2 Foot Yard2 Foot Yard-(n.)1. a very small urban garden in which things grow organically, both feeding off of and defying their greater context. 2. a short-changed measurement

2 Foot Yard shatters the boundaries between art song and pop song by merging the visceral power of rock with the intimacy and warmth of chamber music. Violin, cello, voice, and drums combine to create a cacophony of harmonic (im)balance culled from an astonishing array of musical influences, from acoustic punk to the twang of old country love ballads. This trio features Tzadik recording artist Carla Kihlstedt (Tin Hat, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, The Book of Knots) on violin and vocals, Marika Hughes (Charming Hostess, Vienna Teng) on cello and vocals, and Shahzad Ismaily (Marc Ribot, Secret Chiefs 3, Laurie Anderson) on percussion and guitar, and guarantees an off-kilter ride through the worlds of drama and melody. Combining the harmonic breadth of contemporary classical music and the spontaneity of improvisation, their diverse musical backgrounds come together in one cohesive and unique voice as 2 Foot Yard performs genre-breaking instrumentals and vocal miniatures.

Yoshida Brothers

Cross-cultural pioneers and young Tsugaru-shamisen
virtuosos Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida-The Yoshida Brothers - have
re-interpreted a traditional music style for the new generation.
Superstars in their native Japan, the brothers are masters of the
traditional Japanese Tsugaru-shamisen,
an ancient three-stringed banjo/lute-like instrument that is plucked
with a triangular pick resulting in a percussive twang. Their energetic
and muscular interpretation of the shamisen has revealed the wide expressive potential of the instrument and attracted an international audience.

EverestCatch Everest as they scale new heights in the musical world, and in the build-up to opening for Neil Young later in June and again in July! Everest is a group of Los Angeles music community alumni and friends who decided to create music together. The result is the album Ghost Notes, released by Neil Young's label Vapor Records on May 6 of 2008. Everest was formed by Russell Pollard (vocals, guitar, drums), J. Soda (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Rob Douglas (bass, vocals), and Joel Graves (guitar, keyboards, vocals), with the help of friend and drummer Davey Latter. Kevin Bronson of the Los Angeles Times observed that the band members “sport resumes longer than the intro to ‘Cortez The Killer’” and it’s true – these guys have spent time in bands such as Sebadoh, the Folk Implosion, Earlimart, Mike Stinson, Slydell, John Vanderslice, and the Watson Twins.

Following hot on the
trail of the “barefoot diva” Cesaria Evora, and the alluring Lura comes
the newest sensational Cape Verdean musical export: Tcheka! Tcheka is
well-known in Praia (the Cape Verde capital) for his work in
modernising "batuque", one of Santiago Island’s more popular beats,
originally played by women. He also penned the opening and closing
songs on Lura's debut album, and is making a welcome return to The Cedar after a warm and passionate show early last summer, and with his groundbreaking new album Lonji due out just before his Cedar show, on May 27. The new album was produced by Brazilian superstar Lenine, and features such unusual instruments as "hubcap" and "telephone book with brushes"!

Nation BeatInspired by the Afro-Brazilian rhythms of maracatu, the foremost diasporic band of the Mangue Beat movement of Northeast Brazil, Nation Beat has created an infectious new sound. Which nation, and which beat? What makes this group special is that it offers no simple answers. They are rhythm gatherers,
harvesting the fruit of 500 years of cultural cross-breeding, which is why the sounds of the northeast of Brazil and the southern United States blend together so seamlessly. In 2005, Nation Beat became the first North American group to collaborate and record with an authentic maracatu "Nation," the legendary Estrela
Brilhante of Recife, Brazil. Their highly anticipated album “Legends of the Preacher,” produced by Modiba Productions and featuring three mesmerizing collaborations with 2007 GRAMMY award winners The
Klezmatics, is due out July 15, 2008. 10% of proceeds from Nation Beat’s Legends of the Preacher will be donated to Corpos Percussivos, an organization dedicated to uplifting the underprivileged children of Recife, Brazil through music, art, education and culture.

