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Livingston Taylor talks about record industry, new songs ahead of Ark show

Livingston Taylor

photo by Philip Porcella

But in 1989, Taylor joined the faculty of the Berklee School of Music—and, all these years later, he continues to teach two Stage Performance courses per semester.

So, for these last 24 years, Taylor has enjoyed the variety of being both a performer / recording artist and a teacher. And in the last few years, he’s also become involved in the administration at Berklee, so these days, he’s at the school four days a week.

Consequently, he does not spend as much time recording and performing as he did in his pre-Berklee days. He’s released two albums in the last 15 years, and he mostly limits his “touring” to the summer months, when he’s not teaching. Although, during the school year, he still frequently does weekend shows in the Boston area, where he lives, but out of town as well.

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Beloved singer-songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin teaming up for Power Center concert

Mary Chapin Carpenter

So, she did what most songwriters do—she processed the pain of those experiences by writing about them—or, in some cases, writing about the emotions conjured by those travails. The result, "Ashes and Roses," released last fall, is an album about grief and loss, but it also has an arc, and chronicles the journey we go through in order to come out whole on the other side—hopefully in a more positive state, or further along on the road to healing.

Given all of those real-life traumas that inspired the songs, "Ashes and Roses" is the most emotionally intense, and most personal, album of Carpenter's career.

She will be singing many of those songs when she comes to the Power Center on Tuesday for a duo performance with her old friend and musical cohort Shawn Colvin.

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Grant-Lee Phillips exploring Native American heritage in latest album, Ark show

Grant-Lee Phillips

In this case, Phillips is referring to his Native American heritage, and to his latest album, "Walking in the Green Corn," released last autumn. On that disc, Phillips explores that heritage, as well as Native American history, culture, lore and beliefs.

"My songs are always a document of where I’m at in my life at a given time - where my heart and mind is being pulled," says Phillips, who comes to The Ark on Friday. "I grew up with an awareness of my heritage, but in recent years I’ve been increasingly fascinated with Native culture and what that means today. There are a number of Native American artists who make films, music, and write, and I can’t help but feel a kindred sensibility."

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Leon Redbone bringing his unique style - and some fresh songs - back to The Ark

Leon Redbone

But given that those vintage styles have enjoyed a big surge in popularity over the last 15 or 20 years—and given the direction that much pop music has gone in during that time—not many are so quick to affix the "camp" imprint to Redbone's music these days.

Indeed, his affinity for the music of Irving Berlin, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmie Rodgers, etc., is a tonic for those who are weary of the synthetic, mechanized, computerized and / or pre-fabricated nature of so much modern-day pop music.

That's certainly true for Redbone himself. "Those older styles, from those eras, are what really captured my attention when I was young, and, to me, they're still the most valid," says Redbone, who comes to The Ark on Sunday.

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with video: Ann Arbor favorites Mountain Heart bringing new music to The Ark

Mountain Heart

That risk was adding a keyboard player—who was also the new lead singer (Josh Shilling)—to a band that was previously an all-acoustic one. His background was different than that of the other members of Mountain Heart. At the time, the group had already cemented a reputation as an ace bluegrass / newgrass / country-folk band, and had a strong, loyal following in that camp.

But Shilling's thing was a mix of Southern rock and R&B, with some jazzy accents. "We felt like we had gone as far as we could with what we were doing, and had bumped up against a ceiling with it," says Jim VanCleve, the group's fiddle player and a founding member. "We also wanted to reach beyond the bluegrass / newgrass audience—and take our music to more people."

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'For Pete's Sake' concert to celebrate Pete Seeger's 94th birthday

Join local musicians when they come together at The Ark to celebrate Pete Seeger's 94th birthday on Thursday. For Pete's Sake will feature stories and, of course, lots of sing-alongs led by some of your favorite local talents.

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martin bandyke: Patty Larkin talks about new songs, life's challenges ahead of Ark show

I won’t even pretend to be objective about Patty Larkin, the Cape Cod-based singer-songwriter in concert Thursday at The Ark. I’ll just say that I think she’s one of the best musicians in the known universe, her skills as a guitar player, songwriter and vocalist right up there with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, Jonatha Brooke and John Gorka.

Back in my days as a music host at WDET-FM in Detroit, Patty stopped by the station in the fall of 1997 to perform “Wolf at the Door,” the signature song from her then-new “Perishable Fruit” album. She proceeded to blow the roof off the joint by playing and singing a note-perfect, barn-burning version of the intricate track, one filled with fiendishly difficult acoustic guitar riffs and rapid-fire lyrics. One of those stunning moments I still remember as if it happened yesterday.

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Scottish folk-pop band The Proclaimers to play The Ark

A new generation of television and movie writers who came of age in the '90s seems to be taking over. Naturally, whenever their characters get nostalgic for their teen years, the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" gets cued up.

John Hiatt to play rare club date at The Ark; tickets on sale soon

John Hiatt performs at the Michigan Theater in 2011.

Jeff Sainlar | AnnArbor.com file photo

The acclaimed singer-songwriter guitarist typically plays more Michigan Theater-sized venues.

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with video: New chapter in the 'legend': Flatlanders return to their roots for tour

The Flatlanders, from left, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

Called "More a Legend Than a Band" due to the group's quick early breakup and later influence, the reissue of that album led AllMusic Guide to declare, "The entire '90s alt-country movement can trace its genesis to these powerful and underappreciated songs."

