Tag: Americana/Alt-Country

Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis Presley decades before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet relatable music of our time. With 30 years of writing, touring, and entertaining under his belt, he shows no sign of slowing down, still breaking genre barriers and topping charts, putting a new twist on his already entertaining live show. Paul is an Ark favorite who never fails to connect with Michigan audiences, and he comes to Michigan with a new album, “Never Too Late to Call,” recorded at Sam Phillips Studi in Memphis. The album, Paul says, “features music from a man who is with the “right one and is happy to be there.”

The Steel Wheels have captured audiences across the country with their heady brew of original soulful mountain music. Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this dynamic band marries old-time musical traditions with their own innovative sound.

Named for a tough but enduringly creative neighborhood north of downtown Cincinnati, Over the Rhine is the duo of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. Their ethereal sounds—dreamy, sweeping, highly literate and melancholy—have drawn comparisons to the likes of Cowboy Junkies. If you’ve never heard Over the Rhine, this is a great time to check them out—their December shows draw on their superb holiday albums, which bring renewal and a sense of the season to all.