The David Wax Museum will play at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 9th, 2011.
Fron their website: Recently anointed as Boston’s Americana Artist of the Year (2010 Boston Music Awards), the David Wax Museum has been called “pure, irresistible joy” (Bob Boilen, NPR) and hailed by TIME.com for its “virtuosic musical skill and virtuous harmonies.” It is no surprise that its acclaimed performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival was hailed as one of highlights of the entire weekend by NPR. The Museum fuses traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create an utterly unique Mexo-Americana aesthetic. Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response hollering, and donkey jawbone rattling, they have electrified audiences across the country and are “kicking up a cloud of excitement with their high-energy border-crossing sensibility” (The New Yorker).
Folk singer Greg Brown, an extraordinary songwriter with an unmistakable voice, will be returning to Ann Arbor to play The Ark on May 6th, 2011. The venue is a fantastic space to hear the lush simplicity of the music he delivers on stage.
Punch Brothers will bring their sweet harmonies to The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 28th.
Punch Brothers' new album, Antifogmatic, is due out on Nonesuch Records on June 15th. Head to punchbrothers.com and sign up for the band's newsletter and receive a free download of the album track "Alex."
Good Karma is touring side by side with The Low Anthem. Whether opening for The Avett Brothers or lining up an impressive list of gigs that puts them in heavyweight heaven...SXSW, Letterman, La Blogotheque, KCRW, NPR Tiny Desk Concert, a slot at Newport Folk Festival...the rising stock for this band is not to be missed.
If you missed them as The Avett Brothers opening act at Michigan Theater...fear not. They are scheduled to be back in Ann Arbor as a headliner at The Ark on April 7th. Surely they are destined to play larger venues with each passing tour, so catch them now at on e of the premiere "listening venues" in the midwest.
The band's most recent release is Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (June 2009)
From Nonesuch: From its hand silkscreened cover art to its meticulously crafted songs, The Low Anthem offers work meant to be held, savored, contemplated, and occasionally stomped along to. The Providence, RI, trio’s Nonesuch debut offers a distinctly human touch in an era of instant uploading and ephemeral expression. The mood of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is melancholic from the start—quiet, intimate, full of longing, and often hauntingly beautiful. In its lyrics, a dog-eat-dog society is nearing collapse and relationships are bruised, broken, or irretrievably lost. Yet in their tenor there is a pencil shaving of hope.
The Low Anthem combines folk and blues arrangements with the elegance of chamber music and the fervor of gospel. Much of Oh My God is hushed and hymn-like, but the trio throws a clamorous curve with raw, stomp-and-holler tracks like “The Horizon Is a Beltway” and its version of “Home I’ll Never Be,” a Jack Kerouac song passed via Tom Waits. Members Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, and Jocie Adams—all students of classical composition—bring a wide range of individual interests to the band. Prystowsky is a scholar of baseball, jazz, and American history. Adams, a classical composer and technical wizard, spent summers working an infrared spectrometer at NASA. And Miller, principle songwriter, painter, and general ruminator, can indeed expound upon the theories of Charles Darwin. They have a formidable work ethic, along with the ability to laugh at their maniacal intensity.
On stage and in its recordings, the trio uses a variety of unusual instrumentation—by its own count, the band mates took turns playing 27 different instruments on Oh My God—that gives its songs, at times, an otherworldly quality. For example, Miller and Prystowsky refurbished a World War I pump organ that had been dragged by chaplains into the battlefield and is now part of The Low Anthem’s arsenal of instruments. Adams plays the crotales, a rack of bronze, cymbal-like discs often used with mallets as a percussion instrument. Adams, however, wields a bow to elicit feedback-like sounds. Some critics have called The Low Anthem’s sound Americana, but what the group has really done is to conjure a varied and elusive sound of its own.
Jackie Greene will be at The Ark in Ann Arbor on February 9th & 10th. Tickets will be on sale Saturday, December 12th starting at 9 a.m. through the Michigan Union Ticket Office and at 10 a.m through Ticketmaster.
Devendra Banhart's sixth album, What Will We Be, hits stores October 27th 2009. A follow-up to 2007's Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, the new album promises to deliver the same indie-folk sound the singer-songwriter has been known for ever since his debut back in 2002. In support of the new album release, Banhart will also briefly hit the road this fall, embarking on a two-week North American tour that begins November 16th in Chicago.
Where Will We Be, Banhart’s label debut for Warner Brothers, was recorded in a sleepy Northern California town throughout the Spring of 2009 co-produced by Devendra and Paul Butler (from UK outfit Band Of Bees). The international media's acclaim and the size of his audience both at home and abroad earned by his debut Oh Me Oh My The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs Of The Christmas Spirit was impressive to begin with and has increased dramatically with each subsequent release.
