The Ark

The Myriad Project
2025-10-30 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.
The Myriad Project is a Michigan-based, emerging electroacoustic chamber music group made of oboe, bassoon, and electric violin with loop station. The ensemble creates a unique sound that mixes together the colorful, more traditionally classical timbres of oboe and bassoon, with the more modern sound of the electric violin, and the immersive textures created by the loop station. Myriad Project performances are characterized by imaginative sound worlds, innovative techniques and fun concert experiences for audiences.

Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective & Blueshouse
2025-10-31 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.
Ann Arbor’s Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective is a proudly intergenerational group, sharing instruments, knowledge, kindness, and talent across eras. Instruments you might hear in the music of the collective include not only ukuleles but also guitar, flute, percussion, harmonica, accordion, mandolin, mandola, bass, piano, and melodica. The group is inspired by the idea that music cuts across diverse cognitive capabilities and resources, including numeracy, language, and space perception.
Mike Brooks, veteran blues guitar player/singer/songwriter from the UK has been playing guitar since the age of 10, and professionally since the age of 16. His musical career and accolades are many and varied, but include hitting the UK charts in 1979 (#28 on “the New Wave of British Heavy Metal” despite being a blues band), getting a cease and desist order from Walt Disney Corp for using a band name too close to that of a cartoon mouse, opening for bands such as the Yardbirds, the Animals, Wishbone Ash and Nine Below Zero, and playing in some of the most famous venues anywhere such as London’s Marquee, and, well, The Ark! In addition to leading BLUESHOUSE and fronting the Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective, he also works with Ann Arbor’s youth at the Neutral Zone, a continuation of a youth music project begun in the UK called Electric896, which taught disengaged youth how to rock the blues.
Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor is a local nonprofit affiliate of The International Cancer Support Community (CSC), opening our doors in 2007. The Cancer Support Community is the largest and most comprehensive program in the country devoted solely to providing emotional support and education to people with cancer, their caregivers and children – all free of charge.

Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen
2025-11-01 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
“Two singer-songwriters sit on the edge of a cliff…”
With these words, we are drawn into the world of Both Sides Now – a theatrical concert that explores the music and lives of long-time friends and one-time lovers, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Created by, and starring Robbie Schaefer and Danielle Wertz, the cabaret-style performance traverses decades alongside songs such as A Case of You, Hallelujah, Big Yellow Taxi, Suzanne, and many more. Both Sides Now is at once a piece of the 60’s and 70’s, and of right now — offering us a story about the messiness of being human, of lives persistently lived at the edge of growth, and of finding the courage to turn toward one another, again and again.
Robbie Schaefer
Robbie is a rabbi, singer-songwriter and theatre/film artist. The guitarist and songwriter for the indie folk band Eddie From Ohio has several solo releases as well, including the 2023 single Under the Sun.
He is currently at work on a new musical, The Blue Poppy, an Irish-Jewish ghost story written in collaboration with Scottish playwright Grace Barnes, and Songs From The Wilderness, a new album of Jewish musical midrash (interpretation), due for release in early 2026.
Danielle Wertz
Danielle is a storyteller, collaborator, jazz musician, composer and arranger. After being named a 2015 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition semi-finalist, Danielle independently released her debut album, Intertwined, which ranked #4 on Capital Bop’s list of “Best DC Jazz Albums of 2017.” That same year she placed 2nd in the Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and 3rd in the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Vocal Competition.
In 2023 Danielle released her sophomore album, Other Side. With this project she made a quantum leap as a composer and conceptualist. The album pairs her original compositions with carefully crafted arrangements of standards from the Great American Songbook. Jazziz called the album “expressive and polished” and Jazz Weekly noticed a “Joni Mitchell’d tenderness to her material.”

Finding Lucinda a film screening and music performance by ISMAY
2025-11-02 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.
Finding Lucinda is a brand-new documentary that traces the early artistic journey of the iconic Lucinda Williams. The film follows Avery Hellman, who performs under the name ISMAY, on a cross-country exploration of Lucinda’s influences and legacy. Along the way, Avery sits down with Americana legends, including Buddy Miller, Charlie Sexton, Mary Gauthier — and Lucinda herself.
This evening includes a live acoustic performance by ISMAY with special guests, a screening of the 62-minute film, and a post-film Q&A with ISMAY. Proceeds support The Ark in honor of our 60th anniversary year.

Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band
2025-11-03 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.
Hey Everyone!!! I have a new song, “You Won’t Dig My Grave”, out now. It’s the opening track on my upcoming album, ‘I Believe in You, My Honeydew’, which is out 9/12. I’m really, really excited about this record.
As you can imagine, the Royal City Band and I are really looking forward to hitting the road this November, playing a bunch of these new songs, and a load of other things as well.
When a bunch of people partake in music together, the bonds of the material world fray and we can sometimes hear other voices more clearly. Certainly, that’s why I play at all. It is a magical experience and that door stands open to all of us. Come and be a part.
– Josh Ritter

Hot Tuna
2025-11-04 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.
Hot Tuna, an iconic American blues rock band, has been delivering a profound musical experience to audiences pushing six decades. With founding members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady at its helm, the band has constantly evolved, continually injecting fresh energy and improvisation into their sound.
Their live performances are legendary and known for their spontaneity and energy. The band’s ability to improvise and create unique musical moments on stage has garnered them a dedicated following. Each concert is a testament to their musicianship and deep connection with the audience.
Hot Tuna’s journey is a testament to the enduring power of passion, creativity, and innovation. From their roots in Jefferson Airplane to their status as blues-rock legends, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady have left an indelible mark on the music world. Hot Tuna remains one of American music’s most innovative Rock and Roll bands, continuing to inspire and captivate audiences with their timeless sound and unwavering dedication to their craft.

S. G. Goodman
2025-11-05 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.
S.G. Goodman returns from the Western Kentucky bottomland with her latest full-length album, Planting by the Signs, Available June 20, 2025 on her very own Slough Water Records via Thirty Tigers. Composed of songs inspired by love, loss, reconciliation, and the aforementioned ancient practice. Eleven tracks highlighted by the critically-acclaimed and award-winning artist’s singular voice and her penchant for juxtaposing vulnerable folk music with punchy rock ‘n roll, replete with chiming guitars, ethereal atmospherics, and her DIY ethos. Goodman provides a timely reminder that the only way forward is together, and that we must always take into account humanity’s dependence on and responsibility to the natural world.
Tonight’s show sponsored by DARTBANK Wealth

The Rebel Eves
2025-11-06 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.
The Rebel Eves started with a “stars-aligning” type of friendship and musical collaboration. Composed of three Michigan bred award winning songwriters, Katie Pederson, Grace Theisen and Jilian Linklater have spent the better part of the last decade writing, touring, and harmonizing across the country with successful solo careers. They have quickly won over the hearts of their audiences with their honest storytelling, hair raising harmonies, and compelling lyricism that makes for true listening room moments attendees won’t soon forget. Cultivating moments of vulnerability, laughter, original songs, and incredible 3-part harmonies in their shows, they can promise you will walk away feeling inspired, connected, and hopeful. Their first EP, Shake The Ground, will be out this September. You can hear the first two singles off this album, American Dream and Rebel Eve on all streaming platforms. Their full length album will be out in the spring of 2026.

Rachael & Vilray
2025-11-07 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.
Since their formation in 2015, Brooklyn-based duo Rachael & Vilray have achieved a certain timeless quality with their singular take on traditional pop. Though rooted in the language of an earlier age, their songs transcend nostalgia with wit and a flair for the theatrical. On their third album West of Broadway, vocalist Rachael Price (also of Lake Street Dive) and guitarist/singer/songwriter Vilray evolve their music’s previous dreaminess to achieve a refreshing angularity built on left-of-center instrumentation (e.g., vibraphone and alto saxophone coasting above the moody strains of baritone sax and trombone). Produced by Dan Knobler (Allison Russell, Bahamas), West of Broadway unfolds in a series of sharply drawn vignettes inspired by a recent fascination with classic musicals—bringing their luminous vocals to offbeat tales of love and heartache along city streets.
Recorded at the legendary Sear Sound in Manhattan, West of Broadway took shape with the help of renowned musicians like saxophonist Steve Wilson (a former member of Chick Corea’s Origin sextet) and drummer John Riley (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie). Over the course of 10 lush and effervescent tracks, the album delivers standouts like “Love Comes Around” (a joyously romantic piece that set the direction for the LP’s West Coast jazz-inspired aesthetic), “My Key to Gramercy Park” (a fantastically salty number narrated by a well-to-do character who lives in lonely suspicion of all those who covet their key to the notoriously exclusive private park), and “Off Broadway” (on which golden-voiced comedian Stephen Colbert joins in for what the duo dubs an “oddly grumpy anti-Broadway screed”). Thanks in large part to the colorful detail and extravagant personality of Rachael & Vilray’s storytelling, West of Broadway ultimately immerses the audience in an exquisitely out-of-time vision of their beloved New York City.
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Blue LLama with support from media sponsors WEMU and ann arbor’s 107one

