May Erlewine - Solo

“One of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, May continues to share her gift for writing songs of substance that feel both new and soulfully familiar. Her lyrics offer a window into her heartbreak, her empowerment, and her emboldened spirit. May consi......More

“One of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, May continues to share her gift for writing songs of substance that feel both new and soulfully familiar. Her lyrics offer a window into her heartbreak, her empowerment, and her emboldened spirit. May considers her career in the music industry as a service-oriented one and uses her platform for positive change. She stresses the importance of environmental advocacy, social justice, creative empowerment, and community building as necessary work in our world. May’s body of work has become an anthem and an example of why we need to listen to women, empower women, and why we need to hear their stories. With a long list of full-length albums and numerous collaborations, May Erlewine’s catalog is proof of her creative power. Her work has been spotlighted by Rolling Stone and NBC’s “”The Voice”” and covered by countless artists. Erlewine’s 2020 release, “”Anyway,”” a collaboration with Woody Goss (vulfpeck), showcases her diversity as a singer featuring the newly acclaimed song, “”Days Go By.”” Her 2017 album. Mother Lion, produced by Tyler Duncan (vulfpeck) and backed by Joe Dart, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joshua Pinkham (Jeremy Kittel), has become an Indie favorite most notably for the empowering single “”Never One Thing.”” Her newest album, The Real Thing produced by Theo Katzman, highlights her songwriting recorded live at his studio in the Northern Woods of Michigan. Among her successes, perhaps her biggest accomplishment is that her music has touched people all over the world. Her words have held solace for weary hearts, offered a light in the darkness, and held a lot of space for the pain and joy of being alive. When she starts to sing, there’s no way around it: welcome in, everyone. The door is wide open. https://www.mayerlewine.com/

University Lutheran Church (ULC), 1020 S Harrison Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United States

Contra and Square Dance

This dance is co-sponsored by the Fiddle and Looking Glass Music and Arts Association. All dances taught – no partner needed. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and be prepared to have a good time! Come early – at 6:30 – for a quick workshop on easy contra dance mov......More

This dance is co-sponsored by the Fiddle and Looking Glass Music and Arts Association. All dances taught – no partner needed. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and be prepared to have a good time! Come early – at 6:30 – for a quick workshop on easy contra dance moves. For more info, call 517-614-5858.

Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI, 48933, United States

Joel Mabus

“The dean of singer-songwriters” – Rich Warren, host of Chicago’s Midnight Special on WFMT-FM “Joel Mabus is the Joe DiMaggio of the folk music world – a virtuoso who can make the toughest plays appear effortless.” -Ron Olesko of WFDU-FM  (Fordham University, New York) ......More

“The dean of singer-songwriters” – Rich Warren, host of Chicago’s Midnight Special on WFMT-FM “Joel Mabus is the Joe DiMaggio of the folk music world – a virtuoso who can make the toughest plays appear effortless.” -Ron Olesko of WFDU-FM  (Fordham University, New York) Joel Mabus is a longtime fixture in the American folk music scene. He’s a songwriter with roots deep in tradition, and a risk-taking multi-instrumentalist with a well-travelled voice. He’s toured the major folk clubs and festivals all over North America but is firmly centered in the Midwest.Joel was born in 1953 to a family of old-time country music performers, who had worked in the 1930’s in a traveling “Hillbilly” troupe for Chicago’s radio station WLS, the home of the famed “National Barn Dance” radio show. His father was a champion fiddler, his mom a singer and banjo & accordion player. Widowed when Joel was 2 years old, Ruby Lee Mabus raised her three kids in a small Southern Illinois town on meagre survivor-benefit checks from Gerald’s social security, plus income from accordion lessons and other odd jobs. Joel started playing melodies on the family mandolin at age 9 and played bluegrass and sang harmonies with his older brother at home he learned his gospel by singing in a store-front Pentecostal church. Guitar, banjo & fiddle were soon in Joel’s mix. There was no money from home for college, but he earned a National Merit Scholarship, and attended Michigan State University. Studying cultural anthropology and English Lit by day, he made his spending money at night as a folk & blues performer in local bars.Making Michigan his home after college, Mabus traveled the folk & bluegrass circuit, playing festivals and small concert venues. Beginning his recording career in 1978, Joel has since traveled all over America (and parts of Texas, he adds) performing at the fabled folk clubs and festivals of the day. He has played on stage with many of his music heroes: Tom Paxton, Doc Watson, Peggy Seeger, Jethro Burns, Sonny Terry, Odetta, Buffy Saint Marie and many more. He has worked alongside many of his friends & songwriter fellows: Greg Brown, John Gorka, Claudia Schmidt, Si Kahn, Christine Lavin, Sally Rogers, Jack Hardy, Susan Werner…and the list goes on. Joel has 27 solo albums to his credit (some featuring songwriting, others focusing on traditional guitar or banjo, and some very eclectic), along with studio work as side musician. His latest album is Time & Truth in 2019. Where is he from? Smalltown Illinois & Mississippi River: 105 miles southeast of Mark Twain, 190 miles northwest of Bill Monroe, 110 miles southwest of Burl Ives and just over the river and up the hill from Scott Joplin. That’s where Joel Mabus is from. He lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan now. http://www.joelmabus.com/