Tour Dates November 16 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre 17 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark 19 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground 20 Boston, MA - Berklee 22 New York, NY - Town Hall 24 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory 25 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club 27 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Playing For Change: Songs Around The World – Deluxe Edition, featuring the award-winning, previously unavailable full-length documentary film Peace Through Music will be released by Playing For Change Records/Concord Music Group on October 13th. This special two-disc package includes a 10 track “Songs Around the World” audio CD plus DVD containing the 84 minute documentary as well as 2 bonus chapters: “The Filmmakers’ Journey” (a 15-minute behind the scenes featurette consisting of interviews with project executive producer Norman Lear, directors Mark Johnson and Jonathan Walls along with several other key members of the Playing For Change initiative) and “The Playing For Change Foundation,” focusing on the enlightening and inspiring work of the project’s remarkable non-profit organization.
With its stirring call for reconciliation and cross-cultural unification, the global music collaboration/multi-media project, Playing For Change has struck a deep and powerful chord world-wide. “Playing For Change is an exploration into the human spirit,” stated founder and film co-director/producer Mark Johnson. “It demonstrates the power of music to unite us as a human race.” “The project brings an insight into humanity,“ adds co-director Jonathan Walls. “It’s my wish that audiences around the world absorb this musical essence and become inspired to participate and celebrate its manifestation.”
A co-production of Timeless Media and Engine 7 Films, Playing For Change: Peace Through Music, is a story of hope, struggle, perseverance and joy. The version included here contains an additional 26 minutes of never-before-seen narration and performance, with scenes filmed in Nepal, India, New Mexico and Barcelona. The filmmakers traveled the globe with a single minded passion: to connect the world through music. Their ambitious journey took them through a myriad of cultures and visually stunning locations including post-apartheid South Africa, the ancient sites and conflicted regions of the Middle East, the remote beauty of the Himalayas and beyond. Using innovative mobile technology, the Playing For Change crew filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades, in doorways, on cobblestone streets and amid hilly pueblos. The film, broadcast nationally on PBS this summer, spawned the intensely emotional video clip “Stand By Me,” featuring 37 musicians from around the world including now famous Grandpa Elliott, Roger Ridley and Clarence Bekker. It has been viewed by more than 30 million people to date on sites like YouTube and Vimeo sparking the global Playing For Change movement, one of 2009’s most unlikely and inspiring cultural phenomena.
The Playing For Change tour will stop at The Ark in Ann Arbor on November 2nd.
Upcoming U.S. tour dates: 10/20 Washington, D.C. @ The Birchmere 10/22 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theater 10/23 Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theater 10/24 Albany, NY @ Empire Center at the Egg 10/25 New York, NY @ Town Hall 10/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theater 10/29 Annapolis, MD @ Ram’s Head on Stage 10/30 Cleveland, OH @ Masonic Auditorium 10/31 Toronto, Canada @ Phoenix Concert Hall 11/02 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark 11/03 Chicago, IL @ Park West 11/04 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater 11/06 Minneapolis, MN @ O’Shaughnessy 11/07 Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre 11/08 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre 11/09 Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center 11/12 Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center 11/13 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia 11/14 Anaheim, CA @ The Grove of Anaheim 11/15 San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts 11/17 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre 11/18 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre 11/19 Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom
Rising Portland-based band Blind Pilot will expand their fall tour with 18 new dates beginning November 13 in Burlington, VT. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Laura Veirs will open for Blind Pilot on the new dates, which include performances at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, Philadelphia’s World Café Live and Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. The band is touring in support of their full-length debut 3 Rounds and a Sound, which earned the band performances on national radio (NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Songs Considered”), national television (“Last Call with Carson Daly”) and a spot on this year’s bill for the esteemed NPR Music Showcase at SXSW in Austin, TX.
Blind Pilot will begin the first leg of their tour with special guests The Low Anthem next month and recently wrapped up a summer tour, which included opening slots for The Decemberists, Andrew Bird and the acclaimed British rock band Gomez. Blind Pilot also recently played sets at this year’s Lollapalooza, Sasquatch!, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival and will perform at the upcoming Sisters Folk Festival and headline Portland’s Crystal Ballroom as part of Musicfest NW.
