The Calendar - Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Blues

This Week's Events

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.

Highlights this week:

Great Lakes Myth Society: The Ark.

Chris Hillman: The Ark.

Shawn Mullins: The Ark.

Monday
July, 2008

Tuesday
July, 2008

Noon-2 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Herb David Guitar Studio. June 1-October 31. Musical entertainment by a variety of local performers TBA. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 665-8001.

8 p.m.
Great Lakes Myth Society: The Ark. Local folk-rock sextet that appeared at Top of the Park earlier this month (see July 2 listing). Opening act is The New Green, a local pop-folk octet led by singer-songwriter Steven Clausnitzer that's been compared to the Beatles, Wilco, and Sufjan Stevens for its blend of engaging lyrics, melodic inventiveness, and dense arrangements. Proceeds benefit a local teacher who is battling cancer. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $10 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.

Wednesday
July, 2008

Noon-2 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Herb David Guitar Studio. June 1-October 31. Musical entertainment by a variety of local performers TBA. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 665-8001.

8 p.m.
Chris Hillman: The Ark. A former member of the seminal 60s folk-rock/country-rock bands the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Hillman is a singer-songwriter and mandolinist whose music also embraces everything from modern bluegrass and straight county to jazz fusion. His songs have been recorded by everyone from Roy Rogers and Rose Maddox to Patti Smith and Beck. His latest CD, The Other Side, is a collection of spiritually charged songs that range from a remake of the Byrds classic "Eight Miles High" to a duet with Jennifer Warnes on a gorgeously desolate version of the traditional "The Water Is Wide." He is joined tonight by his longtime collaborator, banjoist and guitarist Herb Pedersen. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $22.50 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.

Thursday
July, 2008

Noon-2 p.m.
"Bank of Ann Arbor Sonic Lunch": Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. Every Thursday (except July 3 & 17), June 5-September 25. Musical entertainment by local performers TBA. Today: TBA. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 214-0109.

12:10 p.m.
Gifts of Art: U-M Hospitals. Every Thursday. Outdoor performances by area and guest artists. Today: Celtic folk music by Cairn to Cairn. Rain location: U-M Hospital lobby. U-M Hospital courtyard, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. (off Fuller). Free. 936-ARTS.

6:30-8:30 p.m.
"Sounds and Sights on Thursday Nights": Chelsea Retail Advisory Council . Every Thursday. Musical entertainment TBA on stages downtown, as well as activities for kids. Also, an art market, food vendors, and carriage rides. Tonight: folksinger Matt Watroba, the Chelsea bluegrass and traditional American music string quartet North Creek Fiddlers, the bluegrass and hard-country band Bill Bynum & Company, the Kalamazoo country band Kris Hitchcock Hole in the Wall, the acoustic jazz ensemble Big Ben, the Dexter jazz swing ensemble Art III, and the Celtic, country, jazz string ensemble String Cheese, and David Bloom, a Chelsea singer who specializes in Gershwin tunes. Also, nationally renowned balloon artist Balloon Emporium and the clown Zeemo the Magnificent. downtown Chelsea. Free (fee for carriage ride). 475-1145

8 p.m.
Shawn Mullins: The Ark. Folk-styled ballads and confessional narratives by this highly regarded singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia, whose new CD Honeydew is a richly interwoven collection of songs about railroad workers, a traveling salesman, homeless troubadours, and several generations of family members, living and dead. Kris Kristofferson calls Mullins "a great songwriter and an original thinker." The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $20 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.

Friday
August, 2008

6:30-8:30 p.m.
Summer Concert Series: Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce Summer Series. August 1, 15, & 22. Entertainment on 2 stages in downtown Dexter. For weekly schedule, see dexterchamber.org. Monument Park gazebo & in front of the clock tower, downtown Dexter. Free. 426-0887.

6:30-8 p.m.
"Summer Music Series": Saline Area Chamber of Commerce. August 1, 2, & 15. A series of concerts in downtown Saline. For a complete schedule, see salinechamber.com. downtown Saline. Free. 429-4494.

7-10 p.m.
Crossroads Summer Festival. Every Friday, June 6-September 12. Weekly outdoor stage in downtown Ypsilanti with a variety of dance bands. (In case of rain, held in Club Devine, 25 North Washington.) Weekly schedules available at ypsicrossroads.org. Washington St. at Michigan Ave. Free. 717-7305.

Saturday
August, 2008

10 a.m.-midnight.
7th Annual Riverfolk Music and Arts Festival. This traditional-music festival begins at 10 a.m. with an "Old Time Fiddle Contest" for 3 age divisions (12 & under, 13-17, and 18 & over), with finals at 2 p.m. Performers include San Francisco pop-rock singer-songwriter Vienna Teng (8 p.m.) and Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band (4 & 10:45 p.m.), a Louisiana zydeco dance band. Also, folk duo Gemini (12:30 & 4 p.m.), acoustic country quartet Bill Bynum & Company (1:30 p.m.), pop-folk singer-songwriter Billy King (3 p.m.), the local Cuban jazz ensemble Tumbao Bravo (1 & 4:15 p.m.), veteran Detroit folk-style singer-songwriter Jan Krist (6 p.m.), the Manchester newgrass, western swing, and old-time jug-band The Raisin Pickers (7 p.m.), and the New York-based Celtic rock and bagpipe band MacTalla Mor (3 & 9:30 p.m.). Also, an art fair with many local artists, puppet shows by the traveling theater troupe Catskill Puppet Theater (2:30, 5:30, & 9 p.m.), a boisterous kids' parade (5 p.m.), and a large "Healthy Kids" tent, featuring crafts, music, and Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum activities. Carr Park (W. Main St. west of M-52), Manchester. Tickets $10 in advance at riverfolkfestival.org & $12 at the door (kids 12 & under, free). 428-7716.

Noon-2 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Herb David Guitar Studio. June 1-October 31. Musical entertainment by a variety of local performers TBA. Today: local lounge rock quartet Sounds of the Czars. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 665-8001.

Sunday
August, 2008

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