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48th Ann Arbor Folk Fest @ Hill Auditorium (Concert Review by Vicki H.)

After headlining last year’s 47th Folk Festival’s opening night, Old Crow Medicine Show’s energetic founding member and front man Ketch Secor was selected to be MC for this year’s Festival. With his larger-than-life personality, a wit not to be messed with, being accomplished on any instrument he grabs and an ability to interject clever tidbits about our community, Ketch was the right choice for this year’s Folk Festival MC.

Besides fronting his wildly popular band, Ketch is a great storyteller who, many times Friday and Saturday, spoke of his deep respect for folk music. He opened Friday night by paying homage to the legends of folk. Grabbing his guitar, he shared that respect with his rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “Howdi Do,” which OCMS covered on the 2013 “Woody Guthrie at 100 (Live At the Kennedy Center)” CD. 

Taking the stage as the first of the five Friday night acts was Afro Dominicano, a World Music band from NYC that blends music from the Dominican Republic with Reggae, Samba, and Calypso. The instant they came on stage the group filled the auditorium with their dynamic Cuban/Afro Caribbean soul sound. Heavy on guitar and percussion, three guitars and three percussionists backed up the band’s lead singer-extraordinaire, who played a Cajun “squeeze box” accordion and sang their four numbers mostly in Spanish. The band’s high energy Latin music made me itch to get up and Salsa dance to the music. Come prepared to dance (in your seat!) at their April 12th Ark show!

Ketch returned to the stage with this profound Tracy Chapman quote: “Don’t you know they’re talking about a revolution? Sounds like a whisper.” Instead of dwelling on the state of things we’re all trying to not think about, with fiddle in hand, Ketch immediately moved on to honor folk music by talking about the vast instruments played within the genre, spouted: “Folk music is that powerful source of music . . . you don’t even have to see the Bob Dylan movie to appreciate the music!” to much laughter and applause.

Wearing aqua and cream-colored two-tone cowboy boots, pink sunglasses, glitter eye shadow and black lipstick, and long blond hair flowing under their cowboy hat, singer-songwriter/storyteller Adeem the Artist opened with a love letter song to a man in the Minneapolis arts district. They then joked about their being a non-binary country musician from Knoxville Tennessee, moving into a song about U.S. patriarchy and there being “two sides of the coin.” Their third number, a political pan-sexual song proved themself to be an engaging and energetically flamboyant performer. Their fourth song grabbed the cheering crowd, who will have that opportunity to do that again on April 26 when Adeem the Artist returns to perform on the Ark stage.

When Colorado-based singer-songwriter Jobi Riccio took to the stage wearing fabulous bright red cowboy boots that peaked out under her green-striped jumpsuit, I sensed we were in for a real treat.  And what a treat Jobi was, belting out four songs about love and loneliness as she accompanied herself on acoustic guitar and, on her last “rocker song,” electric guitar. Clearly a performer to watch out for, Jobi’s debut album “Whiplash” was released only a year and a half ago and was named number one Country Album of 2023. She received the 2023 Newport Folk Festival John Prine Fellowship and was a nominee for the Americana Music Association’s 2024 Americana Honors and Awards as Emerging Artist of the Year. With her powerful gorgeous voice, Jobi proved she’s worthy of the success she’s received in her short career. Be sure to keep your eyes out for her Ark appearance later this year.

Ketch returned to the stage with his banjo, singing “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Ya,” giving a bittersweet send-off to the folkies who died in 2024, listed on the “In Memoriam” page in the Folk Festival booklet. He then asked the audience to join him in a sing-a-long of Pete Seeger’s “Garden Song – Inch By Inch.”

The fourth act of the evening, Josh Ritter was the happiest and most vibrant performer of the night. He glowed on stage, his body twitching to every song he sang, as he danced around his mic. His trio included double bass and steel-string guitar, Ritter accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. The eight songs his fan-based audience went wild over were a mix of rocking folk songs and more folkie numbers. The audience was invited to join him on his lovely love song, “Kathleen,” which led to his singing, off mic, his anti-war song “Girl In the War,” with his band adding beautiful harmonies to the touching song. Oozing love for his fans and looking up to make contact with the “ultra mezzanine” and mezzanine audience members, Ritter was an absolute delight as he sang every song with a huge smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Come back Josh Ritter! Ann Arbor loves you!

Ketch returned to the stage, praising Ann Arbor for being the robust music community it is, and to the Ark for it’s 60 years of dedication to live music. To the crowd’s delight, The Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan on banjo and Jobi Ricci on guitar joined Ketch to sing a great cover of OCMS’ “Wagon Wheel,” which the audience joyfully joined in on.

