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
November 29, 2025: 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.
November 30, 2025: Jen Sygit.
Lansing singer-songwriter and guitarist known for her bluesy lyrics, down-home music, and sultry vocals. Opener: Mars McCartney, a pop-folk singer-songwriter from East Lansing. $29.
December 2, 2025: The Empty Pockets.
Rootsy country-rock quartet from Chicago that describes its music as “catchy rock ’n’ roll with a smack of Texas saloon and a taste of Motown soul.” Tonight they play a holiday show that mixes seasonal classics like "Silent Night" and "Run Run Rudolph" with fresh and fun originals like "Party at the North Pole" and "Snow Day." $24.
December 3, 2025: The Klezmatics.
Acclaimed veteran NYC klezmer band that mixes the traditional East European dance and party music with avant-garde jazz styles, gospel, punk, Latin, and Balkan music. “The Klezmatics have raised the bar for Eastern European Jewish music, made aesthetically, politically and musically interesting recordings, inspired future generations, created a large body of work that is enduring, and helped to change the face of contemporary Yiddish culture,” writes The Village Tap. Tonight’s show is a Hanukkah celebration featuring songs from the band's 2006 album Happy Joyous Hanukah of klezmer songs set to lyrics by Woody Guthrie. $40.
December 4, 2025: NewFound Road.
Highly regarded rootsy bluegrass band from southwestern Ohio known for its tight harmonies, driving groove, and what All Music Guide calls the “rich, chesty baritone roar” of lead singer Tim Shelton. The group has recently re-united after a 10-year hiatus, and has a brand-new single “Need to Get Some Highway In.” $29.
December 5, 2025: Dom Flemons.
Old-time music in the wide array of styles, from blues and hokum to pop characteristic of prewar songsters by this founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an infectiously engaging vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has also written a number of songs in old-time styles. MOJO magazine calls him “one of the most accomplished American Folk Artists… few have pumped as much lifeblood into tradition as he has.” $29 (free for Ark members at the $50 Solo level and above).
December 6, 2025: 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.
December 7, 2025: Jon McLaughlin.
Popular funk-inflected pop-rock singer-songwriter from Anderson, Indiana. Tonight he performs a program of holiday music with Arkansas soul-inflected pop-rock singer-songwriter Kris Allen, Juilliard-trained Broadway chanteuse and pop-soul singer Morgan James, and L.A.–based pop-soul singer-songwriter David Davis. $40.
December 8, 2025: Over the Rhine.
Heartland songwriter rock, at once artful and urgent, by this acclaimed Cincinnati quartet, a longtime Ark favorite. Led by the husband-and-wife songwriter duo of vocalist Karin Bergquist and bassist Linford Detweiler, the band is known for its enchantingly spare arrangements and its reflective, self-consciously literary lyrics. They’re also known for their Christmas shows—they’ve released 3 albums of mostly original self-styled “reality Christmas” songs—and tonight’s acoustic show features a mix of the band’s Christmas and non-Christmas music. $35.
December 9, 2025: Storm Large.
Veteran Portland (OR)–based pop-rock singer-songwriter best known as a finalist on the 2006 season of Rock Star: Supernova. Tonight she fronts her band, Le Bonheur, in “The Holiday Ordeal,” a revenue of songs ranging from “2000 Miles” and “Hallelujah” to “Sock it to Me Santa,” and what she calls “the greatest holiday song never written for the holidays,” Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” $40.
December 11, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show.
Erin Zindle, the fiery fiddling frontwoman of the classy local eclectic band the Ragbirds who has also released a solo CD, Scenes from the Fragile, Agile Avian World, is joined by several established and up-and-coming luminaries of the Michigan music scene for her very popular annual program of new and old holiday music, now in its 18th year. There is also a matinee show at 2 p.m. on Sat. $29–$40.
December 12, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show.
Erin Zindle, the fiery fiddling frontwoman of the classy local eclectic band the Ragbirds who has also released a solo CD, Scenes from the Fragile, Agile Avian World, is joined by several established and up-and-coming luminaries of the Michigan music scene for her very popular annual program of new and old holiday music, now in its 18th year. There is also a matinee show at 2 p.m. on Sat. $29–$40.
December 13, 2025: Ebird & Friends Holiday Show.
Erin Zindle, the fiery fiddling frontwoman of the classy local eclectic band the Ragbirds who has also released a solo CD, Scenes from the Fragile, Agile Avian World, is joined by several established and up-and-coming luminaries of the Michigan music scene for her very popular annual program of new and old holiday music, now in its 18th year. There is also a matinee show at 2 p.m. on Sat. $29–$40.
December 14, 2025: Lucy Kaplansky.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter, and former clinical psychologist, known for her strong, supple voice and her wryly engaging blues- and country-flavored ballads. $29.
December 15, 2025: 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).
December 16, 2025: “Community High Jazz Ark-tic Blast.”
Two shows featuring various high school jazz ensembles. 6 & 8 p.m. $5.
December 17, 2025: Mike Cooley.
Solo acoustic performance by this veteran Alabama roots-rock singer-songwriter & guitarist. A founding member of the immensely popular Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers, Cooly is best known for his sharp, evocative lyrics and distinctive guitar work. PopMatters calls him “one of the best American songwriters alive. The man is a documentarian of the casually overlooked, the ruefully funny, the unvarnished machinations of the human beast.” $35.
December 18, 2025: Alicia Witt.
Piano-driven pop by this singer-songwriter who is also a film & TV actress. “Her melodic and buoyant sound harkens back to the works of Elton John, Billy Joel and Carole King,” writes one PopMatters reviewer. Tonight she plays music from her Christmas album, I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You. $35.
December 19, 2025: Tartan Terrors.
Not a band but a kind of Celtic variety show, mixing music with traditional folklore, dance, and humor. Celtic Beat hails the Tartan Terrors as “the heirs apparent to the [Celtic] Mayhem.” $29.
December 20, 2025: Blackthorn.
This veteran Royal Oak quartet plays a wide range of Celtic music, from contemporary Irish songs and traditional songs of emigration to sea shanties, lively jigs and reels, and haunting ancient airs. $29.
December 21, 2025: Mark Lavengood.
Best known as a former member of Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, Lavengood is a bluegrass-oriented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumental virtuoso who Billy Strings calls “a great songwriter and a master on the dobro.” Tonight he is joined by guest musicians TBA for a set of songs by John Prine. $29.
December 27, 2025: Crossroads Ceili.
An evening of Celtic music, song, and dance hosted by Mick Gavin, a veteran Detroit Irish fiddler (and County Clare native), with an assortment of guest performers TBA. $29.
Past Events
November 12, 2025: Bob Schneider & Rhett Miller. (More Info)
November 11, 2025: “Veterans For Peace Concert.” (More Info)
November 3, 2025: Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band. (More Info)
November 2, 2025: “Finding Lucinda: a Film Screening and Music Performance by Ismay.” (More Info)
November 1, 2025: “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.” (More Info)
October 31, 2025: Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective & Blueshouse. (More Info)
