Big band

For over a decade now, The Cat Empire have carved themselves out a unique place in the musical firmament as a band that’s able to step onto any stage in the world and make the crowd move. More than move, in fact. The Cat Empire knows how to make the crowd lose themselves in a frenzy with their clever and danceable sounds. Known as party rockers, The Cat Empire is a six-piece alternative band from Australia. Their sound is a fusion of ska, jazz, funk, and rock, mixed with heavy Latin influences. The Cat Empire is celebrating over 12 years, 800+ shows, over 100 songs, 5 albums and a massive international following as a result of hard work and great musicianship. 

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...a horn-driven big band with vocalists who can scream or croon, as its music slyly adds even more layers of rhythm — many drawn from voodoo — to the Afrobeat and Latin-influenced funk of its neighbors, brilliantly raising the contrapuntal ante. (Top 10 Pop Albums of 2011, Jon Pareles, New York Times)

This is music for the people, people who want to dance to this raw mix of horns, guitar, organ on a driving bedrock of bass and drums. It’s amazing where all this brilliant music keeps coming from but you end up wondering how you’ve not come across it before (Graham Radley, worldmusic.co.uk)

The legendary voodoo funk band Orchestre Poly-Rythmo fires up the Cedar with their unique blast of psychedelic guitar riffs, unreal organ harmonies, funk and soul.

The Cedar is now air-conditioned for your year-round comfort!

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Join the party as The Brass Messengers release Metal Harvest at The Cedar! Initially a “cover” band trying their hand at the sounds of the Balkans, New Orleans, Latin America and Africa, The Brass Messengers sound is now all their own.  This new sound of Minneapolis fits into no other category than a New Minnesota Sound.  Or as writer Tom Surowicz put it, “A Sprawling Fun Factory”.  This CD release carnival turns the entire Cedar into a stage with theatrics, musical guests, comics and dance.

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“As a performer, Seun is far more of a chip off the old block than Femi, and with a gruffer and more streetwise sounding vocal delivery. And with his dad’s old band Egypt 80 behind him, he’s a force to be reckoned with.” —BBC

Debo Band are the new torchbearers of classic Ethiopian dance music, combining traditional East African polyrhythms and pentatonic scales, classic American soul and funk music, and the instrumentation of Eastern European brass bands.

The Cedar is now fully air-conditioned for your year-round comfort!

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This summer, Portland indie rock orchestra Typhoon is playing Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, Newport Folk Festival -- and this show on the Cedar's patio!

FREE!

Fresh from Cuba, dance the night away with the spectacular music of flute virtuoso Maraca and his powerhouse Cuban band!

Ticket options and info

• On sale date: now
• Phone: 612-338-2674 ext 2 ($1 fee per ticket)
• In person: From a Cedar volunteer in the front lobby before and after shows (no fee), Depth of Field (no fee), or Electric Fetus (small fee)
• Online: Ticketweb (fees apply) (click on red Buy Tickets button at top of this page)
• All Cedar shows are all ages.
• Students with ID may gain discounted admission for tickets at the door.

Grupo Fantasma, the funkiest, finest and hardest working Latin orchestra to come out of the United States in the last decade continue their relentless assault of the road.