Friday night’s fifth and final act was Grammy-nominated Waxahatchee’s songwriter and lead singer, Katie Crutchfield. She performed a solo acoustic set, sharing twelve of the band’s songs with a gorgeous and confident voice that filled every inch of Hill Auditorium. Rather than speaking to the audience, she segued from one song to the next, including sharing a debut of her latest song, “Much Ado About Nothing,” a country-rock song in which Crutchfield used her wide vocal range, crooning to the delight of the audience. Waxahatchee brought in a large crowd of fans of all ages, which is the way a night of guitars and voices should be celebrated.

Ketch opened the Festival’s second night with a respectful nod to Jeff Daniels, last year’s MC. Touching on the country’s current state of affairs, Ketch sang Tom Paxton’s brilliant political song “Daily News,” ending by saying “goodbye to grammar, goodbye to news,” as he made jabs at Musk and Zuckerberg and the lot of oligarchs who’ve taken over the country.

Saturday night’s show opened with Montana-based folk legend Willie Carlisle, who took the stage stating “I will be your huckleberry for the next 20 minutes or so.” What he did in those 20 minutes was to share four of his folk/country songs, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. His first number, “Tulsa’s Last Magician” reflects on the struggles we all face in finding our place in the world. A common theme for the gregarious performer is the human struggle with suffering, as depicted on his website with this line: “Living in a world whose politics seek to divide and control….how do we save love from hate?” Setting down his guitar to grab his squeezebox, he jokingly said “the squeezebox is the perfect musical instrument for the current social and political environment because you play both sides to get to the center,” Carlisle gave us a wonderful version of Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing,” a love story set against the backdrop of England’s 1967 Summer of Love. Next came his cover of Steve Goodman’s “The Ballad of Penny Evans,” a tear-jerker about a young bride left a young Vietnam war widow, which he sang a cappella. Next, playing a banjo and  harmonica, was a gospel-style sing-a-long, “Your Heart’s A Big Tent,” a song about inclusion. Willi Carlisle is an exuberant troubadour with an auditorium-filling projection who stole the heart’s of Hill Auditorium’s cheering audience. He said he’d be back in the Fall, so watch the Ark schedule for this not-to-be-missed show.

After a quick appearance by Ketch, newcomer to the contemporary folk scene from Louisiana Joy Clark took to the stage, exhibiting joy to be a part of the Festival. Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, the young singer-songwriter, who was a guest with The Accidentals at the Bank of Ann Arbor’s Sonic Lunch, is a huge force with her vibrant presence and lovely voice. She shared her 9-year old childhood’s dream of wanting three things: a guitar, boots, and a horse as she moved into her second song “Tell It To the Wind,” about that childhood dream. She then sang about being your authentic self in “Shine,” an homage to New Orleans, Church is where Joy Clark found her calling, claiming “wherever I play music, it’s church.” Her next song, “Guest,” was a ballad to “being a guest in her own life.” She ended her set with “Lesson,” an “unapologetic demand that we all take our rightful place in the struggle for freedom, and remind listeners of rock ‘n’ roll’s Black, queer and Southern roots,” sung a cappella, with the audience snapping their fingers. You can get more of Joy Clark at her March 21st Ark show, where she’s sure to again steal the show!

Ketch changed the tune as he took the stage to talk about folk-hero John Sinclair and how his imprisonment for carrying two joints was eventually overruled by the Supreme Court . . . which led him to praise Detroit’s MC5, jokingly mentioning Ann Arbor’s “drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll” scene . . . which then led to his sharing with us a song he wrote with Molly Tuttle, “Down Home Dispensary,” a plea to the Tennessee legislature to legalize marijuana, accompanying himself on banjo and harmonica. Though no one lit up during the song, the audience was definitely lit up!

Walking onstage, supported by a cane in each hand, Bruce Cockburn claimed “I’ve been around a long time, as you have noticed,” then expressed his gratitude for the continuation of folk music. Telling us “when I play music, it’s church,” he opened his seven-song set with “O Sun, O Moon,” the title song from his 2023 album. Next was a spoken word song about New Orleans, where he was born, in which his deep voice resonated with his genius guitar playing, followed by his throaty-voiced song from his new album, “King of the Bolero.” Plugging into a steel guitar, Cockburn spoke of Blind Willie Johnson, “one of the gospel street singers of the 20s/30s,” as he sang his blues tune “Soul of a Man” from his 1991 release “Nothing But A Burning Light.” Cockburn’s final song “If A Tree Falls,” a poignant commentary about corporate greed and the demise of the world as it once was, was beautifully accompanied by a haunting back track, causing the audience to stand and cheer on this music legend.

Following intermission, Ketch returned to the stage citing “Ann Arbor’s Greatest Hits,” referring to Madonna, Iggy Pop, and James Earl Jones. He then spoke of JFK’s infamous speech given on the steps of the U’s Michigan Union, where he announced plans to create what became the Peace Corps. Saying “let’s play a peace song,” the audience joined Ketch in singing Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome,” a highly moving segue into the last two acts on Saturday night’s program.

