Sonic Lunch is one of summer’s most delightful mainstays in Ann Arbor. Every Thursday in June through August, crowds gather in Liberty Square, where a pop-up stage has been set up. Starting at noon, musicians -- sometimes local, sometimes nationally known, but almost all with some tie to the area -- play a free concert for anyone who cares to listen. The scene is fun, festive, and eclectic. Employees of nearby businesses swing through in small groups, families bring their children to dance and run around, and older folks set up lawn chairs near the stage to enjoy the show. Each week, a local restaurant sells lunch in the park, so many people grab a bite while they listen to the music.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Sonic Lunch, a partnership between Bank of Ann Arbor and local radio station 107.1. Ann Arbor’s own blues musician Laith Al-Saadi will kick off the summer with his season-opening show on June 1. Although Al-Saadi had been playing music in the area for years, he skyrocketed to national fame in 2016 as a finalist on Season 10 of The Voice.

More highlights on this summer’s lineup include disco-funk duo Tuxedo, comprised of Ann Arbor-born Mayer Hawthorne and hip-hop producer Jake One, who will be playing on June 15, and Traverse City-based The Accidentals. Savannah Buist and Katie Larson met in high school and later attended Interlochen Center for the Arts together. They began touring as The Accidentals while still in high school and quickly developed a national fan base who loved their indie-folk-pop sound and the high energy of their shows. Both women play a wide variety of instruments including --
but not limited to -- guitar, violin, cello, piano, glockenspiel, accordion, mandolin, musical saw, and the kazoo. Recently, they’ve added Michael Dause to their group to play percussion.

Ann Arbor-born NOMO will play Sonic Lunch on July 27. Formed at the University of Michigan in the early 2000s, the funky, jazz-fusion band has been active on and off since 2003. Frontman Elliot Bergman played Sonic Lunch last summer, but with Wild Belle, a group comprised of him and his sister, Natalie, playing dreamy pop-rock.

August 10 brings statewide favorite May Erlewine to Sonic Lunch. With 15 albums and an EP under her belt since the early 2000s, Erlewine has been a Midwestern staple for almost two decades. Her personal, journalistic lyrics and openness with fans (Erlewine hosts a music festival at her farm each fall where the public is welcome) has made her beloved by many. Although she frequently graces Ann Arbor with her presence (she’s played shows at the Ann Arbor Distilling Company already this year and will be at LIVE on May 18), any performance of Erlewine’s is not one to be missed.

Here’s the full Sonic Lunch lineup for 2017:

June 1: Laith Al-Saadi

June 8: LP

June 15: Tuxedo

June 22: The Accidentals

June 29: Theo Katzman

July 6: Michigan Rattlers

July 13: Tim Reynolds Trio (TR3)

July 27: NOMO

August 3: TBA

August 10: May Erlewine & The Motivations

August 17: Jacob Sigman & The Stellars

August 24: Joshua Davis

August 31: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers

Elizabeth Pearce is a Library Technician at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Sonic Lunch takes place on Thursdays from 12 pm to 1 pm, June through August, in Liberty Square. All concerts are free and open to the public.