Dakota Dave Hull

The monthly Acoustic Routes series will be held at Mangiamo Italian Grill and will showcase both Michigan musicians and touring artists in a range of acoustic genres including country, bluegrass, blues, jazz, Irish and Scottish traditional music.

From the announcement:

Concerts will be held in a restored special events space on the second floor of Mangiamo’s historic 19th Century building in downtown Saline at 107 W. Mich. Ave.

“The name Acoustic Routes honors Saline’s place between Detroit and Chicago, two cities where some of the most important music of the last century was created,” said Saline native Jim Cain, producer of the concert series. “Mangiamo’s is a perfect venue for traditional music. The Toarmina family has created a beautiful space for people to enjoy a great meal, and now, great music.”

The inaugural American Routes event will be an evening with celebrated guitarist Dakota Dave Hull on April 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door ($10 under 18). Preferred seating is available for Mangiamo dinner guests. Reservations are available at (734) 429-0060. 

Hull, a veteran of Garrison Keillor’s "A Prairie Home Companion," plays a uniquely personal blend of jazz, ragtime, folk, blues, Western swing, and vintage pop. He has recorded or performed with legends, including Utah Phillips, Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, John Renbourn and Norman Blake.

The Boston Globe wrote that “Hull is something of a guitar god in his native Midwest, where he's been dazzling audiences for over 30 years with his lush finger-picking and quicksilver flat-picking. He is also a sly raconteur with an encyclopedic knowledge of vintage American music.”

Future concerts include Manchester-based Louisiana dance band Creole du Nord (May 19), led by River Folk Festival founder Mark Palms, and Bill Bynum & Company (July 28), whose original songs and traditional country sound can veer towards bluegrass. The June artist will be announced shortly.

Artists interested in performing at Acoustic Routes concerts should email a press kit and demos to acousticsaline@gmail.com.