The Cedar sat down with Holly G., founder of Black Opry: an organization advocating for Black artists in marginalized areas of music. Learn about Holly G.’s venture into opening once rigid country music spaces to Black people, what it means to support artists equitably, and her curatorial style.
The Cedar sat down with Chicago-based, Minneapolis-born, lifelong musician Tommy Goodroad. Learn about Tommy’s venture into country music, what it means to perform with his older brother and friends, and his reluctance to conform.
Seth Avett of the celebrated folk-rock North Carolina band The Avett Brothers sat down for a very special Q&A with the legendary Iowa singer-songwriter Greg Brown. Seth recently released Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown, a tribute to the interviewee himself. We’re thrilled to welcome Greg back to The Cedar stage — post-retirement — for a special weekend of sold out shows, December 16th & 17th, 2022.
Enjoy a discussion between the two artists and learn about Greg’s lengthy touring career, parenting, and everything in between.
The Cedar sat down with artist, community leader, and North Minneapolis resident Kenna-Camara Cottman. Learn about Kenna’s collaborative journey to bring The Griot Series to The Cedar’s hall, the joys of Kwanzaa, and the beauty and resonance of Black liberation.
The Cedar sat down with Portland-based singer-songwriter Chris Pureka. Learn about Chris’ recent release exploring pandemic life titled The Longest Year, and her thoughts on legacy and maintaining one’s identity with integrity.
Catch Chris Pureka at The Cedar on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 on a co-bill with Nat Harvie.
The Cedar sat down with Minneapolis-based musician and writer Dylan Hicks. He and the band Small Screens just released Airport Sparrows earlier this year. Learn more about the new album, Dylan’s relationship to failure and success, and his artist journey.
Catch Dylan Hicks & Small Screens at The Cedar on Saturday, October 29, 2022 on a co-bill with Aby Wolf & Eric Mayson. DJ Michaelangelo Matos spins from doors to show time and between sets.
The Cedar sat down with actor and musician Meghan Kriedler — front-woman of Minneapolis band Kiss the Tiger. Meghan is also the curator of CRAZY BROKE ASIANS. Learn about her process of bringing this special night together, the reason for the name, and what representation means to her.
Catch Kiss the Tiger at The Cedar on Friday, October 21, 2022, as part of CRAZY BROKE ASIANS. Other featured artists include: Diane, Mayda, D’Lourdes, Vulgar Tongue, and Tekk Nikk.
The Cedar sat down with multidisciplinary artist, and founder of Waco Brothers, Jon Langford. Learn about Jon’s approaches to visual art versus music and his relationships to collaborators.
Catch Waco Brothers at The Cedar on Friday, October 14, 2022. Pit Stop opens.
Banner image courtesy of Bandcamp.
We’re back with our fifth Bandcamp Friday playlist! A lot has changed since our last installment in May 2021. For instance, we opened back up for live concerts on Tuesday, August 3rd, and we’ve had 19 shows since then.
A major reason Bandcamp Friday was created was to help musicians increase their income that was lost from cancelling tours and not being able to launch future tours reliably. In spring 2020, when Bandcamp Friday began, there was a lot of uncertainty of when live shows would be able to return. Some people thought late 2020, and so shows were scheduled. Then those shows were rescheduled for early 2021, and then those shows were re-rescheduled for late-2021. Thankfully, many of those late-2021 shows have happened: you may have attended them! Attending a multi-sensory event such as a music concert is a beautiful part of the human experience. In hard times, the need for these cathartic moments is higher than ever. While many are going to concerts again, including here at The Cedar, the numbers still are not the same. They are also not predictable. Touring musicians are still in need of stable income, just like Bandcamp stated when creating Bandcamp Friday. Purchasing digital music files, vinyls, CD’s, posters, and other kinds of merchandise is a great way to tangibly support these artists.
We are still in very unpredictable times when it comes to the world of live music performance. What we do know is that people are still listening to music outside of concert halls. Let’s be sure we compensate the musicians who make this possible for us.
Check out our playlist of song selections for December 2021 below, and remember that if you purchase them on Bandcamp today, the artists will receive approximately 93% of the revenue. To date, Bandcamp Friday’s have generated $61 million dollars directly to the people making it! Even if you come across this on Saturday December 4, we still encourage you to buy music there and through other methods that get money directly to the artists. On any day besides Bandcamp Friday, approximately 82% of the revenue reaches the artists which is still wonderful!
