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Calendar

Name: Carrie Newcomer
Start: 2024-05-03T20:00:00-04:00
End: 2024-05-03T23:00:00-04:00
Location: The Ark

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1 event 1 1 event, 1 8:00 pm Matt Andersen Special Guest: Old Man Luedecke April 1, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Matt Andersen Special Guest: Old Man Luedecke $25 Tickets When Matt Andersen steps on stage, he brings a lifetime of music to every note he plays. His latest album, “The Big Bottle of Joy,” is all about hard-won celebration; a dozen songs infused with raw blues-rock, rollicking Americana, thoughtful folk, and ecstatic gospel. Andersen’s stage presence is informed by decades of cutting his teeth in dusty clubs, dim-lit bars, and grand theaters all over the world, delivering soulful performances that run the gamut from intimate to wall-shaking.	1 event 2 1 event, 2 7:30 pm Peter Madcat Ruth’s 75th Birthday Celebration Concert April 2, 2024 @ 7:30 pm Peter Madcat Ruth’s 75th Birthday Celebration Concert $30 Tickets Celebrate the birthday of a local legend with an all-star lineup featuring Peter Madcat Ruth’s C.A.R.Ma. Quartet with John Churchville on tabla, Brennan Andes on bass, and guitarist Dan Ripke. Special guests include Rachael Davis, Seth Bernard, and Nashville based harmonica virtuoso Buddy Greene.	1 event 3 1 event, 3 8:00 pm Louisiana Calling with The Sonny Landreth Band and The Iguanas April 3, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Louisiana Calling with The Sonny Landreth Band and The Iguanas $32 Tickets The deep roots tag team of Cajun slide guitar phenom Sonny Landreth and legendary New Orleans Latin-Americana rockers the Iguanas presents a mind-blowing musical trip through the scenic soundscape of the bayou. Still wet from crawling out of the swamps, this cross-pollinated confection will be both savory and sweet. Louisiana’s calling—here’s your chance to answer!	1 event 4 1 event, 4 8:00 pm William Fitzsimmons Opener: Baerd April 4, 2024 @ 8:00 pm William Fitzsimmons Opener: Baerd $25 Tickets William Fitzsimmons is an indie troubadour from Illinois whose eight studio albums explore themes of joy, heartbreak, loss, and connection. The Sparrow and the Crow 15th Anniversary Tour is a celebration of his critically acclaimed third album; hailed by iTunes as the “best folk album of 2008.” Written after his first divorce, the record is a beautiful walk through love, loss, and healing. William will embark on a 30-city tour of the US playing the record in its entirety for the first time, in intimate settings armed only with his voice and acoustic guitar, in addition to other fan favorite songs from his catalog.	1 event 5 1 event, 5 8:00 pm Jackie Greene Opener: Cousin Curtiss April 5, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Jackie Greene Opener: Cousin Curtiss $30 Tickets Americana and roots singer-songwriter Jackie Greene is a jack-of-all-trades and an artist who can croon over soulful piano ballads as much as he can shred a bluesy guitar solo. Since the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album 'Gone Wanderin’,' Greene has built an enduring audience through a relentless touring schedule with the likes of BB King, Mark Knopfler, Susan Tedeschi, and Taj Mahal. He played lead guitar with The Black Crowes on their Layin’ Down With #13 World Tour, recorded and toured with Trigger Hippy - his supergroup with Joan Osborne - and in the last four years performed over 300 shows of his own, all while continuing to record and release his solo work.	1 event 6 1 event, 6 8:00 pm Raul Malo Opener: Seth Walker April 6, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Raul Malo Opener: Seth Walker $50, $60, $80 Tickets When Raul Malo came on the scene as the lead singer of The Mavericks, he already had a sound that didn't fit the usual categories, and a luxuriant voice that brought to mind Roy Orbison. The Ark has been an ideal venue for Raul's solo shows, which are more personal than the music he's made with The Mavericks, and his Ark shows over the past decade have lingered in the memories of listeners and the club staff alike. Raul comes to Michigan with a new solo instrumental album, “Say Less.”