Susan Werner
2025-11-08 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.
Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship.
Although best known as an acoustic songwriter that came up through coffeehouses and folk festivals, the Chicago-based artist has written songs in the style of Gershwin and Cole Porter (I Can’t Be New, 2004), gospel music (The Gospel Truth, 2007), traditional Cuban “son” (An American In Havana, 2016), and New Orleans junk piano (NOLA, 2019). In 2014 she composed the music and lyrics to the musical theater score Bull Durham, The Musical (MGM). Her songs have been recorded by Tom Jones, Michael Feinstein, and Shemekia Copeland, and her latest recording of originals, The Birds of Florida, took flight in 2022.

An Acoustic Toast: Celebrating The Ark at Brunch with Susan Werner
2025-11-09 12:00 - 14:00 | The Kensington Hotel, 3500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
A special brunch fundraiser for The Ark with Susan Werner to celebrate The Ark’s 60th Anniversary including:

Assorted breakfast and brunch food including a mimosa or Bloody Mary
Performance by Susan Werner
Photo opportunities with Susan Werner
Each ticket includes a $100 tax-deductible contribution to The Ark
Note: does not include a ticket to Susan’s 11/8 show at The Ark

Mon Rovîa
2025-11-09 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
“I’m Mon, born in Mon Rovia, Liberia. My life can be summed up by being born into a civil war, escaping the life of a child soldier, rescued by the hands of missionaries. Spent a lot of my developmental years living in a variety of places with a number of life experiences. And then layered on top of all of this is the assimilation I felt being a transracially adopted refugee. My music in a nutshell is a culmination of these experiences blended with the empathy I feel for the experiences with others. The mission of my music is to heal with others – with every nation and tongue, in due time.”
Mon Rovîa has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting Hurricane Helene relief in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of TN. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to building and improving homes for families in need. As a local affiliate, Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee is actively responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. While immediate emergency response is ongoing, Habitat for Humanity’s primary role will be in the long-term recovery of disaster-stricken communities.

Veterans for Peace Concert
2025-11-11 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.
This annual concert benefits the Veterans for Peace Chapter 93 Peace Scholarship Fund. Proceeds will go to scholarships for college students enrolled in an accredited peace studies program and for programs to assist combat veterans suffering from serious trauma. This year’s lineup includes Laith Al-Saadi, Judy Banker, Al Bettis, Dave Boutette and Kristi Davis, Chris Buhalis, Annie & Rod Capps, Rochelle Clark, Lauren Crane, Dave Keeney & Sophie Hanifi, Shari Kane & Dave Steele, Billy King, Pontiac Trailblazers, Maddy Ringo, Michael Smith, Rollie Tussing, and Matt Watroba.
Note early start time!

Bob Schneider & Rhett Miller
2025-11-12 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.
Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and former frontman of 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 draws inspiration from the ’70s with a modern twist. His lyrics, both playful and powerful, tackle tough subjects about alienation, addiction, and lost romance.
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 music history. He has released more than a dozen albums (with a new one on the way). He has also written over 1,000 songs, is a published author and an avid painter and collage artist. He does all this while playing over a hundred shows a year and he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Texas native Rhett Miller is perhaps best known as the frontman of the Dallas-based alt-country band the Old 97’s, although he has also pursued a critically acclaimed solo career. Strictly speaking, Miller launched his own career before the Old 97’s were formed. He recorded his first solo album, a series of acoustic folk songs entitled Mythologies, in 1989. Future Old 97’s bassist (and a solid songwriter in his own right) Murry Hammond produced the album, and their partnership later blossomed into a full-fledged band.
In 2018 Miller released his seventh solo record, The Messenger, on ATO records.
In addition to his songwriting, Miller has also written short stories, essays, and articles that have appeared in Rolling Stone, Salon, The Atlantic, and McSweeney’s.

