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The Ben Daniels Band will be performing at 7 p.m. at North University Stage at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival on Thursday, June 18.
(Photo provided by the Ann Arbor Summer Festival)
Here's the complete schedule for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's Top of the Park for Thursday, June 18. Descriptions provided by A2SF. While most events are free, some require purchased tickets, donations are welcome. Events are subject to weather cancellations.
Due to construction on U-M's Ingalls Mall, Top of the Park is in a new location this year, on N. University Ave., between Thayer and Fletcher in Ann Arbor.
5 p.m., Acoustic Stage
With rich, textured vocals and deft piano compositions, Clawson, Michigan's Julie Haven
is a young indie pop artist who has been capturing the spotlight since she was a
teenager, first performing in coffee houses and eventually in clubs and festivals
throughout Michigan. Haven blends her influences of Tori Amos' intricate piano work, the
fire of Alanis Morissette and the soul of Alicia Keys to make a unique sound of her own.
In 2013, she put out her fifth release, a live album and is making her festival debut.
KidZone: UM Science Learning Center
5 p.m., KidZone Tent
Have you ever been curious about magnets or wondered how bubbles form? Come
explore science in action alongside undergraduate peer tutors from the Science
Learning Center (SLC) and SLC staff members.
Retreat: Ninja Training with Quest Martial Arts
5 p.m., Power Center Lawn
A series of mindbody sessions at Top of the Park, this alternative happy hour lets you
enjoy a relaxing late afternoon workout with classes in Yoga, Aikido, World Dance
Workout/West African Dance, Capoeira and Hula Hooping. Led by experienced practitioners, all sessions are free, and take place from 5 - 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Sunday on the Power Center Lawn. Ninja training in Ann Arbor? Yes, Ninjutsu, the ancient art of the ninja has roots that go back 900 years. It is a self defense system that has been battle tested for centuries. It is not just a collection of techniques from various martial arts, but truly a system for success. Enjoy this introductory class to the century old art form.
6 p.m., Acoustic Stage
Timothy Monger is best known for his work with Michigan rock group Great Lakes Myth
Society (GLMS), which he cofounded with his brother James. In 2009, Monger went solo, melding elegant, rural pop, complex fivestring picking and lyrical folk rock into his own signature sound. In 2014, Monger began recording his third solo EP and could be found playing throughout Metro Detroit and in his hometown of Saline.
7 p.m., North University Stage
When Chelsea, Michigan's Ben Daniels decided he was going to be a musician he went to school on Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson and Jack White, among others. He formed a band in the mid-aughts that has steadily grown a following and is known for putting on a lively set of original songs spanning Americana, blues, jazz and rock. In addition to headlining their own shows throughout the Midwest, they have opened for multiple notable acts in the past, including The Raconteurs, Rodriguez and Rusted Root.
8:30 p.m., North University Stage
Get ready for an outstanding night of refined blues influenced rock from renowned Boston singersongwriter Ryan Montbleau and his band. Montbleau has been converting audiences for fifteen years with his transcendent songcraft, powerful, uplifting voice and captivating yet easygoing delivery of sophisticated, lively songs. He's blazed a vast and winding trail with his band and as a solo act, playing north of 200 shows a year at places like The House of Blues and The Bowery Ballroom and becoming a favorite at festivals like Gathering of the Vibes. The past few years have found him writing songs and performing with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, fronting a new lineup for his band, and releasing his 2015 album, Growing Light.
10 p.m., North University Stage
In Tina Fey's teen satire, a likeable Lindsay Lohan leaves homeschooling for a new high school where she has to navigate a complex social map, including "Cool Asians, Burn-Outs, Jocks..." and many others. Banding together with two misfits, she infiltrates into the teen royalty clique, The Plastics (Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried), becoming one of them in order to take them down.
Jack Walsworth is an intern reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Contact him via email at jwalswor@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.