So when a different recording of many of those same songs—made a month earlier, in a different studio, for demo purposes only—resurfaced, was it conceivable that these versions might actually be better?

As unlikely as it may seem, the answer is yes, says Jimmie Dale Gilmore, core Flatlander and beloved alt-country solo performer.

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Americana band Frontier Ruckus playing The Ark

Are you going to miss Back Forty? Of course you are.

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updated: Moth Michigan GrandSLAM Championship to bring together the best local storytellers

Update: This event is SOLD OUT.

In a town that brings together disparate souls from all walks of life, there are a million stories waiting to be told. Some of them sad, some of them funny, some of them a result of too much bourbon. But at the The Moth Michigan GrandSLAM Championship IV at The Ark, all of them will be good.

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Folk Festival hit Frank Fairfield headlining solo show at The Ark

Frank Fairfield performs at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in January.

Daniel J. Brenner | AnnArbor.com file photo

Those searches include sifting through thrift stores and swap meets, collecting old 78 RPM records, and also tracking down sheet music for rare vintage songs that may not have been recorded since the 78s era.

He also writes his own compositions, but they are of the same rustic, organic vein as the trad tunes—the instrumentation on his two records thus far has consisted of fiddle, banjo and acoustic guitar—and are often heavily influenced by the trad tunes he finds.

When he goes out on tour, it's just him onstage, playing all those instruments himself, as well as singing, hooting and hollering in down-home fashion.

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martin bandyke: Thao Nguyen of the Get Down Stay Down talks about inspiration, new album ahead of Ark date

Thao Nguyen

photo by Lauren Tabak

Nguyen has spent close to a decade playing and recording music, collaborating along the way with fellow singer-songwriters Andrew Bird and Laura Veirs, plus the noted producer Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, the Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens). On her way from a gig in Denver to engagements in Austin at last week’s SXSW Festival, Thao Nguyen (pronounced Tow - as in towel - Win) spoke to me in detail about her new release, "We The Common:; the subject of the album’s title track; and why she loves the songs of Smokey Robinson so much.

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martin bandyke: Alejandro Escovedo talks about latest music ahead of Ark show

Alejandro Escovedo

photo by Todd Wolfson

A serious bout with Hepatitis C in 2003 led to an outpouring of support for the much-loved Austin resident, including the benefit album "Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo," featuring cover versions done by Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, John Cale, Calexico, Cowboy Junkies, and many others. Declared free of the disease some 8 years ago and very much back to a busy schedule of touring and recording, the 62-year-old Escovedo visits Ann Arbor after playing gigs and throwing parties last week in Austin during the SXSW Festival.

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with video: After a taste of The Steel Wheels at the Folk Festival, Americana band rolls into The Ark with the main course

The Steel Wheels perform at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium in January. The band plays The Ark this weekend.

Daniel J. Brenner | AnnArbor.com file photo

And although the Folk Festival limited opening groups to short sets, that won’t be the case Saturday night when The Steel Wheels return to town to play a full show at The Ark.

“Initially, when you first hear you are playing the festival, then you hear (you get) a 20-minute set, that’s weird,” acknowledged vocalist Trent Wagler. “But once you get there and you realize the scene … how 3,000 people or so hang out in a beautiful auditorium with an amazing lineup just one after another. It’s a great audience and people really take pride in their festival.”

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with video: Sharon Shannon bringing her unique Irish musical blend to The Ark

Sharon Shannon

And in her her native Ireland, she's a legitimate superstar who has notched several No. 1 albums and singles, and enjoys multi-platinum album sales.

Shannon is also known for her many collaborations over the years: Before releasing her debut solo album in 1991, she did a stint in the Waterboys, and that solo debut included guest appearances from folks like Adam Clayton (U2 bassist) and Donal Lunny, a trad-Irish figurehead who played bouzouki in the hugely influential Irish group Planxty.

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with video: A homecoming for northern Michigan's May Erlewine, Seth Bernard Friday night at The Ark

Seth Bernard and May Erlewine

“We both lived in Ann Arbor at different times in our life,” said Erlewine. “We really love that town. It’s a second hometown for me of sorts. I grew up with my parents going there very often and they had a of of good friends and relatives.”

The couple will return to The Ark Friday night. They met in 2003, when he was a performer at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival and she was attending. That same year, Erlewine (as Daisy May, a nickname she’s had since childhood) cut her first album for Earthwork Music, the independent label affiliated with the Bernard family's collective farm near Lake City. In early 2006, they released their first duo LP, “Seth Bernard and Daisy May.”

with video: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin teaming up for Power Center concert

Shawn Colvin, left, and Mary Chapin Carpenter

The two much-loved singer-songwriter-musicians will play the Power Center on May 21 as part of a tour that's already under way.

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with video: Healthy again, Neil Woodward teams with Cats & the Fiddler at Ark for final show with mentor

Neil Woodward

He’ll be back at The Ark Sunday night for a show that will also be his last gig with Cats & the Fiddler, the young Milford traditional music trio he has mentored for the past 10 years.

There’s a good reason for his absence: Two years ago, Woodward was slowed by a stroke. “It’s been kind of interesting coming back from that,” he said. … “When you have a stroke it kind of sets you back a little. So I am just getting around to the point now where I feel like I have my stuff all together to the point where it’s really going to be presentable the way I like to present it at The Ark.