Sam Grisman Project
2025-11-13 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Sam Grisman is a bass player, music appreciator, and bandleader who grew up in Mill Valley, California in a home where some of the great acoustic music of our time was being recorded on a regular basis. His father, legendary mandolinist, composer, and producer, David Grisman, was constantly having friends come over to his home studio for recording sessions and rehearsals. These friends, such as Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, John Hartford, Mike Seeger, and Tony Rice all left an impression on the younger Grisman and inspired him to pursue a life making music with his many talented friends.
Sam Grisman Project was created to shed light on the music that Sam grew up around, and highlight that music’s influence on the members of the collective and in the greater music community. The friends who make up Sam Grisman Project are a rotating cadre of acousticians who are some of the brightest individual voices on their respective instruments. Members of this rotating cast of instrumental wizards include guitarists Max Flansburg, Logan Ledger, Sam Leslie, Henry Moser, Jesse Harper, and Jefferson Hamer, mandolinists Dominick Leslie, Joe K. Walsh, Matt Flinner, and Jesse Appelman, clawhammer banjo maestro Victor Furtado, fiddlers John Mailander, Alex Hargreaves, Nate Leath, Shad Cobb, and Phoebe Hunt, cellist Nat Smith, and Todd Livingston on the Dobro.
Sam Grisman Project is committed to putting their love, gratitude, and individuality into the music that they share on stage each night, and to participating in the community effort of preserving, expanding, and appreciating great American acoustic music.

The Second City
2025-11-14 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.
Celebrating its 65th anniversary year, the world’s most influential name in comedy, The Second City, is thrilled to return to The Ark with The Best of The Second City!
The Second City opened its doors in 1959 as a small comedy cabaret and has since grown to become the world’s most influential name in improvisation and comedy. Celebrating its 65th year in business on December 16th, 2024, The Second City’s stages, Touring Companies, and Training Centers across North America have proudly been the launch pad and artistic home for many of the funniest performers, writers, directors, and comedy creators on the planet. Our illustrious alumni list includes names such as John Belushi, John Candy, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Eugene Levy, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Suzy Nakamura, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Gilda Radner, Sam Richardson, Joan Rivers, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, and Steven Yeun, among countless others. The Second City has been the first name in laughter for over sixty years.

Adam Ezra Group
2025-11-15 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.
“Welcome to Adam Ezra Group, who, along with nonprofit organization RallySound, host a free festival every summer that raised $151,000 for homeless veterans in 2024.” 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.

Stucchi & The Shepherd album release show
2025-11-16 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.
Ann Arbor’s own Davis Caruso & Giancarlo Robert make up the writer / producer duo that is making .wavs in the industry by taking the road less traveled and building local buzz around a multifaceted web of creatives. Be sure to catch them performing their new soul record entitled “The Way Home” for the first time as a full band featuring local Singer/Songwriter Kyandé, Bass aficionado Andrés Soto & Detroit Artist/ Producer/ Drum wizard David Ward.”

Nick Shoulders
2025-11-18 19:00 - 23:00 | El Club, 4114 W Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI, 48209, United States
“All Bad,” the latest album from Nick Shoulders, ultimately encapsulates everything that makes Nick’s inimitable form of country music so vital: a heady balance of dazzling musicianship and punk defiance, coupled with gritty eccentricity and a generational connection to the roots of the genre. With a singing style inherited from his family’s vocal lineage, Nick’s songs achieve the rare feat of imparting difficult truths while inciting a certain joyful abandon, balancing a sound forged by years of hard travel with a heartfelt reverence for the origins of country music. In the spirit of Hazel Dickens and Jimmy Driftwood, the incisive yet wildly jubilant All Bad vocally objects to the reckless destruction of the natural landscape and development run rampant, while still offering plenty of joy and dance-ready rhythms. Spanning a variety of early country styles, the album’s infectious harmonies shine alongside everything from jangling cajun waltzes to surf-rock infused bluesy ballads–all tied together by a voice seemingly out of place in this century, yet ever ready to speak up about its problems.
Surrounded by a singing style passed down from a time before microphones, Nick’s childhood of bird call whistles and an over-exposure to southern gospel music eventually steered him toward an adolescence drumming for metal and punk bands, and subsequent years as an active illustrator and member of Arkansas’s heavy music scene. After numerous personal calamities and a growing obsession with the rural musical traditions of his lifelong home, Shoulders left the Ozarks and lived out of his van, singing on the street corners of the west while slowly being drawn to the vibrance of the New Orleans dance and busking world. After forming in early 2018, the ‘Okay Crawdad’ band flourished briefly in the wildly talented south Louisiana alt-country scene, culminating in the release of ‘Rather Low’ by the popular YouTube channel Western AF, catapulting Nick’s songs to a vastly wider audience right as Covid-19 and lockdowns ensued. Since then, a rapid ascension into the world of touring music has seen Nick playing alongside the likes of Sierra Ferrell and at major festivals such as Stagecoach. With the hard rhythms and heavenly melodies of their newest release, All Bad, the band manages to concoct a body of work that is at turns sublimely freewheeling and profoundly illuminating, yet primed to permanently warp the listener’s perspective to glorious effect.