BLIND PILOT FALL & WINTER TOUR DATES
September 12 Sisters, OR Sisters Folk Festival September 13 Sisters, OR Sisters Folk Festival September 19 Portland, OR Musicfest NW October 9 Astoria, OR Liberty Theater October 19 Eugene, OR WOW Hall* October 21 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall* October 23 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour* October 24 San Diego, CA Casbah* October 25 Tucson, AZ Plush* October 27 Houston, TX Bronze Peacock at HOB* October 28 Dallas, TX Granada Theater* October 29 Austin, TX The Parish* October 30 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon* November 2 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder* November 3 Orlando, FL The Social* November 4 Atlanta, GA The Earl* November 5 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge* November 6 Asheville, NC University of North Carolina* November 7 Norfolk, VA Attucks Theater* November 9 Carrboro, NC Cats Cradle* November 11 Washington, D.C. The Black Cat* November 12 Boston, MA Paradise* November 13 Burlington, VT Higher Ground† November 14 Northampton, MA Iron Horse† November 17 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s† November 18 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live† November 19 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom† November 20 Brooklyn, NY Bell House† November 21 Pittsburgh, PA Club Café† November 23 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark† November 24 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio† November 25 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall† November 27 Lawrence, KS Jackpot† November 28 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater† November 29 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge† November 30 Boise, ID The Linen Building† December 2 Seattle, WA Neumos† December 3 Vancouver, BC Media Club†
* With special guests The Low Anthem † With special guest Laura Veirs
After a series of shows that generated rave reviews in Los Angeles, New Orleans and the U.K., it was announced that Playing For Change will launch a national concert tour. The fall tour will bring the Playing For Change movement to over 20 cities nationwide. The Playing For Change band features musicians from around the globe, many of whom appeared in the now ubiquitous "Stand By Me" video (which has been viewed on the internet more than 30 million times) including New Orleans based blues singer Grandpa Elliott and soul singer Clarence Bekker from Amsterdam.
Grammy-winning producer/engineer/filmmaker Mark Johnson founded Playing For Change on the simple idea that the world can be connected through music. Starting in Santa Monica, California, Mark captured a performance of “Stand By Me” by legendary street blues singer Roger Ridley, then he took the show on the road. In New Orleans, he put headphones on Grandpa Elliott, who harmonized with Ridley’s soulful rendition of the song. And he didn’t stop there. Using innovative mobile technology and travelling the world, they filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades, in doorways, on cobblestone streets and amid hilly pueblos. Each captured performance created a new mix in which essentially the artists are all performing together, albeit hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
Tour Dates 10/20 Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere 10/22 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theater 10/23 Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theater 10/24 Albany, NY @ Empire Center at the Egg 10/25 New York, NY @ Town Hall 10/27 Glenside, PA @ The Keswick 10/29 Annapolis, MD @ Ram’s Head on Stage 10/30 Cleveland, OH @ Masonic Auditorium 10/31 Toronto, Canada @ Phoenix Music Hall 11/02 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark 11/03 Chicago, IL @ The Park West 11/04 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater 11/06 St. Paul, MN @ O’Shaunessy 11/07 Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre 11/09 Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center 11/12 Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center 11/13 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia 11/15 San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts 11/17 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre 11/18 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre 11/19 Vancouver, Canada @ Commodore Ballroom Playing For Change Official Site
Many years of friendship and musical collaboration have finally jelled into what I consider to be the most exciting project I've ever been involved with. Works Progress Administration (WPA) is the new band, and we'll be releasing our debut album in stores on September 15 (with some digital content available earlier).
We play our first out of town shows this week, beginning on Thursday, June 18 in San Diego at Anthology. This weekend we play the Telluride festival, and much more is to come.
WPA is an expandable collective. At our smallest core, the band is Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek), Luke Bulla (Jerry Douglas Band, Lyle Lovett) and myself. The other five members are Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) and Davey Faragher (The Imposters, Cracker). We will also be being joined on tour by bassists Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Neil Finn) and Byron House (Emmylou Harris, Nickel Creek). We will play as much as possible as an octet, but will often be on the road as a quartet.
I'm deeply in love with this project. The quality of songwriting, exquisite musicianship and pure love of music that the other seven players bring in is something that I would be perfectly content to absorb as a fly on the wall. To actually be playing and singing with them is humbling, inspiring, and generally completely freaking awesome.
So. Please: Come to shows! Talk about us on the interwebs! Sign up for the mailing list (street team, too) and help spread the word! This is an independent release, a labor of love put together by friends without a label or other well-funded sugar daddy, so you are our greatest resource. We hope you'll enjoy being a part of this as much as we do.
Be well, -glen phillips
W.P.A. will be at The Ark in Ann Arbor on December 5th.
The Canadian Folk Rock group, Great Lake Swimmers will be performing at The Ark in Ann Arbor on August 29th.
Four albums into an already-rich and storied career, Great Lake Swimmers' live show has won them ever-expanding audiences in the United States and Europe, and of course their native Canada. In 2008 Great Lake Swimmers shared the stage with an impressive list of artists, including Feist, Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, Bill Callahan of Smog, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.
