316 S. Main, Ann Arbor
761-1451
theark.org
316 S. Main (734) 761–1451
Michigan’s leading showcase for American and international performers of all forms of traditional and roots music and contemporary songwriting. Shows almost every night at 8 p.m. Mon.–Sat. & 7:30 p.m. Sun., unless otherwise noted. Tickets are sold in advance at the Michigan Union Ticket Office (734-763-TKTS) & TheArk.org, and at the door. Note: Mask required if, per the Washtenaw County Health Department, the county is at a high community level for Covid-19.
Upcoming Events
February 3, 2026: Open Stage.
All acoustic performers invited. Fifteen acts are selected randomly from those who sign up (doors open 7:30 p.m.) to perform 8 minutes (or 2 songs) each. The most talented and popular Open Stage performers are offered their own evenings at the Ark. $3 (seniors, $2 members & students, free).
February 4, 2026: Audrey Ray.
Alt-country & Americana singer-songwriter from Milford. Tonight she celebrates the vinyl release of songs she recorded in Nashville last year with Dolly Parton’s producer Kent Wells. Opener: The Minor Pieces, a local alt-country quartet. $24.
February 5, 2026: Ye Vagabonds.
Celtic ensemble from Ireland, led by brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn, that plays a warm, harmonically-rich brand of Irish traditional music heavily influenced by Appalachian vocal styles and 60s folk revival. Their most-recent album, 2022’s Nine Waves, is a contemplative mix of traditional and original songs built around gentle rhythms that evoke the feeling of calm waters. KLOF magazine calls the record, “reflective and reverent. With Nine Waves Ye Vagabonds prove once again to be at the forefront of an ever-evolving, flourishing Irish folk scene and have done so in the most understated and inspired fashion imaginable.” $29.
February 6, 2026: Ronnie Baker Brooks.
Blues ensemble led by this Chicago singer & guitar virtuoso whose crowd-pleasing up-tempo sound incorporates elements of funk, rock, and soul. Son of the legendary bluesman Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie started playing on stage at a young age, honing his craft accompanying blue greats like Albert Collins, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, and Koko Taylor. His 2024 album, Blues in My DNA, is a collection of 11 original songs ranging from Memphis soul ballads to Texas blues numbers, peppered with fiery solos that pay tribute to his early guitar influences. “Soul never sounded so delicious. And the blues never sounded so profound,” writes Blues Music Magazine, calling Brooks “one of today’s top live performers.” $35.
February 7, 2026: Mustard’s Retreat.
Longtime local favorites Libby Glover, Michael Hough, and David Tamulevich perform both traditional songs and original pieces that alternate between Hough's sometimes spellbinding, sometimes humorous narrative ballads, and Tamulevich's poignant lyrical songs. According to songwriter Garnet Rogers, Mustard’s Retreat “represents everything that is best about folk music. Their songs have entered the lexicon of anonymous folk songs.” $29.
February 10, 2026: Open Stage.
All acoustic performers invited. Fifteen acts are selected randomly from those who sign up (doors open 7:30 p.m.) to perform 8 minutes (or 2 songs) each. The most talented and popular Open Stage performers are offered their own evenings at the Ark. $3 (seniors, $2 members & students, free).
February 11, 2026: Dave Simonett.
Americana-infused indie folk singer-songwriter & guitarist best known as the frontman of the virtuosic bluegrass-based roots music jam quintet Tramped by Turtles. His solo material is expansive and minimalist, written in a poetic style that evokes the spacious and stark Northwoods of Minnesota, where he’s from. “No matter where Simonett is or what he's singing about, he's created a world to get lost in, a world built around his own journey toward healing wonder and love,” writes No Depression in a review of his 2020 solo album Red Tail. $35.
February 13, 2026: My Folky Valentine.
A celebration of romance by singer-songwriter couples, including the veteran Chelsea-based folk-rock duo Annie & Rod Capps, the Nashville-based, Ann Arbor–bred soul-oriented roots rock duo Whit & Al Hill, and Shari Kane & Dave Steele, a pair of local acoustic guitar virtuosos whose repertoire includes both traditional and original blues, gospel, swing, and ragtime. $29.
February 14, 2026: “On a Winter’s Night.”
In-the-round performances by popular singer-songwriters who have regularly appeared at the Ark over the years. John Gorka writes intimate, conversational songs and ballads that overflow with vividly imagined details and a sly, probing sense of humor. Patty Larkin is a Boston-based singer-songwriter who blends incisive, often very funny social commentary with heartfelt, tart-witted love songs. Lucy Kaplansky is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and former clinical psychologist known for her strong, supple voice and her wryly engaging blues- and country-flavored ballads. Cliff Eberhardt is a veteran NYC–based urban troubadour who blends rock, blues, and folk traditions in spare, haiku-like songs that offer alternately shattering and haunting glimpses of an inner world. $46.
