As a vanguard of the contemporary bluegrass and Americana music scene, Greensky Bluegrass has logged many firsts during the past 25 years.
But this weekend marks one that’s been long in coming.
The quintet — which played its first show on Halloween night 2000 in Kalamazoo — is one of the headliners of the Ark’s 49th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival, its first time on a bill it’s always been well suited for. “It’s something that has been on our radar,” acknowledges guitarist Dave Bruzza, who played a solo show at the Ark last spring. “We used to play the Ark back in the day, and it’s an organization we’ve always admired and supported.
“And we’ve always wanted to be part of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival; it just hasn’t worked out before. So it’s really exciting to have the opportunity and be able to do it now.”
And rather than being part of one of the festival’s usual multi-act lineups, the Friday, Jan. 30 show will feature just Greensky and opener Junior Brown, which Bruzza notes “will be fun to have a longer set and stretch out and be the focus for that evening.”
The festival’s second night, on Saturday, Jan. 31, will feature six acts — Amos Lee, Dawes, the Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitolgy and emcee Ryan Montbleau.
Greensky’s appearance comes on the heels of the group’s 25th anniversary celebration last fall, which included another Halloween show in Kalamazoo and an album, “XXV,” that featured new versions of older songs recorded with guests such as Billy Strings (who Greensky supported early in his career), Sam Bush, Nathaniel Rateliff and others. Looking ahead, Bruzza, 45 — who splits his time between Michigan and Toronto — says there’s more new music to come, but he and his bandmates have also enjoyed reflecting on the band’s success to this point.
“We’re always creating and always writing,” he notes. “I think at this point, I’m just still in awe of what it is … because it kind of started as a fun thing to do and something to learn, and throughout the years we’ve been rewarded with so many different things and experiences. I’m just very humbled … and very proud of us. It’s quite an impressive accolade to achieve.
“It’s something we all love and have poured everything into it. There was never anything I’ve wanted to do other than this in the past 25 years. It always has felt so right, and I feel very, very lucky to be surrounded by other guys that just want to create and want to have fun — and continue.”
The Ark’s 49th Ann Arbor Folk Festival takes place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, at Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor. Greensky Bluegrass and Junior Brown perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and Amos Lee, Dawes, the Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitolgy and emcee Ryan Montbleau play at 7 p.m. Saturday. 734-761-1800 or theark.org.
