One of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, May Erlewine has a gift for writing songs of substance that feel both fresh and soulfully familiar. Her ability to emotionally engage with an audience has earned her a dedicated following far beyond her Michigan roots. This year, May is teaming up with Chicago guitar wizard, Packy Lundholm. The heart forward power duo will be offering their music in the name of love, service and rock & roll.
A queer, nu-folk singer-songwriter with a voice like complex coffee, Gráinne Hunt is one of Ireland’s most compelling vocalists and songwriters - blending raw emotion, commanding power, and a voice that stops audiences in their tracks. Performing as a duo with San Diego’s Jules Stewart on drums and vocals, the pair create a sound that’s been compared to The Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile - rich harmonies, heartfelt stories, and magnetic onstage chemistry.
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. Tickets at the door.
A benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Michigan 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.
In 2017, Grammy-nominated artist Joan Osborne released the critically acclaimed album, Songs of Bob Dylan. Her artistic and soulful reinterpretations of the selection of Dylan songs was an eye-opening moment in an already celebrated career. Eight years after milestone recording, Osborne will release the stunning Dylanology Live on April 25th. The captivating recording finds the gifted vocalist performing in front of a live audience.
Alan Doyle— actor, producer, best-selling author, and best-known as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea these past 20+ years— hardly needs an introduction. With five solo albums under his belt, Doyle has been touring the world with his ace six-piece band for the last decade.
Hailed as a “self-styled poetess, folk goddess, and country waif” by the BBC, Pieta Brown first came to international prominence with the release of her self-titled debut in 2002. Since then she has released multiple highly critically acclaimed albums, EPs and singles, with much attention being paid not only to her distinct sound and style, but also the power of her singing and songwriting.
John McCutcheon's art grew out of his absolute mastery of American traditional music and instruments. He's a legend of the guitar, the hammered dulcimer, and several other instruments, and a prolific songwriter, and there's nobody more qualified to own the folkmusic.com domain name! The result is a body of classic American song, rooted in the best our musical tradition has to offer.
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. Tickets at the door.
Mama's Broke is a powerful duo that deliver a compelling performance with heart and raw energy. Although highly influenced by their Canadian roots, Lisa and Amy are based out of nowhere and everywhere. Their two strong voices blend to create haunting harmonies, while they artfully juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and incorporate traditional dance and foot percussion into their performance.
Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Mark Erelli is a Boston-based veteran of the folk and roots music scene, renowned for his emotional honesty, craftsmanship, and warmth. Erelli exploded out of the gate in 1999 when he won the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award in the wake of his “auspicious debut” (Billboard), joining the ranks of previous honorees like Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith. Now, on his fourteenth solo album Spring Green, Erelli delivers his most cohesive and emotionally resonant work to date—a meditation on vulnerability, endurance, and renewal.
The annual Pete Seeger Birthday Concert returns to The Ark with an all-star celebration honoring the life and work of singer, songwriter, activist, and national conscience, Pete Seeger, who passed in 2014. The evening will be filled with storytelling and singalongs in the true uplifting Seeger audience participation tradition.
Iron & Wine is the musical project of singer-songwriter Sam Beam. Born and raised in South Carolina, Beam is a former film professor who got his start making home recordings before landing on Sub Pop Records. Iron & Wine’s 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle garnered both critical and popular acclaim, vaulting Beam into the spotlight of the burgeoning indie folk/Americana scene as one of its new and leading voices.
It's hard to believe, because each show is fresh and new, but the RFD Boys have been delighting Michigan audiences since 1969 with their fabulous musicianship and sly, exquisitely timed between-song humor. They're legends of Michigan bluegrass, but they're more than that too. With an appearance on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited, with songs recorded by the likes of the Country Gentlemen, and with performances alongside bluegrass greats like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, the RFD Boys are a part of America's bluegrass tradition. Tickets available at the door. There are no advance tickets for this show.
Five-time Grammy® nominated children’s musician Justin Roberts has been creating the soundtrack to families’ lives for 25 years. Now, with his 16th full length album, Space Cadet, Justin’s rock journey goes interstellar with feel-good songs rooted in themes of inclusion, acceptance, and self-discovery. Inspired by his life as a new dad and experiences in isolation, Space Cadet offers feel-good fun for the whole family.
For over a decade, David and Martin Howley have been at the heart of a musical revolution. As founding members of We Banjo 3, the Galway-born brothers brought Irish traditional music to new heights — blending it with Americana, bluegrass, and contemporary songcraft to create a sound beloved across the world. Now, the brothers return with a brand-new project: Howley — a re-imagining of that signature sound for a new era.
Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise. “With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Ann Arbor's Community High Jazz is one of the best programs of its kind anywhere. The Ark is proud to host this year's students on stage for two shows: one at 6:00 and another at 8:00. Tickets available at the door.
Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe.
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. Tickets at the door.
Joe Pernice is a songwriter celebrated for his rare ability to pair luminous melodies with quietly devastating emotional depth. Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, Pernice has built a body of work that is literate, melodic, and enduring—music that reveals new layers with each listen.
