As members of Blockhouse Valley, Ashleigh Glass-Cooper and Cody Cooper hold a deep appreciation for Americana music.

The married partners not only write, record, and perform in that genre for their Metro Detroit quartet, but now they’re hosting a new festival to celebrate their love of it.

Known as the River Raisin Americana Celebration, the inaugural event will showcase six acts that demonstrate the breadth and depth of Americana music on April 26 at Monroe’s River Raisin Centre for the Arts.

“As Americana music draws from and mixes a broad array of other genres, one of the key concepts for the River Raisin Americana Celebration is to bring a variety of musicians with diverse approaches, instrumentations, styles, and stories,” said Glass-Cooper, who’s also the festival’s executive director.

“To accomplish our vision, we invited all bands and artists to apply to perform in our inaugural concert. We were thrilled to receive over 100 submissions! We reviewed each submission and curated a show that we believe will have something for everyone.”

What resulted is a solid lineup of Americana musicians from Michigan and Kentucky, including headliner The Gasoline Gypsies, Luke Trimble, Silver Creek Revival, Daniel Neihoff, Mike Ward, and Blockhouse Valley.

“Americana is a genre that can feel grounded while also being surprising, delightful, and moving,” Glass-Cooper said. “I fully anticipate that our audience members will each discover something new to love, even if they are primarily attending as fans of one of the six acts.”

I recently spoke with Glass-Cooper about the festival and the inspiration behind it.

Q: How is the planning for the River Raisin Americana Celebration going so far?

A: Planning for the River Raisin Americana Celebration has been going great, and we are excited to be within [two weeks] of sharing it with everyone! The River Raisin Centre for the Arts is a wonderful organization, and the leadership team has been a wonderful partner for this event.

Q: What work still needs to be completed before the event later this month? Who’s working with you behind the scenes to help bring things together?

A: We are finishing up the playbill, confirming that everyone is on the same page with the details of the show run, and adding the finishing touches to make sure that we provide the best audience experience.

Scott Boberg, Amber Wisniewski, and Stacey Bellino have been making sure that everything is handled at the theater. We’ve already had several wonderful community members volunteer to help during the event, including Kiwanians, Rotarians, and Americana fans.

Q: How did you develop the idea for the River Raisin Americana Celebration? Why did you select the River Raisin Centre for the Arts as the venue for the event?

A: As musicians, theatre fans, and involved Monroe community members, the idea for the River Raisin Americana Celebration came to us organically. We have been fortunate enough to play and attend festivals, so when we were inspired to host an Americana-focused, multi-act concert, it occurred to us that if we treated the transitions like scene changes in theatre, we could keep the momentum going and improve the audience experience.

From there, we immediately thought of the River Raisin Centre for the Arts as the perfect venue! The centre is the only brick-and-mortar, 501(c)(3) music and arts organization in Monroe County. It’s a highlight of beautiful downtown Monroe, with a rich history and beautiful Southwest art deco interior. We have enjoyed seeing amazing performances there for years, and we hope to use our vision to help support it.

Q: What will each of the acts help bring to the show? How do they represent some of the best talent around in the Americana genre?

A: The Gasoline Gypsies are the headliners for our event, and we have been following their incredible musical evolution for several years. We were instantly impressed with their music, their energy, and their authenticity. They have a devoted following in their Vagabundos [fan portal] that has helped expand their reach and share their mesmerizing blend of folk, rock, and country beyond their home in Port Huron, Michigan.

From the Traverse City area, Silver Creek Revival is a newer collaboration of six amazing musicians who have crafted their alt-country, indie-folk sound with great care. Featuring dreamy, four-part harmonies and touting several multi-instrumentalists, they weave technical skill into organic and moving melodies with variety and heart.

There are three singer-songwriters featured in the concert. Mike Ward is a Detroit songwriter who infuses his signature humor into touching and thoughtful chronicles. Mike will be adding a couple of friends and performing as a trio for the River Raisin Americana Celebration.

Daniel Neihoff is an award-winning songwriter and performer who inherited and honed strong musical roots through a vibrant musical family in Paducah, Kentucky. Daniel’s heritage is showcased in songs from his album, Appalachian Cry, which tackles deep, sincere, palpable emotions inspired by history and its impact.

Luke Trimble is the other Kentucky native joining the River Raisin Americana Celebration. Luke’s recently released album, Headed Out the Holler, tackles the peaks and valleys of life in the Appalachian Mountains. His trademark twang and emotive lyricism transports listeners to his neck of the woods and makes them excited to have taken that journey.

We always mention ourselves last in the lineup, but Blockhouse Valley is excited to share our latest creations with our home community! Our quartet will kick off the concert with songs from our upcoming albums, welcoming our audience to a spectacular show and allowing us the opportunity to properly thank our supporters.

Q: What can people expect from the show? What do you hope they will take away from it?

A: One of the things we hope people will enjoy about this concert is the quick changes between performers. Most of our acts will have about 30 minutes for their sets, with The Gasoline Gypsies having a longer closing set. We really want the momentum from each performance to carry over to the next. These quick changes will be made possible by an amazing production team, as well as the high level of professionalism from our [acts].

At the end of the evening, we want our audience to feel fulfilled from an engaging evening of music and excited to tell their friends to attend the River Raisin Americana Celebration 2026 and other events at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts!

Q: What plans do you have for Blockhouse Valley’s set?

A: The past couple of years have been great for Blockhouse Valley in writing a lot of original music. We’ll be playing a set of originals, some from our EP release, and some from our upcoming It’s Alright and Sketches releases, both slated to be available later this year. We’ll have the quartet on stage with Ashleigh Glass-Cooper on vocals, Cody Cooper on mandolin, Jon Howard on acoustic guitar, and Danny Steinkopf on upright bass.

Q: What does the future look like for the River Raisin Americana Celebration?

A: For our inaugural event, we’ve pulled out all the stops we could find to curate and conduct an unforgettable experience! We’re hopeful this year’s concert will resonate with the Southeast Michigan community and beyond. We would love to become an annual event that people near and far look forward to every year! We’re dedicated to advancing and celebrating the genre of Americana music in our region and look forward to evolving and growing as we go.

Q: What’s up next for Blockhouse Valley and the other artists featured on the lineup?

A: We’ve spent the past eight months in and out of our go-to studio, Stone Soup Recording Studios in Maumee, Ohio. We’ve put together a collection of work that we plan to release across two albums. The first of those releases will be our album, It’s Alright. This album is a collection of songs that are inspired by themes like breakups, toxic work environments, and self-destructive people. It is led by the tongue-in-cheek track, “It’s Alright,” which plays on the often dishonest answers we all give to the question, “How’s everything going?” We are in the final stages of production and anticipate sharing a release date soon!

We have it on good authority that we will not be the only artists releasing new music at the River Raisin Americana Celebration. The Gasoline Gypsies has released their [latest] album, Gravel Roads, and Luke Trimble recently released Headed Out the Holler. Additionally, Mike Ward just released a new single, “The Heart Must Pay the Price,” a collaboration with Terry Birkett. We hope, that in addition to the event, the River Raisin Americana Celebration will inspire our community to discover new artists, support them, and share their love of Americana with others. A listen, a like, a follow, and a share can mean a lot to us!

The River Raisin Americana Celebration is Saturday, April 26 at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan. Performers include The Gasoline Gypsies, Luke Trimble, Silver Creek Revival, Daniel Neihoff, and Mike Ward. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, visit the River Raisin Americana Celebration’s website.