FeufolletFormed in 1995 when accordionist/singer Chris Stafford was 8 and fiddler Chris Segura was 11, Feufollet quickly became known as one of the most exciting Cajun bands in Acadiana, not because of their youth but because of their obvious musical ability and the vivacity with which they approached the traditional music of the area. In the thirteen years since Feufollet first began performing, they have built upon a regional popularity, becoming an attraction at folk festivals and performance venues not only in the South, but throughout the United States and French Canada.

Vagabond OperaStep right up! and witness a cabaret of rich musical improvisation, sparkling lyrics, and indomitable theatrical stage presence!

1920's European Carbaret! Balkan Wedding Music! Neo-Classical Opera! Old World Yiddish Theater!

This is the six-piece Portland, Oregon group - Vagabond Opera. The ensemble delivers an eclectic mix of original and traditional compositions, unified by an old-world mood. Gut-bucket swing, tangos, Paris hot jazz, Ukranian folk-punk ballads, Arabic belly dance, Klezmer, operatic arias and vigorous originals mingle with Absurdist, Bohemian cabaret style, all played with skill, exuberance and a gritty vagabond edge.

Billy BraggIt’s been a quarter century since Billy Bragg took the stage for his first solo gig at North London Polytechnic, a concert advertising him under the first name Billy so his family wouldn’t spot his new career move. Since then our Billy has traveled the world and spoken to everybody twice. Billy Bragg has recorded hit singles, composed Top Ten albums, penned political anthems sung at rallies, kept alive traditional English folk songs, put his own spin on America’s greatest folk catalog and sung his heart out doing so. He has appeared on both MTV and late night highbrow chat shows, singing his mind on the first and speaking his mind on the latter. The Bard Of Barking has written essays for many daily newspapers of record and several notable weekly journals of comment. Perhaps his most memorable and eloquent journalism essay was his emphatic A Genuine Expression of the Will of the People, which was but one firm voice in the greater public campaign for the reform of the House of Lords.

Roma di Luna

In an amazing, freewheeling show back in September, acoustic duo Roma di Luna not only kicked off The Cedar's eighteenth season, but also celebrated the release of their second studio album. Now it is time to celebrate anew, with the release of the group's third studio recording Casting the Bones! Casting the Bones is as much an
exploration into the group’s sound as it is a total reinvention of the
aesthetics and boundaries their previous records have established.
‘Casting the Bones’ refers to fortune telling methods of old, gambling
games, and can also be interpreted as a common technique for healing a
broken bone. All of these definitions fit comfortably with this
collection of songs that are at once familiar, intriguing, ambitious,
and possess a healing quality for both listener and songwriter alike.

Pop WagnerDoes dear old Dad really deserve another gaudy tie/car-cleaning kit/bottle of aftershave/nose-hair clippers? Why not surprise and delight the father in your life with the gift of music and a family outing, from three of the greatest musical Dads around?

Pop Wagner sings, picks, fiddles, twiddles lassos, writes poetry and is a downright funny guy.He appeared quite frequently on Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion during the show's formative years and for the last four decades he has worked his cowboy magic throughout 44 states and ten countries.His cowboy anthems crackle with the warmth of a prairie campfire and his old time fiddle tunes set toes a-tappin' while he serves up spellbinding rope tricks and tall stories -- all with a good dose of friendly humor.

Yid ViciousYid Vicious takes an innovative approach to klezmer through its incorporation of elements as diverse as bossa nova and ska, homages to the likes of Johnny Cash and George Gershwin, and even occasional solos. With seven members of Yid Vicious, and a musical arsenal consisting of clarinets, saxophones, fiddle, horn, vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, prima, drums and theremin, the potential is almost limitless, and audiences are guaranteed an entertaining evening.

