The Ark

Jesse Cook
2025-05-03 19:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
For Jesse Cook, music has been a journey. Sonically and literally.
“Over the years, I’ve taken my music and tried to cross-pollinate it with music from different parts of the world,” explains the 50-year-old global-guitar virtuoso. “For the (2003) album Nomad, I went to Cairo and recorded with musicians there. On my (2009) record The Rumba Foundation, I went to Colombia, and worked with musicians from Cuba as well. On (1998’s) Vertigo, I went down to Lafayette, La., and recorded with Buckwheat Zydeco. For me, the question has always been: Where did you go? Where did you take your guitar?”
The short answer this time? Nowhere. And everywhere. After two decades of criss-crossing the world in restless pursuit of inspiration, innovation and collaboration, the Paris-born, Toronto-raised Cook changed course for his ninth studio albumOne World, out April, 28th, 2015 on eOne Music Canada. Instead of exotic locales, he stayed home in his studio. Instead of a foreign legion of performers, he relied on his own devices. And instead of exploring cul de sacs of music — flamenco, classical, rumba, world beat, pop, blues or jazz — he united them.
“On this record, it’s not really about going someplace,” he says of the album, whose cover depicts a vast, ancient tree. “The idea is that there really is just one world. If you pull your focus back far enough, you start to see all music as being branches of the same tree. They’re all connected to the same trunk from way back.
“For example, my strange way of playing guitar is a hybrid of styles. I was a classical guitarist as a kid, and I studied flamenco and then I studied jazz. So there are three musical and guitar traditions in my background. And one of the forms I use, rumba flamenco, is itself a hybrid created in the 1800s when sailors were coming back to Spain from Cuba, having heard these Cuban rhythms. And here I am, 150 years later, taking it and mixing it back with modern music and seeing where it takes me. Music is a constantly evolving thing.”
As is Cook’s creative approach. Despite its humble home-made origins, One World begins another chapter in the multi-tasking artist, composer and producer’s quest. His destination: The digital realm. To create the disc’s emotive melodies, fluid grooves and rich sonic tapestries, he incorporated technology more than ever before. Give credit to his precocious young assistant.
“I have two small children, and my son is forever trying to get on my computer. If I’m in my studio, he’ll come in and sit down and just start pushing buttons and making things happen in the recording program I use. At first I was terrified he would mess things up. But he actually got really good at poking around. I started going, ‘Wow, what’s that? What are you doing? Let me in there!’ I started writing tunes using weird loops and metallic and electronic sounds. And I found myself interested in taking what I do and putting it in a more modern context. I’ve leaned heavily on ancient instruments. But for this record, I put those instruments side by side with modern sounds — unabashedly so.”
What results is the most sonically diverse and distinctive disc in Cook’s vast and varied catalogue, which has earned 11 Juno nominations and one win for 2000’s Free Fall. On these 11 instrumentals, programmed beats and dusty electronic textures are interwoven with syncopated handclaps, deep dubby basslines and popping percussion. Sitars and violin share the space with synthesizers and sound effects. Notes and rhythms dance playfully back and forth between speakers. Naturally, Cook’s masterful guitar work commands centre stage with its elegant balance of subtlety, in-the-moment honesty and blazing technical prowess. But here, it also pivots between worlds — past and future, familiar and fresh, acoustic and electronic — redefined by technology like every element of modern life.
“We’re all involved with our computers in a big way, though we malign them,” laughs Cook. “People complain social media is ruining communication and that people just text instead of call. But love and romance and imagination and art also happen through computers. People fall in love online. People talk to loved ones on Skype. People write great love letters on the computer, create great works of art, great compositions. It has become this integral part of human expression and I wanted to give it a voice in what I was doing.”
And in doing so, the artist who hadn’t planned to travel for this album found himself in the most exotic locale imaginable.
“I wanted to make what I was doing feel like Constantinople, the ancient city that existed between the East and the West. It was the meeting point of all these great cultures — Africa, Europe, Asia, India. I want my music to be that place: The Constantinople of sound. A place where ancient sounds meet with modern ones and pass though that port.”
The journey continues.

Blackthorn
2024-12-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Members of the Michigan Irish American Hall of Fame, Blackthorn offers shows that involve a musical ramble across Ireland. Traditional songs of emigration, ballads, shanties and jigs and reels combine with some of Ireland’s best contemporary songs for a musical experience that is uniquely Irish. Each of the band’s members plays multiple instruments, including flute, accordion, tin whistle, fiddle, banjo, cittern, bodhran, and more. These instruments complement the lead vocal of Belfast native Richard McMullan and the band’s tight blend of four-part harmony. This band has been bringing a rich tapestry of Celtic music to southeast Michigan and beyond for 40 years, and they’re a must-see for those who want to know the deep traditions of Irish music in Michigan.

