On the morning of June 16th, fifteen anti-ICE organizers were indicted on federal conspiracy charges in Minnesota. Trump's DOJ has tried to smear these fifteen defendants by alleging that they are the ones who are really putting our community in danger.

We know that ICE and Trump's fascist forces are the ones putting our communities at risk. This concert is a chance to come together to demonstrate our continued solidarity and courage in the face of increasing repression.

The show will feature local heroes as well as artists from the broader community of antifascist musicians. All ticket proceeds go to the legal fund for the MN 15 (donate directly here).

Dustin Laurenzi and Matt Gold, key collaborators in the Chicago creative scene and with genre-spanning artists such as Bill Callahan and Makaya McCraven, step forward on Devotional Fade (We Jazz Records) with a major artistic statement, a product of extended improv sessions that capture the duo’s hypnotic interplay. This is the sound of two of Chicago’s most vibrant instrumental voices listening deeply, communing in sound. An incomparable Twin Cities trio of highly sought-after sidemen, Alpha Consumer, opens the night. 

Setting is Nathan Bowles (solo/trio, Pelt, Black Twig Pickers) on strings, keys, tapes, and percussion; Jaime Fennelly (Mind Over Mirrors, Peeesseye) on synthesizers and harmonium; and Joe Westerlund (solo, Califone, Sylvan Esso, Jake Xerxes Fussell) on drums, percussion, metallophones, and zither. Keith Fullerton Whitman is a performer of “Live” Electronic Music based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; his work is governed by the outcome of ongoing experiments with Generative & Algorithmic frameworks in both the Analog & Digital Domains, blurring the lines between improvisation & composition while openly embracing an agnostic & (often) contrarian approach to genre & setting.

Maria Chávez, Shahzad Ismaily (Arooj Aftab, Ceramic Dog) and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) came together as a trio for the first time for a show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in May 2025. That debut performance received a glowing review in The Wire, where writer Vanessa Ague heralded it as “a reminder of the sheer joy of seeing what surprises we can find in sound”. 

“Seeing is Forgetting combines analog synths (Elori Saxl) with baritone saxophone + bass clarinet (Henry Solomon). Drawing equal parts from American jazz abstraction, New York classical minimalism, and contemporary pop’s sense of harmony, form, and hooks, the album is an exploration in presence, physicality, intuition, and vulnerability.”

The Cedar is thrilled to present these cutting-edge artists together for one night only. 

What if 40 minutes of instrumental music made by two friends passing files across state lines could capture the range of human experience, or at least a disproportionate chunk of it—worry and camaraderie, hope and frustration, tenderness and absurdity? Croz Boyce is Animal Collective’s Dave Portner (Avey Tare) and Brian Weitz (Geologist). Presented by First Avenue.

Great Lake Swimmers founder Tony Dekker has always been akin to a wildlife photographer, often choosing to make records in unique surroundings with a connection to Ontario history. For the band’s latest album, Caught Light, he holed up in the Ganaraska Forest, between Peterborough and Port Hope, with producer Darcy Yates (Bahamas) and engineer Jimmy Bowskill (Blue Rodeo). Their goal was to tap the warmth of early ’70s folk/pop/rock, whether it be the cozy sonic sweater of Gordon Lightfoot’s classic work or the gentleness of underrated American songwriter Dory Previn. Dekker made everyone listen to John Martyn’s 1971 album Bless the Weather before the session.