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:

Jen Cass and Randall Williams: The Ark.

Breathe Owl Breathe, Jen Sygit, and Luke Winslow-King: The Ark "Take a Chance Tuesdays."

Steep Canyon Rangers: The Ark.

Monday
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.

7:30 p.m.
Jen Cass and Randall Williams: The Ark. Singer-songwriter double bill. Cass, a former U-M law student who now lives in Bay City, writes sprightly, often sharply humorous pop-folk parables that have inspired comparisons to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Dar Williams. Williams is a classically trained baritone and guitarist from Colorado who writes graceful, soothing pop-folk songs about a variety of themes. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $13.50 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.

Tuesday
July, 2008

8 p.m.
Breathe Owl Breathe, Jen Sygit, and Luke Winslow-King: The Ark "Take a Chance Tuesdays." Triple bill featuring members of Fox on a Hill, a Petoskey-based organization devoted to supporting artists from northwest Lower Michigan. Breathe Owl Breathe is guitarist and banjoist Micah Middaugh and cellist Andrea Moreno-Beals, a local duo originally from East Jordan, Michigan, who perform acoustic folk-rock set to atmospheric, intricately textured instrumental and vocal landscapes. Sygit (see review, p. 53) is a young Lansing singer-songwriter and guitarist known for her bluesy lyrics, down-home music, and sultry vocals. Winslow-King is a New Orleans-bred singer-songwriter and guitarist who currently lives in Cadillac. "This guy has got as much mojo as Jimi Hendrix, and he is crazy good fun in every way," says local singer-songwriter Sari Brown. Part of a monthly series of free concerts showcasing lesser-known artists on the roster of the prestigious local management agency Fleming Artists. All encouraged to bring nonperishable food or money to donate to Food Gatherers. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Free. 761-1451.

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.
Steep Canyon Rangers: The Ark. See review, p. 58. Named the 2006 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year, this young bluegrass quintet from Asheville, North Carolina, is known for its ace musicianship and a repertoire of original songs that fuse a tradition-steeped sound with a fresh, contemporary language and point of view. 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.

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: Tumbao Bravo, a Cuban jazz quintet led by local saxophonist and flutist Paul VornHagen and percussionist Alberto Nacif. 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: big band jazz by the WCC Jazz Orchestra. Also this month: Celtic folk music by Cairn to Cairn (July 31). Rain location: U-M Hospital lobby. U-M Hospital courtyard, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. (off Fuller). Free. 936-ARTS.

6 p.m.
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels: Chelsea Retail Advisory Council. A performance by this Detroit rock legend and his original band, who came to fame together as one of the most popular white soul groups to come out of Detroit in the mid-1960s - Rolling Stone writer Dave Marsh has called the group "the original white American rhythm & blues band." Ryder is probably best known for the driving, energetic "Devil with the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly," but he's also recorded Top 40 versions of songs like "Jenny Take a Ride" and "Sock It to Me, Baby," along with what Lou Reed has called the "definitive version" of Reed's "Rock & Roll." Opening act is The Witch Doctors, a local blues and R&B band led by singer-guitarist Thayrone, best known as the host of the nationally syndicated Bone Conduction Music Show, that plays what Thayrone calls "way-strong mojo, ritualistic barroom blues healing." VIP tickets ($100) include a preshow reception at the River Gallery and a copy of James Mitchell's new biography of Ryder, It Was Alright. tent behind the Common Grill, 112 S. Main, Chelsea. Tickets $35 in advance at Common Grill, Chelsea Market, Cranesbill Books, and chelseacenterforthearts.org; $40 at the door. 433-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: the award-winning local American roots music singer-songwriter duo The Hummingbirds, the early jazz and Hot Club-style gypsy jazz ensemble Royal Garden Trio, the Dexter jazz swing ensemble Art III, the Chelsea garage blues band Bull Halsey, the Chelsea alt-country-inflected rock 'n' roll band Afternoon Round, trumpeter Heather Z. Also, the Josh & Roy Vaudeville Show juggling team and nationally renowned balloon artist Balloon Emporium. downtown Chelsea. Free (fee for carriage ride). 475-1145

Friday
July, 2008

Noon-2 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Herb David Guitar Studio. June 1-October 31. American roots music by the Dellwoods. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 665-8001.

6:30-8 p.m.
"Summer Music Series": Saline Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chelsea band Rattlebox plays classic rock and blues as part of a series of concerts that began last month. downtown Saline. Free. 429-4494.

6:30-8:30 p.m.
Summer Concert Series: Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce Summer Series. Every Friday (except July 4), June 13-August 29. Entertainment on 2 stages in downtown Dexter. Tonight: Royal Garden Trio, a local trio led by guitarist Brian Delaney that plays early jazz standards and Hot Club-style gypsy jazz, and Lagerhouse 5, a classic rock cover band from Dexter. Monument Park gazebo & in front of the clock tower, downtown Dexter. Free. 426-0887.

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.) Today: Hullabaloo, a local ska and 80s-style pop quintet, and Abra Wise, a local acoustic emo singer-songwriter. Washington St. at Michigan Ave. Free. 717-7305.

8 p.m.
Hal Ketchum: The Ark. This veteran Nashville-based country singer-songwriter from upstate New York has been performing since the late 70s, but he first came to national attention in 1991 with the hit "Small Town Saturday Night." His songs are known for their dark, doom-haunted themes and understated lyrical beauty. His most recent CD, One More Midnight, is a collection of romantic ballads and folkstyle story songs that is highlighted by the 26-verse romantic epic "Poor Lila's Ghost." 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.

Saturday
July, 2008

11 a.m.
"Jazz Brunch": HIV/AIDS Resource Center (HARC). Brunch and a performance by the Jesse Kramer Trio, a local jazz ensemble. Proceeds benefit HARC. Bar, 315 Braun Ct. $25 in advance and at the door. 572-9355.

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.
Madcat & Kane: The Ark. See review, p. 61. Blues, R&B, folk, & jazz by the nationally acclaimed local duo of world-class harmonica wizard Peter Madcat Ruth and ace fingerstyle blues guitarist Shari Kane. 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.

8 p.m.
"Perkins Pickles Launch Party": Dreamland Theater. All invited to celebrate the opening of this new Ypsilanti pickle business. Pickle samples and live music by Georgio "The Dove" Valentino, a Detroit experimental indie-pop band led by singer-songwriter Valentino. Opening acts are the Ypsilanti edgy glam-rock band Manhole, Ypsilanti acoustic pop-folk singer-songwriter Favorite Daughter, the Chicago glam-rock and classic rock band Two-Legged Spaceship, and others. Dreamland Theater, 26 N. Washington St. Ypsilanti. $5. 657-2337.

8-10:30 p.m.
Joe Rathburn: Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth Cafe 704 Coffeehouse. Performance by this Michigan-bred pop-folk singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist from San Diego who writes articulate, melodically engaging songs that blend stories with metaphysical ruminations. "Joe Rathburn sings modest tunes about ordinary people, but the care and craft he devotes to his Everyguy (and Everygal) songs give each little story a big warm heart," says San Diego Union/Tribune music writer Karla Peterson. Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth, 704 Airport Blvd. $10 at the door only. 665-0409.

Sunday
July, 2008

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