The Empty Pockets
2024-12-08 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Fill the holidays with rock and modern blues! Chicago’s Billboard chart-topping quartet The Empty Pockets are bringing their ‘MistleTunes’ Holiday Concert to town. Seasonal classics like “Silent Night” and “Run Run Rudolph” are given new life through this band’s joyful energy. Plus, fresh and fun original songs like “Party at the North Pole” and “Snow Day” are a welcome change from the same-old-songs, year after year. Join The Empty Pockets, as they ignite a bright flame by harnessing a joyful friction between Americana, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll spiked with roots soul.

BLKBOK
2024-12-06 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Born and raised in Detroit, BLKBOK was immersed in a household filled with music. Showing exceptional talent, he quickly made a name for himself as a piano prodigy, garnering recognition and willing prestigious competitions at both the statewide and college levels by the time he was 8. His live performances are an electrifying display of energy and cultural resonance, aiming to captivate audiences like never before with his unique piano-based showmanship.
His explosive and immersive live music experiences have earned him a reputation for engaging and enthralling audiences with his extraordinary talent. With an extensive background in the music industry, he is no stranger to hard work and dedication. He has toured as a lead pianist and musical director, accompanying artists such as Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, and collaborating with productions such as Cirque du Soleil. Through his diverse experiences, he continues to deliver breathtaking performances that leave a lasting impact on all who witness his extraordinary musical prowess.

The Bygones
2024-12-03 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
It’s human nature to look back, and to try to make sense of that which has gone by. For the luminous indie folk duo of Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young, it’s a question not only of what should be relinquished, but also what might be worth taking with you. “There’s goodness in every decade of
music. And there’s goodness in every season of life,” Josh shares. “For us, it’s about finding what’s golden in the past and bringing that forward.”
The pair share an eclectic nostalgia for sounds of the past—Jazz and Classical, Golden Age musicals, big bands of the ‘40s, singer-songwriters of the ‘60s, dewy indie rock of the early 2010s—as well as a passion for instrumental music and covers. These points of connection began online, culminated in an impromptu recording session in Nashville, and compelled an unexpected path forward.
The duo’s first release together, a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” gathered massive enthusiasm online as well as the fervent demand of one UK promoter that they tour overseas. Josh and Allison accepted the invitation and rushed to record an EP to have something—anything—to play for audiences, audiences which sold out venues and applauded The (yet-to-be-named) Bygones with standing ovations before they even strummed a note. “It didn’t make any sense,” Josh says. “We weren’t a band yet.” But to see The Bygones live is to comprehend the hype. Allison’s stylish, luminescent presence and vocal finesse, Josh’s astonishing technical aptitude, and the palpable joy in their onstage dynamic create a live show experience that demands multiple encores.
Rather than a band asking the world to listen, the world asked these two musicians to be a band. Their debut album ‘The Bygones’ was released April 4, 2024 on Tonetree.
Artist Presale (via Seated): Wednesday June 12 @ 10:00am

The Howard Levy 4 and Madcat's C.A.R.Ma. Quartet
2024-12-01 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Howard Levy is a master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, educator, and producer. At the age of 19, he discovered how to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument by developing techniques on it that had never existed before. This enabled Howard to take the harmonica out of its usual role as a Folk and Blues instrument, and into the worlds of Jazz, Classical, Middle Eastern music, and more. His discovery unlocked infinite possibilities for the harmonica world.
Peter Madcat Ruth’s C.A.R.Ma. Quartet features eclectic traditional and improvisational music played by four veteran Ann Arbor musicians: John Churchville on tabla, Brennan Andes on bass, guitarist Dan Ripke, and harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth.

Jane Siberry
2024-11-24 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Iconic and enigmatic, Jane Siberry is one of music’s most unique and gifted singer-songwriters. Blessed with a sincere integrity and emotional depth, she has released 14 studio albums, including her well-loved signature song Calling All Angels. Jane’s songs have been covered by numerous artists, including k.d. lang with her stunning renditions of Love is Everything and the 23rd Psalm-inspired The Valley.
She is recognized as a forward-thinking artist, using her creativity both in song and in how she operates in the music business. She was one of the first to set up “self-determined transactions” (pwyw). She continues to explore ways to live healthily as an artist creating an online style-store, webinars, “Janetakes” (feedback for artists) and passive income streams in order to “keep the joy up” and to remain aware that “it is a privilege to be a musician.”

Chris DuPont // Spencer LaJoye
2024-11-21 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Chris DuPont is a proud Michigan-native tunesmith, endlessly reimagining the indie/folk paradigm. With an unmistakable ethereal tenor, diverse fingerstyle guitar work, and a taste for the cinematic, DuPont steers the classic eloquence and lyricism of 70’s Americana into the iridescent haze of indie pop. His songs are dreamy tapestries that ask questions about love, permanence, grief, lineage, and the frailty of human memory.
Spencer LaJoye makes queer indie folk music for everyone. With a coy smile, a wink to the back row, and carefree expertise, they spin their crystalline vocals through a loop pedal while strumming the weathered acoustic guitar they acquired for leading worship in high school. LaJoye is an East Coast singer/songwriter with Midwest roots, a classically-trained violinist with a proclivity for Broadway vocals, and a student of Americana music with a theology degree hanging in their studio.

Philip Bowen
2024-11-20 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Born and raised in West Virginia, Philip Bowen’s uplifting sound is heavily inspired by Appalachian roots. The dynamic, internationally touring singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began playing fiddle at the age of four, & his virtuoso skills have become quite popular, with over 1.5 Million followers online. He’s played iconic venues like The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd & Lindsley, and been a featured performer on NPR’s “Mountain Stage.” 2023 was a breakout year for Bowen, and saw him share the stage with legends like Darius Rucker, finish as a semifinalist on Season 18 of America’s Got Talent, earn a spotlight at Americanafest, and release his debut album, “Old Kanawha.” In addition to his work as a touring artist, he is an accomplished session player with over 100 credits to his name for a wide range of artists including Noah Kahan, Zandi Holup, Brandon Davis, Styles Haury, Jenna Paulette, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, & more
He continues to release his original music, spreading his message of positivity to an audience that has been growing rapidly. With guest spots on Ross Golan’s “And the demo is…” and praise from American Songwriter, Whiskey Riff, Rolling Stone, The Bluegrass Situation, No Depression, and Atwood Magazine, it’s easy to see why the Nashville Songwriters Association International dubbed this inspirational artist “one to watch.”

Riders in the Sky
2024-11-15 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
For more than forty years, Riders In The Sky have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing Western music. And while remaining true to the integrity of the genre, they have themselves become modern-day icons by branding it with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit, and all along encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!”
Riders In The Sky are stars of the stage, screen, the Grand Ole Opry, National Public Radio, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Saturday morning TV, and are the only exclusively Western artist to have won a Grammy Award. They truly are “America’s Favorite Cowboys!

Adam Ezra Group
2024-11-14 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Welcome to Adam Ezra Group, who, along with nonprofit organization RallySound, host a free festival every summer that raised $143,000 for homeless veterans in 2023. During the pandemic, Adam live-streamed for 500 nights in a row. The group co-produced an album with 163 fans, and Adam takes a month out of each year to visit the living rooms of his fans around the country.
If you haven’t connected with Adam Ezra Group yet, these are just a few examples to help understand how this underground, Americana songwriter and his bandmates seem to have popped out of nowhere, establishing a connection with their fans unlike any other, and are suddenly selling out theaters throughout the Northeast.
Adam Ezra will joke with you that while the “nowhere” part might be accurate, nothing has ever just “popped” for this folk musician, activist. Without resources, connections, or any kind of clue how the music world works, Ezra began playing shows over 20 years ago. He played bars, bookstores, fields, and parking lots, often raising money for causes he cared about; a practice that grew into his nonprofit organization RallySound.
So how did this band operating so far outside the traditional music world come to win New England Music Award’s “Americana Act of the Year” in 2023? What could have happened to inspire John Oates to call Adam and invite him to begin a songwriting friendship that would lead to John producing their upcoming release and co-write, “Hold Each Other Now”? What happened to catch the attention of The Wallflowers, who recently invited AEG to join them on their spring tour, or SPIN Magazine who recently proclaimed, “This Independent Underground Folk Band Is Blowing Up Without Selling Out”?
If you ask Adam, he’ll tell you: “One person at a time, over many years and thousands of shows, decided to turn their heads to listen… It’s no fairytale, but it sure makes me proud and humbled when I look out from the stage to watch theaters full of people singing along to our music.”
These days you’ll find Adam and his bandmates, Corinna Smith (Fiddle), Poche Ponce (Bass), and Alex Martin (Percussion), constantly out on the road. If you look at their tour schedule now, you can buy tickets to see them at festivals, rock venues, and theaters around the country, but you will also see their tour continuously peppered with activism and grassroots events; a testament to an artist who will never forget where he came from, and whose mission is about much more than music.

