The Mammals

Sun
5
May 5 @ 7:30 pm

The Mammals

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

The Mammals are folksingers Ruth Ungar, Mike Merenda, and a cohort of compelling collaborators who form a touring quintet on the fiddle, banjo, guitar, organ, bass, and drums. Over the past 20 years they have quietly composed a canon of original songs (“Some of the best songwriting of their generation” – LA Times) that both reflect our culture and offer a vision of how the world might yet be. “These days we sing about what we’re for over what we’re against,” says singer/songwriter, Mike Merenda, and what they’re for is “nothing short of sublime” according to (Americana UK).

$25
Tue
7
May 7 @ 8:00 pm

Los Straitjackets

Opener: Wasted Major

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

Los Straitjackets are the leading practitioners of the lost art of the guitar instrumental. Using the music of the Ventures, The Shadows, and with Link Wray and Dick Dale as a jumping off point, the band has taken their unique, high energy brand of original rock & roll around the world. Clad in their trademark Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks, the ‘Jackets’ have delivered their trademark guitar licks across 30 years, 16 albums, thousands of concerts and dozens of films and TV shows.

$30
Fri
21
June 21 @ 8:00 pm

Jon McLaughlin

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

Everything in Jon McLaughlin’s life makes its way into his music, whether he’s conscious of it or not. The artist, raised in Indiana and based in Nashville, brings all of his experiences and beliefs into each song he creates, something that is especially true now that he’s the father of two girls. As with everything he does, Jon’s goal is to create connections. He wants to translate his experiences and ideas into music that reaches fans everywhere. His passion for music and playing is evident in each note he plays. Jon comes to The Ark with his newest album, “MOOD III,” the third installment in his instrumental piano series.

$25
Mon
25
March 25 @ 8:00 pm

Jill Sobule

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

Jill Sobule’s work is at once deeply personal and socially conscious, seriously funny and derisively tragic. In a dozen albums spanning three decades of recording, the Denver-born songwriter/guitarist/singer has tackled such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, LGBTQ issues, and the Christian Right. Her hits include “I Kissed A Girl”—the first openly gay-themed song ever to crack the Billboard Top 20—and the alt-rock anthem “Supermodel” featured in the film “Clueless”.

$25
Fri
19
April 19 @ 8:00 pm

Willie Nile

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

The New York Times called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” Uncut Magazine called him “A one-man Clash.” His album Streets Of New York was hailed as “a platter for the ages” by Uncut. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.” His single from that album, “One Guitar,” was the “Top Pick of the Week” in USA Today.

$25
Thu
9
Sold Out
May 9 @ 8:00 pm

John Hiatt

Opener: Chris DuPont

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

A master lyricist and satirical storyteller, John Hiatt delivers songs filled with tales of redemption, relationships and surrendering on his own terms. His lyrics and melodies have graced more than 20 studio albums, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and scores of others, and have earned him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a BMI Troubadour award, and a lifetime achievement in songwriting designation from the Americana Music Association.

$75, $125, $150
Sat
16
March 16 @ 8:00 pm

Great Lake Swimmers

Opener: Tough Old Bird

Doubt, followed by discovery. Demos that ended up as finished tracks. New beginnings, rear-view reflections, and ruminations on the fluidity of time: Great Lake Swimmers’ eighth album, “Uncertain Country,” captures these feelings and so much more. Even before the world turned upside down, singer-songwriter Tony Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: from the climate crisis and the ever-changing political landscape to deep shifts within the music industry. The “uncertain country” Dekker chose as the album’s theme is not a specific place. Rather, it’s a territory we, as humans, inhabit in the 21st century — a world that, more often than not, is confusing, unfamiliar and unsettling.

$25
Wed
29
May 29 @ 8:00 pm

Shawn Phillips

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

Shawn Phillips helped define folk-rock in the 1960s and progressive rock in the 1970s. He co-wrote a lot of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” LP, introduced the sitar to pop music, and sang on “Lovely Rita.” Since then he’s recorded more than 20 albums that draw organically on folk-rock, jazz, progressive, pop, and classical styles. Shawn was born in Texas, lived for a decade in Italy, and now works as a firefighter, EMT, and sea rescue specialist in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he remains very much creatively active and issues new music from his home studio.

$25
Fri
16
February 16 @ 8:00 pm

Jax Hollow

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

Jax Hollow is an untamable force of nature. Hailing from Nashville by way of Western Massachusetts, the Berklee College Of Music graduate is bringing a much needed revival to rock with her fresh innocence and serious talent. Jax’s sound is a unique blend of classic rock, blues, and Americana, combined with songwriting, riffs, ripping solos, and powerful vocals. Just back from a European tour, Jax is making her Ark debut.

$25
Fri
31
May 31 @ 8:00 pm

Mike Massé

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

Mike Massé is the new voice of classic rock. Don’t miss this amazing show of Mike performing some of the best classic rock songs of all time acoustically: Toto, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles… His YouTube video views are in the millions, and he’s a unique talent. Mike Massé returns to Ann Arbor for this intimate evening of acoustic music. Mike is an internationally acclaimed artist whose arrangements are praised for their originality and emotional honesty.  Legends of rock, including Toto, Boston, Sarah McLachlan, Asia, and others have expressed their love and gratitude for his renditions of their finest works.

$30