Magic Tuber Stringband probes the undercurrents of the landscapes around them, their music reflecting time spent living across the Southeast and studying its regional folk traditions and natural histories. 

The Foxgloves are an all-female Midwestern Americana band from the Twin Cities that meets you wherever you are and pulls you in.

From the African drums to the dazzling colors of the Aurora Borealis, Aurora do Samba takes the audience on a vibrant journey through the history of samba — from sacred Afro-Brazilian ancestry and the rhythm of capoeira to the joyful spirit of the Samba Passista and Samba de Malandro to the elegance of Samba de Gafieira.

Blending live music, storytelling, and dynamic choreography, the show reveals how samba was born from resilience, transformed into art, and continues to inspire and connect people around the world. The production transports audiences on a vivid passage between the warmth of Brazil and the wonder of the northern sky.

Aurora do Samba — When the Afro-Brazilian ancestral beat awakens the resilience and meets the magical Northern Lights.

Dinkytown: A Tale of a Legendary Village tells the story of a unique village that has served as a small downtown for the University of Minnesota for over 150 years. Bob Dylan and Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale are a few of the individuals who passed through Dinkytown to make their mark on history.

Featuring duets from Davu Seru & deVon Russel Gray, Michael Gallope & Mary Hanson Scott, and Dameun Strange & Leyna Marika Papach.

Closed for private event. Interested in renting The Cedar Listening Room for your event? Email booking@thecedar.org.

Horse Lords’ lengthy, hypnotic, polyrhythmic pieces draw from Krautrock, Afrobeat, and Appalachian folk traditions. The Baltimore-based quartet formed in 2010 and has spent the last 16 years touring relentlessly in the DIY music scene.

Best known as the frontman for indie rock band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Alec Ounsworth's intimate Piano & Voice tour showcases his songs in their purest form. 

Summer at The Cedar kicks off with Wic Whitney, who creates an eclectic, genre-spanning blend of hip-hop, folk, and funk, brought together by soulful vocals and thoughtful lyricism that invite you to take a breath and be present with whatever you’re feeling.

Mexico City’s Sonido Gallo Negro fuse cumbias with psychedelic tropicalia to create hypnotic, dancefloor-ready sounds.

Indo-Canadian songwriter and producer Alysha Brilla is a 3x Juno-nominated artist. Guided by heritage and imagination, Brilla sculpts sonic constellations where the ancestral meets the electric. 

Transcending genres and trends, the Hot 8 Brass Band have performed and collaborated with the likes of Jon Batiste, Blind Boys of Alabama, Basement Jaxx, George Ezra and Alice Russell, and provided live support for Mos Def, Lauryn Hill and Mary J Blige. The group is known for their fresh takes on hit songs like Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and more. The Cedar is proud to welcome this award-winning New Orleans-based band to Minnesota for a special Juneteenth celebration.

John C. Van Orman and Adam Helwin are singer-songwriter neighbors in the bucolic countryside of southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless region, a place of unglaciated hills, fertile soil, and clear-running trout streams where they craft poetic songs to sing alongside traditional folk tunes and selectively curated covers. The duo is joined by percussionist and poet Marc Anderson for this special performance. 

SOLIDARITY IN STEREO: A benefit concert for TakeAction Minnesota's organizing featuring jeremy messersmith, Robyn Jamner, Salty Fears, and Brass Solidarity.

Dinkytown: A Tale of a Legendary Village tells the story of a unique village that has served as a small downtown for the University of Minnesota for over 150 years. Bob Dylan and Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale are a few of the individuals who passed through Dinkytown to make their mark on history.

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are internationally recognized for their unique and infectious sound that combines Anatolian folk with psychedelia, pop and soul influences.

NIVA Salute to Independent Venues: In partnership with MNIVA and the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department

The Cedar welcomes local artists Abinnet Berhanu’s Ahndenet and Fanaka Nation for a free show coinciding with the National Independent Venue Association 2026 Conference. Ahndenet reimagines Ethiopian folk, fusion, and popular music through contemporary jazz-informed arrangements. Fanaka Nation is an AfroTrap artist of Kenyan and Lao descent, and host of the MPLS Afrobeats dance party.

