The Cedar Presents
THE CEDAR CELEBRATION! Hosted by DESSA
Saturday, October 26, 2024 / Event Start: 4:00 PM / Event End: 8:00 PM
All Ages
$35 entry to The Cedar Celebration!
This is a standing event with an open floor. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access Page.
For our Cedar Celebration, online ticket sales will be available until 3:00pm, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.
Donate To the Cedar 35th Anniversary
Plus, thanks to the generosity of three incredible Cedar supporters, all donations of $100 or more will be matched, doubling your impact up to $7,500! Don’t miss this chance to amplify your support!
Check out our Silent Auction, available to everyone.
You’ll find nearly 100 unique items, including one-time offerings like a private party in The Cedar’s historic greenroom or getting a personal message on our iconic Cedar Avenue marquee.
LISTEN
ABOUT THIS SHOW
THE CEDAR CELEBRATION.
A 35th Birthday Party. A fundraiser. A FUN RAISER! A reflection on our past years and a wish for many more.
Please join us for this four-hour-long party which will feature a variety of performances, a raffle, an auction, and a look back into our very curious legendary archive.
The Celebration is hosted by the queen bee of lyrical ingenuity herself, DESSA!
Our goal is to raise $35,000+ to keep The Cedar's lights on and centered toward our mission of promoting and presenting the world's music. Here.
And - if you can't make the party, please consider making a direct contribution towards our FUNdraiser Birthday Goal.
DESSA
Dessa fell in love with language as a toddler---and she just never got over it. Coming up in Minneapolis, she collected favorite words to decorate the walls of her brain; as a teenager, she thrilled in metaphor; and when she started writing songs and touring, she'd always lean in to pick up on the regional slang. Now, Dessa works in most fields that traffic in words: she's recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to the New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that's notched more than 4 million views; hosted two seasons of the Deeply Human radio program (BBC/American Public Media/iHeartMedia); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices, published by Dutton (Penguin Random House). She lives in Minneapolis and Manhattan, still tours in a rented van, and is probably eavesdropping on the neighboring table, listening for a word to add to the collection.
In 2010/2011, Dessa was one of our illustrious Cedar Commissions cohort. It's so very fitting that she uses her eloquent voice and powerful words to celebrate our past, present and future at our 35th birthday party.
To learn more about Dessa:
JACK KLATT
A Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter steeped in American roots traditions, Jack Klatt emerged in the middle part of the 2010s with a style that traversed fingerstyle blues guitar, folk, country, and early rock n' roll music. An admirer of “Spider” John Koerner, Klatt's penchant for presenting modern original material in a vintage-inspired package followed a similar trajectory to his and by his latest EP, 2022's Edge of the End, he'd adopted a richer, full-band sound.
To learn more about Jack Klatt:
PIETA BROWN
Hailed as a "self-styled poetess, folk goddess and country waif" by the BBC, Brown first came to international prominence with the release of her self-titled debut in 2002. Over the course of the ensuing decade-and-a-half, she’s gone on to tour the US and Europe extensively and release another seven critically lauded records, prompting NPR to applaud her "moody, ethereal" songwriting, and the New York Times to praise her “sweet, smoky voice.” Perhaps even more importantly for an artist as fiercely independent as Brown, her work continues to garner praise and support from a wide array of peers and mentors, including legendary producer Don Was, filmmaker Wim Wenders, and Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon, who called Brown’s 2014 album Paradise Outlaw his “favorite recording made at our studio.” In addition to the mountain of acclaim, Brown’s music has also earned her co-writes with the likes of Iris Dement, Amos Lee, and Calexico; tour dates with an astonishing array of artists, including John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, JJ Cale, Neko Case, Richard Thompson, Ani DiFranco, Mavis Staples, and Iris Dement. Music has always been in Brown’s blood (her father is the beloved Midwestern folksinger Greg Brown) and we are honored for Pieta (and bassist, Liz Draper!) to join us in celebrating our deep listening space, where her art has graced our stage and ears over the years.