Criag Finn
2024-11-12 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Craig Finn is a Minnesota-bred singer/songwriter based in New York City, best known as the singer of The Hold Steady. Finn spent the ’90’s leading Minneapolis indie band Lifter Puller, which released 3 albums and an EP. After relocating to New York, he joined with Lifter Puller member Tad Kubler to form The Hold Steady in 2003. The Hold Steady quickly achieved critical acclaim and a worldwide fanbase with their unique pairing of dense lyrical narratives with big rock guitars. The Hold Steady’s ninth album, The Price Of Progress, was released in March 2023, commemorating the band’s 20th Anniversary.
Finn released his first solo album in 2012 with three additional solo LPs put forth from 2015 – 2019: Faith in the Future, We All Want The Same Things, and 2019’s I Need a New War – which coalesced into a sign-of-the-times musical trilogy. Finn’s debut book “I Can’t Keep Saying Thank You”, a collection of his song lyrics, was also released in 2019. A double album of B-sides/outtakes, All These Perfect Crosses, was released in 2021 accompanied by a limited-edition graphic novel/comic book.
Finn’s fifth solo album, A Legacy of Rentals, was released in May 2022 to great fanfare. Pitchfork praised it saying, “The writing remains the main attraction in Finn’s work, and both as a storyteller and a rock songwriter, he has never sounded more in control. From the beginning, he had a gift for meticulous, vivid world-building, and his wordplay has gotten tighter as his subjects have come down to earth.” That’s How I Remember It is Craig Finn’s podcast series, which just started its third season. Co-produced and distributed by Talkhouse, the podcast series examines the connection between memory and creativity. Each episode features a discussion between Finn and one creator – including musicians, authors, filmmakers, and more – about the role memory plays in their art. These exclusive conversations reveal the different ways each creator synthesizes their remembered life experience to tell stories about themselves and the world we live in.

Full Cord
2024-11-03 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
When it comes to movers and shakers in the bluegrass world, Full Cord is a super-group on the rise. After winning the prestigious 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition in Colorado, the Michigan-based group followed that with another much-coveted honor when the International Bluegrass Music Association named Full Cord its “Momentum Award Band of the Year.” While mandolinist Brian Oberlin notes the band’s music “is new and fresh to the ears of seasoned bluegrass fans,” the bluegrass traditions in Full Cord have deep roots.

The group’s members – Oberlin, guitarist Eric Langejans, bassist Todd Kirchner and fiddler Grant Flick – boast decades of musical artistry, with experience in popular performing bands from Michigan to Oregon. And with the recent addition of award-winning, Colorado-based banjoist Ricky Mier, Full Cord is ready to follow in the footsteps of fellow Michigan bluegrass icons Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass as yet another star in the making.

Natalie & Brittany Haas with Nic Gareiss
2024-11-02 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Sisters Natalie (cello) and Brittany (fiddle) Haas began their musical lives together, filling their childhood home with Bach suites and old-time tunes alike. It was on their own, however-following divergent paths through disparate musical traditions, countries, and cultures-that they both arrived as virtuosi and composers at the highest levels of contemporary string music. Fans of acoustic music can hardly mention one without referencing the other’s work. With HAAS, these singular musicians finally record together – in duo form – for the first time. It is a collaboration a lifetime in the making, and a music encompassing travels through time and through the world From Nashville to Norway, the Celtic Isles to California, Natalie and Brittany have absorbed, adapted, and made their own world of music. The result? HAAS.
Named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” Nic Gareiss (he/they) has been hailed by the New York Times for his “dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance” and called “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. Nic has earned numerous accolades including a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for traditional singer of the year and the Michigan Heritage Award, the state’s highest distinction bestowed on traditional artists. Always jubilant, often puckishly queer, Nic Gareiss has emerged as one of the most beloved and singular performers of contemporary traditional dance and music.

Shane Koyczan
2024-11-01 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Internationally recognized author and spoken word artist Shane Koyczan has emerged as a creator of poetry that dares to belong to the people and speak directly to them in their own voice. In 2013, he collaborated with animators to make the anti-bullying viral video “To This Day” which has had over 13 million views, and he performed a customized version “For the Bullied and the Beautiful” to acclaim at the 2013 International TED Conference in Long Beach, California. Shane shapes his words and delivers in multi mediums from authored, video, spoken word, operatic, and musically performed.

