Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Greensky Bluegrass mark milestones with 2026 event

When West Michigan’s Greensky Bluegrass plays the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on Jan. 30, it will mark several milestones for both the band and the festival. 

Not only is it the first time that Greensky Bluegrass has ever played the festival or Ann Arbor’s historic Hill Auditorium, but the beloved Kalamazoo bluegrass band also has never shared a stage with legendary, double-necked ‘guit-steel’ guitarist Junior Brown.

It’s also the first time in its 49-year history that the two-day Ann Arbor Folk Festival will feature just a headliner and a warm-up act for the event’s opening Friday salvo — an evening that usually features several different performers.

Saturday night offers a more traditional format with festival sets by rootsy artists Amos Lee, Dawes, The Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitology and emcee Ryan Montbleau. Tickets for both nights available at theark.org/folk-festival-2026.

After playing two straight nights at Interlochen Center for the Arts in August, Greensky Bluegrass celebrated its 25th anniversary on Halloween weekend with a jam-packed, two-night stand at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center and release of the album, “XXV.” 

But the upcoming Ann Arbor show stands out as a special event, too.

“We have frequently discussed retiring to Ann Arbor,” quipped Greensky mandolinist Paul Hoffman. “It’s been a lot of years, so I’d say I’m very excited.”

It’s also a rare, “one-off” concert for the progressive bluegrass band that’s not currently touring after setting aside time “to work on a new record,” Hoffman added. “It’s going to be a rare opportunity to see us for a while, so I suspect we will have some jamming to get out of our system.”

Hoffman said band members also look forward to sharing the bill with Junior Brown, considered an “American original” for his singing and guitar-playing, which straddles honky-tonk, country, Western swing, blues, surf and rockabilly.

“Pretty cool. What a legend,” Hoffman remarked, adding that he’s unsure whether Brown will join Greensky during its set, though “we do typically enjoy that kinda thing.” 

The weekend also serves as a milestone for Grand Rapids folk-rock favorites The Crane Wives, who performed a 15-minute opening set as an up-and-coming act at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in 2014. 

“Playing a full set at the festival … feels like a really special way to zoom out and feel proud of how far we’ve come on this journey,” said Dan Rickabus, drummer for The Crane Wives, which has since become a national touring act that sells out most of its shows.

The Ark marketing Director Barb Chaffer Authier said the format change for the 2026 festival was “based on audience feedback,” with organizers still focusing on artists who represent “the leading edge of acoustic music while delving into the very heart of folk and roots traditions.” 

The festival is the annual fundraiser for The Ark, an iconic music venue located in downtown Ann Arbor.

— Find more Michigan music news and concert listings at LocalSpins.com. Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.