The Cedar Presents
Maddie Thies with Squinny, The Nunnery, and Sachi Keiko
Friday, December 11, 2026
Doors 7PM | Show 7:30PM
Seated | All Ages
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about this show
Award-winning bassist and backing vocalist for many, Maddie Thies, is stepping center stage. Celebrating the release of her debut EP, Maddie Thies headlines The Cedar with special guests Squinny, The Nunnery, and Sachi Keiko.
Maddie Thies
Long time supportive player in the scene, bassist and backing vocalist for many, Maddie Thies, is stepping center stage with the release of her debut EP, coming December 2026. Thies’ award winning unique art-alternative and genre bending style tackles the many aches of the heart. Pulling from her life experiences as a Third Culture Kid growing up between South Korea and Minnesota, yearning, and grief, Thies’ music is wandering, lush, and real.
With her project simmering in the background the last few years, Maddie Thies has been named 2025’s Upcoming Artist of The Year by The Loring Collective, with Album of The Year and Artist of The Year all going to projects Thies cultivates for both 2025 and 2026. Thies was a 2021-22 Cedar Cultural Commissions Winner, and was a participant of First Avenues Rock Lottery in the summer of ‘24. Her single “Postcard Collection” gained her international recognition and locally was named one of 89.3 The Current’s January 2023 “Music You Should Know.”
Dedicating herself to her project in 2026, Thies has been fiercely welcomed into the spotlight. Within the first few months, Thies packed Green Room for New Band Night, played KARE11’s Sunday Sounds and Minnesota State Fair Stage, and toured internationally. She’s been interviewed by Music In Minnesota, Jazz88, Mostly Minnesota Music, Glad You’re Here and Nothing To Prove Podcasts, and had her music review by Tumbling Rock, Melodic Noise Media, and 40Fi Creations.
Maddie Thies is joined on stage by her close friends and collaborators: Lucas Rollo on bass and backing vocals, Riley Jacobson on guitar and synth, and Aurelio Sandoval Pogatshnik on drums.
Squinny
Squinny is a Minneapolis based fuzz glam 4 piece. Their sound is built on big guitars, analogue synths, and motoring bass and drums. Reminiscent of T. Rex via Justice, Black Sabbath à la Daft Punk.
The Nunnery
The Nunnery begins with one voice, layered upon itself becoming a lush soundscape.
Sarah Elstran is an independent musician that bridges the gap between bright-eyed pop composition and hands-on atmospheric live layering of voice. Her vocal loops give us the kind of detail and wide multi-octave range that we might come to expect from a marquee pop star, while her production decisions continually keep us guessing as to what rabbit holes her tracks might fall into next.
Sachi Keiko
Sachi Keiko didn’t set out to become a singer-songwriter. As a lifelong student of classical music with dreams of becoming a Broadway percussionist, it came as a surprise to all when Keiko turned her attention to writing songs of her own. Her first EP, “Keep It Down," released on October 9 — is a culmination of her musical abilities and the freedom of finally feeling able to express herself through song. With honeyed vocals that glide over soft guitar-led instrumentals, “Keep It Down” cements Sachi as a gifted singer-songwriter of the indie-rock persuasion (fans of early Phoebe Bridgers are sure to enjoy), but also conveys an important message: it’s never too late to find your voice.