An intimate evening with Shovels & Rope
2025-11-18 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.
Shovels & Rope is the Charleston, South Carolina–based duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent. They perform as an energetic two-piece band, stirring up a righteous racket with two old guitars, a handful of harmonicas, the occasional keyboard, and a junkyard drum kit harvested from an actual garbage heap and adorned with tambourines, flowers and kitchen rags. But the songs are the deadliest arrows in this duo’s quiver. Since 2010, Shovels & Rope has been traveling the highways and back roads of North America, logging hundreds of shows and performing for crowds large and small. If you enjoy the tough new strain of Southern songwriting exemplified by Justin Townes Earle, Jason Isbell, the Felice Brothers, Hayes Carll, and Butch Walker, Shovels & Rope are not to be missed.
Shovels & Rope come to The Ark with their latest album, Something is Working Up Above My Head.

The Ark's Open Stage
2025-11-19 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. 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

José González
2025-11-20 19:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
José González is in a class by himself. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “someone whose subtle, carefully crafted music delivers rewards to listeners who know how to wait,” González’s stellar career can only be described as a dream. From selling out tours on virtually every continent to headlining prestigious festivals around the world to being asked to perform at 2020’s Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and seeing his recorded music exceed 1 billion streams, González is one of the most exciting and in-demand touring artists working today. Whether appearing alone with his guitar or with a 20-piece orchestra, or with his band The Brite Lites, or choosing between duo and trio formats, his performances are never merely shows – they are events. And González has every intention of continuing this tradition as he prepares his fully solo tour in support of the eagerly awaited release of his fourth studio album, LOCAL VALLEY.
The visionary singer-songwriter/guitarist’s long-awaited album, and first to contain songs in all of the languages he speaks (English, Spanish and Swedish), LOCAL VALLEY provides a welcome reminder of the Gothenburg, Sweden-based artist’s understated appeal and unabashed intimacy, a quality Billboard praised as “one of the most recognizable sounds in indie rock.” The album finds González once again armed with just a handful of nylon-stringed Spanish guitars, yet this time, technology did creep into the proceedings.
“I allowed myself to loop guitars as I aim to do live with pedals,” González says, “and in my head I was hearing how each track would fit with an orchestra (The String Theory) or my five-piece band (The Brite Lites), with whom I’ve been touring on and off the last decade.”
Four albums in, LOCAL VALLEY finds Jose González, in the words of his new song, “Visions,” still “imagining the worlds that could be/Shaping a mosaic of fates/For all sentient beings.” With LOCAL VALLEY, Jose González once again proves that music doesn’t need to be loud to be heard.

Great Lake Swimmers
2025-11-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Featuring a blend of acoustic instruments, rural soundscapes, and wistful vocals, Great Lake Swimmers are a critically acclaimed indie-folk group led by Tony Dekker. Based in Southern Ontario, the group emerged in the early 2000s with a succession of heavily atmospheric albums recorded in old silos and rural country churches. The music developed in that pastoral warmth, performed and recorded in acoustically resonant and historical locales with a revolving cast of personnel. They are renowned for homespun folk and lush, intimate Americana in their live shows.
Their newest album, Caught Light, out Oct 10, 2025, is their most immediate and instinctive album to date. Recorded in just five days in Ontario’s Ganaraska Forest with producer Darcy Yates (Bahamas) and engineer Jimmy Bowskill (Blue Rodeo), it draws warmth from early ’70s folk-pop while embracing a new spontaneity and directness in Dekker’s songwriting.
Great Lake Swimmers have been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and nominated twice for Canada’s Juno Awards, with the CBC calling them “a national treasure.”

