Drownin' on Dry Land Benefit Concert

“If even one of the least of us is drownin’ on dry land—according to an old blues song—something’s wrong,” protests Mike Brooks, who aspires to be a life saver of sorts while doing what he does best: Playin’ and wailin’ the blues.

To benefit the homeless in this area, Mike will present a playing and wailing concert on Monday, March 2, 2009 at The Ark in downtown Ann Arbor. Featuring his own BLUESHOUSE/313, along with appearances from special guests, Mike is aching to fill the house up, and then bring it down with a “grit and guts” blues gig that speaks to this social issue like no other musical genre can. Mike still can’t get it out of his head the day he and his pal Shaun met a homeless guy on the street who said he “survived Vietnam, but thinks Ann Arbor is going to kill him.”

“We need to come alongside a terrific group of folks who go out among our homeless in Ann Arbor’s Liberty Plaza Park every Friday evening in rain, sleet, snow, cold, and colder. They bring hot food, coffee, bagged groceries, clothing, blankets, and a commodity that turns out to be very important—fellowship,” says Mike. These volunteers are out in the front lines and they depend upon contributions from Vineyard Church, from some good Samaritans, and from donations they often make out of their own pockets. I am counting on the proceeds from this fundraising concert to give our homeless outreach a little breathing space again, like we did from our last concert for the homeless in 2007.”

On the playbill: BLUESHOUSE/313 with Mike Brooks, guitar/vocals; Brother Bille Lewis, bass/vox; Billy Adams, drums, and guest appearances from Al Jacquez of Measured Chaos; Shiba Palmer, singer of songs soulful; Laurence Miller of My Biography, and Shaun Garth Walker, singer/songwriter. Check out the myspace sites for a sampling of the music.

Tickets for the 8:00 PM “Drownin’ on Dry Land” benefit concert are $20 each, general admission. For information on how to order tickets, check the Ann Arbor Vineyard website at www.annarborvineyard.org or you may purchase them directly at the Vineyard on Sunday mornings, 2275 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 734-477-9135. Tickets also are available at the Ark Box Office at 316 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Check their site for days and times of operation. They can be reached at 734-761-1451, www.theark.org, or www.myspace.com/annarborark.