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Chris Smither // Paul Cebar

Sun

September 17 @ 7:30 pm

Chris Smither // Paul Cebar

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

It’s as if the blues met modern poetry and got infused with Zen calm. Chris Smither takes the blues in a direction all his own, offering stoic, existential ruminations sung in a weathered blues moan and set to quietly virtuosic guitar.

Paul Cebar cut his teeth musically in the coffeehouse folk scene of the mid-’70s in Milwaukee. Taking cues from the dance bands of western Louisiana (and his native Midwest,), the streets (and 45’s) of New Orleans, touring African and Caribbean combos and the soul, funk & blues of his youth coupled with early, teeth-cutting experience in the verbal hotbeds of the coffeehouse scene, Cebar is a masterful synthesist of rhythmic culture

$35

Fri

June 23 @ 8:00 pm

Laith Al-Saadi

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Laith Al-Saadi began singing at age four and began playing guitar at 13. At 15 he formed his first blues band, Blue Vinyl. In short order they opened for blues greats like Buddy Guy (to whose work his playing has been compared), Luther Allison, Son Seals, and Taj Mahal and toured the Netherlands. At the University of Michigan, Laith was a member of the Johnny Trudell Orchestra and freelanced with Detroit greats like Thornetta Davis, Jocelyn B, The Reefermen. Laith is a real road warrior who generally can be found playing at least five nights a week around Michigan and beyond, and Michigan’s secret got out when he made the finals of television’s “The Voice.” If you haven’t checked out this monster Michigan talent yet, you really should!

$30

Sat

April 22 @ 8:00 pm

Mr. B’s Blues & Boogie Piano Celebration

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

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! Audiences in southeastern Michigan tend to think of Mr. B as a local hero, but in fact he’s well known among fans and practitioners of blues and jazz piano music all over the country and around the world. In the past, Mr. B’s Piano Celebration concerts have brought great sets by otherwise hard-to-find performers from New Orleans, New York, and Europe, and they’re by no means confined to boogie and blues.

$30

Wed

April 12 @ 8:00 pm

Marcia Ball & Tinsley Ellis

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Tinsley Ellis and Marcia Ball are excited to present an intimate evening of their music and memories called Acoustic Songs and Stories. They will each play a set of their own songs. Tinsley, an elder statesman of the Blues world, will perform many of his most popular songs from his twenty albums, plus some delta blues and classics on his National Steel and Martin acoustic guitars. Marcia, a five-time Grammy nominee, will play the piano and sing her often raucous and sometimes touching original songs full of the characters and places that shaped her.

$30

Sat

April 8 @ 8:00 pm

Jackie Greene

Opener: Lilly Winwood

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

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 (like he did as the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes in 2013). A road warrior and musician’s musician, Greene’s new EP ‘The Modern Lives – Vol 2’ (out October 2018 on Blue Rose Music) finds him at a new chapter in his life: his first months of fatherhood, time off his relentless touring circuit, and a cross-country move from Brooklyn to his birthplace of Northern California.

This new collection of six original songs is a thematic extension of ‘The Modern Lives – Vol 1’ EP (released in 2017 on Blue Rose Music), imbued with a Brooklyn basement DIY feel and ethos. He is a student of American music, transfixed upon its progression through time, as well as how regional sounds fit in a contemporary context. Whereas ‘Vol 1’ saw Greene experiment with the Delta blues as a canvas for his examinations of modern society, ‘Vol 2’ sees Greene embrace the sounds of the bluegrass and folk tapes of his youth.

$30

Fri

March 31 @ 8:00 pm

Sonny Landreth with Cindy Cashdollar

With Special Guest: The Suitcase Junket

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Sonny Landreth is one of the great live guitarists of our time! This time around, Sonny is accompanied by the reigning queen of the steel guitar, Cindy Cashdollar. The Suitcase Junket opens; they have a new album, “The End Is New.”

$30

Thu

March 30 @ 8:00 pm

Tommy Castro & The Painkillers

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

“The hardest thing to do,” says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, “is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you.” Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him. Since his solo debut in 1994, he’s made 16 albums—the last seven for Alligator—each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll, each release is solidly built upon Tommy’s unshakable musical foundation—a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro’s grab-you-by-the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Castro has won the Blues Music Awards for Album of the Year, Band of the Year, and the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). Blues Revue declared, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong.” Tommy Castro & The Painkillers come to town with a new release, “A Bluesman Came to Town.”

$25

Thu

March 9 @ 8:00 pm

Vanessa Collier

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Vanessa Collier is a captivating and multitalented blues vocalist, saxophonist, and songwriter, hailing from the world-renowned Berklee College of Music, where she earned dual degrees in Performance and Music Production & Engineering. Vanessa demonstrates her skills as a master musician and songwriter, blending her blues background with elements of funk, rock, and soul. Vanessa’s mighty vocals, gritty saxophone solos, and incredible high-energy stage presence create a powerful show not to be missed!

$20

Sat

Cancelled

February 11 @ 8:00 pm

An Evening with George Winston

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

Due to unforeseen circumstances, George Winston’s Feb 11 performance at The Ark will be rescheduled to a future date. You will be notified by email after this date is determined.

Please retain your tickets and they will be honored on the new date. Once the date is announced, patrons will have 30 days to request a refund if they are not able to attend the new date.

$45, $53, $75

Sun

February 5 @ 7:30 pm

Laith Al-Saadi

The Ark 316 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI 48104 United States

An intimate solo performance
Laith Al-Saadi began singing at age four and began playing guitar at 13. At 15 he formed his first blues band, Blue Vinyl. In short order they opened for blues greats like Buddy Guy (to whose work his playing has been compared), Luther Allison, Son Seals, and Taj Mahal and toured the Netherlands. At the University of Michigan, Laith was a member of the Johnny Trudell Orchestra and freelanced with Detroit greats like Thornetta Davis, Jocelyn B, The Reefermen. Laith is a real road warrior who generally can be found playing at least five nights a week around Michigan and beyond, and Michigan’s secret got out when he made the finals of television’s “The Voice.” If you haven’t checked out this monster Michigan talent yet, you really should! Tonight Laith performs a rare solo show.

$30