Noise Party 14 featuring BIZLANG (Alana Horton, Christian Erickson), Dracala Gril! (Alan Sparhawk, Haley Fohr), Shahghasemi/Ylvisaker (Jeremy & Max Ylvisaker, Aida Shahghasemi), Robert Lehmann & Toby Ramaswamy, starflower (Ross Clowser, Anna Dolde, Toby Ramaswamy), (t)rust (Papa Mbye, Collin Weiland)

Joseph Arthur is a storied songwriter, first signed to Peter Gabriel’s Real World label in the mid-90s. In 2010, he joined forces with Ben Harper and Dhani Harrison to form the folk supergroup Fistful of Mercy. He’s joined by acclaimed visual artist and songwriter Abe Patriridge for this intimate seated performance at The Cedar.

Brooklyn-based indie rocker Moon Walker explores themes of capitalism, religion, and warfare in his music, a message that has him selling out venues across the country. This is his first time performing at the Cedar, celebrating his soon-to-be-released album Wasteland Country.

The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life is proud to present its next iteration of Flowers Now!, a performance and awards ceremony honoring the contributions of artists and arts leaders who have left indelible and sustained crucial contributions to the artistic culture of the Twin Cities. Hosted by poet Tish Jones with performances by Cornbread Harris, Libby Turner, Queen Drea and Lela Pierce.

The Qalanjo Project Presents What We Pass Between Us: On Mothers, Daughters, and Becoming is a curated evening of short films that centers the intimate, complex, and often unspoken relationships between mothers and daughters across African, Caribbean, and diasporic communities.

 Scandinavian duo Smerz “flits deftly between genres – dream pop, glitchy electro, power ballads, shoegaze, even shades of trip-hop – whipping up all these textures into a sonic soufflé that is uniquely their own.” Vogue

Border CrosSing transforms into a full-fledged salsa band in this joyful, family-friendly program featuring a vibrant rhythm section and our amazing vocalists, joined by members of our community chorus Heritage Choir, for an even bigger and richer sound. Under the direction of Ahmed Anzaldúa, who will also take the stage at the piano, the ensemble dives into a spirited mix of classic and contemporary Latin American dance hits, from beloved favorites to lesser-known gems, all in novel choral arrangements. This won’t be a sit-still kind of night: our dance instructors will get people out of their seats and moving their bodies! Whether you choose to soak it all in or jump right into the movement, there is something for everyone. With highlights like the timeless Como Fue and the iconic Ojalá Que Llueva Café, this celebratory program promises an evening of rhythm, nostalgia, and irresistible fun for all ages.

Philadelphia pop-folk songwriter Carsie Blanton takes her cues from legends like Nina Simone, Cleo Brown, Joni Mitchell and John Prine. She’s a ferocious wordsmith who pulls no punches on her 2024 full-length After the Revolution. This is Carsie’s second time performing at The Cedar, and we welcome her back in time when her words are more poignant than ever. 

Eli Winter is a virtuosic guitar player, for fans of William Tyler and Yasmin Williams. Luke Schneider’s pedal steel has graced recordings by Orville Peck, Margo Price, and more. Deep listening and cosmic grooves abound as these two talents grace the Cedar stage for the first time. Jonah Hatten opens the show, previewing songs from his solo guitar debut, due later this year.

Jenny Don’t and the Spurs’ sound has been described as honky tonk, country & western, garage rock, and cowpunk. Emerging from the Pacific Northwest with a fierce DIY ethos, the band independently released the majority of their 13 albums and singles on their own label, cultivating a vast international following through extensive tours across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as performances in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mexico. They’re joined by local Western dreamers Cowboy Thoughts. 

That Handsome Devil celebrates 20 years since their debut EP with support from Human Zoo. Based in Brooklyn, by way of Boston, the band blends rock, funk, cabaret, surf, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and psychedelia. Their sound has been described as "equal parts Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, bizarre electronica, creepy hip hop, and in-your-face gonzo rock.”

Accordion-wielding Chilean songstress Pascuala Ilabaca is a true hidden gem in Latin American and World Music genres. A favorite in the new scene of young Chilean singer-songwriters, her music is rooted in traditional sounds but effortlessly integrates shades of jazz, pop, and rock, and draws on influences from distant places such as India and Mexico. Accompanied by her formidable band Fauna, her unique stage presence conveys both sweetness and empowerment, bringing her songs to life with both fragility and verve.

Local family bands Spaceport and Robot Slide come together to co-headline an extra-special collaborative show celebrating the release of their sophomore albums Cut the Lake and CHIMPS. They’ll be playing musical chairs on stage with two mixed sets, collaborating and sharing members to bring a unique mix of weird pop and indie rock to The Cedar stage.