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.

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.

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!

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.

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," 

“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.

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.

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.

Guy Davis is a two-time Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, Actor, Author, and Songwriter. Guy uses a blend of roots, blues, folk, rock, rap, spoken word, and global music to comment on and address the frustrations of social injustice, touching topics of politics, historical events, and common life struggles.

The duo of Joropo maestro Larry Bellorín (Monagas, Venezuela) and GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime star Joe Troop (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) returns. The fusion of their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas prove that music has no borders. Their engaging bilingual (esp / eng) program includes storytelling, humor, singalongs, and dancing.

"a magical being" - Forbes

The Cedar is honored to present Samora Pinderhughes, founder of The Healing Project, with his Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears Tour.

A composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist known for examining sociopolitical issues and fighting for change through his art.

The multi award winning Lena Jonsson Trio continues to break new grounds around the world with their unique mix of deeply rooted Swedish folk, jazz, American old-time and electro acoustic sounds.

The Qalanjo Project Presents: Echoes from the Horn: Somali Lives in Cinema - a special program of the Black Europe Film Festival of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The Qalanjo Project is an arts education focused, Somali community organization located in Minneapolis. This special Sunday program will feature films and discussions that highlight Somali filmmakers' contributions and explore the Somali diaspora's diverse narratives from The Cedar screen!

"Rag tashaday cir tararay wey toli karaan taako labadeede. / If people come together, they can even mend a crack in the sky." - Somali Proverb

The Cedar Cultural Center presents the fourteenth annual Cedar Commissions!

Each evening, three artists of the 2024-25 cohort will present their commissioned work on The Cedar stage:

Saturday, February 1 features John Jamison ll, May Klug, and YEEJ.

The Cedar Cultural Center presents the fourteenth annual Cedar Commissions!

Each evening, three artists of the 2024-25 cohort will present their commissioned work on The Cedar stage:

Friday, January 31 features A.P. Looze, Hibah Hassan, and Phillip Saint John.

Celebrated singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cook-Feltz hosts his 4th annual Holiday Shindig, a family-friendly event featuring seasonal classics, fun covers and songs from his 2020 album Merry BCF-ing Christmas! As a 30+ year survivor of sarcoma cancer, Ben is pleased to donate 100% of the event’s proceeds to Rein In Sarcoma, a nonprofit offering support and resources to those affected by sarcoma cancers.

We’re welcoming back ANTJE DUVEKOT with co-headliner (and making his Cedar debut), SETH GLIER for a night of pure musical art & magic with stories and songs that matter.

The Band of Heathens are an American rock 'n' roll band from Austin, Texas since 2005. Founding members Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist remain at the center of the band as primary songwriters and guitarists. Opening this special acoustic show are Midwestern father/son duo, Chris and Ari Silver. 

The Cedar is honored to host an extraordinary musical convergence as experimental folk virtuoso Paul Metzger joins forces with acclaimed tabla player Krissy Bergmark for a night of musical improvisation. 

One of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians, Habib Koité is a modern troubadour with extraordinary appeal due to his musicianship, wit, and wisdom. The trio also features legendary Kora player Lamine Cissokho and balafon virtuoso Aly Keita.

Returning to the Cedar this year for their 13th Season Finale, PRAIRIE FIRE CHOIR will showcase a fresh lineup of pop, rock, and indie tunes—all uniquely arranged by members of the choir!

This year's program features special guest, Meghan Kreidler of Kiss The Tiger, with proceeds going to fund the incredible Minnesota based organization, Our Justice.

“One of the true gems of modern-day folk music.” - BROOKLYN VEGAN

Mariee Siou has been a fixture in the Neo-folk scene since her 2007 debut "Faces in the Rocks"—now acclaimed as a cult classic in the indie music world. She is known as a healing singer and as being a visionary artist, channeling and transmitting medicinal qualities through her music.

Rami Gabriel & Karim Nagi (aka: The Arab Blues) create an electro urban amalgam of Arab tradition and Chicago Blues. They employ historical and contemporary instruments to reinterpret forms, melodies and rhythms. The result is an original expression of immigrant artistry with passionate musicality and revolutionary attitude.

The Cedar is honored to co-present with our community partner, Drone Not Drones, the debut of Italian musician, producer, composer and instrument builder Alessandro Cortini.

A longstanding member of Nine Inch Nails, Cortini has been releasing a steady stream of his own heady music - perfect for a Dronetober evening in our deep listening, special space.

In 1971, a young schoolteacher named Linda Hill was visiting her parents in South Carolina, when she met a musician named Robin Williams. She was a singer and played guitar. He was a regular on the coffeehouse circuit. The two hit it off immediately. Two years later, they were married and touring the country in a VW Bug.

They’ve been on the road ever since.

“…Among contemporary country performers, Robin and Linda Williams shine like a diamond amid rhinestones …” - The Boston Globe

Helping us celebrate our 35th Anniversary and part of our Nordic Roots Series, beloved Swedish duo, VÄSEN return! A very 'fiddle forward' night with support from The Nordic Fiddler's Bloc making their debut on The Cedar stage. Stringed instruments galore!

One of our favorite bands from Scotland returns to The Cedar's 35th Anniversary stage! Traditional Celtic music at its best!

"An especially eloquent mixture of the old and the new." - New York Times

"Formed from a Paisley pub session in 1968, seminal trailblazers the Tannahill Weavers now also rank as national treasures." - Glasgow Celtic Connections