For nearly two decades, Willie Watson has made modern folk music rooted in older traditions. He’s a folksinger in the classic sense: a singer, storyteller, and traveler with a catalog of songs that bridge the gap between the past and present.
Special Guest: Jack Van Cleaf
This show has been cancelled. Refunds were issued through original point of purchase.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and folk icon Tom Paxton is back, and he's teaming up with the Grammy-winning Nashville singer/songwriter duo The DonJuans—Don Henry & Jon Vezner. Within days of writing and playing together, the trio knew they were onto something, and they soon took it on the road. This will be Tom’s last area performance as he’s retiring from the road in spring 2025.
After a series of indie releases and growing buzz in the Atlanta music scene, Shawn Mullins’ critical and commercial breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core shot him to fame on the strength of Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby” followed by AAA/Americana No. 1 hit “Beautiful Wreck” from 2006’s 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor. For the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough album, Shawn revisited the music of Soul’s Core by recording two new versions of the album. This is not a remix or a remaster of the original, but rather brand new recordings with new arrangements of the songs – one album is stripped down solo performances, some on guitar, some on piano and maybe one a cappella and the second is a new studio recording with his full band.
Presented by The Ark and AEG - Doors at 6pm Dwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and he is a 21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award winner. He has 12 gold albums and 9 platinum or multi-platinum albums, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the Top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted on Billboard, with 14 peaking in the Top 10. Yoakam is a recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, and BMI Country Music’s President’s Award, the most prestigious award offered by the organizations. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the Songwriter/Artist category at the 49th anniversary Gala in 2019 in Nashville, TN.
Special Guest: The Mavericks
Opener: Drayton Farley
Presented by A2 Jazz Fest Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed and respected jazz artists to have emerged in our generation. His latest project, Where Are We, marks the first time that Joshua has included a vocalist (Gabrielle Cavassa) on a record, and features Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Brian Blade on drums.
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the release of his critically acclaimed album Falling Forward, produced by multiple Grammy Winner Neil Dorfsman, Willy Porter will be joined by his full band & special guests to perform the record in its entirety as well as material from Porter’s most recent album, The Ravine and more! This promises to be a high-energy evening of powerful music! Limited edition double vinyl albums, including unreleased bonus material, will be available at the shows.
In 2016, Laith Al-Saadi won America’s hearts and a spot in the Season 10 finale of NBC’s “The Voice.” Now he’s bringing an authentic blend of blues, soul and classic rock to audiences around the nation and the world. Laith Al-Saadi has always had the perfect combination of Midwestern hustle and incredible musical chops—honed at the University of Michigan school of music in his hometown of Ann Arbor, and on stages across the country working with legends like Taj Mahal, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Gregg Allman, and B.B. King. Laith’s birthday shows have been on hiatus since covid. Come celebrate the return of this annual Ann Arbor tradition!
Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce, the “Jack O: and “Pierce: who make up the seminal duo Jackopierce, are celebrating 35 years of making music that has amasses a loyal following of millions of fans across the country and the world with a super high-energy live show and that the Dallas Morning News has called “spotless harmonies.”
Since she broke through 25 years ago with the multi-platinum Relish and its touchstone mega-smash “One of Us,” seven-time Grammy nominee Joan Osborne has never played it safe. Osborne has followed her restless musical heart, exploring a diverse range of genres: pop rock, soul, R&B, blues, roots rock, gospel, funk, and country. Joshua Radin emerged in 2004 as an empathetic and engaging troubadour. He’s tallied north of 1 billion streams, moved 1 million-plus albums worldwide, and scored a gold certification for the single “I’d Rather Be With You.”
Ian Ball and Ben Ottewell of the British band Gomez are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their sophomore album, "Liquid Skin," with a US tour this fall. Gomez, known for their eclectic blend of rock, blues, and experimental sounds, achieved significant acclaim with "Liquid Skin," following their Mercury Prize-winning debut, "Bring It On." The anniversary tour will feature performances of tracks from "Liquid Skin," along with other fan favorites and possibly some new material. The tour promises an intimate experience as Ball and Ottewell perform as a duo, supported by the special guest artist, Buddy. This setup aims to highlight the unique vocal interplay and songwriting prowess that have defined Gomez's music over the years.
Special Guest: Buddy
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.
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 Annie Bacon, Judy Banker, Al Bettis, Dave Boutette & Kristi Davis, Chris Buhalis, Annie & Rod Capps, Lauren Crane, Enzo Garcia, Dave Keeney & Sophia Hanifi, Shari Kane & Dave Steele, Billy King, Pontiac Trailblazers, Jo Serrapere, Dick Siegel, Emily & San Slomovits, Michael Smith, and Rollie Tussing.