University Lutheran Church (ULC), 1020 S Harrison Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United States

The Schrock Brothers, with Peter "Madcat" Ruth and Andy Wilson

“The joy is palpable with every note played, an experience that delights in intimate listening and a constant stream of dancing. It all makes for an uplifting, dynamic listening experience. The Schrock Bros continue to double down on that winning strategy of crafting wo......More

“The joy is palpable with every note played, an experience that delights in intimate listening and a constant stream of dancing. It all makes for an uplifting, dynamic listening experience. The Schrock Bros continue to double down on that winning strategy of crafting wonderful music and surrounding themselves with good people and great musicians. Each track captures the spirit of their live performances with every chorus build and stellar solo. It’s no small wonder why so many folks made this soulful, rootsy band their focal point for the summer with “Faith In Love” added to the catalog.” – Dutcher Snedeker, Local Spins “Their versatility to cover multiple genres is a thing to behold and a night spent listening to them will not soon be forgotten. Book them, see a show, I promise you won’t be disappointed.” – Paul Brown, Gopherwood Concerts, Cadillac. The Schrock Bros Band Featuring Peter Madcat Ruth is a Michigan based Americana/ blues ensemble that features soulful lead vocals, family harmony, and solid musicianship. The band is made up of brothers Andrew and Jasen Schrock on vocals, guitar and bass, their father, multi-instrumentalist Mark “Papa” Schrock, and renowned drummer Michael Shimmin. Joining the Bros for their Lansing performance will be harmonica virtuoso and Grammy winner Peter Madcat Ruth, and local musical heroes Andy and Joe Wilson. The Bros perform original music peppered with a collection of nuggets from the Americana archives. Over the past 10 years the band has performed at a multitude of festivals, concerts, clubs, and special events. In June of 2023 they released their first full length recording entitled “Faith In Love” – the 2024 “Best Blues/Soul Album” WYCE Jammie award winner! https://www.schrockbrosmusic.com/

UrbanBeat, 1213 Turner Street, Lansing, MI, 48906, United States

Contra and Square Dance

All dances taught – no partner needed. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and be prepared to have a good time! Come early – at 6:30 – for a quick workshop on easy contra dance moves. For more info, call 517-614-5858.

Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI, 48933, United States

Joy Clark, Women in the Arts Festival

“Joy shines out as a singer and player in our shared community of New Orleans. We are proud to share this most tender new music from her and more to come.” -Ani DiFranco “Joy Clark is hands down one of our favorite musicians making music now.” -SistaStrings “[At shows] ......More

“Joy shines out as a singer and player in our shared community of New Orleans. We are proud to share this most tender new music from her and more to come.” -Ani DiFranco “Joy Clark is hands down one of our favorite musicians making music now.” -SistaStrings “[At shows] I sometimes was so into what she was playing that I would let her solo as long as possible. The crowds would be as enthused with her playing and stage presence as I was.” -Cyril Neville “Joy Clark is a supremely talented musician and artist. I’ve loved collaborating with her onstage and just like her name suggests, she spreads nothing but joy everywhere she goes!” – Brandi Carlile Louisiana born-and-raised singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark is charting her own path. Born the youngest of five children in a tight knit, deeply religious family, Clark’s debut album is both a declaration of her independence and a love letter to the traditions that shaped her. Joy’s debut album “Tell it to the Wind” marks her arrival on the national stage as an artist who is proud to weave the social consciousness of folk with the rhythms of Southeast Louisiana with the soul-centered music of her childhood, while charting out a path that is all her own. Produced by her musical hero, the four-time Grammy nominated Margaret Becker, it symbolizes a coming home of sorts for Joy, one where she is finally embraced as her full self. Becker’s influence is apparent throughout the album, with her co-writing six of the album’s nine tracks. On “Lesson,” the record’s second single due on August 7, Joy honors her grandmother’s legendary life while sharing some of the wisdom that shaped her against a stomping, bluesy backdrop. The soulful harmonies and the song’s unapologetic demand that we all take our rightful place in the struggle for freedom, reminds listeners of rock n’ rolls Black, queer, and Southern roots. https://joyclarkmusic.comhttps://Instagram.com/joyclarkmusichttps://facebook.com/joyclarkmusichttps://twitter.com/joyclarkmusichttps://YouTube.com/rudaje2000https://joyclark.bandcamp.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/7BTIW6ksfRBJ50xe6EtXjJ?si=Pqe9u6kaSdinpLtqKPTHOg