There are a variety of genres and sounds for you to choose from! Read a bit about each song and find the direct Bandcamp links hyperlinked below:
Minneapolis indie rock band creeping charlie explores what seems to be an internal imbalance in the aptly named song “asymmetrical.” Stripped down with guitar and soft vocals, the 2020 song is cradling and sweet. Join creeping charlie for their album release on December 22, 2021, along with Ivers, Nucleus Accumbens, Truman Beck, and an act that is TBA.
Sometimes you want to put a mix on so there is no needed alteration to your queue. In those moments, we suggest “SHADES OF FLU 2: In These Odd Times” by modern jazz artist Kassa Overall. Featuring 14 tracks, the mix inspired by Madlib’s 2003 “Shades of Blue” is one of Kassa Overall’s COVID-19 creations - it was released in April 2020. Kassa Overall is bringing his brilliant sound to The Cedar on May 6, 2022.
Receiving very high praise, Brooklyn artist L’Rain’s sophomore album Fatigue (2021) has been on many a Best Of 2021 list - deservingly so. While we are just suggesting one song, “Find It,” it is really best experienced with the songs preceding and following it. L’Rains soft and tranquil voice sounds a lot like the waterfall on the albums cover. Similarly, the songs in the album flow into each other effortlessly. It’s a very unified project.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, multi-instrumentalist Lutalo joined Adrianne Lenker on tour this fall and was set to open for her at The Cedar for the November 21, 2021 show. Due to COVID-19 they were sadly unable to perform. Their July 2021 release “Bad Man” is a sunshine-y summer song with a fantastic bridge. With daylight ending around 4 pm, we can use more brightness.
Scottish trio TALISK’s “Aura” feels like a perfect end-of-year song because of its hope and optimism: feelings that are not always conveyed easily. This song feels comforting and reassuring. We are excited to welcome TALISK back to The Cedar on February 15, 2022.
Northern Mali Tuareg rock group Tinariwen is a crowd favorite at The Cedar and we were so sad that their October 15, 2021 show was cancelled. Since their last stop here in 2018 they released Amadjar (2019) which includes “Zawal” ft. Warren Ellis, Noura Mint Seymali, Jeiche Ould Chighaly. According to Pan African Music, the song is about witnessing the first solar eclipse*.One of the most compelling parts of the song is the last 40 seconds. Muffled vocals and a soft beat, it’s incredibly smooth and makes us want that snippet expanded.
*(Note: Interestingly enough there is a solar eclipse tomorrow, December 4!)
Zoë Keating is a phenomenal “one-woman cello orchestra,” as indicated on her Bandcamp page. Known for her beautiful composition and performance, the Canadian born artist highlights the beauty of the cello. “Possible (live at King’s Place)” transports the listener to the hall it was recorded in. Hear Zoë Keating live in The Cedar hall on January 11, 2022.
If you do buy some of these songs, please let us know via email, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy listening!
Banner image courtesy of Bandcamp.
Today is the fourth Bandcamp Friday of 2021, and possibly the last one? Bandcamp only announced February, March, April, and May dates for Bandcamp Friday in 2021. The event was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic putting a swift end to in-person concerts for an unknown amount of time. Possibly (and hopefully) that ‘unknown amount of time’ will be ending soon.
In last month's blog post, we shared that “the future of in-person, live music performance is still a bit shaky.” Now one month later, it’s seeming slightly more stable. At The Cedar we now have eight shows slated between late-August and December of 2021. Other Twin Cities venues are doing the same: the ball is rolling! Of course, we don’t know what will happen between now and then. All we can do is hope for the best, really. In the meantime, it is still so important that we buy music directly from musicians who graciously share their art with us, as touring is still not a reliable and sturdy source of income.
Check out our playlist of song selections for May 2021 below, and remember that if you purchase them on Bandcamp today, the artists will receive approximately 93% of the revenue. To date, Bandcamp Friday’s have generated $52 million dollars directly to the people making it! Even if Bandcamp Friday doesn’t return on June 4th, we still encourage you to buy music there and through other methods that get money directly to the artists. On non-Bandcamp Fridays approximately 82% of the revenue reaches the artists which is still wonderful!
There are a variety of genres and sounds for you to choose from! Read a bit about each song and find the direct Bandcamp links hyperlinked below:
In a time where rumination has been hard to avoid for most people, Adrianne Lenker softly singing “I wanna kiss, kiss your eyes again / wanna witness your eyes looking” feels relatable. Thinking tenderly on a past relationship has been a past-time for many throughout COVID-19. “anything” showcases that in a beautifully bittersweet way.