“Pieta Brown is a major talent. Her artistry combines folk, country, and dusky swamp in a graceful, supple, and elegant genre of their own.”— American Songwriter
To learn more about Pieta Brown:
BRASS MESSENGERS
A Minneapolis / St. Paul sprawling fun factory of TEN musicians.
Music of choice is anything that fits into the twisted brass tubing, from inspired originals, to "sing-a-longs" and “covers” from around the globe. Truly, a joyful noise.
The Brass Messengers are a Minneapolis street band playing mostly original music inspired by global sources. The BMs formed from the annual rubble of the Heart of the Beast Mayday Parade and Ceremony in Minneapolis. The musical origins were found in the music of Africa, Caribbean and Balkans, but now the BMs play whatever works, throwing in a country song to the crying drinkers, a high speed polka or two for the midwest dancers, running in circles with the little ones, activating gatherings of our activist kin or a bit of Black Sabbath for the metal crowd. But mostly, it is an original music that rises from the heart of the band that can only be described as a homegrown Minneapolis street music sound.
To learn more about The Brass Messengers:
GLEN HELGESON + GARY SHULTE: Hot Club Duo
Glen and Gary perform a timeless jazz tradition commonly known as Gypsy Jazz, a blend of traditional Roma music and American swing jazz. Originating in Paris in the early 1930s, the ‘Hot Club’ jazz tradition brings back happy memories of the swing jazz era with a European twist. Their music offers improvisational prowess, exceptional stylistic dimension and fresh original compositions. – a duo not to be missed.
Glen Helgeson M.Ed, - guitarist and bandleader for Gypsy Mania Hot Club Quartet and Axis Mundi World-Jazz Quintet. Glen has been composing and performing for nearly three decades. He has established himself jointly in both world music and in the field of music therapy. Glen has recorded eight CDs His professional recognitions include: A Minnesota Music Award for “Best Instrumental, Experimental, Environmental” album; A Minneapolis Walker Art Center commissioned grant for the Sculpture Garden; and the Jazz Composer Grant from the West Bank School of Music. Glen achieved a Masters degree in Music (1999); a certification in Neurologic Music Therapy (2003), and had practiced music therapy for twenty two years.
Violinist Gary Schulte is a master improvisor and performance composer to whom Stephane Grappelli gave his most sincere blessing. A veteran of A Prairie Home Companion, he has done everything from classical improvisation with harpsichord master Layton James to the avant garde with David Byrne, and extensive collaborative work with groups such as Ancestor energy poetry-jazz, Ballet of the Dolls, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and Zorongo Flamenco. Sought after as a jazz violinist, he has gigged with some of the greatest artists of the Gypsy Jazz genre, including guitarist legend Dorado Schmitt.
To learn more about GLEN HELGESON + GARY SHULTE: Hot Club Duo:
FANAKA NATION
“Culture rap” is how Fanaka Nation describes his sound, a fusion of American rap with African and other world sounds.
Influenced by his African-Asian heritage, and the likes of Prince and the early 80s sounds of his Minneapolis hometown, Fanaka Nation at some point realized that his music was not single-genre conforming.
On stage, expect an engaging interactive performance and explosive martial arts-influenced dance moves punctuated with his signature back flip.
Fanaka Nation has headlined/hosted the Minneapolis Afrobeats event at the Cedar since 2022 and performed with top African stars such as Sean Kuti, Awilo Longomba, Diamond Platnumz, Harmonize, Eddy Kenzo and Samba Mapangala.
He has been described as the best cultural rapper, and one of the top three rappers in Minnesota by Dj Mad Mardigan, official deejay of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team.
In August of 2024, Divine Mama, Fanaka Nation’s latest single with Medium Zack was highlighted as one of the music releases to check out by Carbon Sound on 89.3 The Current.
Fanaka Nation has two albums and several singles under his belt and is currently working on his third album.
To learn more about FANAKA NATION: