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Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Blues
Nationally known artists visit the Ark, Kerrytown Concert House, other
clubs, and campus venues, crowning a flourishing nightlife scene. Home to
considerable local talent, Ann Arbor's also a stop for up-and-comers on the
college circuit.
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Utah Phillips Fund-Raiser: The Ark.
Otis Taylor: The Ark.
KT Tunstall: Ann Arbor Summer Festival.
 Tuesday
May, 2008
Teitur:
The Ark. Young singer-songwriter who writes contemporary songs infused with the traditional musical flavors of his native Faeroe Islands. "Teitur's songs have a breezy wispiness underneath their melancholy chord changes - think a happier Nick Drake or a modern-day Al Stewart - and his sparing use of orchestration and fanciful keyboard colorations make the songs seem lighter on the surface than they actually are," says veteran pop critic Jeff Tamarkin. Opening act is Tina Dico, an acclaimed young Danish singer-songwriter whose dark, moody introspective folk-rock songs are strongly influenced by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell. All Music Guide critic Alex Henderson calls her music "subtle but never wimpy." 8 p.m., The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS
.
 Wednesday
May, 2008
 12:30 p.m. (wristbands for a spot in the signing line are available at 9 a.m.).
Augustana:
Liberty Borders. Performance by this San Diego alt-rock band best known for their hit single "Boston." Augustana's laid-back, melodic songs are reminiscent of mid-90s bands like Counting Crows and the Goo Goo Dolls. Followed by a signing of the band's new CD, Can't Love, Can't Hurt .
Borders, 612 Liberty. Free. 668-7652.
8 p.m.
Utah Phillips Fund-Raiser:
The Ark. This benefit for the beloved folksinger whose failing health forced him to retire last year features a host of area and local performers. Garnet Rogers is a veteran Canadian folkie known for his resonant baritone and his poetic, emotionally potent original songs who accompanies himself on guitar, fiddle, flute, and synthesizer. Len Wallace is an accomplished accordionist from Windsor who specializes in political songs about workers' struggles, Central American solidarity, disarmament, and social justice. WDET Folks like Us host Matt Watroba is a songster with a sweet tenor voice who accompanies himself on guitar and punctuates his performance with sharply humorous observations. Mick Lane is a west Michigan union organizer and folksinger whose repertoire mixes labor songs with Irish and Scottish tunes. Also, local singer-songwriters Chris Buhalis (see 6 Tuesday) and Eleni Kelakos, an L.A. transplant who sings her songs about troubling matters like spousal abuse and gang violence in a luminous voice that Music Reviews Quarterly describes as possessing "an almost shocking clarity, unlike any singer since Joan Baez."
The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $20 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.
 Thursday
May, 2008
12:10 p.m.
Gifts of Art:
U-M Hospitals. May 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29. Performances by area and guest artists. Today: the Madrigals perform Baroque to contemporary music.
U-M Hospital lobby, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. (off Fuller). Free. 936-ARTS.
Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State:
The Ark. Working-class alt-country by this Nashville-based band led by Ryan, a singer-songwriter who grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania. Opening act is Dee Graham, a veteran roots-rock singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, and former member of Alejandro Escovedo's True Believers whose music also draws on blues, country, and even folk. He has collaborated with everyone from John Doe and Patty Smyth to Michelle Shocked, and since undertaking a solo career in the late 90s, he has released several critically acclaimed CDs. 8 p.m., The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS
.
 Friday
May, 2008
8 p.m.
Kat Eggleston:
Green Wood Coffee House Series (First United Methodist Church). Veteran Chicago folksinger with a pure, powerful alto voice whose songs balance a melodic sweetness with a sharp-witted emotional directness. She accompanies herself on guitar and hammered dulcimer. Desserts & coffee available.
FUMC Green Wood Church, 1001 Green Rd. at Glazier Way. $12 (kids 10 & under, 2 for the price of 1) in advance and at the door. 665-8558.
8 p.m.
Otis Taylor:
The Ark. This blues veteran spent nearly 2 decades as a successful antiques dealer before returning to his music in 1995, and in 2002 he won the W. C. Handy Award for Best New Artist. His music is distinguished by his haunting, chillingly deliberate vocals and his piercing lyrics drawing on his experience and heritage as an African American. He's also much more stylistically adventurous than most bluesmen: his 2003 CD, Truth Is Not Fiction, which has been nominated for 2 Handy awards, employs experimental, sometimes psychedelic textures and droning harmonies to create what Taylor calls "trance music," and his new CD, Recapturing the Banjo, is a collaboration with several fellow blues revivalists - Keb' Mo', Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, and Don Vappie - that explores the stylistic and rhythmic versatility of African American banjo music.
The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.
 Saturday
May, 2008
10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
"Picnic Pops":
Pioneer High School. An all-day musical bonanza of performances by local middle and high school bands and orchestras that an organizer calls "Ann Arbor's biggest block party." Also, a chance to meet the new Skyline High School's 1st band director, Jason Smith. Brats and other picnic treats available. Rain or shine (it's under a big tent).
PHS, 601 W. Stadium at S. Main. Free admission. 663-1910 ext. 103.
4:00 p.m.