Edgewood United Church, 469 N Hagadorn Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United States

Holly Near, Women in the Arts Festival

After 50 years of bold work, Holly Near is still one of the most consistent and well informed voices for change. Her work is loving, challenging, funny, thought-provoking, and remains rooted in the global community. As an outspoken singer and ambassador for peace, Holly......More

After 50 years of bold work, Holly Near is still one of the most consistent and well informed voices for change. Her work is loving, challenging, funny, thought-provoking, and remains rooted in the global community. As an outspoken singer and ambassador for peace, Holly brings a unique integration of world consciousness and self-evaluation, always growing and sharing experience humbly and boldly. Holly discovered her unique and recognizable voice at an early age, learning to sign along with recordings of some of the world’s great singers. After graduating high school, Holly attended UCLA but her academic journey ended after just a few months when she was spotted by agents and drawn into the world of film and television. She did guest spots on TV shows like The Partridge Family, Room 222, All in the Family, and played supporting roles in films like John Cassavetes’ Minnie and Moskowitz and George Roy Hill’s Slaughterhouse-Five. She moved to New York and performed for a short run in Hair on Broadway but soon turned to singing full time, as a soloist as well as sharing the stage with her sisters Laurel and Timothy. Throughout her career she has enjoyed collaborations with such artists as Mercedes Sosa, Ronnie Gilbert, Inti Illimani, Emma’s Revolution, and her long-time songwriting partner, the late Jeff Langley. In her early twenties, Near traveled with the Free The Army Show and the Indochina Peace Campaign an experience that enabled her to learn about the function and consequences of the military industrial complex. While on the FTA tour in 1971 Holly was first introduced to the concept of global feminism. By 1974 she was crossing paths and sharing songs with the wave of new lesbian feminist performers such as Meg Christian, Cris Williamson, Linda Tillery, Mary Watkins, and Alive! Near dove into the feminist movement, trying to understand the depth of sexism and homophobia by turning those lessons into song.   Holly is known for the anthemic quality of some of her songs. As a songwriter she takes up the challenge of turning big concepts into small, personal stories. In response to the slaughter of the students at Kent State, she wrote It Could Have Been Me. And following the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco, she penned Singing For Our Lives, which has become an anthem for the LGBTQ community and appears in the Unitarian Church hymnal. The chilling disappearance of people in Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship brought forth Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida to commemorate the women who had “been disappeared.” In 2019, Near began a website project called Because of a Song, an online historic archive that documents some of the influential artists that rose from the feminist lesbian music scene in Oakland, California. The site can be viewed at www.becauseofasong.com. A recipient of dozens of awards from organizations such as the ACLU and the National Organization of Women, Holly was one of Ms Magazine’s Women of the Year recipients and has been nominated for Grammys as well as the Legends of Women’s Music Award. https://hollynear.com/  

Edgewood United Church, 469 N Hagadorn Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United States

Reggie Harris, Peace Education Center's Alternative Holiday Sale

Singer-songwriter, storyteller and a world-renowned song-leader Reggie Harris is a passionate, engaging inspirational entertainer, recognized for bringing new energy to the role of music in the discourse for inclusion and the struggle for human rights. As a songwriter o......More

Singer-songwriter, storyteller and a world-renowned song-leader Reggie Harris is a passionate, engaging inspirational entertainer, recognized for bringing new energy to the role of music in the discourse for inclusion and the struggle for human rights. As a songwriter of great depth, Reggie writes and lives with a personal sense of mission that merges a world-wise point of view with a singularly positive stance affirming life, joy and the existence of hope. Using the lessons of history as a base, Reggie, an expert on the music of the Underground Railroad and the Modern Civil Rights Movement, is totally at home on stage or in the classroom leading concerts and seminars. A 2021 winner of both the Folk Alliance International Spirit of Folk Award and the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Award, Reggie displayed his extraordinary gifts as a charismatic community builder when featured on CNN’s “Silence is Not An Option” series with Don Lemon.” Interviewed alongside his white cousins in a discussion about their shared familial connection to confederate General Williams Carter Wickham. (Reggie’s Great, great, great grandmother bore 6 children in that unequal union) by acknowledging the need to redefine past narratives into forward focused actions. Reggie served for over 30 years as a teaching artist in the John F. Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts program (CETA) and as a fellow in the prestigious Council of Independent College lecture program for over 15 years. He is also Co-President and Director of Music Education for the Living Legacy Project, an advocacy org that sponsors Civil Rights pilgrimages and education seminars throughout the South and online. Reggie’s latest chart-topping releases, 2018’s Ready to Go and 2021’s “On Solid Ground” were both critically acclaimed and ranked in the top 5 on the Folk DJ playlists.Reggie’s 2024 memoir Searching for Solid Ground is introducing this groundbreaking artist to new audiences worldwide. Website: http://reggieharrismusic.com/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdUWomdUKTS__23I3i2AztwOn X: @Regmusicman and @KimReggieHarrisInstagram: reggieharrismuse42 Better Angels High Over the Hudson  

