Tag: Americana/Alt-Country

The son of a small-town farming community, Cody Diekhoff logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name Chicago Farmer before settling in the city in 2003. Profoundly inspired by fellow Midwesterner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core. His small-town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South of I-80.

Ann Arbor’s own Delta 88 combines a variety of musical influences from the American palette to craft their own modernized version of that classic sound, a plaintive take on alt-country akin to haunted mountain spirituals played through a distortion pedal. From wide channels of dynamic, emotional arrangements to somber barroom ballads and anthemic battle cries, Delta 88’s music blazes a trail through the Americana wilderness. The band has four studio albums under their belt, with the most recent featuring production by Grammy Award-winning musician and producer Joe Henry. Delta 88’s music has been heard on stages throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe with the likes of bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, country star Emmylou Harris, and singer-songwriter Buddy Miller, among others. It’s been a while since we’ve had this durable Michigan band at The Ark, so come and see what they’ve been up to musically!

International Folk Music Awards 2017 Artist of the Year Ordinary Elephant captivates audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world. The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, their connection, and their influences (such as Gillian Welch, Guy Clark, Anais Mitchell) all meet on stage. “Two become one, in song…hand-in-glove harmonies surprise the listener with focused intensity and musical mastery,” says Mary Gauthier. The Associated Press is calling their latest album, Honest, “one of the best Americana albums of the year.” Ordinary Elephant was a 2023 Folk Alliance International Official Showcase Artist. Edmonton, Alberta, songwriter Scott Cook opens.

Adrian + Meredith, says Music City Roots, bring “alt-country led by a former punk rocker with a voice a bit in the raspy direction of Tom Waits … with a strong pulse from the fiddle and a stomping rhythm.” Adrian + Meredith are Adrian and Meredith Krygowski. Adrian has been songwriting and performing since 2007. He’s originally from central Wisconsin, lived in D.C. for many years, and now lives in Nashville with Meredith, who has played old-time fiddle and clogged since she was child, and started performing with Adrian during 2012 recording of “Roam.” Before that, she was a member of the MSU-based band The Bard Owls. This duo brings a whole new meeting of the minds between old-time music and punk! Adrian + Meredith have spent the last seven years with 150+ dates a year touring the U.S, and since 2018, also in Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Britain. Their music embodies the spirit of the human story with a nod to punk, the heart of folk, the flavor of polka, and the bounce of swing.