Brett Dennen
2025-11-21 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.
Across his career, Brett Dennen has established himself as the kind of singer-songwriter who finds inspiration by digging into the nooks and crannies of the human condition—exploring pain, joy, sadness, and all points in between. If It Takes Forever (Mick Music), the California native’s eighth solo album and first full-length since 2021’s See the World, is no exception. The warm, immersive collection boasts deeply felt sentiments, underpinned by rich acoustic guitars and Dennen’s earnest vocals, in the vein of dusky Americana (“Golden State of Mind”), harmonica-driven blues (the Tom Petty-esque “Careful What You Wish For”), rootsy indie (“Don’t Go Talking”), and meditative folk-rock (highlight “Time To Wake Up”).
Since debuting in 2004 with a self-titled album, Dennen has amassed a loyal fanbase thanks to a steady touring schedule, including alongside artists like John Mayer, Jason Mraz and G Love and Special Sauce, as well as multiple song placements in the TV show Parenthood. Another tune, “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog),” became the theme song for the TV adaptation About A Boy. Along the way, Dennen has also had multiple top 10 hits on the AAA radio charts, with the keening title track of See the World, an encouraging song about growing up and forging your own path in life, landing at No. 4 in 2021.
With If It Takes Forever, Dennen plans to hit the road once again, but he possesses additional perspective on—and gratitude for—the solace provided by art and music. “To really boil it down, this is life,” he says. “Life is full of things that get complicated and make you busy, and are really hard to deal with. But if you write songs about it, and put it into art, then it makes it a lot more relevant and meaningful and worthy of celebration.”

The Verve Pipe
2025-11-22 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.
With a reputation for spectacular live performances, the genesis of multi-platinum artist The Verve Pipe can be traced back to the early 90s when the principal members of two rival Michigan bands joined forces. After releasing two independent albums, I’ve Suffered A Head Injury and Pop Smear, the group quickly garnered a regional following for its textured rock songs distinguished by innovative arrangements, soul-searching lyrics and layered vocals.
The success of both albums attracted the attention of RCA Records, which released their platinum major label debut Villains in 1996. The album featured the radio hit ‘Photograph’ and the #1 single ‘The Freshmen,’ one of the most successful multi-format tracks of 1997 and winner of an ASCAP Pop Award. Their follow-up release, the critically acclaimed self-titled LP The Verve Pipe, featured ‘Hero,’ a Top 15 hit at Modern Rock radio.
In 2001, RCA released Underneath, which produced the singles ‘Happiness Is’ and ‘Never Let You Down,’ one of the most played songs for Adult Top 40 and Modern A/C radio that year. The album also included ‘Colorful,’ the emotive ballad featured in the film and soundtrack Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston and also co-starring lead singer Brian Vander Ark in his first major film role.
In addition to their success on radio, TV and film, sold-out concert dates throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, features in Spin and Rolling Stone and videos on MTV and VH1, the band have made numerous television appearances, including ‘The Tonight Show With Jay Leno’ and ‘Late Night With David Letterman.’
After an eight year hiatus, The Verve Pipe were approached to submit an original song for a compilation album of children’s music. That session inspired A Family Album, their critically acclaimed introduction to the world of children’s music, as well as their follow up release, Are We There Yet? Both albums contain music intended for the entire family, with fun and inventive lyrics set to the memorable melodies the band is known for.
In 2014, The Verve Pipe released their first rock album in over 13 years with Overboard, a collection of ten new songs including ‘Crash Landing’, ‘Hit and Run,’ and the haunting title track ‘Overboard.’ This long incubating project brought a renewed energy and focus to this self-produced album that resulted in their most inspired writing and recording to date.

The Verve Pipe continue to tour, performing both rock and kids shows throughout the U.S., including special appearances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival, Hangout Music Festival, Summer Stage in Central Park, and many more.