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with The Guilty Ones
2024-10-30 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
When Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore made the album Downey To Lubbock together in 2018, they wrote the title track as a sort of mission statement. “I know someday this old highway’s gonna come to an end,” Alvin sings near the song’s conclusion. Gilmore answers: “But I know when it does you’re going to be my friend.” Six years later, they’re serving notice that the old highway hasn’t ended yet. “We’re still standing, no matter what you might hear,” they sing on “We’re Still Here,” the final track to their new album Texicali. Due out Jun 21, 2024 on Yep Roc Records, Texicali continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours’ respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore).
The album’s geographic theme reflects Alvin’s repeated journeys to record in Central Texas with Gilmore and the Austin-based backing band that has toured with the duo for the past few years. The 11 songs on Texicali also connect the duo’s shared fondness for a broad range of American music forms. On their own, both have been prominent artists for decades. A philosophical songwriter with a captivating, almost mystical voice, Gilmore co-founded influential Lubbock group the Flatlanders in the early 1970s. Alvin first drew attention as a firebrand guitarist and budding young songwriter with Los Angeles roots-rockers the Blasters in the early 1980s.
Gilmore is primarily known for left-of-center country music, while Alvin’s compass points largely toward old-school blues. But there’s a lot of ground to cover beyond those foundations, and both artists also are well-known for transcending genre limitations. So it’s not surprising that they’ve spiked Texicali with cosmic folk narratives, deep R&B grooves and even swinging reggae rhythms.

Trace Bundy
2024-10-27 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Internationally-acclaimed guitar virtuoso Trace Bundy must be seen, not just heard. His music is poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience. Listening to his intricate arrangements is one thing, but seeing the fan-dubbed “Acoustic Ninja” play live confounds even the most accomplished music lovers as to how one person can do all that with just two hands and ten fingers.
Bundy’s unique career has brought him across the world, with concerts in 28 countries and counting – from high-tech performance halls in South Korea and Italy, to remote villages in Zimbabwe and Guatemala. He has independently sold over 150,000 albums on his record label, Honest Ninja Music. His video clips circulate virally at astonishing speed, with over 45 million YouTube views to date.
Dave Kirby from the Boulder Weekly says “Possessing a staggering acoustic technique, on both right and left sides, Bundy has made his reputation as a next generation solo guitarist of serious repute.”
Audiocast Magazine from Austin, TX agrees: “Bundy’s live show is without a doubt an event that needs to be witnessed rather than told about. With such a jaw-dropping performance, Bundy’s live concert is a slap in the face that would leave a palm print on the memory of everyone in the audience.”

Yasmin Williams
2024-10-26 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Based in Alexandria, VA, Yasmin Williams is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and film composer. She has an unorthodox, modern style of guitar playing and utilizes various techniques including alternate tunings, percussive hits, and lap tapping in her music to great effect. Her “radiant sound and adventitious origins have made her a key figure in a diverse dawn for the solo guitar” (The New York Times). Williams’s music has been described as rich, harmonious, and “in a lot of ways, the joy and possibility she brings to the guitar reminds me more of Eddie Van Halen than any of the other fingerstyle guitarists to whom she’s compared” (NPR Music).
Her latest album, Urban Driftwood, has received critical acclaim from numerous major publications including The New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, NPR Music, The Fader, Wallstreet Journal, AllMusic, Paste Magazine, No Depression, and several other outlets. She was listed as one of the “25 New and Rising Artists Shaping the Future of Music in 2023” by Pitchfork. Most recently, Williams signed to Nonesuch Records and released a new single, titled Dawning, featuring Aoife O’Donovan on vocals, Kafari on rhythm bones, and Nic Gareiss on flat foot percussion.

Steve Poltz
2024-10-25 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Steve Poltz is not normal. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but has lived most of his life in southern California, and those geographic poles are quite likely responsible for his unhinged genius. With a cult following that includes fellow musicians, regular folks and festival goers who stumble onto his performances, there’s no common denominator to Steve’s fans. Steve toured and recorded with San Diego cult favorites The Rugburns (they still play annual sold-out reunion shows). But it was through his creative partnership with Jewel that he vaulted into the national spotlight; co-writing her multiplatinum Billboard Hot 100-busting smash, “You Were Meant For Me,” and continues to work with her to this day.
Over the years, Steve has built a fascinating solo catalog. No Depression crowned him, “A sardonic provocateur with a lighthearted acoustic-driven wit, suggesting at times a sunnier, less psychedelic Todd Snider, or maybe a less wan, washed Jackson Brown.” Among other collaborations, GRAMMY-winning bluegrass phenom Billy Strings tapped him to co-write “Leaders” on 2021’s Renewal and he’s co-written with Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm, Oliver Wood and even Mojo Nixon.
Steve’s newest album is Stardust & Satellites, produced by Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers.