Bill FrisellRudy RoystonA rare opportunity to hear guitar maven Bill Frisell in the intimate space of The Cedar, accompanied by the incredibly sympathetic playing of Greg Leisz (lap and pedal steel guitar), Rudy Royston (drums), and Tony Scherr (bass).

Nina Nastasia

Nina Nastasia's rare gift of a voice is an intimate, winged presence that is able to either freeze or melt your heart, that can powerfully soar and twist, or brush ultra-gently against you, suddenly summoning goose bumps. Mojo commented on its ability to "suck the air out of the room". Picking over themes of love, longing and loss, childhood, dreams and human dramas, her beautifully concise, hook-laden songwriting and the spare arrangements of her band have a certain gritty, rustic charm and intensity. Simultaneously tough and fragile, her songs crackle and smolder with an intimate emotional honesty and a dark undertow.

The Lovell SistersThe Lovell Sisters feature the tight harmonies of The Lovell Sisters with an innovative fusion of country, folk, and contemporary acoustic music. They have toured from their hometown of Calhoun, GA to perform in over 24 states, Ireland, and Norway.

The Lovell Sisters won NPR’s “Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor” National Teen Talent Competition 2005 and released their debut album, entitled When Forever Rolls Around, later that year. They are currently hard at work on their second project.

HaydenCombining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments, dark humor, and a voice able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent the last 15 years creating uniquely affecting music. Hayden, who is currently finishing up a four week US tour with Feist, will be heading out next month on a full band tour to the US, and making a return visit to The Cedar on June 27, along with a handful of other premium venues around the country. These shows will mark the first time Hayden has toured with a full band in over 3 years and comes on the heels of his new album 'In Field & Town' via his new home at the legendary Fat Possum Records.

Boiled in LeadIn the midst of their 25th year of performing their unique blend of Celtic rock'n'reel, Boiled In Lead have retained a freshness and vitality that escapes far younger bands. The current BiL lineup of Todd Menton (vocals / guitar / mandolin / bodhran / whistle), Drew Miller (bass), Dean Magraw (guitar), David Stenshoel (fiddle) and Robin "Adnan" Anders (drums / percussion) features uniformly great musicians who each bring a lifetime of far-flung musical exploration to the Boil.

SiYAYA: Photo by Kurt MosesSouth African townships are overflowing with talented young people - singers, dancers and musicians. Poverty, the lack of opportunities and HIV/AIDS often results in all of this talent going undiscovered. Rev. Spiwo Xapile, director of the Zwane Community Centre in Guguletu, South Africa and Bongani Magatyana are determined to change this. Bongani Magatyana, an accomplished musician and composer, has formed SiYAYA - a performing group made up of 12 musicians who live in the townships surrounding Cape Town. In January of 2004 Magatyana held auditions and within a month the newly formed group was rehearsing daily at the Zwane Centre. Very quickly, word got out about this exciting new group and offers began coming in for SiYAYA to perform throughout South Africa, including an invitation to perform at Cape Town's prestigious jazz festival. Within a year, SiYAYA had recorded their first CD. In May of 2005, SiYAYA made their U.S. debut in Minneapolis. The Open Arms community was overwhelmed by their talent and the wonderful response from people.

Habib Koité: Photo by Dirk LeunisThe must-see world music show of the summer, and a great prelude to TC Pan African Festival! Malian guitarist and singer Habib Koité is one of Africa's most beloved and popular musicians. Featured in last year's Acoustic Africa tour along with Vusi Mahlasela and Dobet Gnahore, this show will be a whole evening's worth of Habib's high-energy, infectious rhythms, and sheer exuberance. His band Bamada features traditional instruments such polyphonic hunter's horns, alongside balafón (wooden xylophone), and n'goni (a Malian lute), and is the perfect complement for Habib's fluid kora-inspired guitar and earthy vocals. Lots of room for dancing!