Paddy Casey:
Waters Place Borders This Irish singer-songwriter, who opens for KT Tunstall later tonight (see
below), performs songs from and signs copies of his recent album Addicted
to Company.
Borders, 3140 Lohr Rd. Free. 997-8884.
7:30 p.m.
Jandek:
WCBN-FM. Extremely rare public appearance by this veteran musical project led by a virtually anonymous musician based in the Houston, Texas area - he's usually referred to by the name of his project, Jandek - who specializes in idiosyncratic, often atonal songs based on East Texas blues and folk traditions. Jandek has released more than 50 records over 30 years, including the recent The Myth of Blue Icicles. Jandek, who tonight plays electric bass, is joined by trumpeter James Cornish, harpsichordist (and U-M music professor) Christian Matjias, and improvisational dancer Boiba Bell.
Lydia Mendelssohn Theater. Free. 763-3500.
8 p.m.
KT Tunstall:
Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Ann Arbor debut of this Scottish-born, Grammy-nominated pop-folk star, a singer-songwriter with a bluesy soulful voice whose live performances are chock full of jovial foot stomping. Though her style is a notably indefinable mix of musical genres, her strong rock 'n' roll persona has a BBC reviewer calling her a "young Chrissie Hynde." Opening act is Irish singer-songwriter Paddy Casey . The concert kicks off the Summer Festival, which hits full stride next month.
Power Center. $30-$40 in advance at the Michigan League Box Office. To charge by phone, call 764-2538.
8 p.m.
The Red Shuez:
Barnes & Noble. Performance by the local brother-and-sister alt-folk duo of Aaron England and Heidi Guck.
Barnes & Noble, 3235 Washtenaw. Free. 973-1618.
8 p.m.
BETTY:
The Ark . This cabaret-style pop-rock quintet fronted by a trio of female vocalists is known for its brainy and bawdy blend of wild humor, trashy theatrics, and ironic original songs written from a deliciously ill-bred feminist perspective and often performed a cappella. Its music has been described as a cross between the B-52s, Joni Mitchell, and Parliament Funkadelic. A longtime local favorite, BETTY returns to town for the first time since 2005.
The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $17.50 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.
9 p.m.-12 a.m.
Mem Shannon:
The Firefly Club. Funky New Orleans blues by a band led by this veteran deep-voiced blues singer, a former cab driver known for his commanding vocals, innovative guitar work, and fresh, intelligent original songs addressing the travails of contemporary life and politics.
Firefly Club, 207 S. Ashley. Tickets $15 at the door only. 665-9090.
10 p.m.-midnight.
"Girls Night ":
ShCabaret and Gallery. Performances by local blues-rock and folk-rock singer-songwriter Tracy Mack and Nashville alt-country singer-songwriter Steff Mahan.
Sh, 325 Braun Ct. $7 admission. 663-0036.
 Sunday
May, 2008
Noon-5 p.m.
Solo & Ensemble Recitals:
Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts. Stephanie Weaver directs student soloists and ensembles in an eclectic program of classical, pop, and jazz, including some vocal music.
Concordia Black Box Theater, 4090 Geddes at Earhart. Free. Donations accepted. 995-4625.
2 p.m.
"The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster.":Ann Arborite George Valenta plays Morrison Foster, the beloved American songwriter Stephen Foster's last surviving sibling, who clears up myths about his brother and leads the audience in a sing-along of some of his most popular songs, like "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races." Accompanist is pianist Erica Arnold.
Greenhills School Campbell Center for the Performing Arts, 850 Greenhills Dr. Free. 995-8720.
3-4 p.m.
"Radio Free Bacon":
Zingerman's Roadhouse. Every Sunday beginning May 18. Terry Farmer & the Roadhouse Revival Band, a local folk-flavored rock 'n' roll band, hosts a program of interviews, conversation, and comic sketches with various guest celebrities and performers. Streamed live on Ann Arbor Alive Internet radio at a3radio.com. Today's musical guests are Jill Jack, a sultry-voiced Detroit folk-rock singer-songwriter whose music also draws freely on jazz and country flavors, and singer-songwriter Billy Brandt, the frontman of the Detroit-area country-rock band Grievous Angel.
Zingerman's Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson. Free. 663-3400.
7 p.m.
"In Celebration of Israel's 60th Anniversary":
Temple Beth Emeth. The Ann Arbor Symphony accompanies the Temple's Kol Halev and Shir Chadash choirs in a program of Israeli songs, including some sing-alongs.
Michigan Theater. Tickets $12 ($72 ticket includes reserved seating and afterglow) in advance and at the door. 665-4744.
7:30 p.m.
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper:
The Ark. Traditional bluegrass by this all-star young ensemble led by fiddle virtuoso Cleveland, an IBMA Fiddler of the Year winner who made his Grand Ole Opry debut as the guest of Alison Krauss in 1993. The lineup also includes Lansing-bred guitarist Audie Blaylock, mandolinist Jesse Brock, bassist Jerry Reed, and banjoist John Mark Batchelor. The band's latest CD, Let 'Er Go, Boys, won IBMA Album of the Year honors. Opening act is the Lovell Sisters, a progressive bluegrass country-folk trio from Georgia known for its sharp vocal harmonies.
The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, & all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.
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