February 15, 2026: RJ Cowdery, Hope Dunbar, and Katie Dahl.
In-the-round performances by these popular singer-songwriters. Cowdery is an Ohio singer-guitarist whose heartfelt and witty indie folk songs incorporate elements of Appalachian roots music. Dunbar is a big-voiced New Jersey country-folk singer who writes semi-autobiographical songs about faith and everyday life. Dahl is a highly regarded Wisconsin singer-guitarist known for her razor-sharp lyrics and soulful, powerful alto voice $29.
February 17, 2026: Jake Xerxes Fussell.
Highly-regarded North Carolina–based singer-guitarist known for his fresh interpretations of a vast array of traditional Southern folk songs. His 2024 album, When I’m Called, explores the existential challenges of parenthood and middle age through 9 obscure numbers, ranging from an 18th-century English nursery rhyme about animals to a song from a 1994 cassette by the cowboy performance artist Gerry “Maestro” Gaxiola. “Fussell finds mostly forgotten songs to sing, less now to preserve them than to connect to a past we still share,” writes one Pitchfork review. Opener: Dougie Poole, a Brooklyn alt-country singer-songwriter. $24.
February 18, 2026: Solas.
Celtic music with an expansive contemporary edge by this veteran Irish-American ensemble led by fiddler Winifred Horan and multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan on banjo, mandolin, guitar, flute, and tin whistle. Solas emerged in NYC in the mid-90s, and quickly became one of the hottest acts in Celtic music, weaving traditional Irish tunes with elements of folk, bluegrass, and contemporary Americana. The Boston Globe calls them “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced.” Tonight the band marks its 30th anniversary, bringing together several original members, and performing favorite tunes from across their vast catalog. $35.
February 19, 2026: Sister Sadie.
Veteran all-female bluegrass-based Americana quintet from Nashville known for well-crafted original songs that blend top-notch musicianship with intricate harmonies anchored by lead singer Jalelee Roberts, winner of the 2024 International Bluegrass Music Association vocalist of the year. The band’s new album, All Will Be Well, released late last year, moves their sound in a more mainstream country direction. “To some it may not seem like a courageous leap of faith, or an innovative project from Sister Sadie to release an album with some drums, steel guitar, and traditional country sensibility” writes one Saving Country Music reviewer. “That risk is rewarded in the results of All Will Be Well, making it one of the better titles in country and bluegrass in 2025.” $29.
February 22, 2026: Matt Jones & The Reconstruction.
Local band led by Jones, a popular pop-folk singer-songwriter, who tonight celebrates the release of a new album, The Good Life. $29.
February 23, 2026: The Steel Wheels.
Acclaimed veteran Virginia-based bluegrass & Americana quintet, fronted by singer-songwriters Trent Wagler and Jay Lapp. Their uplifting original songs showcase tight vocal harmonies reminiscent of the traditional 4-part singing in the Mennonite communities where several of the band members grew up. $35.
February 24, 2026: Emily Scott Robinson.
Colorado alt-country singer-songwriter with a pristine soprano voice whom Rolling Stone named one of the “10 New Country and Americana Artists You Need to Know” for 2019. Free; nonperishable donations for Food Gatherers accepted.
February 25, 2026: Grant Flick.
Local fiddler whose music blends elements of folk, old-time, and classical music. Tonight he celebrates the release of his new album, The Great Door. $29.
February 26, 2026: Spencer LaJoye.
Southwest Michigan indie pop-folk singer-songwriter & loop-pedal artist with a confident, Broadway-style vibrato whose songs treat themes of spirituality & the LGBT experience. Opener: DuPont Phillips, the Michigan acoustic folk-rock duo of Chris DuPont and Kylee Phillips. $29.
February 27, 2026: The RFD Boys.
Authentic bluegrass by these longtime local favorites who have appeared in numerous festivals and on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. Their shows blend top-notch musicianship with funny between-songs dialogue. $16 (seniors, students, & members, $15) at the door only.
February 28, 2026: Amelia Day.
Young Nashville-based pop-folk singer-songwriter known for her joyful, heartfelt songs with perceptive lyrics, delivered in a big voice that's earned her comparisons to Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, and Alanis Morissette. $24.
Past Events
January 24, 2026: “A Tribute to Todd Snider.” (More Info)
January 12, 2026: “Community High Jazz Ark-tic Blast.” (More Info)
January 10, 2026: “Jill Jack’s Birthday Bash.” (More Info)
December 16, 2025: “Community High Jazz Ark-tic Blast.” (More Info)
December 13, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show. (More Info)
December 12, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show. (More Info)
December 11, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show. (More Info)
