We turn our projector and pull back the curtains for another installment of this special variety show on the history of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

Featuring more stories from the neighborhood and our many fascinating neighbors.

THE CRAFT is a showcase that highlights the nuances that go into great songwriting in Hip Hop. More than just dope beats and rhyme schemes, the most impactful rap and r&b songs evoke emotions and feelings relatable to all people. Curated by Sureshot Productions, please join us for a night of storytelling and dancing with some of the best artists making music in the Twin Cities.

Covering the country classics from Johnny Cash to Hank Williams, Dave Dudley, Jimmy Rogers, Charlie Pride and more along with some of Pop’s original songs in that old-time honky tonk style. This is dance music, friends! Bring your dancing shoes!

Have you ever wanted to peek behind the scenes at the Cedar? Learn more about how to participate at our venue by attending our monthly Volunteer Orientation led by volunteer coordinator Jared Hemming!

GUITAR BAND celebrates the release of their debut album GUITAR BAND, out on legendary local label Bumpy, with a show at here at The Cedar featuring support from Erik Fratzke's Fake Accent and The Miami Dolphins.

First Avenue Presents JESSE WELLES' Fear Is The Mind Killer Tour.

The American Swedish Institute Presents the Midwinter Nordic Dance!

ASI’s Midwinter Folk Fest returns this March, offering a vibrant two-day celebration of Scandinavian folk music with performances, workshops, and demonstrations at the American Swedish Institute.
The Cedar hosts the Sunday evening Nordic Dance led by the internationally acclaimed Finnish folk ensemble, FRIGG.

Rumba Evolution is a captivating, informative journey of how a type of music unwillingly left Africa in slave ships, went to Cuba, and then to the rest of the world before returning home to Africa as Congolese rumba music became a global phenomenon. Rumba Evolution is an informative voyage to explore rumba’s origins, spread, transformation and influences, and how it became one of the most popular genres in the world. Please join us as we celebrate author George ' Jojo' Ndege as he discusses his book along with live music from Yusuf Shalita and Bandasson.

“bold and brilliant”- Irish Times 

“literate and allusive”- Boston Globe 

“moody, euphoric and transcendent”- LA Times

The Cedar welcomes Kris Delmhorst, an American songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, and producer. With more than 25 years as an independent artist, she has built a body of work characterized by a wide-ranging, genre-agnostic curiosity and constant collaboration. Kris is touring in support of her new release Ghosts in the Garden.

With poetic storytelling awash in a dream-like sonic palette, Jolie Holland invites audiences on an alluring journey that leaves an indelible mark on the heart and opens the mind. 

It's no surprise that Tom Waits is Jolie Holland's biggest fan. Says Time Out London: "Jolie Holland sings spooky American fairy tales in a strange and beautiful way," 

British music producer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Hampshire, England, Samuel Nwachukwu - who performs under the pseudonym: CalledOut Music, is a symbol of hope and excellence in the 21st century. Embodying years of work and excellence, CalledOut Music has become one of the most sought after names gaining international recognition rather quickly.

Paolo Angeli is an artist whose imaginative leaps defy gravity. Drawing on his deep knowledge of traditional Sardinian music, he inhabits a timeless zone as a soil-rooted master and brash experimentalist. While suffused with Mediterranean cadences, Angeli’s original pieces encompass flamenco, jazz, Baroque, post-rock and new music. He plays a guitar of his own invention, a fantastical 18-string hybrid combining elements of guitar, cello and drums.

It takes years for a Broadway musical to hit the stage, but on OFF BOOK: The Improvised Musical, a brand new original musical is featured every week on this podcast. Be a part of the live audience to witness the magic!

It takes years for a Broadway musical to hit the stage, but on OFF BOOK: The Improvised Musical, a brand new original musical is featured every week on this podcast. Be a part of the live audience to witness the magic!

Legendary producer (Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, REM, Fairport Convention, etc) and author of acclaimed memoir, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, JOE BOYD presents words and music from his remarkable new book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain.

From jazz to Mandingo music and tango, this combination of kora, cello, accordion, and saxophone is sure to charm all those lucky enough to witness this unique quartet.

The quartet, Sissoko, Segal, Parisien, Peirani présents "Les Égarés" (The Wandering), two virtuoso duos (Sissoko-Segal and Peirani-Parisien), who for years have excelled in the art of cross-fertilising sounds and transcending genres.

How to bring the blues of the past into the future? Carl 'Buffalo' Nichols is the answer. His live show and energy is amazing, bringing a wonderful message and culturally relevant experience to every performance.

The Cedar is honored to present this very special Saturday show with JAKE BLOUNT and special guest, Joe Rainey.
Collaborators on the Smithsonian Folkways release, symbiont, synthesizing instruments, songs, teachings, and oratory from different traditions with modern literary, political, and compositional sensibilities (and even a dash of “hard” science).

The masters of traditional Tuvan instruments as well as the ancient art of throat singing, ALASH are returning to The Cedar stage.
Believing that traditional music must constantly evolve, the musicians subtly infuse their songs with western elements, creating their own unique style that is fresh and new, yet true to their Tuvan musical heritage.

BASIA BULAT is a JUNO and Polaris Music Prize-nominated singer-songwriter based in Montreal. She offers both a distinctive voice and artistry that pulls as much from R&B and soul as it does from freak folk. Her talent has also been recognized at scale; her songs have been adapted for major performances with symphony orchestras, and she has been invited to perform at prestigious tributes to Leonard Cohen, Daniel Lanois, and The Band.

“Sophisticated, complex, organic sounds… Mathieu David Gagnon’s opus focuses on the range of sound colors and textures that analog Moog synthesizers can produce.” - La Presse

Flore Laurentienne is an open window to the technicolor soundscapes of Mathieu David Gagnon – the Canadian/Québécois composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist.

The result of a happy marriage between electronic and classically influenced music.

Circuit des Yeux, the moniker of singer and multi-instrumentalist Haley Fohr, with a new release "Halo on the Inside" (Matador), brings her blend of classical, goth and industrial music to The Cedar stage. 

“an artistic triumph”- The Washington Post

"Rare artist...strong poetry, complex melodies, clever wit." -SingOut!

Like a favorite Springtime perennial flower, Cheryl Wheeler has to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing you read nor hear from her albums prepares you for how entertaining a performer she is.

Longtime collaborator Kenny White opens and joins Cheryl for this rollicking sweet evening. 

Approaching music as a medium for peace and a way to amplify the voices of people around the world who need to be heard, FARAH SIRAJ will grace The Cedar stage with her original compositions and traditional middle eastern tunes set to a jazz context.

“Vivacious arabian flamenco jazz” - Rolling Stone

Good friends, collaborators and incredible songwriters join forces for this special, seated co-bill performance. Border blending troubadours unite!

We love ANA TIJOUX. We appreciate ANA TIJOUX: her voice, her heart, her outrage, her ART. The Cedar is incredibly honored to welcome Ana back to our stage - if you missed her incredible show in March 2024 - this is your opportunity - don't miss it!

Our Streets Presents a special live show of The War on Cars podcast with hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear. The War on Cars discusses the latest developments in the worldwide fight against car culture. This live episode recording will focus on issues specific to the Twin Cities, with special guests involved in the work. Don't miss the opportunity to hear the local angle on reducing car dependency and transforming our streets.

Noise Party has returned. The beloved local showcase of ambient, drone, noise, and experimental music celebrates its 10th offering, bringing strange yet soothing sounds to The Cedar.
Vol. 10 will feature askSERPENT, Boy Dirt Car, MAKR AN ERIS, Sawtooth Witch, Sophia Deutsch, and White Dune performing thirty-minute uninterrupted unique sets and help create a tapestry of unique sound that will only exist within Noise Party Vol. 10. 

All of this with a background of live experimental visuals to guide the way.