Sixpence None The Richer
2024-10-24 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Sixpence None the Richer began taking shape in New Braunfels, Texas in the early ‘90s, when guitarist Matt Slocum met vocalist Leigh Nash at a church retreat. The group recorded a demo before eventually signing with R.E.X. Records. Their debut LP, The Fatherless & the Widow, appeared in 1993 and their sophomore effort, 1995’s This Beautiful Mess won a Dove Award and was followed by the Tickets for a Prayer Wheel EP.
In 1997, Sixpence None the Richer released their self-titled album and two years later exploded globally when the track “Kiss Me”, from that album, was released as a single. The song has been featured in countless movies and TV shows and catapulted Sixpence None the Richer’s starpower into the mainstream, earning airplay in more than ten different countries.
Accolades continued as the band’s rendition of the La’s “There She Goes” also became a major hit. In fall 2002, Sixpence None the Richer returned to form with Divine Discontent. The band’s cover of the Crowded House classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over” pushed Sixpence None the Richer’s name back into the charts in early 2003. Although the group quietly disbanded in 2004, they remained active as individuals and continued to release music periodically, including the albums Dawn of Grace and Lost in Transition.
Fast forward to 2024 and all-original members (Leigh Nash, Matt Slocum, Dale Baker, and Justin Cary) have reunited and are writing and recording new music and preparing for a world tour. As a taste of the new music, you can hear “The Tide” released in late 2023 as Leigh Nash + Sixpence None The Richer, which has already amassed over 2 Million views and streams across platforms. Curb Records is also celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the band’s self-titled (Kiss Me) album by re-releasing it in a collectible vinyl series that also features the new track, “The Tide”.
Sixpence None The Richer has helped shape the musical landscape across generations and are gearing up for an exciting road ahead.

Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen
2024-10-23 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
“Two singer-songwriters sit on the edge of a cliff . . .”
With these words, we are drawn into the world of Both Sides Now, a theatrical concert that explores the music and lives of long-time friends and one-time lovers, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Created by, and starring Robbie Schaefer and Danielle Wertz, the cabaret-style performance travels decades alongside songs such as A Case of You, Hallelujah, Big Yellow Taxi, Suzanne, and many more. Both Sides Now is at once a piece of the 60’s and 70’s, and of right now–offering us a story about the messiness of being human, of lives persistently lived at the edge of growth, and of finding the courage to turn toward one another, again and again.

David Cross
2024-10-23 19:30 - 23:00 | Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee, David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen. David’s eighth stand-up special, David Cross: Worst Daddy In The World, is available on the 800 Pound Gorilla Media YouTube channel, and he will join the cast of the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy, for their fourth and final season premiering August 8.
David hosts the new podcast, Senses Working Overtime With David Cross, which premiered on December 7, 2023 with new episodes released on Thursdays available on all audio platforms and video available on David’s YouTube page.
In 2023, David was seen in the Julia Louis-Dreyfus film, You Hurt My Feelings, and the FX series, Justified: City Primeval. In 2021, Cross starred in the National Geographic series, Genius: Aretha, portraying famed music producer, Jerry Wexler opposite Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin; he made guest appearances in the, critically-acclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Station Eleven; and starred in the HBO Max film, 8-Bit Christmas.
On February 12, 2022, David premiered his comedy special, David Cross: I’m From The Future, as a livestream event available internationally on his website. David’s 2019 comedy special, David Cross: Oh Come On, is available on Amazon Prime and Peacock.
David was nominated for two Grammy Awards for the albums, …America…Great, and Shut Up You F***ing Baby, and his comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015.
Other groundbreaking TV credits include Arrested Development, Goliath, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Freak Show, and The Ben Stiller Show. In 2020, David received rave reviews for his starring role in the dramatic film, The Dark Divide, and in 2018, he was part of the ensemble cast with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post. David released the indie film Hits, which he wrote and directed, and he has appeared in numerous films including Kill Your Darlings, It’s a Disaster, Abel, Year One, Waiting for Guffman, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Ghost World, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Perfect 2, I’m Not There, and he provided his vocal talents for several animated films, including Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise and Curious George.

