The Ark (Burnside, Cedric; Calexico; Cold Tone Harvest; Elliott Brood; Iron & Wine; Lavette, Bettye; The Lone Bellow; Mandolin Orange; Michaelson, Ingrid; Moreland, John; Porter, Willy; The Rainbow Girls; Rateliff, Nathaniel)

Original Concert Poster: 43rd Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival (January 31- February 1, 2020)

Ann Arbor, MI: Q Ltd., 2020. First Edition. Single Sheet. Signed by most festival performers. This poster (appx. 18” x 24”) memorializes the 43rd annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival which took place during January 31 and February 1, 2020 at the Hill Auditorium. The roster includes solo performers and groups with a traditional folk sounds, some blended with modern rock, pop, R&B, blues, among other genres. Calexico + Iron & Wine is a collaboration between the Tucson, AZ, duo of Joey Burns (b. 1968) and John Convertino (b. 1973) and the well-known multi-instrumentalist Sam Beam (b. 1974), better known by his stage name, Iron & Wine. They collaborated on the 2005 EP In the Reins, written by Beam and enhanced by the southwesterners’ fusion of rock, latin folk, and jazz arrangements. Calexico introduced brass instruments to Beam’s usual sound, which was a first for Iron & Wine. Joey Burns signed next to the printed “Calexico”; the loopy scribble above “Calexico” would be John Convertino’s signature, though quite illegible. It matches other examples. Beam’s signature is unfortunately not present. Nathaniel Rateliff (b. 1978) is a popular folk Americana/R&B musician who has performed with various backing bands including the Night Sweats and the Wheel. This was a solo appearance by Rateliff, and he signed “Nate Rateliff” over his printed name with a flourish. Ingrid Michaelson (b. 1979) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her 2006 single "The Way I Am" and her 2014 single "Girls Chase Boys.” She has released 8 independent albums, and her musical adaptation of The Notebook was nominated for a Grammy Award. Michaelson signed her recognizable initials in the bottom left corner with the swooping “I” looping over a high-pointed “M”; a similar albeit sloppier signature is present in the upper right corner which cannot be matched with any other performers, and the theory is her first attempt may have been on a less-than-stable surface before attempting a cleaner example. Mandolin Orange is a married folk duo from North Carolina. Andrew Marlin (b. 1988) & Emily Frantz (b. 1988) formed the band in 2009, and they are now renamed Watchhouse. Both Frantz and Marlin signed, Frantz to the left of the printed “Mandolin Orange” and Marlin over the first few letters. The Lone Bellow is the brain-child of Zach Williams (b. 1985) who coped with his wife’s horseback-riding accident by writing, learned to play guitar, and created songs from those journals. He then recruited Brian Elmquist and Kanene Donehey Pipkin. Williams signed in the orange area near the top edge of poster with a large cursive “Z” and a swooping “W”; Pipkin’s swooping initials to the left of the printed “The Lone Bellow” matches other found examples; Elmquist’s presumed signature is his reversed initials “E / B” stacked (almost like a monogram) near the right edge. These initials cannot be tied to any other performer. Bettye Lavette (b. 1946) is a Michigan-born soul singer with an eclectic musical style that combines elements of soul, blues, rock, funk, gospel, and country music. Lavette signed vertically in the orange area near the top of the poster with “Soulfully” above her full name. Cedric Burnside (b. 1978) is an electric blues guitarist and drummer. He is the son of blues drummer Calvin Jackson (1919-1985) and Linda Burnside, the daughter of blues musician R.L. Burnside (1926-2005). Burnside signed in the orange area above the printed dates of the festival. John Moreland (b. 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, OK. Moreland initialed over his printed name. The Rainbow Girls are a Bay Area folk-rock girl group that formed in 2010 and began making independent music grown from busking and crowdfunding. The group is made up of Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey, Vanessa Wilbourn. Chapin signed in the orange area above the printed “SAT” in the dates of the festival; Gowdey signed above the printed “Presented by” text with “Gowdey” though the “G” is staggered and disconnected, perhaps signed on a less-than-stable surface; Wilbourn’s signature is just to the right of Gowdey’s with a large “V” and a swoop intersecting it to form a “W”. Molly Tuttle (b. 1993) virtuosic musician known for her unique prowess at flat picking and crosspicking on the guitar; she was the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year award. Tuttle signed in the orange area between Lavette and Burnside. Elliott Brood is a three-piece alternative country group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made up of Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet, & Stephen Pitkin. Sasso signed in the pink area near the left edge below the printed “The Ark” logo; Laforet signed with his recognizable large “C” formed by a swooping “L”; Stephen Pitkin signed below Sasso with an abbreviated “Steve” but his recognizable link of the last letter back to cross the “t” is present. Cold Tone Harvest is a Plymouth, MI, group made up of Tony Pace, Brian Williams (drummer, banjo), Andrew Sigworth, Ozzie Andrews, all four of whom signed over or near their printed band name. Willy Porter (b. 1964) is a contemporary rock singer-songwriter from Mequon, WI, a local legend in the music scene there. He served as emcee for the festival, and his signature is to the left of his printed name. Hill Auditorium (1913) is the largest performance venue on the University of Michigan campus, legendarily designed by architect Albert Kahn to be acoustically perfect for every audience member. The Ark is Michigan’s nonprofit home for folk and roots music, and it is considered one of the top music clubs in the world. It has been in existence in various locations since 1965. The 48th annual Ann Arbor folk festival occurred just a few weeks ago as of this writing. (See also our item #7216, #6489, #7240, #7165, #7141, #6513, #7415) Single sheet: presumed first edition, first-&-only printing, as is typical for event posters such as these. In fine condition with only mild bumping to the fine edges and corners and very mild creasing to the bottom corners. Fine. [Item #7391]

Price: $350.00