Edgewood United Church, 469 N Hagadorn Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823, United States

Contra and Square Dance

This dance is co-sponsored by the Fiddle and Looking Glass Music and Arts Association. All dances taught – no partner needed. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and be prepared to have a good time! Come early – at 6:30 – for a quick workshop on easy contra dance mov......More

This dance is co-sponsored by the Fiddle and Looking Glass Music and Arts Association. All dances taught – no partner needed. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and be prepared to have a good time! Come early – at 6:30 – for a quick workshop on easy contra dance moves. For more info, call 517-614-5858.

Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI, 48933, United States

Amythyst Kiah at UrbanBeat - Wednesday Show

“One of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” – Rolling Stone “She really is important in reminding people that there is a great tradition of African-American, old-time musicians. I love that she sings in this really rich low vocal range, just straight from the ches......More

“One of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” – Rolling Stone “She really is important in reminding people that there is a great tradition of African-American, old-time musicians. I love that she sings in this really rich low vocal range, just straight from the chest, resonant.” – NPR “Her razor-sharp guitar picking alone guarantees her a place among masters, but it’s her deep-hued voice that can change on a dime from brushed steel to melted toffee that commands attention.” – The New York Times New single “I Will Not Go Down” released August 25 featuring Billy Strings:Listen below or on your chosen platform here.  From Kiah, about “I Will Not Go Down”: “From Avatar: The Last Airbender to Lord of the Rings to Mass Effect, I’ve always loved a great hero’s journey,” says Kiah of the track. “The hero always rides into the unknown to seek answers and destroy a larger beast. These stories emphasize the importance of reflection, resilience, and restraint. Sometimes we have to ride into the unknown to seek these answers and see what we’re truly made of, without stopping to think that perhaps the beast that we are slaying, is in fact ourselves. I was incredibly stoked to have Billy Strings join in on this track and take us on his own journey, creating the most radiant guitar tapestry that could blind any foe that dares to cross him.” “I’m the only one to ease my soul/I’m the only one that’s in control,” Amythyst Kiah vows in “I Will Not Go Down.” It’s a fierce, foot-stomping song laced with backup vocals and bluegrass virtuosity — on multiple instruments — from Billy Strings. The song’s stark declarations arrive fully armored in musicianship. JON PARELES, New York Times On her new album Still + Bright, Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter Amythyst Kiah explores the vast expanse of her inner world: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural environment, the life lessons learned in her formative years as a self-described “anime-nerd mall goth,” and much more. Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, Kiah’s second full-length for Rounder Records merges her revelatory storytelling with a darkly cinematic twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough Wary + Strange,an LP that landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021 and drew acclaim from major outlets like Pitchfork. With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars and industrial-leaning beats to gilded pedal steel and Kiah’s exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright makes for a vital new addition to a body of work largely dedicated to exploring the struggle and joy of true self-discovery. The latest turn in a dynamic career that’s included joining Our Native Daughters (an all-women-of-color supergroup also featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell), Still + Bright emerged from a deliberate transformation of the songwriting process Kiah adopted after composing her first song on a Fender acoustic at age 13. To that end, the album marks her first time opening up her approach and working with co-writers, including punk legend Tim Armstrong, Sadler Vaden (a guitarist/vocalist for Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit), and former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan. Although her third LP is an undeniable departure from the anguished emotionality of its predecessor (an album informed by losing her mother to suicide at age 17), Kiah imparts each track with a hypnotic intensity born from boldly stating her convictions. Revealing her rare ability to spin her fascinations into songs uncovering essential truths about human nature, Still + Bright ultimately affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth. https://www.amythystkiah.com/

UrbanBeat, 1213 Turner Street, Lansing, MI, 48906, United States