1 event 7 1 event, 7 7:30 pm Hot Club of Cowtown April 7, 2024 @ 7:30 pm Hot Club of Cowtown $30 Tickets The Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown explores the space where early jazz met Texas swing, where Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang met Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Guitarist Whit Smith and fiddler Elana James have become a world-class country-jazz duo, challenging each other and reading each other's minds at every turn. This is virtuoso small-group western swing that's beyond infectious.	0 events 8 0 events, 8	1 event 9 1 event, 9 8:00 pm BIG FUN April 9, 2024 @ 8:00 pm BIG FUN $20 Tickets What happens when you blend jazz, funk, and world music with a touch of bluegrass? BIG FUN! Based in Traverse City, Michigan, BIG FUN will take you to a sonic land you’ve never experienced before, with Don Julin (Billy Strings) on banjo, Joe Wilson (Steppin’ In It) on dobro, Jack Dryden on double bass, Will Harris on percussion and bandleader/composer Jeff Haas (Building Bridges with Music) at the Ark grand. The group's shared passion for musical fusion creates a serendipitous acoustic sound palate. BIG FUN promises you an unforgettable night of innovative compositions, soulful melodies, and rhythmic journeys that defy musical margins.	1 event 10 1 event, 10 8:00 pm The Ark’s Open Stage April 10, 2024 @ 8:00 pm The Ark’s Open Stage $3, $2 seniors, students free with student ID Tickets 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.	1 event 11 1 event, 11 8:00 pm Amy Speace April 11, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Amy Speace $20 Tickets Heralded by Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, Amy Speace is one of contemporary folk and Americana music’s leading voices. Lauded by mentors Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian, as well as the songwriting community in Nashville, her songs have been recorded by Judy Collins, Red Molly, Sid Selvidge among others. After 20 years of touring, she has played concerts all across the US and Europe and has graced stages from Glastonbury Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK to Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and Mountain Stage.	1 event 12 1 event, 12 8:00 pm The Brother Brothers Opener: Lily Talmers April 12, 2024 @ 8:00 pm The Brother Brothers Opener: Lily Talmers $25 Tickets The Brother Brothers are the indie folk duo of Adam and David Moss. The identical twins were born and raised in Peoria, Illinois and originally based in Brooklyn, but have been ultimately and profoundly shaped by a life surrounded by travel and the web of community worldwide. They are the kind of people who have a story about everything, and moreso, one you might genuinely like to hear. Proclaims No Depression, “the warm harmonies and silky melodies of identical twins David and Adam Moss evoke the kind of ’60s-era folk tunes that reverberated through dark, wood-paneled bars in the Village… If these brothers aren’t among the Americana Music Association’s nominees for Emerging Artist or Duo-Group, I want a recount.”	1 event 13 1 event, 13 8:00 pm Frontier Ruckus Opener: Premium Rat April 13, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Frontier Ruckus Opener: Premium Rat $25 Tickets Frontier Ruckus have just released their new album On the Northline via Loose Music. Their first full length release since 2017’s Enter The Kingdom, the new record exemplifies the group’s intricate orchestral folk pop sound which has endeared them to fans nationwide, backdropping guitarist/singer/lyricist Matthew Milia’s poetic observations on the mundane and the holy.
1 event 14 1 event, 14 7:30 pm Cheryl Wheeler Special Guest: Kenny White April 14, 2024 @ 7:30 pm Cheryl Wheeler Special Guest: Kenny White $30 Tickets It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the mic. There is poet Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. And there is her evil twin, comic Cheryl, a trend defier and savagely funny social critic. The result is a series of delightful contrasts, for really Cheryl Wheeler is a woman of many musical personalities—heart-wrenching romantic balladeer, marvelous observational humorist, poet of ordinary New England scenes and people, committed activist, irascible grump. Cheryl’s special guest tonight is her frequent partner in crime, New York songwriter Kenny White.	