Hot Venue for Cool Grass?

Venues: Bluegrass Night at the Circus Bar (Ann Arbor)

The Henhouse Prowlers tear it up at the Circus

I love this venue and have caught some killer acts there.  It meets all my "cool, funky bar" criteria: art on the walls, PBR on tab, live music, no cover and loud, active crowds into the music. Who couldn't love a bar with a stuffed lion jumping out of the wall under the Big Top tent over the bar!

Located upstairs above the Cavern Club / Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, information about upcoming shows is nearly impossible to locate unless you know how to navigate their quirky, information rich website (or...click the link in the title above!). 

While these weekly, Wednesday night shows clearly cater to college-aged fans of  the acoustic and "jam band" music scenes, you can still find plenty of Gen X, Baby Boomer and even "First Generation" bluegrass fans in attendance. The bad news?  The shows usually start at 10:00pm (or even later) on a "school night".  The good news?  The management of the club goes out of their way to bring you the very best local and regional (and even the occasional national) bluegrass acts.    Check out local band Dragon Wagon for "bluegrass with a shot of Irish whiskey".  The Henhouse Prowlers bring the "one mic" jam all the way from Chicago.  Local boys,  Lonesome County bring hard-driving traditional bluegrass that somehow gets the crowd dancing.  In addition, it's worth checking in monthly to see what new, quirky or awesome act is making their debut at the Circus. It is always worth going...even if Thursday mornings are kind of painful afterwards

John P. Bayerl