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For more than 15 years, Brad Phillips has performed as a sideman for some of Michigan’s most prevalent singer/songwriter acts. From Jeff Daniels to The Verve Pipe to the Celtic-fusion super-group Millish. He has also appeared with May Erlewine, Joshua Davis and played violin for Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Pat Metheny, and Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Brad earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in music from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he is now faculty as a lecturer in the department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation. Joining Brad on The Ark stage is his daughter, Alyson Phillips. Having been surrounded by music since birth, she has been singing with her dad since she was able to speak. Alyson is particularly inspired by the music of Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Fleetwood Mac, and a highly eclectic mix of contemporary music.

Whether you're looking for your big break, want to perfect your live performance skills, or just want to perform live for the sheer fun of it, Open Stage nights offer supportive audiences and a terrific space. Performers have eight minutes (or two songs) each to do their thing. Doors open at 7:30, and names are drawn at 7:55 and 8:30. If your name isn't chosen, bring your raffle ticket with you next time, and you'll double your chances.

An Indie Folk/Rock band based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Delta 88’s music is that of an American hymn. Brought together on the four winds, its members combine numerous musical influences to create their own unique sound like haunted mountain spirituals played through a distortion pedal. The songs move through wide channels of dynamic, emotional arrangements, from dark and somber barroom ballads to anthemic battle cries. With four studio albums, the most recent produced by Grammy-award winning Joe Henry, Delta 88 continues to mine for the new American songbook.