1 event 15 1 event, 15 8:00 pm Oumou Sangare April 15, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Oumou Sangare $35 Tickets "The Songbird of Wassoulou" brings the music of Mali to Michigan! Oumou Sangaré is a true icon of West Africa whose powerful music and fierce feminism have inspired artists from Alicia Keys to Aya Nakamura to Beyoncé. The songs on her most recent album, “Timbuktu,” were largely written in Baltimore during the lockdowns of the COVID pandemic. The album blends the sounds of traditional West African instruments with those of instruments most associated with the blues. Oumou will share music from this ambitious album as well as sounds from throughout her acclaimed career. How acclaimed? The New Yorker says, "Percussive, danceable, and haunting, the singer's visionary mix is the primary reason that her voice has come to carry as much respect as Aretha Franklin's."	1 event 16 1 event, 16 8:00 pm Suzanne Vega – Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs April 16, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Suzanne Vega – Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs $45, $55, $70 Tickets Widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been called contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known venues. Notably succinct and understated, her work is immediately recognizable—as utterly distinct and thoughtful as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 30 years ago. Suzanne Vega will be joined on stage by her longtime guitarist, Gerry Leonard, performing a career-spanning show including favorites like Tom’s Diner, Luka, and more!	1 event 17 1 event, 17 8:00 pm Kittel & Co. April 17, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Kittel & Co. $25 Tickets Kittel & Co. stands at the forefront of American acoustic music. Jeremy Kittel, a GRAMMY-nominated composer, heads this extraordinary group of musicians - each recognized as an innovator on their instrument. The members of Kittel & Co. have collaborated with Béla Fleck, Sarah Jarosz, Chris Thile, and Yo-Yo Ma. Together, Jeremy Kittel and mandolin phenom Josh Pinkham, transcendent guitarist Quinn Bachand, bassist Jacob Warren, and hammer-dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman coalesce into a singular voice that’s thrilled audiences from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival to A Prairie Home Companion.	1 event 18 1 event, 18 8:00 pm U-M Jazz Showcase featuring drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts April 18, 2024 @ 8:00 pm U-M Jazz Showcase featuring drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts $20 Tickets Students $5 with student ID! This show features students and faculty from the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the U-M, along with a prominent special guest each year. This year’s guest is drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Tain spent his formative years with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and his writing skills now command equal attention, highlighted by a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition. Watts has recorded and toured with George Benson, Harry Connick Jr, Kenny Garrett, Michael Brecker, Kenny Kirkland, Courtney Pine, Geri Allen, Alice & Ravi Coltrane, Greg Osby, McCoy Tyner, Steve Coleman & Fort Apache.	1 event 19 1 event, 19 8:00 pm Willie Nile April 19, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Willie Nile $25 Tickets The New York Times called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile "one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years." Uncut Magazine called him “A one-man Clash.” His album Streets Of New York was hailed as “a platter for the ages” by Uncut. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.” His single from that album, “One Guitar,” was the “Top Pick of the Week” in USA Today.	1 event 20 1 event, 20 7:30 pm Mr. B’s 27th Annual Blues and Boogie Piano Celebration April 20, 2024 @ 7:30 pm Mr. B’s 27th Annual Blues and Boogie Piano Celebration $30 Tickets Once a year, Mark "Mr. B" Braun, Ann Arbor's own wizard of blues and boogie piano music, comes together with other top piano players from around southeastern Michigan and beyond. Call it a piano summit, or perhaps a meeting of the minds! Along with Mr. B himself, this year's show features Lluis Coloma, Brendon Davis, and Elder Robert Moore.
1 event 21 1 event, 21 7:30 pm Nick Shoulders & The Okay Crawdad Opener: Maddy Kirgo April 21, 2024 @ 7:30 pm Nick Shoulders & The Okay Crawdad Opener: Maddy Kirgo $20 Tickets “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.	0 events 22 0 events, 22	1 event 23 1 event, 23 8:00 pm David Wilcox April 23, 2024 @ 8:00 pm David Wilcox Free, Donations accepted for Food Gatherers Tickets David Wilcox is a penetrating storyteller. The revered folk musician has an effortless talent for spinning lyrics that quietly cut deep, and crafting melodies that seamlessly ride the plot twists and turns. Wilcox handily exemplifies the power of lyrical and musical catharsis. David has deservedly earned praise over the years in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone, to name a few. Today, Wilcox is still earning his admirers with storytelling that cuts deep into the soul and observes the human condition from both the nerve center and the outside looking in.	1 event 24 1 event, 24 8:00 pm The Moth GrandSLAM Championship April 24, 2024 @ 8:00 pm The Moth GrandSLAM Championship $40 Tickets The ultimate storytelling competition, The Moth GrandSLAM invites winners from our open-mic StorySLAMs back to the stage for the Ann Arbor storytelling championship. The theme for the night is... A POINT OF BEAUTY. Five minute stories about the gobsmackingly gorgeous nestled in the mess, the astonishingly attractive, the sensationally stunning. Witnessing an awe-inspiring work of art, or admiring the humble daisy growing through the crack in the sidewalk. Seeing past the sound and the fury to find something unexpectedly exquisite.	1 event 25 1 event, 25 8:00 pm The Accidentals Opener: Danni Nicholls April 25, 2024 @ 8:00 pm The Accidentals Opener: Danni Nicholls $30 Tickets Long before glowing acclaim from NPR and Billboard, packed shows, unforgettable festival appearances, millions of streams, and collaborations with everyone from BTS to Kaboom Collective, the journey of The Accidentals commenced in a public high school classroom in Traverse City, MI. As the story goes, concertmaster violinist Savannah Buist and cellist Katie Larson raised their hands at the request for volunteers to play a music boosters concert and wound up being musical soulmates. After Sav and Katie attended a school presentation by The Moxie Strings, their collective fate would be sealed forever.	2 events 26 2 events, 26 7:00 pm Bela Fleck “My Bluegrass Heart” April 26, 2024 @ 7:00 pm Bela Fleck “My Bluegrass Heart” $35, $49.50, $59.50, $75.00 Tickets Over the last four decades, Béla Fleck has made a point of boldly going where no banjo player has gone before, a musical journey that has earned him 16 Grammys in nine different fields, including Country, Pop, Jazz, Instrumental, Classical and World Music. But his roots are in bluegrass, and that’s where he returns with his first bluegrass tour in 24 years, My Bluegrass Heart., 8:00 pm VOICES featuring Ki5 and Marqu3tte April 26, 2024 @ 8:00 pm VOICES featuring Ki5 and Marqu3tte $20 Tickets Ann Arbor’s electrifying musical maestro, Kyler Wilkins aka Ki5, is back on the Ark stage! He's delighted to be joined on a few songs by vocalist Aviva Match who carries a powerful, sincere tone that compliments his breathy, heartfelt vocal expressions. Also gracing the Ark stage for the fourth Voices show is Marqu3tte - an artist from Detroit that blends Soul, Rock and Pop sounds to create what some call Neo-Rock.	1 event 27 1 event, 27 8:00 pm Sarah Jarosz: Polaroid Lovers Tour Special Guest: Le Ren April 27, 2024 @ 8:00 pm Sarah Jarosz: Polaroid Lovers Tour Special Guest: Le Ren $30 Tickets Four-time GRAMMY winner Sarah Jarosz has announced her new album, “Polaroid Lovers,” and she’s bringing it to The Ark! The record is releasing on January 26, 2024 via Rounder Records. It features a decidedly more electric sound than Sarah’s earlier bluegrass-flavored efforts, and it shows this brilliant artist maturing as a songwriter. A Texas native, she's spent most of her adult life living in New York City, but shortly before writing the album Sarah left her adopted home to join her soon-to-be husband in Nashville.
1 event 28 1 event, 28 1:00 pm Gemily April 28, 2024 @ 1:00 pm Gemily $15, $10 kids 12 and under Tickets Gemily (Gemini + Emily) is the folk music trio comprised of Laz and San Slomovits and San's daughter, Emily. Laz and San, as the highly popular family music duo, Gemini, have been performing throughout Michigan and the United States since 1973. Emily first began joining them on stage when she was just eight years old, and increasingly since graduating from college in 2016. All three are versatile instrumentalists and excellent singers. Between them they play over a dozen instruments including guitars, violins, ukulele, mandolin, pennywhistle, and a variety of folk flutes and hand percussion instruments.	1 event 29 1 event, 29 8:00 pm George Crotty Trio April 29, 2024 @ 8:00 pm George Crotty Trio $20 Tickets George Crotty has forged his own exciting vocabulary on the cello, pushing the boundaries of the cello as a jazz instrument. Following his graduation from the Berklee College of Music, Crotty immersed himself in New York’s jazz and world music scenes, playing with several ensembles, such as the Brooklyn Raga Massive, and the Detroit-based National Arab Orchestra. The George Crotty Trio’s “Chronotope” (2022) showcases the Canadian cellist’s expressive fluidity and modal orientation. The group’s cross-cultural interplay draws on diverse influences within jazz and global music traditions including post-bop, modal jazz, Indian raga, and Arabic maqam.	1 event 30 1 event, 30 8:00 pm The Arcadian Wild April 30, 2024 @ 8:00 pm The Arcadian Wild $20 Tickets The Arcadian Wild is a four-piece indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN. Led by songwriters Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren on fiddle, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offer up songs of invitation; calls to come and see, to find refuge and rest, to journey and wonder, to laugh and cry, to share joy and community and sing along.