For Jon Muq, a singer-songwriter born in Uganda and now living in Austin, Texas, music is part of a larger conversation he’s having with the world and everybody in it. Drawing from African as well as western musical trends and traditions, he devises songs as small gifts, designed to settle into everyday life and provoke reflection and resilience.
Three of the most respected voices in American roots music share the stage for an extraordinary evening of guitars, stories, and song. Grammy-nominated blues artist Sue Foley, legendary blues icon Rory Block, and steel guitar master Cindy Cashdollar unite for Guitar Women, a rare collaboration bringing together three distinctive artists whose careers span decades of touring, recording, and musical innovation.
After 23 years as a recording artist, singer-songwriter Chris Knight remains boldly empowered to make music that always delivers the unflinching truth. In fact, the man raised in Slaughters, Kentucky uses a simple, direct barometer to regularly check his muse: “If I can’t believe myself, I won’t sing the song.”
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. Our Open Stage Showcase lets us shine a […]
During the creative explosion that was country music in the 1990s Suzy Bogguss sold 4 million records with sparkling radio hits like “Outbound Plane,” “Someday Soon,” “Letting Go,” “Drive South,” and “Hey Cinderella." In 2014 she released Lucky, a collection of songs written by Merle Haggard and interpreted through Suzy’s crystal vocals from the female point of view. Her latest offering, Prayin’ For Sunshine, is an Americana tour de force with all songs written by Bogguss.
Fifty-three years into a legendary career, much has changed about The Seldom Scene, starting with the venerable progressive bluegrass quintet’s various lineup iterations over time. But even as band members have stepped in and out of various roles, what’s most important is what hasn’t changed: an undeniable knack for blending both old and new music and traditions without sacrificing what makes either potent and durable. Their current iteration is a true blue lineup: guitarist mandolin player Lou Reid, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, banjoist and fiddler Ron Stewart, dobro player Fred Travers, and guitarist Clay Hess.
Brooklyn-born and raised, rising independent singer-songwriter Ike Dweck is building a reputation for deeply personal lyrics and unflinching introspection. Since debuting in 2023, he’s continued to shape a sound that blends raw vulnerable folk with a modern, aggressive rock, inviting listeners into the heart of his experiences.
Paper Wings is a folk duo based in Nashville composed of Emily Mann and Wila Frank. Their music features striking duet harmonies and heartfelt original songs which blend American roots with whimsical originality.
One timOne time garage rock troubadour Dave Boutette, and former Radio City Rockette Kristi Lynn Davis make what could be considered an unexpected musical pairing, but they have certainly found a way to make it work. Since pairing Dave’s celebrated songwriting with Kristi’s natural gift for harmony, the duo has delighted audiences at music festivals, house concerts, and listening rooms from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the Maryland shore. Their most recent release THE CHICKADEES reached #11 on the Folk DJ Chart in June of 2025.
Mike Massé is an internationally acclaimed artist and arranger who performs epic acoustic classic rock. He is a YouTube icon with over 195 million channel views. Legends of rock like Toto, Boston, Sarah McLachlan, Styx, Rush, Berlin, Asia, and others have expressed love and gratitude for his acoustic renditions of their songs. Toto cites his acoustic cover of “Africa” as their favorite.
In January 2024, Kim Richey found herself in Mexico, gazing out at a sea of people singing along to “I’m Alright,” one of her classic tracks. The three folks on stage with the veteran, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter were also raising their voices in harmony. To her right sat Brandi Carlile, to her left, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Brandy Clark. The formidable foursome was participating in a songwriter’s round only half-jokingly dubbed “Titans of Americana” at Carlile’s female-forward Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. The good news for fans of this particular Titan is a whole new batch of songs to sing along with and arm wave to with the release of her 10th studio album Every New Beginning.
In April 2025, Peter Mulvey and Jenna Nicholls, along with guitarist Ross Bellenoit, traveled to Floyd, a small mountain town located in the Blue Ridge Highlands of Southwest Virginia, for five uninterrupted days of recording. What emerged is Floyd Mercantile — a record that feels both intimate and timeless.
Inspired at age 30, singer/songwriter Al Bettis picked up a guitar and a notepad and got to work. The self-trained acoustic guitarist has gained popularity for his smooth vocals and sincere lyrics. His shows are a journey through love, heartbreak and redemption as he offers stories about the musings behind many of his songs.
Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. In his early twenties, Smither turned his back on his anthropology studies and headed to Boston at the urging of legendary folk singer Eric von Schmidt. What quickly evolved from his New Orleans and Cambridge musical experiences is his enduring, singular guitar sound – a beat-driven finger-picking, strongly influenced by the playing of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins, layered over the ever-present backbeat of his rhythmic, tapping feet (always mic’d in performance).
Jane Siberry, a highly respected figure in the international music scene with a career spanning over four decades, is starting her upcoming tour on March 19th in Oregon and concluding on April 29th in Halifax. Known for her ethereal voice, poetic lyrics, and genre-defying sound, Jane has captivated audiences worldwide since the 1980s, delivering an impressive catalog of 15 studio albums and countless live performances.