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.
Raised in Chicago, Rachel Baiman made her way to Nashville at 18 with the dream of being a professional fiddle player and has since released two solo records and an EP, alongside session and side-person work with Kacey Musgraves, Kevin Morby, and Molly Tuttle among many others. Philip Bowen is an Appalachian born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music is rooted in folk tradition, regional storytelling, and lived experience.
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.
In 2006 Corinne Bailey Rae released her self-titled debut album, a record she had recorded on a shoestring budget while still unsigned. An early appearance on BBC2's 'Later With Jools' and some intimate gigs around the UK had already started a word-of-mouth buzz leading her to be tipped as the next big thing. But the success of that album was instant and immense. Debuting at Number One in the UK, featuring hit singles such as 'Put Your Records On' and 'Like A Star', becoming a smash-hit around the world, and crashing straight into the Billboard Top 20 in the US - the first British female singer-songwriter to do so in decades - meant Bailey Rae gained a huge global audience within months.
The Arcadian Wild is an indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN, led by songwriters Isaac Horn, Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of confessional pop, folk, progressive bluegrass, 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.
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.
Multi-Instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that love is all that matters, that we don’t always get it right, but that’s the instinctive and requisite circuitous allure of things, why we forever chase it, and why it is held sacred.
Jeff Black’s songs appear on recordings by Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, John Oates, Dierks Bently, Blackhawk, Jo-el Sonnier and more. A master songwriter and performer, Black was voted one of the top 100 Folk artists of the last 25 years by Boston's WUMB listeners. In the tradition of the great storytellers, his passionate, soul driven live performances of songs from his vast catalog are not to be missed. This show is free for Ark members at the Solo ($50) level and above! Show your membership card at the door for entry.
We're sorry to announce that this week's Radney Foster and Kelly Willis shows in Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Columbus are being rescheduled. Please stay tuned for new date announcements. Radney is recovering from a serious infection that required hospitalization. While he is improving and expected to be home soon, his doctors have advised him to take a couple weeks off the road to focus on his health. Thank you for your understanding and support.
In Lloyd, Kentucky, on U.S. 23, there’s a sign on the Country Music Highway dedicated to renowned fiddler Jason Carter. It was placed there because of his other accomplishments—the Grammy awards, the worldwide tours, and the many other accolades he’s earned through his music. But for Carter, joining the legendary names honored on that stretch of highway just might mean the most. "There's a certain sound that's up there that you just don't hear anywhere else," he says. "I think that played a big part in how I sound today."
If you must put him in a box, make sure it’s a big box! Undefinable by genre, crossing over and through folk, rock, singer-songwriter, and kids music, Dan Bern is a captivating live performer with a loyal, multi-generational following. He has written thousands of songs, released dozens of albums, and played shows across North America and Europe–from coffee shops to Carnegie Hall, and he most recently opened for The Who and Roger Daltrey.
Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and former frontman of Joe Rockhead, 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.
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.
NMA was started by brother Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from their North Mississippi home inspired by their father Jim Dickinson as well as neighbors and musical elders of their community; RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and Fred McDowell.
Scott and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers join forces with Mike Patton, legendary frontman of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, for AVTT/PTTN, an unexpected new collaboration marked by a bold, self-titled debut released through Thirty Tigers, Ramseur Records, and Ipecac Recordings.
Born and raised in Detroit’s inner city, BLKBOK (born Charles Wilson III) grew up in a music-filled home and was an acclaimed piano prodigy by age eight, winning statewide accolades and college-level competitions. While many of his peers pursued hip-hop, Charles chose the name BLKBOK, a nod to one of the greatest pianists and composers of all time and a reflection of his journey from pop and hip-hop culture to his critically acclaimed neo-classical debut album Black Book and subsequent mixtape projects and collaborations.
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless.
Steph Strings is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music bridges the gap between the intimate and the expansive. Known for her unique ability to tell stories through her instrument, Steph’s signature sound fuses intricate fingerstyle guitar, percussive rhythms, and earthy, organic textures with lyrics that balance vulnerability with strength.
Drawing on the traditional jazz heritage of their hometown of New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band are renowned for including elements of funk, hip hop, rap, and its local variation, “bounce” in their music. The collective earned a win in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards 2022 for their feature on John Batiste’s ‘Album of The Year', following the nomination of their ‘The Life & Times Of…’ LP for ‘Best Regional Roots Album’ in 2013.
With a voice like worn leather and songs that hit straight to the soul, Ian Flanigan is a powerful presence in modern Country and Americana. A road-tested artist since the age of 17, Ian has spent years traveling the country, living on the road, and building a grassroots career grounded in authenticity and connection. After capturing national attention as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice (Team Blake, Season 19), he signed with Reviver Records and has continued touring relentlessly, releasing music consistently, and deepening his impact across the Country and Americana scenes.
Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don't want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song.
Handmade Moments is a duo based in New Orleans, LA. Anna Moss and Joel Ludford’s endearing personalities guide us through diverse musical flavors of American music. They serve up ornate instrumentation and simple yet sophisticated songcraft. Their live show offers a memorable mix of intoxicating vocals, bass clarinet, saxophone, sousaphone, guitar, upright bass, and tag team beatboxing.
Gregory Stovetop is a singer songwriter from Chelsea, Michigan blending cosmic folk, rock ’n’ roll grit, and heart-scorched soul. His music channels transformation, reverence, and mystic fire. Currently recording an acoustic record with Dominic John Davis ( Steppin in it /Jack White) will be released in the Summer of 2026, Stovetop’s sound is raw, radiant, and unmistakably his own.
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.
Celebrating 40 years of radio, and 50 years of performing! 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.
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.
Holly Near has been singing for a more equitable world for well over 40 creative years. An insightful story teller and skilled performer, Holly is an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage a unique integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
A songwriter, actor, vocalist, and theatre educator, with supreme soul. Unpredictable, yet fluid, and freely authentic. Blake creates experiences that reawaken our strong bonds to the earth and humanity.
Hailed as “the hottest band in the Wasatch” by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys is composed of lifelong professional musicians drawn together by a common love of bluegrass and skiing in the Wasatch. Featuring soulful, often harmonic vocals and solid strings and rhythm, this tight-knit crew was born out of the belly of a warm cabin after a long day on the slopes- drinking whiskey and singing into the night. With a high energy sound and a love for silly outfits, they travel the land spreading the gospel of whiskey, chickens, and fun for everyone.