classics like “Silent Night” and “Run Run Rudolph” are given new life through this band’s joyful energy. Plus, fresh and fun original songs like “Party at the North Pole” and “Snow Day” are a welcome change from the same-old-songs, year after year. Join The Empty Pockets, as they ignite a bright flame by harnessing a joyful friction between Americana, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll spiked with roots soul.

Johnny Delaware
2024-12-10 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Johnny grew up in South Dakota surrounded by cornfields and gravel roads. He became a state champion runner in high school and later attended college on a scholarship. In his dorm room he started recording and producing music but eventually left college to pursue his passion full-time. In his mid-twenties, he relocated to Charleston, SC and released his album “Secret Wave” with the help of his friend and producer Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses, Susto). While in Charleston, Johnny helped produce and record various artists’ records and co-created the band SUSTO. In 2016, he left the band to start the prog-rock group The Artisanals. After touring internationally as the frontman, Johnny is now focusing on his solo work. His new album, “Para Llevar,” is set to release in November 2024 with the New West Records team.
