The Ark - June 1993 (long)

[Deborah Fisch]

The Ark
Acoustic Music in Ann Arbor since 1965
637-1/2 S. Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(313) 761-1451
a...@msen.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Performance Schedule for June 1 - 29

Doors open half-hour before show begins.

All shows begin at 8 pm unless otherwise noted.

Tickets are available at the door only, unless date marked "* Tickets",
in which case tickets are available in advance in Ann Arbor at the
Michigan Union Ticket Office, Schoolkids Records, and Herb David Guitar
Studio. To charge tickets using VISA/Mastercard, call (313) 763-8587.

J U N E

1 Tuesday Party of Three
East Lansing's Party of Three plays reels, jigs, hornpipes, slow airs, a
myriad of wild and compelling tunes, songs of mirth, tragedy, illicit
love, ghostly apparitions, class struggle, and farm animals. Master
craftsmen Marty Somberg, John Babula and Chris Rietz air their talents on
fiddle, flute, whistle, mandolin, harmonica and guitar.

2 Wednesday Tommy Sands
As a child Tommy sounds heard the lively fiddle and accordion and the
traditional songs and stories of his parents welcoming neighbors into
their Irish farmhouse kitchen. He released his first solo album in 1985,
the classic _Singing of the Times._ Since then there have been three
additional releases earning him his place as "the most powerful
songwriter in Ireland if not the rest of the world." - _Sing Out!_

3 Thursday Robin & Linda Williams
For country/folk artists Robin and Linda Williams, 1993 marks twenty
years of touring, recording, writing and blending their notable harmonies
together. Heard for many years on _A Prairie Home Companion_, now Robin
and Linda's songs are being sung by Tom T. Hall, Mary-Chapin Carpenter,
the Red Clay Ramblers and Emmylou Harris. "Vocally and instrumentally,
the Williamses combine impeccable musical discipline with a bare
simplicity and an utter lack of pretension..." - _The New York Times_

4 Friday Raisin Pickers
Locally grown in Manchester, the Raisin Pickers formed originally to play
old-time dance music, and then found themselves playing tunes originating
from jug band days all the way through the popular western swing era.

5 Saturday Megon McDonough & Sally Fingerett
* Tickets
Two of the "Four Bitchin' Babes" of Christine Lavin fame return to Ann
Arbor. A fine match for each other with their rich, polished voices,
Sally and Megon share long songwriting careers including work for
television, movies and theater.

6 Sunday Kari Newhouse
Ann Arborite Kari Newhouse writes songs that cover tales of love and
failure with a personal slant so intense, you'll feel as if you're going
through a long-lost private diary. With her haunting acoustic ballads
and her high-energy rock/funk electric band, Kari is an important voice
for the 90's!

8 Tuesday Penny Lang
Penny Lang has been labeled everything from the first lady of Canadian
folk music, to blues legend, to country mama. Her stage presence is a
letter from home, a sunny kitchen table, a crickety summer evening on the
back porch. She delights audiences with a spirited mix of original
compositions and personalized versions of gospel, blues and country
songs. Welcome to Ann Arbor the "silver wolf of Montreal's folk scene."

9 Wednesday Electric Bonsai Band Album Release
Electric Bonsai Band is neither electric nor a band; it's actually Uncle
Bonsai's Andrew Ratshin, who has been recording and performing on his own
since Uncle Bonsai disbanded in 1989. Andrew is acclaimed for
"elaborate, pungently satirical songs...[that] take aim at the
superficiality and narcissism of 80's culture in clever brittle lyrics
that almost stand on their own as light verse." - _The New York Times_

10 Thursday Rory Block
Rory Block has recently released her tenth album, _Ain't I a Woman_,
highlighting her stunning versatility in intense Delta blues, passionate
folk and gripping originals. Mildly put, Rory plays an impressive blues
guitar and sings with a power mixture of purity and grittiness. "Rory
Block has been an inspiration to me since we started out years ago. Her
guitar playing, singing and songwriting are some of the most soulful in
traditional and modern blues." - Bonnie Raitt

11 Friday The RFD Boys
Continuing to be Ann Arbor's favorite bluegrass band since 1969 when they
were U of M students, The RFD Boys are among the best bluegrass bands in
the midwest. The combination of their top drawer musical talents and
their hilarious off the wall dialogues makes an RFD Boys evening a show
ranking with the best in bluegrass today.