With the cadence of a 2000’s r&b girl group member, Erika de Casier sings smoothly about valuing manners in a lover on “Polite.” The Portuguese-born, Copenhagen-based singer shares this message over a very Sade-esque instrumental: “Such a pity I thought you were so nice / If you wanna be my type / You better start being polite.”
Minneapolis musician Friendship Bracelet’s “Machine With Broken Lizard (feat. Jan Stroup)” really reflects its title. This instrumental electronic song highlights gorgeous electric guitar from Jan Stroup and feels quite dark and reptilian, à la Mezzanine by Massive Attack.
“Pour Dampness Down in The Stream” is a mesmerizing journey that is worth your time. New York based guitarist Ryley Walker teamed up with Tokyo-based Japanese psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo to make this song and “Shrinks The Day.” The guitars are the stars here and they’re supported by sounds of wildlife, among other instruments.
“Send Me” is a stripped-back song where Tirzah’s warm vocals shine brightly (until the last 20 seconds or so where the guitar steps into the spotlight). On the London artist's Bandcamp page, the song is described as exploring “recovery, gratitude, and new beginnings.” With “heal” being the word repeated the most throughout the song, these themes are made clear.
Valerie June’s song “Smile” is a celebration of happiness. In her description of the song on Apple Music, June shared that “as a Black woman, looking at my people, we’ve had to continue to be reborn. And sometimes there have been times where all we had was a smile and just to say that’s not going to be taken.” The song is upbeat and groovy: definitely encouraging smiling, along with dancing.
Yaya Bey’s “the root of a thing” (explicit) is a luminous study of heritage. The repetition of “But I got my walls up / I really, really wanna love you” after touching on her relationships with her parents feels quite wise. Bey is speaking to the origins of one's fear of loving someone else — hence “root.”
If you do buy some of these songs, please let us know via email, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy listening!
Banner image courtesy to Bandcamp.
Today marks the third Bandcamp Friday of 2021! To date, Bandcamp Friday’s have generated $48 million dollars paid directly to artists and labels — that’s massive, and that’s just from the first Friday of every month! It’s clear that many music lovers are showing their appreciation loudly through financial compensation. We have to keep it up as the future of in-person, live music performance is still a bit shaky.
Check out our playlist of song selections for April 2021 below, and remember that if you purchase them on Bandcamp today, the artists will receive approximately 93% of the revenue.
There are a variety of genres and sounds for you to choose from! Read a bit about each song and find the direct Bandcamp links hyperlinked below:
Minneapolis-based, Irish-born fiddle player, composer, and producer Danny Diamond teamed up with guitar and bouzouki player Brian Miller for a collaborative album. Joyful, bright and buoyant, their playing compliments each other very well in “Love Will You Marry Me? / The Dogs Among the Bushes / The Fairy Reel.”
In “Rectifiya” (explicit), Chicago interdisciplinary artist keiyaA sings about putting herself and her own needs first: “I will never reel in my shine, wear a shade,” she sings. Throughout the song keiyaA asks herself “who rectified me?,” layered over music made from her microKORG synthesizer — a tool that gives her music a distinct sound.
Parisian Neo-soul and “Afropean Soul” sister duo Les Nubians created a compilation of songs from their 2011 studio album “NÜ REVOLUTION” for people to listen to in confinement: “Quarantine NÜ LOVE.” “VOGUE NAVIRE” — or “Sail On” in English — is a solemn but assured song about comforting a lover through the harshness of a long-distance relationship. Classic to their sound, the song has beautiful layered harmonies between the sisters.
Singer, songwriter and producer Nicolas Ratany’s debut single “Cycles I” (explicit) describes the battle between feeling defeated from ending up in the same place, and maintaining hope for something better to come: hope wins in this song as Nicolas sings “holding on, I’m never letting go.” Oceanic in sound along with lively electric guitar, the ‘cycles’ are heard clearly in the instrumental and vocals alike.
Somehow, serpentwithfeet manages to make music that sounds like it has glitter and silk in it. “Hyacinth” is emblematic of that. It’s a gracious song about wishes for a lover being granted: “I think my green thumb has led me to a real one,” he sings. This song is a beautiful choice to welcome the morning sunshine in.
“Dovetail Nicely” by Minneapolis-formed jazz trio The Bad Plus is a bright and springy piece highlighted with beautiful, melodic piano. The alternating rhythms in the song complement each other well, making clear why ‘dovetail’ is in the title.