Singing duo Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, known as The Milk Carton Kids, have been performing together for 15 years. They have a delightful stage presence and a dry sense of humor, with a strong sense of familiarity with each other as musical partners. To much cheering and laughter, Joey blurted out to the crowd “it sure doesn’t smell like a Folk Festival,” then, with the mic between them, with guitars in hand, they turned to face each to begin their eight-song set with the lovely “North Country Ride” from their 2023 record “I Only See the Moon.” Every song was as lovely as the next. When Joey switched to his banjo, he said “younger crowds want banjo!” and he was right, according to the crowd’s reaction. Though the press likens them to Simon and Garfunkel, with their instrumental and vocal style, the way they kid around with each other, and their old-fashioned style of wearing a two-piece suit, I couldn’t resist seeing them as a modern-day Everly Brothers, especially with their fast-paced guitar-dueling country song “Heaven.” They’ve recorded nine albums, have received four Grammy nominations, as well as having albums nominated more than once for awards by the Americana Music Association. Their latest endeavor is the Los Angeles Folk Festival they formed a year ago, with a show coming up this March. The audience loved them and we all want more, especially when Joey declared “I think the Ark is the only venue we’ve played more than any other venue!” Milk Carton Kids, please come back!

Ketch took the stage one more time saying “Oh no! We’re almost near the end!” and then praised the “enlightened Shangri-La” that is Ann Arbor. Sadly reminding us of the recent passing of The Band’s Garth Hudson and Peter, Paul and Mary’s Peter Yarrow, he remarked that it’s important to connect folk music of the past to that of the future, segueing into a sing-a-long of “Puff the Magic Dragon.” To our surprise, Jobi and the Milk Carton Kids then came out on stage and, with Ketch on his fiddle, Joey on banjo, and Jobi and Kenneth on guitar, we had one more joyous sing-a-long of “Wagon Wheel.”

The stage had been ready all night for the final act, Toad the Wet Sprocket, the wildly popular five-piece indie rock band who played some ten songs. Every song they played was unanimously well-received by the singing, dancing, and cheering audience. The delighted crowd knew all the words, especially their huge crowd-pleaser “Something’s Always Wrong.” Towards the end of their set, all three floors of Hill Auditorium were lit up by iPhones, with people swaying and cheering on the band. It was a lovely sight and a happy ending for a memorable night of live music.

But….it didn’t end there! Ketch, Jobi Riccio, The Milk Carton Kids, Willi Carlisle and Joy Clark joined Toad the Wet Sprocket on stage for a final hootenanny-style last song, as Ketch said . . . “a lullaby to get our strength because there’s a lot of work to be done.” So, with the sentiment “don’t worry ’bout a thing, every little things’ gonna be alright,” everyone on stage, along with the still-packed audience, sang in unison Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” for a perfect ending to a great night of music and a perfect ending to the Ark’s 48th Folk Festival.

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Big thanks & kudos to the IATSE Local 395 stagehands, backstage workers and volunteers, and especially to the Ark for carrying on this annual tribute to folk music and the beautiful sounds made with voices and guitars and banjos and fiddles and every instrument in-between!

And . . . kudos to Ketch Secor who showed himself to be a thoughtful and calmly engaging MC, different from his wildly energetic stage presence as the face of Old Crow Medicine Show. 

Saturday morning I had a chance to have a quick chat with Ketch about the honor bestowed on him to be the face of this year’s Folk Festival.

V: What’s it like to be a part of your larger-than-life band, to be a front man, and then to come and be an MC where you’re not playing music, you’re being the voice for this festival?

K: Well I’ve been really excited about this gig and I”m so glad that they asked me up here. I gotta say when I first came to town the Ark really rolled out the red carpet for the Old Crow Medicine Show and made us feel like we had a home away from home right here in SE Michigan, of all places. Ever since then I just thought, well, where’s another perch that I could get up into the branches from and take a look out? So I think after I did it last night, they can see that I’m probably a good kind of cat for this type of work. I stole alot of ideas from Garrison Keillor, as evidenced by last night’s interlocution! 

Last night Jobi, Joey, and myself were a little bit of a folk all-star band . . . I mean it wasn’t no Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry, Josh White backing up Woody, but this is 2025 and it’s hard to find a harmonica player that good and that blind!

V: Last year you got to hang with Jeff Daniels, who was the perfect MC to you guys headlining the show. I’m sure the personalities were a perfect match.

K: Well I just love him and his contributions to entertainment but also the way that the home-town Michigan boy makes good on a promise to the bastion city of college-town antics, by coming back, even after successes near and far, to take care of and steward the long-running folk festival in town. That’s just a good story all around and Jeff Daniels stars in that picture. I’ve enjoyed seeing it and I appreciate him passing the torch to me, at least here at the 48th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival, and to give me the opportunity to see what I can do with these ponies.”

 reviewed by vicki h.

(sashay delmonico @ wcbn ann arbor)

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