12 Saturday Jonathan Edwards
* Tickets
Best known for his 1971 hit "Sunshine," Jonathan Edwards brings to each
performance his beautifully melodic voice, his consummate skill on
acoustic guitar and his special rapport with the audience. His throaty
tenor--one of the most distinctive voices on record--has a natural,
unadulterated, undiluted quality. Jonathan is right at home with
easy-feeling songs, and equally comfortable with delicate, poetic love
lyrics. Opening for Jonathan is contemporary singer/songwriter Steve Key.

13 Sunday SongSisters
* Tickets 2 shows - 1 & 3pm
Chris Barton and Julie Austin croon your favorite kidtunes and dish up
the best licks from their latest and greatest recording, _Hello Sun,
Goodnight Moon_. Their favorite SongBrothers will join them in the fun.
Come wish Chris a fond farewell as she leaves Ann Arbor for the distant
shores of Indiana!

13 Sunday Marla BB
Walking tall in the footsteps of Ida Cox, Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thornton
and Irma Thomas is thoroughly modern blueswoman Marla BB. As the _Bay
Area Reporter_ revels, "BB counteracts the
woman-done-wrong-but-stands-by-her-man-anyway blues tradition by having
unearthed some of the most female-positive blues tunes...She breaks some
of the rules of blues while embracing its earliest traditions, as did
Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt."

15 Tuesday Benefit Concert for Michigan Friends Center
* Tickets--call (313) 662-343
Starring: Madcat and Kane, Deadbeat Society, Big Dave (of Big Dave and
the Ultrasonics).

16 Wednesday Taj Mahal
* Tickets 2 shows - 7:30 & 9:30
With the engaging energy of a master showman, Taj Mahal has dug time
after time into the soil of the black musical experience. Always
seeking new musical vistas, Taj is the master of many styles including
reggae, salsa, funk, rock, bluegrass, folk, blues and rhythm & blues.

18-20 Friday-Sunday Frog Island Festival
Separate press release to follow.

25 Friday Deadbeat Society CD Release Party
Deadbeat Society's long-awaited debut release, _Before We Arrive_, will
be available for purchase, autographs, framing...or whatever. Deadbeat
Society is Roy Elder, Tim Farnham, Colby Maddox and David Mosher--four
musical bandits whizzing from the urban spaces of Duke Ellington to the
dark hollows of Bill Monroe, never stopping to look back.

26 Saturday Footloose
Footloose, the acoustic band with ever-changing instrumentation and
musical styles brings its musical adventure to The Ark. Footloose
features sparkling instrumentals, excellent vocals and material ranging
from hard-driving to beautiful to outrageous. Unhappily, Ann Arbor is
about to lose Footloose to Indiana; come say goodbye to an band that will
be sorely missed!

27 Sunday Riders in the Sky at the Power Center
* Tickets--call 764-2538
Riders in the Sky has revitalized the musical genre of the western cowboy
song. With some distinct personalities (Ranger Doug, Too Slim, and Woody
Paul), slogans ("It's the cowboy way!") and merchandise (Too Slim's Cac
Tie), Riders in the Sky's repertoire ranges from cowboy folk songs to
jazz numbers, from old time fiddle pieces to yodel showcases to western
ballads.

27 Sunday Riders in the Sky Family Show at the Power Center!
* Tickets--call 764-2538 1 show - 1 pm

29 Tuesday Neil Woodward Album Release
Welcome back the award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter,
and folk historian Neil Woodward. Featuring virtually every traditional
North American folk instrument, Neil performs centuries-old ballads and
dance music, 1800's lumberjack, blues and train songs as well as his own
compositions.

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