Larkn
2025-11-23 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.
Born and raised in Clarkston, Michigan, Larkn grew up singing in church choir, spending summers on sparkling Lake Michigan and writing nature-filled poetry inspired by Michigan’s four distinctive seasons. As a child she gravitated towards creative arts and was involved in singing, piano, choir, creative writing and musical theatre. She attended Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) for voice and contemporary writing and production in 2006 and later migrated to California where she lived predominantly in Los Angeles for a few years, trying to “make it” as an artist.
Her music is inspired by the ups and downs of her life journey, California, love, nature and introspection. A classically trained and uniquely gifted vocalist, Larkn sings with both delicacy and force, living up to her Lark-ish name. She delicately breathes pop, rock, R&B and folk into the singer-songwriter-pop genre palate drawing comparisons to Taylor Swift, Sheryl Crow or Hozier with a satisfyingly wide cacophony of musical influences and soul-penetrating lyrics.

The Ark Annual Membership Meeting
2025-11-24 18:30 - 23:00 | MI
The Ark will hold the Annual Meeting of its Members on Monday, November 24 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, 2024 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

Portugal. The Man
2025-11-25 19:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
Over the past decade, Portugal. The Man has established themselves as one of rock’s most prized possessions and a live phenomenon, with over 1,600 shows under their belts and a storied reputation as festival favorites.
Originally heralding from Alaska, the Portland-based band soared to new heights in 2017 with the release of their now RIAA certified-Platinum album, Woodstock. The album was marked by the astounding success of their infectious single, “Feel It Still,” which earned the group a plethora of new accolades – including a GRAMMY for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” a 7x RIAA Platinum certification, a record setting 20-week residency at #1 on alternative radio, and an inescapable presence on the Top 40 airwaves.
Alongside the shine of their myriad of musical accomplishments lies the group’s long-standing passion for social justice. In fact, this is precisely the intersection in which Portugal. The Man thrives; throughout their career, the band has consistently exemplified how to deeply commit to both artistry and activism. This ultimately inspired them to officially launch PTM Foundation in 2020, focused on universal issues related to human rights, community health, and the environment, with an emphasis on causes directly impacting Indigenous Peoples, including Alaska Native Health (providing the highest quality of health services for Alaska Native people) and Seeding Sovereignty (radicalizing and disrupting colonized spaces through land, body, food sovereignty work and more).
Portugal. The Man have also partnered with an array of organizations such as National Coalition Against Censorship, The Skatepark Project (helping communities build public skate parks for youth in underserved communities), March for Our Lives (Gun Reform), Keep Oregon Well (Mental Health), and Protect Our Winters (Climate Change), to name just a few. In 2022, the band furthered their passion for activism when they launched PTM’s NIGHT OUT initiative – supporting disabled fans requiring ADA access.

Don Julin's Trio 25
2025-11-25 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Don Julin, author of the best-selling Mandolin For Dummies and creator of the online mandolin school Mandolins Heal The World, is renowned as one of the most eclectic mandolin players and educators today. With over 20 original albums and compositions featured on HBO, NBC, Showtime, and more, Julin’s music spans genres and generations. His latest release, Fractured Fiddle Tunes, reimagines traditional fiddle tunes with bold creativity. Julin also played a pivotal role in launching the bluegrass phenom Billy Strings’ career, touring as a duo from 2013–2015 and recording two celebrated albums.
With their genre-bending approach and dynamic interplay, Don Julin’s Trio 25 delivers a fresh, unpredictable concert experience that is as innovative as it is entertaining. The trio will feature selections from “Fractured Fiddle Tunes” and a few of Julin’s original compositions. Recently, during a concert, Julin told the audience, “We may have invented a genre called Weather Channel Grass.” Don Julin’s Trio 25 features Tom Knific on bass and Hayes Griffin on guitar.
​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
2025-11-28 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.
What could be better than to kick off the holiday season with a Michigan folk music institution? Many know Matt Watroba as the voice of folk music in Michigan for his work producing and hosting shows for public radio. He has devoted his life and career to being a custodian of American folk and roots music. This has helped shape a repertoire and presentation that is unique on stages across the state and country. 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! Matt will be donating a portion of proceeds to P.O.W.E.R. (a Peaceful Organization for Wellbeing, Empowerment, and Resilience) a community of artists and musicians who have come together to create and fund opportunities for vulnerable members of our community to receive self-defense training and situational-awareness training, at no cost, from expert instructors.