From her early days, staying late after-hours at her video rental store job in Maine to record songs, to co-producing and arranging her four studio records, Aly Spaltro has remained focused on music that connects, empowers and builds community. Spaltro was quick to develop a reputation as a breakout star in New England, and then expanded slowly outwards, moving to New York at twenty to continue work on the songs that would become Ripely Pine.
Opener: Rabbitology
With a reputation for spectacular live performances, the multi-platinum alternative rock band The Verve Pipe are recognized worldwide for their radio hits Photograph, Hero, Happiness Is, Never Let You Down and the #1 smash single The Freshmen.
Parker Millsap quickly made a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound, and character-driven narratives. He’s had a string of successes including an appearance on CONAN, a performance with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival, an Austin City Limits taping & an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. A poet with a staggering and true voice, Korean-American troubadour Nat Myers' folksy blues and remarkable pickin' are authentic, timeless, and enduring. The Kenton County, KY native's delivery harkens to traditional blues giants, but it's his unique blend of modern roots and Americana that continues to make crowds drop their jaws.
When Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers put their songs and voices together, there is a delicate magic that commands the room to attention. The duo is known as Frances Luke Accord, and their soft, contemplative vintage indie-folk gestures toward a timelessness that honors the Simon & Garfunkel comparisons but pushes beyond into the world of Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez, and progressive folk music.
Opener: Mike Vial
The story of Waterville, OH indie-folk trio Oliver Hazard - Michael Belazis (vocals, guitar) and Devin East (vocals, guitar), joined by Nate Miner (keys, vocals) - is the digital age’s version of classic band mythmaking. One member of the band came home to Ohio after leading camping trips in California and decided to make an album with two childhood friends. They won a Facebook raffle to record one song at a studio. Instead, they played their whole album straight through once, resulting in their debut LP 34 N River (2018). The Fader called the album a “folk-pop masterpiece” and the band was booked at Bonnaroo and Mountain Jam shortly thereafter.
Special Guest: Scott Mulvahill
Since he released his first album a decade ago, singer-songwriter Donovan Woods’ blend of folk, country and pop has resonated with audiences all over the world.
Special Guest: Katelyn Tarver
Rachael Yamagata would defend you in a bar fight and then invite everyone out to stargaze in the parking lot. She’s a wilderness guide for wanderers, a galactic diplomat, a dreamscape designer, a heartache survivalist, a pioneer. She speaks to the misfits, the soul searchers, the silent types longing to be cracked open. A vocal shapeshifter, she delivers live shows that spark both playful giddiness and profound catharsis. But Yamagata is not here to heal you—she's here to show you how to heal yourself.
Special Guest: Sandy Bell
Is there another songwriter so fearless and inventive? Bending decades of pop music into new shapes, Neko Case wields her voice like a kiss and her metaphors like a baseball bat. She has cast the fishing net of her career wide—from Seattle and Vancouver to Chicago and Stockholm, setting up her home base on a farm in New England.
Special Guest: Imaad Wasif
Ana Popovic, the award-winning, hard-touring, guitar slinger, blends smoking electric funk and slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals and a tight blues groove with soulful, feminine vocals. Add to the mix her incredible stage presence, which makes her an irresistible force in the world of contemporary blues music.
A touring mainstay and an indie folk rock staple, this Virginia quintet’s well-hewn live show and musical style drift in and out of Americana, bluegrass, rock, folk, Celtic and pop traditions with ease, using an arsenal of instruments to define the band’s lively stage presence and sonic landscape.
Marking the 10th anniversary of his acclaimed album, Ledges, Noah Gundersen will play intimate, stripped-back shows with his sister Abby Gundersen playing fiddle.
Fans of The East Pointers have Koady Chaisson to thank for being the kinetic force behind the JUNO-Award winning indie-folk trio since the group formed in 2014. The dancefloor-shaking, electro-trad glorious combination of folk/pop has brought so much joy to audiences around the world. And now, even posthumously, Koady’s energetic fire continues to blaze the musical trail onward.
Pete Muller has spent much of his adult life walking a tightrope between two vastly different worlds. “One part of me is a very practical, analytical thinker,” says the singer/songwriter and business leader, “and the other is this creative artist who can’t help but express what’s going on in his soul. For a long time, I thought I had to choose between the two, but I’ve realized that I can love both sides of myself, that it’s AND, not OR.”
Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee, David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen. David’s eighth stand-up special, David Cross: Worst Daddy In The World, is available on the 800 Pound Gorilla Media YouTube channel, and he will join the cast of the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy, for their fourth and final season premiering August 8.
Special Guest: Sean Patton
“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 travels decades alongside songs such as A Case of You, Hallelujah, Big Yellow Taxi, Suzanne, and many more.
In 1997, Sixpence None the Richer released their self-titled album and two years later exploded globally when the track “Kiss Me”, from that album, was released as a single. The song has been featured in countless movies and TV shows and catapulted Sixpence None the Richer’s starpower into the mainstream, earning airplay in more than ten different countries. Fast forward to 2024 and all-original members (Leigh Nash, Matt Slocum, Dale Baker, and Justin Cary) have reunited and are writing and recording new music and preparing for a world tour.
Opener: Kylee Phillips
Steve Poltz is not normal. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but has lived most of his life in southern California, and those geographic poles are quite likely responsible for his unhinged genius. No Depression crowned him, "A sardonic provocateur with a lighthearted acoustic-driven wit, suggesting at times a sunnier, less psychedelic Todd Snider, or maybe a less wan, washed Jackson Brown.”
Based in Alexandria, VA, Yasmin Williams is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and film composer. She has an unorthodox, modern style of guitar playing and utilizes various techniques including alternate tunings, percussive hits, and lap tapping in her music to great effect. Her “radiant sound and adventitious origins have made her a key figure in a diverse dawn for the solo guitar” (The New York Times). Williams’s music has been described as rich, harmonious, and “in a lot of ways, the joy and possibility she brings to the guitar reminds me more of Eddie Van Halen than any of the other fingerstyle guitarists to whom she's compared” (NPR Music).
Opener: Brawny Lad
Internationally-acclaimed guitar virtuoso Trace Bundy must be seen, not just heard. His music is poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience. Listening to his intricate arrangements is one thing, but seeing the fan-dubbed “Acoustic Ninja” play live confounds even the most accomplished music lovers as to how one person can do all that with just two hands and ten fingers.
Voices is a series of artist-cultivated concerts at The Ark conceived and created by Ann Arbor musician Kyler Wilkins, AKA vocal looping artist Ki5. Each show, intentional time will be taken to get to know each artist in the form of brief interviews and musical breaks to have them speak about their journey as musicians and performers with the hope that people in the audience are more connected to and inspired by those voices.
Emily Slomovits began playing violin at the age of seven, and has been joining her father and uncle (the duo Gemini) on stage since she was eight years old. She studied classical violin for more than ten years, adding jazz and folk fiddle styles to her repertoire along the way. In her early teens she began singing and playing guitar and has since then been performing solo, with Gemini, and in groups ranging from classical string quartets to folk and country bands. Emily will be joined by Billy King, Jen Sygit, San Slomovits, Tim VanRiper, and Marlene Inman.
When Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore made the album Downey To Lubbock together in 2018, they wrote the title track as a sort of mission statement. “I know someday this old highway’s gonna come to an end,” Alvin sings near the song’s conclusion. Gilmore answers: “But I know when it does you’re going to be my friend.” Six years later, they’re serving notice that the old highway hasn’t ended yet. “We’re still standing, no matter what you might hear,” they sing on “We’re Still Here,” the final track to their new album Texicali. Due out Jun 21, 2024 on Yep Roc Records, Texicali continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours’ respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore).
Living Thing, the newest full-length album from Oregon-based songwriter Anna Tivel, is an arcing dive into the existential. Written through the tumultuous eyes of 2020 and recorded in Eau Claire, WI in profound collaboration with long-time friend and producer Shane Leonard, these are songs of struggle and aliveness expressed with great joy.
Special Guest: Sam Weber
Internationally recognized author and spoken word artist Shane Koyczan has emerged as a creator of poetry that dares to belong to the people and speak directly to them in their own voice. In 2013, he collaborated with animators to make the anti-bullying viral video “To This Day” which has had over 13 million views, and he performed a customized version “For the Bullied and the Beautiful” to acclaim at the 2013 International TED Conference in Long Beach, California. Shane shapes his words and delivers in multi mediums from authored, video, spoken word, operatic, and musically performed.
Special Guest: Derrick Brown
Sisters Natalie (cello) and Brittany (fiddle) Haas began their musical lives together, filling their childhood home with Bach suites and old-time tunes alike. It was on their own, however-following divergent paths through disparate musical traditions, countries, and cultures-that they both arrived as virtuosi and composers at the highest levels of contemporary string music. Fans of acoustic music can hardly mention one without referencing the other's work.