José González
2024-10-23 19:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
José González is in a class by himself. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “someone whose subtle, carefully crafted music delivers rewards to listeners who know how to wait,” González’s stellar career can only be described as a dream. From selling out tours on virtually every continent to headlining prestigious festivals around the world to being asked to perform at 2020’s Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and seeing his recorded music exceed 1 billion streams, González is one of the most exciting and in-demand touring artists working today. Whether appearing alone with his guitar or with a 20-piece orchestra, or with his band The Brite Lites, or choosing between duo and trio formats, his performances are never merely shows – they are events. And González has every intention of continuing this tradition as he prepares his fully solo tour in support of the eagerly awaited release of his fourth studio album, LOCAL VALLEY.
The visionary singer-songwriter/guitarist’s long-awaited album, and first to contain songs in all of the languages he speaks (English, Spanish and Swedish), LOCAL VALLEY provides a welcome reminder of the Gothenburg, Sweden-based artist’s understated appeal and unabashed intimacy, a quality Billboard praised as “one of the most recognizable sounds in indie rock.” The album finds González once again armed with just a handful of nylon-stringed Spanish guitars, yet this time, technology did creep into the proceedings.
“I allowed myself to loop guitars as I aim to do live with pedals,” González says, “and in my head I was hearing how each track would fit with an orchestra (The String Theory) or my five-piece band (The Brite Lites), with whom I’ve been touring on and off the last decade.”
Four albums in, LOCAL VALLEY finds Jose González, in the words of his new song, “Visions,” still “imagining the worlds that could be/Shaping a mosaic of fates/For all sentient beings.” With LOCAL VALLEY, Jose González once again proves that music doesn’t need to be loud to be heard.

Pete Muller
2024-10-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Pete Muller has spent much of his adult life walking a tightrope between two vastly different worlds.
“One part of me is a very practical, analytical thinker,” says the gifted singer/songwriter and innovative business leader, “and the other is this creative artist who can’t help but express what’s going on in his soul. For a long time, I thought I had to choose between the two, but I’ve realized that I can love both sides of myself, that it’s AND, not OR.”
More Time, Muller’s captivating new album, is proof of that. Recorded in Memphis with producer/engineer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) and featuring a duet with Lisa Loeb, the collection marks a dramatic leap forward for Muller, who finds himself exploring the push and pull of responsibility and desire, predictability and adventure, commitment, and temptation. Where Muller’s previous work leaned more towards carefully arranged folk and roots, More Time is a freewheeling slice of rock and soul captured with an all-star band including celebrated bassist Dave Smith (Al Green, Wilson Pickett), famed Texas guitarist Will Sexton (Joe Ely, Roky Erickson), Memphis organist Rick Steff (Lucero, Cat Power), and longtime Wilco drummer Ken Coomer. The result is an ecstatic exploration of what it means to be human in all its messy, mixed-up contradictions, a sometimes-exultant, sometimes-pensive meditation that embraces AND over OR as it revels in the joy of discovering—and becoming—the people we’re meant to be.
The Ark’s Artist Spotlight Series is made possible with support from Ford Philanthropy. It is presented live, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page.
Tonight’s show is FREE (nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers).

Noah Gundersen with Abby Gundersen
2024-10-20 19:30 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Marking the 10th anniversary of his acclaimed album, Ledges, Noah Gundersen will play intimate, stripped-back shows with his sister Abby Gundersen playing fiddle.
It’s a strange thing to have a living artifact of your younger self. To observe the manifestations of a younger you’s inner life. To be honest, it’s often cringy and anxiety inducing. With the benefit of hindsight, our shortsightedness and misplaced fears and hopes seem so obvious.
As I look back, ten years later, to the person I was when I made Ledges, I see a young man full of ambition and naivety, desperate for validation and a sense of belonging. I see a boy with a singular vision and a hell of a lot to learn.
They say you have your whole life to make your first record and 18 months to make your second. Although Ledges isn’t technically my first album, for all intents and purposes, it feels like it. It was the one I spent years writing. Some songs were written on a mattress on the floor of a rented room I shared with a friend, in a run down old house I moved into when I left my folks place at 17. Some I wrote in my first apartment in Seattle. One was written in the early hours of the morning, waking up on a friend’s couch to a simple, beautiful piano arrangement Abby wrote. One, after the unexpected heroin overdose that resulted in the death of a friend. Another, after briefly reigniting an old flame, only to watch it quickly burn out.
Everything was new back then. The colors were brighter, the highs higher, the lows lower. Falling in love felt like the first time. Heartbreak felt like the end of the world. Ideas felt important and the future was a big, empty canvas.
There’s a lot of self importance in all of this and ultimately this is just some record that some kid made. But to that kid this record felt like his whole world. And like all records, it’s a little snapshot in time. And how lucky we are to have snapshots, photographs of moments and memories that ground us in the reality we’ve lived.
I don’t want to live in the past. But I’m grateful for this marker of how it once was. A little simpler, a little cleaner, a whole lot of potential. And maybe that’s a reminder that I’m living in that potential, right now. This is the future I imagined and hoped for. This is the person I am now. And it’s nice to be able to look back and see how far I’ve come. And if you found this record 10 years ago, I hope you can listen back with the same gentle hindsight.
VIP ticket includes:

One General Admission ticket
Pre-show acoustic performance (requests allowed!)
Opportunity for Q&A with Noah
Autographed setlist
Exclusive tour poster, signed by Noah
Commemorative VIP laminate
Early entry to the venue

Carbon Leaf
2024-10-19 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
A touring mainstay and an indie folk rock staple, this Virginia quintet’s well-hewn live show and musical style drift in and out of Americana, bluegrass, rock, folk, Celtic and pop traditions with ease, using an arsenal of instruments to define the band’s lively stage presence and sonic landscape.

