Detroit Unplugged-Mackinac Island Music Festival

Detroit Unplugged features Music Award winners Carolyn Striho (Carolyn Striho Group, Patti Smith Group), Chris McCall (Vinyl Underground/Jugglers & Thieves Audra Kubat (Torch with a Twist, Theater Bizzare, The Hounds Below, Night of the Living Dead-The musical) and Mary McGuire (Blood Sisters, Calamity Jane, Cosmic Dali and Ash Can Van Gogh) will perform acoustic sets at the Mackinac Art Gallery reception of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist and creator of the festival Art Print, Mark Arminski. Arminski is known worldwide and he will be on hand to meet and greet and will be autographing festival posters. All proceeds benefit the Music Festival.

Tickets are $35 per person, each person will receive and a limited edition Mackinac Island Music Festival Art Print signed and numbered by Mark Arminski. Tickets are available online and at the door, refreshments included.

Reception starts at 8pm, concert from 9pm-11pm

Mark Arminski

Of all the great modern concert poster artists, Mark Arminski is the master of color. Studying the wide range of his images, one can see that time after time after time he has chosen his color combinations very carefully, and invariably they work well together, produce effects which please the viewer’s eye. Also his excellent sense of linear design consistently has created simple, balanced images which will have lasting appeal for generations not merely as memorabilia for the acts listed on them but as brilliant examples of graphic art. The long term values of these Arminski posters also will be enhanced by the fact that , unlike the press runs for posters created for many of the big promoters, the press runs for these posters and handbills were relatively small, usually only a few hundred, creating a natural scarcity. They are not just fine decor for your dining room walls. They are a great investment which should mature in value in decades to come. Furthermore unlike the vast majority of modern concert posters which are printed by machine, these are silk screen prints which historically have proven to be much more desirable.?

Mary McGuire

Detroit singer/songwriter and Mackinac Island resident Mary McGuire’s music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. Moving from the Midwest to the East Coast and back, Mary found that each place had a different soundtrack that influenced her writing - from the rock influences of industrial Detroit to the gentle folk rock influences from the shores of Martha's Vineyard to the rhythm of the horses clipping along on the car-free streets on Mackinac Island.  Absorbing the distinct sound of the people and places where she has lived and letting it all influence her is what defines her characteristic songwriting style. Her compositions have been used in films, television shows, General Motors commercials and on the celebrated slack radio show Church of the Subgenius.

Carolyn Striho

Detroit musician Carolyn Striho’s vibrant, hypnotic mélange practically turns every room she plays into a rock-and-roll tribal sweat.  Before you know it, she’s belting out a new song, heavy acoustic guitar in hand, you’re stomping your feet and she’s suddenly on her back on the stage, playing her guitar as though possessed by the spirit of the music. To Detroit audiophiles, Carolyn’s best known for her work with punk priestess Patti Smith and for fronting the late ‘80s/‘90s super group Detroit Energy Asylum.

Chris McCall

Detroit’s Star Search winner and accomplished songwriter Chris McCall brings a unique experience to her songwriting and performances. Of her 2004 release, The Real You the Detroit News writes, “Chris McCall presents a set of songs brimming with confidence and effortless depth.” Chris says, song writing is something I need to do"…having always collaborated in the past, I knew it was time to be on my own.” This talented singer-songwriter utilizes her myriad of musical influences and experiences in the creation of her new album, Contact. From her earliest musical forays as a child in her church to group efforts with musical tastes ranging from rock, folk and world music - Chris McCall is poised and confident as a distinctive recording artist. Her writing is masterful and her voice soars without boundaries.

For rooms, click on www.mackinacisland.org ?

For the festival website, www.mackinacislandmusicfestival.org