Welcome. It’s a word The Arcadian Wild hold dear, an invitation to be present, to let your guard down, to share in something deep and divine and communal.

“No matter who you are or where you come from, that word just makes you breathe a little easier. When you feel welcome somewhere, you can be yourself, you can be open to whatever the space and the moment have to offer. That’s how we want people to experience these songs.” - The Arcadian Wild

The Cedar is delighted to be partnering with Berlin in presenting KNEEBODY. An explosive GRAMMY-nominated quartet made up of forward-thinking artists, Kneebody channels rock-informed energy into their soul-jazz, bebop and electro-funk compositions. Formed by former Eastman School of Music and CalArts students who have worked with artists ranging from Prince, Snoop Dogg and Bruno Mars to Tigran Hamasyan, Donny McCaslin, Meshell Ndegeocello and De La Soul, the band has carved out a distinct group identity.

The Cedar is delighted to be partnering with Berlin in presenting KNEEBODY. An explosive GRAMMY-nominated quartet made up of forward-thinking artists, Kneebody channels rock-informed energy into their soul-jazz, bebop and electro-funk compositions. Formed by former Eastman School of Music and CalArts students who have worked with artists ranging from Prince, Snoop Dogg and Bruno Mars to Tigran Hamasyan, Donny McCaslin, Meshell Ndegeocello and De La Soul, the band has carved out a distinct group identity.

Kith + Kin Chorus, a 75-voice uncommon choir led by Rachel Ries, celebrates the close of their 8th season with a choral collaboration with local luminary LAAMAR, plus arrangements of Maggie Rogers, Joseph, Seal, Feist and more.

Proceeds from the show and silent auction support the work of Rock the Rez, a 5-day music camp where girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender, & LGBTQ+ youth write and perform their own music and create art of all kinds.

Kith + Kin Chorus, a 75-voice uncommon choir led by Rachel Ries, celebrates the close of their 8th season with a choral collaboration with local luminary LAAMAR, plus arrangements of Maggie Rogers, Joseph, Seal, Feist and more.

Proceeds from the show and silent auction support the work of Rock the Rez, a 5-day music camp where girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender, & LGBTQ+ youth write and perform their own music and create art of all kinds.

Richard Shindell is a New Yorker living in Argentina: a craftsman and a true wizard of song. He’s played for coins in the Paris subway, and he’s studied for the priesthood. His gift for profound storytelling songs drew him into the world of folk music. Richard Shindell champions the downtrodden, exalts the disaffected, skewers prejudice, war, and religious intolerance. Richard announced his retirement several years ago, but he’s back, and we’re glad to be part of his Spring tour!

Last seen here at The Cedar in 2010, Swedish world music icon Ale Möller returns to the US to perform with American roots music hero Bruce Molsky! The duo’s music is the joyful confluence of a wide swath of cultures through their unique lens on fiddle, banjo, guitar, flutes, and Ale’s own version of the mandola (which features six string courses, quarter tone frets and a sound unlike any other.) Their reunion really is a deep musical conversation between two old friends whose tunes and songs have so much to say, to bring people together and to shine light on the things we have in common.

“Valerie June has built a devoted following by ignoring expectations. She is simultaneously rural and cosmopolitan, historically minded and contemporary, idiosyncratic and fashionable, mystical and down-to-earth.” — New York Times

The Cedar Presents VALERIE JUNE at Hennepin Arts' Pantages Theatre - performing with her full band for the upcoming Owls, Omens, and Oracles Tour.

The Cedar Presents TALISK and GARDINER BROTHERS: UNLEASHED at Hennepin Arts' Pantages Theatre. UNLEASHED unites the award-winning folk trio Talisk with the electrifying Gardiner Brothers, whose Irish dance performances have garnered over 1 billion views on social media. This high-energy showcase blendsTalisk’s ground breaking melodies with the Gardiners’ viral choreography, celebrating tradition and innovation in an unforgettable fusion of music and dance.