Ana Popovic
2024-10-18 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Ana Popovic, the award-winning, hard-touring, guitar slinger, blends smoking electric funk and slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals and a tight blues groove with soulful, feminine vocals. Add to the mix her incredible stage presence, which makes her an irresistible force in the world of contemporary blues music.
Ana’s latest studio album, “Power,” made it to #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Her albums “Can You Stand The Heat” and “Unconditional” were Pick-Of-The-Week by USA Today and featured on NPR Music. She has been nominated for seven Blues Music Awards, and was the only female guitar player in the Experience Hendrix tour with Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Neko Case Fall Tour 2024
2024-10-18 19:00 - 23:00 | Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI, 48067, United States
Is there another songwriter so fearless and inventive? Bending decades of pop music into new shapes, Neko Case wields her voice like a kiss and her metaphors like a baseball bat. She has cast the fishing net of her career wide—from Seattle and Vancouver to Chicago and Stockholm, setting up her home base on a farm in New England.

Gathering power year after year, Neko sings with the fierce abandon of a newborn infant crying in a basket in the woods. Since escaping the labels of country and Americana, the gorgeous train-whistle vocals of her early career sit submerged in her later style, where their ghost can appear any minute. When her voice jumps an octave, it’s almost visible, like sparks at night. “I never knew where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do with my voice,” she says, “but I just wanted to do it so bad.”

With a career spanning over twenty years, she has famously collaborated with The New Pornographers and Case/Lang/Veirs in addition to releasing many critically acclaimed solo albums, including ‘Fox Confessor Brings The Flood’, ‘Middle Cyclone’ and most recently 2018’s ‘Hell-On’ in addition to the career-spanning retrospective ‘Wild Creatures’ that was released in 2022. She also writes weekly pieces for her popular Substack ‘Entering The Lung’, where she ruminates on the nature near her rural home, life on tour, her pets, and anything else that comes to mind.

Neko is doing it on her own terms, but the legacy she’s building is one that can stand up to music made by any other solo artist in her lifetime. Don’t look away; you never know what might happen. “I’m just trying,” she says, “to be myself as hard as I can.”

Donovan Woods
2024-10-16 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Since he released his first album a decade ago, singer-songwriter Donovan Woods’ blend of folk, country and pop has resonated with audiences all over the world.
Throughout his distinguished career, Donovan Woods has built a devoted following who cling to the acclaimed songwriter’s every word. Never one to mince words, Woods is one of music’s most vulnerable storytellers and on his forthcoming studio album, Donovan takes that a step further. Honest and unflinching, on Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, his upcoming seventh studio album, Woods takes a long look inside and isn’t necessarily thrilled with what he sees. For an artist who isn’t afraid to bear his soul, this is as emotionally gritty as he has ever been.
Long known as a masterful storyteller, Woods is at his absolute best on Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now. Across the album’s 12 sparse, intimate songs, Woods finds himself reflecting on the ups and downs he has been through since 2020. His writing allowed him to open up and address the complexities of life that he has been going through.
Donovan Woods has partnered with PLUS1 to donate $1 from every ticket to MusiCares: music’s leading national charity that provides a safety net in times of need, and supports the overall health and well-being of the music community.

Oliver Hazard
2024-10-15 20:00 - 23:00 | The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
The story of Waterville, OH indie-folk trio Oliver Hazard – ​​Michael Belazis (vocals, guitar) and Devin East (vocals, guitar), joined by Nate Miner (keys, vocals) – is the digital age’s version of classic band mythmaking. One member of the band came home to Ohio after leading camping trips in California and decided to make an album with two childhood friends. They won a Facebook raffle to record one song at a studio. Instead, they played their whole album straight through once, resulting in their debut LP 34 N River (2018). The Fader called the album a “folk-pop masterpiece” and the band was booked at Bonnaroo and Mountain Jam shortly thereafter. In 2019, the band released their 6 track EP, The Flood, which Billboard called a “souvenir.” This brings the band to their sophomore, self-titled album (July 2023), featuring music from the band’s recent Northern Lights EP, plus five additional songs.