Smooth, calming, and somewhat melancholy, soft-rock song “Julia” by Minneapolis-based Yellow Ostrich seems to explore what it means to be in a different place from a lover, similar to “VOGUE NAVIRE.” But the difference is that “Julia” describes what it means to be honest about not being on the same page as someone, even when you want to be: “I can’t see eye to eye, cause we’re in different times.”
If you do buy some of these songs, please let us know via email, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy listening!
Graphic courtesy of Bandcamp.
Today is the second Bandcamp Friday of 2021! As we discussed in our first blog post from February 5, we believe it is necessary to show direct financial support to musicians. Of course, we should be doing this pre and post-pandemic, but especially mid-pandemic when the livelihoods of many artists has been jeopardized since touring has been rendered unviable. Beautiful art such as music making may come from the heart, but the artists cannot be compensated in love alone.
Check out our playlist of song selections for March 2021 below, and remember that if you purchase them on Bandcamp today, the artists will receive approximately 93% of the revenue.
There is a wide variety of songs for you to choose from, of course. Find the direct Bandcamp links to each song hyperlinked below:
K.Raydio’s “Smiley Face” is an experimental RnB song that shows how her retrospection leads her to a place of self-confidence. Liiiam’s “Falsities” is a romantic, smooth, yet still danceable electropop song detailing the power of a kiss. “Lessons From My Mistakes...But I lost Your Number” is an avant-garde, jazz, hip-hop song where Liv.e explores the title itself: learning from her mistakes. With an interpolation of someone discussing what it means to “let go,” M. Zain’s “Ruby #1” is an instrumental electro hip-hop song that feels introspective. Father and daughter duo Sachiya & Eri Isomura play cello and marimba, respectively. They created a gentle and bright arrangement of Robert Schumann’s “Traumerei (Dream).” Vocalist Kashimana and trio Sprig of That came together to make “The Only One,” a folksy-soul song honoring people who were brave enough to be trailblazing. The group Tommy Goodroad’s “April Showers” is a sweet, sunrise sounding country song with contrasting lyrics about feelings of loneliness in a relationship.
K.Raydio, Liiiam, Sprig of That, Kashimana, Sachiya & Eri Isomura, and Tommy Goodroad are all either from or currently based in the Twin Cities.
If you do buy some of these songs, please let us know via email, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy listening!
Graphic courtesy of Bandcamp.
With live performances being nonviable since the COVID-19 pandemic, many musicians have lost a major portion of their income. Starting in March 2020, so many concerts and entire tours were cancelled that Live for Live Music launched a COVID-19 Concert Cancellation Tracker that is still being updated as recently as February 3rd, 2021 at 12:00 pm EST. With the vaccination process in the United States being inconsistent and the discoveries of new variants of COVID-19, the return of in-person concerts is really up in the air.
Seeking to support musicians during this time, Bandcamp — a platform where musicians can create their own online store to sell digital and physical music as well as merchandise — created Bandcamp Fridays. Launched on March 20th, 2020, Bandcamp Fridays were created to ensure more money from the site’s sales goes directly to artists: an average of 93%. For 24 hours, patrons can know that nearly all of their money will go directly to the musicians they want to support.
While there was no Bandcamp Friday in January 2021, Bandcamp has committed to extending the event through 2021, starting today! So far, Bandcamp has committed to continuing Bandcamp Fridays on February 5th, March 5th, April 2nd, and May 7th of 2021. As long as Bandcamp Fridays exist, we will make a playlist of music we suggest you purchase on this day.
As the first Bandcamp Friday of 2021 falls in Black History Month, our first playlist of suggestions include all Black artists: all of whom are either based in the Twin Cities or started out here. Check out these songs and consider the impact that buying them will have as opposed to streaming them.
Black American music knows no bounds. This mix is reflective of the variety of genres that Black musicians in and of the Twin Cities are helping to expand.
Direct Bandcamp links to each song can be found below. Let us know what you think!
“Another Life” by Astralblak; “Love It Baby” by booboo (explicit); “Lifestyle” by Dizzy Fae; “cat scratch” by Dua Saleh (explicit); “Sun Baby” by Kashimana; “Great Things” by The Lioness (explicit); “Waves” by Velvet Negroni.
Check out our newsletter from this week where we talked about the history behind Black History Month, as well as the significance of The Cedar honoring it.
