Sonic Lunch, the popular weekly free summer concert series in downtown Ann Arbor, released its season schedule today, and it combines some bigger-than-usual names with some old favorites.

Among the attractions: Ann Arbor native with a national following Mayer Hawthorne and the County; Michigan rock legend Mitch Ryder; and rising Detroit band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. . Also expect the return of local favorites the Macpodz to draw a large crowd.

Sonic Lunch has become an integral part of summer in Ann Arbor since sponsor the Bank of Ann Arbor introduced it in 2008. The concerts take place from noon-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Liberty Plaza, at the corner of Liberty and Division streets in downtown Ann Arbor. Each week features a different food and beverage vendor, all popular Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti businesses. Ann Arbor radio station 107one serves as host.

The season starts June 7 with talented multigenre guitarist Laith Al-Saadi. Here is the full schedule for this year:

June 7: Laith Al-Saadi; food from eat; beverages from lab
June 14: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. ; food from Arbor Brewing Co; beverages from Ugly Mug Cafe
June 21: Mitch Ryder; food from Conor O’Neill's; beverages from RoosRoast
June 28: Jill Jack; food from The Lunch Room; beverages from Mighty Good Coffee
July 5: Frontier Ruckus with Chris Bathgate; food from Sidetrack Bar & Grill; beverages from Ugly Mug Cafe
July 12: Scars on 45; food from babo; beverages from lab
July 26: Mayer Hawthorne and the County; food TBD; beverages from Cafe Ambrosia
Aug. 2: Macpodz with Sophistafunk; food from Sava’s; beverages from Mighty Good Coffee
Aug. 9: Seth Bernard & May Erlewine; food from Ashley’s; beverages from Sweetwaters
Aug. 16: The Ragbirds; food from Sparrow Market; beverages from Cafe Ambrosia
Aug. 23: Black Jake & The Carnies; food from Pizza House; beverages from RoosRoast
Aug. 30: Theo Katzman; food from Frita Batidos; beverages from Sweetwaters

Fore more information, check out the Sonic Lunch website or Facebook page.

Bob Needham is director of entertainment content for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at bobneedham@annarbor.com or 734-623-2541, and follow him on Twitter @bobneedham.